Postby drawscore » Sun Jun 23, 2013 8:18 pm
I think the natural urge, even in play, is to escape, or at least, to make the attempt. Most of us are competitive, some, even highly competitive, and the thought of just giving up on a challenge, is abhorrent to us. The more difficult the tie, the greater the thrill, or feeling of accomplishment is, when you do escape, and it's an "adrenalin high" which can become addictive, and make you want to do it again and again.
On the other side, consistent failure to escape may prove discouraging, and turn people away from TUGS. My friends and I knew that, even as young teenagers (13-14-15), which is why we sometimes made it easier (without being too obvious about it) for the younger kids (10-11-12) to get loose - so they would beat the challenge, and feel a sense of accomplishment. Of course, making sure the younger kids got to tie someone, also helped, and it helped even more when one of us would say we couldn't get loose. Again, there's that feeling of beating the challenge, and it was especially effective if 11 year old Mark tied up 14 year old Charlie, and Charlie "couldn't get loose."
Drawscore