Why K:D, Deaths, streaks and other stats are bad, and how PS2 can evolve the genre

[Plunkies]

If the game records and displays deaths, even if I'm the only one that sees them, I will work toward eliminating deaths. I'm not entirely sure why, but I will feel compelled to do so and it most certainly will be at the expense of teamplay at times. And even worse, sometimes I'll want to mess around or try something new but will feel like I shouldn't, which is a shame.

I hope they don't have death stats. It makes the game more fun and helps newer or less skilled players not feel awful about their stats. Starcraft 2 actually removed losses from any player not in the highest leagues and I think it's one of the smartest things they could have done to encourage laddering and to make it less stressful and more enjoyable.

Either way I'll still hate dying, but if they make each individual death a permanent blemish to my stats then I will adjust my play accordingly and play more selfish. Maybe it's stupid but it's true. If the game wants me to not care about deaths then the game had better not give me a reason to do so.