Growing up, my family and I would play a lot of games. Board games and card games, but mostly video games. More often than not, I found myself in 2nd place. Second player, second one across the finish line. Second highest score. Second to last one standing in the brawl.
It got to the point where I came to hate second place.
No one likes to be second. Some would say second place is the first loser. It can get frustrating being so close to top of the podium. Frustrating enough that my family and I stopped playing games.
Fast forward to last weekend. My family and I got the chance to try out the new Mario Kart World game. I had my doubts at first. I know how competitive we are. I know how frustrated I used to get being second all the time, but I thought it was worth a shot. All of us playing a brand new game for the first time together. We all know the basic controls because we used to play Mario Kart in the past, but none of us knew what to expect from the items, the tracks, and everything else new that they put into the game. So, no one would have an advantage.
We had a lot of fun. We laughed a lot, and I recall that the main frustrations were only when the computer players would beat us senseless with their rapid firing of items. A brand new game meant a lot had to be unlocked. We ended up working together to do it. Yes. We still fought over 1st place, but in racing the Grand Prix, we made sure one of us always got the gold.
By the end of it, I realized I missed it. I actually missed being second place. In truth, I always lost to my brother and that’s what always made it frustrating. After this weekend, it was just another reminder how we make a really good team. He’s got the skills to get ahead of the pack, but staying in second, I’m able to keep the computer players off his tail. It helped ensure the gold in every cup.
So, I guess, second place really isn’t that bad.
nikki diekemper 