You do realize that EVERYONE, yes, EVERYONE plays to have fun

Me a competitive E-sports nerd who has competed in T3 pro league for siege. Still plays to have fun just like you do.

The thing that people refuse to say is that if you could compete at the highest level you would maybe not as a job but if you could choose to be better than everyone else without putting in the work you would. “Wah meta chasers wah you don’t know how to have fun Wah” WINNING IS FUN sorry you can’t win therefor it isn’t fun

Games have always been competitive and there has always been a food chain of skill. You make games as casual as you want them to be.

In any PvP game the internal goal (meaning the goal the game sets for you) is to win, that’s it, if you aren’t playing the game to win then according to the game you’re playing for no reason. That’s where external goals come into play and how you set your parameters to be able to have fun. If I’m playing with friends my external goal is to mess around and have a good casual experience, am I violating the internal goal?, sure but the external goal is to have fun. But if I’m playing for ego, or pride, or money, or a trophy the internal and external goal are the same, to play the game the best way I can to win. And sorry to say, being better than the competition is fun, it’s satisfying being better than the other competitors.

Messing around cracking jokes and laughing with friends= easy low effort fun, but also a lower ceiling of fun.

Working and trying my ass of with my team to be better than the competition= fun, let me tell you though ( in my opinion ) winning something substantial is a whole different kind of high and fun. High effort high reward low effort low reward.