@Mimishu1995, begging your pardon, I was speaking only for myself and not for all the little kids of the world. This is the way I did see it as a little kid. That’s why I hated it. It felt cruel, embarrassing, and inescapable. Being butt-bumped out of a chair and knocked to the floor by a strong, husky boy when I was a little feather of a thing was a regular experience with no tinge of pleasure in it.
You might be right to say I took it too seriously, and perhaps I did, because I was a serious child and took things to heart. I was serious about a lot of things that I’m guessing you might dismiss. And I was often aware that other kids took a different view of things—one reason to feel ashamed, because I didn’t subscribe to the majority view.
It wasn’t just win-or-lose; it was an elimination game. I hated all elimination games, from dodge ball to Risk. This was my honest experience. I wouldn’t call it traumatic, just a small misery that was of concern to no one but me. You can’t tell me I was wrong to have the feelings I had. I was also careful to hide them.
And I never would have dared to protest, because that too would have made me the odd one out.