Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Talk about improving your game, resources you like, games you played, etc.

The Goddess of Go offers you a Magic Pill. You will become 9d instantly, but will not know why.

Yes! I'd take that pill right now!
28
53%
No, thank you.
16
30%
I would take the pill if only it was slow-acting and ensured the gradual success of my go studies.
9
17%
 
Total votes: 53

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Laman
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by Laman »

this pill-question is easy (clearly yes for me, and i don't even know how i became as strong as i am and neither how my moves work, so no lose here :))

but what if you have a golden apple and four goddeses who want it: Hera offers you that you become king of Europe and Asia, Athena offers you wisdom and becoming world's greatest warrior, Aphrodita offers love of world's most beatiful woman and Kami no Itte offers you to become world's best go player. what to do now :D?
still Kami no Itte for me

PS: i hope i've got the legend right, otherwise feel free to correct me
Last edited by Laman on Tue Aug 09, 2011 11:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by Marcus »

Laman wrote:this pill-question is easy (clearly yes for me, and i don't even know how i became as strong as i am and neither how my moves work, so no lose here :))

but what if you have a golden apple and four goddes who want it: Hera offers you that you become king of Europe and Asia, Athena offers you wisdom and becoming world's greatest warrior, Aphrodita offers love of world's most beatiful woman and Kami no Itte offers you to become world's best go player. what to do now :D?
still Kami no Itte for me


This is an interesting thought. I don't want to derail this thread any more than it already has been, but I'd probably bow to Athena. Not really sure why, but it's the offer that appeals to me most ...
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by tchan001 »

The Powers that Be at KGS offered me a day of being 9d many moons ago. Poof, April Fool's Day was soon over and I was merely mortal once more.
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by Kirby »

I'll cut the apple four ways. I'd settle for being prince of Europe and Asia, wise from 12pm to midnight, skip the woman since I'm married, and be 5d at go.
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by LocoRon »

Per the original question:

No. I am strongly opposed to recreational drug use. :P

Now, if the goddess offered some other way to become 9D (say, a "cheatcode" of some sort), then I'd probably accept without a second thought. :) (Yes, I am another one of those gamers that thinks cheats actually can improve the fun and replay value of a game.)
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by Kirby »

Helel wrote:
Kirby wrote: skip the woman since I'm married


You realise that you have just said that you don't find your wife to be the world's most beautiful woman...


Well, my intent was simply to say that I would skip that part of the deal. I am not trying to evaluate my wife's beauty against any other person's. I have not seen all of the women in the world, but I do find my wife to be beautiful. My wife's beauty, though, is not the reason that I have love for her. It is a nice plus, though. :-)
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by mw42 »

Laman wrote:but what if you have a golden apple and four goddeses who want it: Hera offers you that you become king of Europe and Asia, Athena offers you wisdom and becoming world's greatest warrior, Aphrodita offers love of world's most beatiful woman and Kami no Itte offers you to become world's best go player. what to do now :D?


I'd give the apple to Kami. Given the popularity of go in Asia, being the world's best go player would virtually make you royalty there, anyway. Plus, I've always had a thing for asian girls. ;-)
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by Li Kao »

If it makes me 9d kgs in strength, then no thanks. If it makes me a top pro perhaps.

Strong amateur/non top pro doesn't sound nice to me. Making a living from it is annoying and finding opponents for even games too. Currently I can hit automatch and get an opponent of my strengths shortly after. Perhaps the sweet spot is around 4d, you still find games but you're decently strong.
But Hushfield is right. For many things cheating spoils the fun. Improving is very nice, and the stronger you are the slower you will improve. And the feeling of having achieved something yourself instead of being given it is much nicer. So I think after the initial enjoyment from being strong wears off I might even drop go.

And even for top pro I need to think. Probably I prefer programming over playing go as my main time sink.
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by Bantari »

Never!

I only see the downsides of such pill.
Very few opponents to play even games, on each server a huge following, each loss discussed across the world, yuck... I rather enjoy my life in anonymity and have all the fun I can - and I absolutely do not believe that a 9d has much fun than me playing Go. Not to mention than to become 9d with a pill is one thing, but to stay 1d takes serious work... I am not prepared to work that hard on Go.

I could go on, but I hope you get the drift...
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by logan »

The journey is more important than the destination.
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by Solomon »

GIVE ME THAT PILL.
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by gogameguru »

What's the catch? There has to be a catch, right?

The slow acting pill sounds fun.
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by Dusk Eagle »

I would definitely take it, but since it doesn't exist, I'll just have to get there the hard way ;).
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by Redundant »

I think it would be neat to take the pill, and then be able to analyze 9d games whenever I want. I think that being able to play at a 9d level would lead to at least being able to understand at a much higher level much sooner.
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Re: Would YOU take the Magic Pill?

Post by ez4u »

Overnight I would lose all my existing Go friendships and instantly become an over-the-hill 9 dan, without the physical or mental stamina to compete "anymore". Where's the fun in that?
:grumpy:
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