Al: But is the game supposed to be played with the tape/paper/whatever gimmick or contraption you use blocking the analog stick forward? I think not.

You are free to do as you please however, and play this game with the thing taped, just as snaking in F-Zero gives you a speed boost, just for the sake of competition. But is this really what WipEout is about? Competition for the sake of competition? Can't we just have some fun playing together, competition being second to that? This type of thing will only increase rivalries if we allow it, and do we need to be stressed when talking to each other? I think not. Here we are discussing this in a civil manner. Do you think this could happen if we had tense rivalries between each other? No.

However as I said do as you please, but I hereby announce that I will take no part in it. Should such a 'mod' be present in any way shape or form in the next conventions, put me on the list of those 'absent'. Meeting you guys is a real pleasure, but I fear that such pleasure will be destroyed for the sake of achieving the best time or coming in first...

Let me put it differently one more time, and this is I believe the real true vision I have of this game. I think that WipEout, being competitive and all that, is special because we get to meet each other, and the game should be more about pushing ourselves forward to get more out of the game, and enjoy more of the time we spend chasing ourselves furiously on the tracks. I think that all games should be fun first, and competitive second. Some people may disagree, and I respect that, but that's just how I see it. And especially with Wipeout. The conventions I think are the perfect example: they're fun; and then they're a tournament. I honestly believe it's not the way around, and I certainly hope it will never become like that.
While I'm certainly good at the game and enjoy the fact that in some places I'm in the top ten on WipEout Game, I am being honest when I say that I enjoy more the time I spend reaching this record. If you're doing records for the sake of records, I don't think it's right... Same thing with my Uncharted Platinum trophy. Yes, I am happy that I got it. But I think I enjoyed more my four playthroughs through the game than the moment I heard the small chime and saw the "You have earned a Trophy: Platinum" message. In fact I am pretty damn 110% sure I did.