"But about having nobody to play because you crush everyone - as long as you want to play to enjoy and not just always go full-on try-hard mode - just stop crushing everyone and you'll have people to play with."
Sure, I'll go back and tell my 12 year old self to do that.
But, actually, I did do that, to some degree. As I mentioned, I would drop hints and talk about my strategies in games, usually after the game, so he could be more competitive and understand how I was thinking about things. That also has a cost on the fun for both parties, though. Smart people can recognize when you're going easy on them. Nobody normal likes being pandered to.
You could give yourself a terrible setup. A significant portion of the game is how you place the pieces and there are definitely challenging/risky options. Flag in front with no bombs protecting it is bound to lose, but the game won't last very long either.
And, I did that kind of thing sometimes, though I was a kid and still liked to win, I doubt I used any truly suicidal setups.
Sure, I'll go back and tell my 12 year old self to do that.
But, actually, I did do that, to some degree. As I mentioned, I would drop hints and talk about my strategies in games, usually after the game, so he could be more competitive and understand how I was thinking about things. That also has a cost on the fun for both parties, though. Smart people can recognize when you're going easy on them. Nobody normal likes being pandered to.