response 30 of 36:

Jul 11 15:07 UTC 2003

        The problem is, though, it's not a matter of one person or another
"making" things a game.  Whether they do it consciously or unconsciously,
people wind up doing the same things, testing their partner to see how much
they can get away with and at what point they'll stand up for themselves. 
When someone "isn't playing a game", they're just doing it unconsciously.

        Unfortunately, the term "game" has two different connotations, one
from game theory, which deals with mapping complicated repetitive
interactions, and one from dating, where they have completely different
meanings.  I'm not talking about being deliberately evil to someone you're
going out with.