Imperfect

competition is cooperative

Inspired by Reed's An inherently competitive society.

On cooperation and competition

Cooperation and competition are not only inherent but interconnected even in their etymologies. Whether it's striving or producing in abundance, they both represent working together or with others. Competitive markets, which producers and consumers alike have depended on for ages, depend themselves on social cooperation to function.

The intertwined factors of production that go into modern luxuries like faucets and microwaves are thanks to the cooperation of local and global supply chain exchanges. The pressure of competition among producers and consumers alike means that "technology is the worst it will ever be." I think it's safe to say that we live in one of the most economically cooperative worlds to date. If you want to explore more of this line of thinking, check out Xavier's On the oversimplification of anti-capitalist critiques (or: what you think you hate isn't capitalism).

Compared to letting market manipulators pick winners with unwarranted authority, I think it's better that individuals and businesses compete as freely as they can through markets. Coercing cooperation or more even pay can reduce incentives for innovation, lower prices, higher quality, or even abundance at large.

Especially as someone that doesn't understand the gravity of upper bound wealth, I don't believe I have the authority to limit others' positive deviance. Instead of coercing limits on how rich or poor someone else can be in any particular quality of life, could my time be better spent maximizing what I believe will lift myself and others up?

On tournaments and prizes

Cooperation and competition are also thus inherent in play, games, and sports. Players engage both of those processes to improve inside and outside of play. Players not only seek to win the games that they participate in, but also win with fellow players, loved ones, spectators, and staff too.

Competition doesn't have to require any monetary reward. People can engage in activities because they have wants they can satisfy through them. Children will continue to play many games with each other without the expectation of coin. There is such a thing as playing for the love of the game that I not only respect, but cherish myself.

That transfers over to daily online tournaments like Trackmania's Cup of the Day. Such a frequent and cost-effective tournament doesn't need a monetary investment or prize pool. Bragging rights for winning the cup or having your map picked can be enough satisfaction for you. Also, if you lose the Cup of the Day, you can always try again tomorrow.

Less frequent offline tournaments demand much higher investments and prize pools. Physical venues need to be paid for, people on premises need to be attended to, and much higher competition levels than online play offers deserve to be rewarded properly.

Here is an example that concretely contrasts offline and online tournament prize pools. The top league of an online Age of Empires 2 tournament series recently concluded. It having had a prize pool thousands of dollars less than an upcoming offline event doesn't sound so bad at a glance. What's the catch? The online event has 24 competitors. The offline event only has 8. Without winning a single game in the offline tournament, you would make more money than the online tournament's bronze medalist.

As much as I'd like to entertain the idea of all offline tournament participants being evenly rewarded, it's a bigger non-starter the bigger the event is. I would imagine it would drastically lower entrant counts, attendee counts, and overall hype for the event. If the tournament somehow commences, player prizes could dip well below the tournament entry fee alone. Large expenses like hotels and airfare don't make this idea any more enticing.

When it comes to running big tournaments, so much is on the line. One cancelled or botched tournament, whether through an act of God or otherwise, can spell lights out for your entire series' future. Also, salary workers wouldn't want to expose themselves to the risk of such egregious reputational or capital losses that entrepreneurs like event hosts could face.

Instead of evening out the playing field, how can we elevate the playing field to the company of immortals?

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