Not everything is about winning. Sometimes it's about why we play.
I was 5 years into the game. TH13, almost maxed. And I hated every minute of it.
I'd log in, do my attacks, upgrade something, log out. No joy, just routine. One night I stared at the loading screen for 5 minutes asking myself "why am I doing this?"
I almost deleted the app. Instead, I took a break. Two weeks of nothing. When I came back, I joined a new clan — just random people, no pressure. We chat, we laugh, we lose wars together.
Now I play less but enjoy it more. Funny how that works.
2018. I was playing PUBG Mobile on an old phone that could barely run it. Random squad fill. This guy starts talking — funny accent, terrible jokes, immediately annoying.
We won that match. Added each other. Played again the next day. And the next.
Seven years later, we still talk almost every day. We've met twice in real life. He was at my wedding.
All because of a random squad fill.
I have a few more in drafts. Check back in a week or two.