Abstract
According to C. Thi Nguyen, there are two sorts of players: achievement and striving players. Achievement players focus on achievements or winning. Striving players take on achievement or winning temporarily to experience striving. This distinction has played a pivotal role in sparking new discussions in agency, autonomy, and the philosophy of games; however, I worry that the distinction does not seem to capture a common phenomenon in sports: shifting value from achievement to process or striving while retaining winning as an end. This paper investigates what resources Nguyen has to accommodate the case of the striving-to-achieve player. Ultimately, I argue that viewing the distinction as modes of engagement with values instead of types of players preserves the spirit of Nguyen’s distinction while capturing the case. I close by reflecting on the applications of the striving-to-achieve player in other professional contexts, like professionalized philosophy.
Presenters
Keilee BesshoStudent, PhD, University of California Riverside, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Sporting Cultures and Identities
KEYWORDS
Achievement; Striving; Flow; Philosophy of Games
