My favorite game at the moment is a somewhat simple card game called “Gin Rummy” (or at least the version my friends taught me). The challenge of “Gin Rummy” lies in the fact that it appears dull and uninteresting on its surface. Draw a card, get rid of a card. Although it really is as simple as that, there is a lot going on under the hood. You need to take all of your cards and make them into melds (as many sets or runs as possible) while eliminating the “deadwood,” which are the cards that don’t match anything else.
But here’s the part of the game that gets interestining: because you can draw from the top of the deck or the discard pile, every card you eliminate gives information to your opponent about what you may have left. So now everything’s that much more complicated. You are not only thinking about how to improve your own hand, but also wondering if you just gave your opponent exactly what they were looking for. You have to start guessing. What are they making? What are they avoiding? My greatest struggle is remembering it all. This seemingly simple card game becomes something very similar to a mind-reading contest. That is Challenge — not difficult in an obvious way, just a slow competition of trying to outthink someone across a table.
There is also the added stress of knowing your opponent can knock at any time. You cannot simply sit back and wait for the right hand. At some point, you have to decide when “good enough” is indeed good enough. That urgency makes each turn feel like a small gamble. And that meditative game play of draw, think, eliminate, repeat is where Abnegation comes into play. Before you know, an hour or two has passed while you’re simply putting down cards with a friend. And sometimes, a hand can surprise you, which can be considered Discovery.
Gin Rummy does not look like much, but that’s what makes it so amazing!
