Self-regulated or self-inflicted rules are something that everyone evaluates differently. Playing a game with someone can either be fun,challenging, or boring based on the rules they place in the game sphere. I love to play Solitaire on my phone, not just as something to pass the time but something I like to do. There are different types of play I regulate when I play. the app I have on my phone allows you to play a ‘winning deal’ or a ‘random deal’ as well as having the option to play with friends. I use all of these modes.

Sometimes when I play I choose the mode with the winning deal and see how quickly I can complete the game. I’ll end up playing for a long time to see how  quickly I can play and beat my old time on the mode. Sometimes I use the random deal and play to beat my time that way. I inevetibly get sick of losing and switch back over to the ‘winning deal’ at some point before I’m done playing for the day. There are also ‘hints’ and ‘undo’ options you can use in the game. When I’m playing by myself, I’ll occasionally use the hint or undo, but I try to limit myself and play the game on my own.

When I’m playing against someone else, I make it a point not to use these options. Although I don’t’ mind ‘cheating’ myself by using them on occasion, it really does feel like cheating to use these handicaps when playing someone else. At the end of the game you can see if the other person used the hint or undo options, and it really does feel like being cheated if they did use them and ended up winning because of it.