So last weekend, I went to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) with a few co-workers of mine. It was actually a lot of fun. Went on some rides, played some games, and ate some weird food. While I was there, I came to a realization, which I want to share with you. This realization came about while we were playing some carnival games on the CNE grounds.
Before last weekend, I was cynical about the concept of carnival games. The chances of winning a prize at some of these carnival games are slim to none. They act as money windfalls for unsuspecting people, and I would always avoid them. You could end up spending a lot of money before you end up winning a prize, or even worse, not even win a prize at all. In addition, some of the people who run carnival games are generally unscrupulous. They hook people in with sales pitches like how easy it is to win at this game, and how amazing the prizes are. It is usually never the case. People will buy into it, and in 99 of 100 cases, they will not win the prize.
Therefore, I had the logical conclusion that carnival games are a colossal waste of money.
After this weekend, I am not so sure that I would stand by that.
A couple of my co-workers wanted to play the basketball game where all you had to do was shoot the ball in the hoop, and you win a prize. It sounds easy to do. The cynic in me knew that the basketball rims are too bouncy, the backboard was not structurally sound, and the basketball would just barely fit inside the hoop, meaning that getting a swish would be more difficult than usual. I am not the kind of person that would tell someone how to spend their money, so whenever they would play, I would try to give some positive encouragement (because positivity is the best policy). Unfortunately, in the multiple occasions that they played the basketball game, they were not able to get the ball in the hoop, and therefore, did not win a prize. Now, here comes the realization I had while I was watching them play.
I do not think carnival games are a waste of money anymore. Yes, you are losing money when you do not win a prize, but I believe it means very little in the bigger picture of feelings. What you gain, when you play carnival games, is a sense of motivation, hope, and positive encouragement (if you are with a good group of people who support you). You put that all together and you get a boost of dopamine (which is the chemical in your brain responsible for triggering your reward centers, making you happy). For someone who may have a lack of self-confidence, this dopamine boost could mean wonders for that person, and even if that person does not win a prize, they at least had that boost of happiness. In many ways, playing carnival games is similar to casino gambling, where you are betting something in order to win something in return. Casino gambling can be a solitary activity (slots), but I find that there is more excitement when there is people around you, such as carnival games and casino table games.
I found myself playing the ring toss game (which is almost impossible to win), but I did not care that I was spending money for a fruitless endeavor. What mattered to me were the people that I was with, and having people that care about you and will encourage you no matter what created a much better feeling for me than thinking about wasting my money.
That is my realization. Does it make sense to you? It made sense to me in my head when I was writing about it.
Here is some more pictures/videos I took while I was at the CNE:
I asked my awesome co-workers if I could post some of their pictures and videos on this post, and they were okay with it. Their pictures and videos came out better than mine, so thanks so much Dan and Céline! See below:
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