And I thought I was the forum curmudgeon. (Destiny)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Monday, November 01, 2021, 12:08 (1125 days ago) @ squidnh3

In this context, "competitive" means a game centered around creating a level playing field in each individual game, where the goal for each team or player is trying to win.

Creating a level playing field would be rubber banding and handicapping the better team. No "competitive" game ever strives for a truly level playing field. They all purposefully exaggerate differences in skill. That's… the whole idea. You get good? You can win.

Drilling down further, it most often takes the form of emphasizing decisions and skill throughout the length of the game, attempting to avoid "slippery slope" gameplay where an early advantage by one team becomes immediately insurmountable (this goes back to the whole BR vs. AR thing in Halo).

The prevention of which is antithetical to a true competitive game, which is to be an objective and correct measure of skill. That sounds more like a more casual multiplayer game, which as I think you've been suggesting, is way more fun. The true competitive games which rely solely on skill are quite boring, and usually warp player incentives.