What I've Learned From Capture The Flag

Games are a natural part of the lives of everyone. Sometimes we don’t always see them, but they are always there. People also sometimes try to make daily events or activities into games so they become more bearable and less insufferable, such as making a race out of who can finish a job first. Usually, games teach us how to solve a problem (the best ones teach us to do so in more than one way). That problem usually stands in the way of a goal, unless of course the goal is to solve said problem. I have learned a lot from games of all kinds when it has come to solving problems but today I am going to talk about a famous game- capture the flag.  

This is definitely one of my favorite outdoor games to play, because it relies more on mental strategy than physical capability. When someone takes off from the center of the field into the opposing team’s side, the other team is immediately alerted and breaks into action, most likely stopping the intruder. My personal strategy in this game is to appear as if I’m not playing at all. I just slowly make my way to the other side of the playing area and casually walk over to the other team’s side. As soon as the opportunity arises, I then take off in the direction of the flag and hopefully make it back. I have found that this strategy is incredibly efficient. The best way to defeat an enemy is to not have them recognize you as their enemy at all. This is a game that has really taught me to play smart, not hard. Playing a physical game physically is a fine way to play a game, but the ultimate way to conquer is to bring water to a firefight. 

 Another thing I’ve learned from capture the flag is that sacrifices are sometimes necessary and that sometimes you have to cut down a tree to save the forest. Not everyone can carry the flag back into home territory; however the people who aren’t doing that job can serve as distractions and block the team from the person with the flag, like a team would do in football. From this part of the game, I learned that all of your resources are valuable, no matter how much you have.  You just need to figure out the smartest way to use them.

--Rudolph