Too Many Unrated Games

I'm new around here... well, relatively, and I've noticed that there are a large number of people who want to play unrated games.

Why is that?

I personally use my rating as a gauge for how I'm playing at the time... for instance, where I just came from I was as high as 1269 for about 2 months but fell to just under 1200 before coming over here because, well, I was slacking.

Playing an unrated game seems to be anti-productive to me, personally.  I want to keep my rating involved because I want to know how I'm doing.

Isn't this the attitude everyone should have?

I'm just baffled and wanted to hear what others think. 

Some people get too worked up about their ratings so they play unrated. I don't see why they don't just relax but whatever floats your boat.

What makes you think there are too many unrated games though? You can see a lot of open unrated challenges because not many people accept them. The rated ones get snapped up pretty quick.

Maybe I'm just seeing the list of unrated challenges open.  I didn't think about that angle. 

People might want to try out new approaches (i.e. agressive play, different openings), but they don't want the experimental approach to be represented in their rating.

My cousin and I always have a game going, and we don't have it rated.  We can try different things, and we don't hurt each other's rating (more I don't want him hurting mine, since he generally wins).

I think unrated games are underrated, so I never play them.

I also play a lot of unrated games.  I too "want to keep my rating involved," and (frankly) I'd rather not risk it for a very small gain.

I have seen a drop in the number of games people want to play unrated.  I may have just been looking while a group of them decided to do it all at once.  

If I come across a sandbagger (of which I recently have) I just don't play them anymore.  My rating is just a number and trying to save it wastes too much of my energy.  I fluctuate, sure, but I always end up back where I should have been in the end.

Usually I have 50ish games going at once and care very little for any of them. Some are rated tournament games, but usually people dont move fast enough for me to have something to do..so i start some unrated games until the next round of the tournaments start or something, then ill just resign any of the ones that are boring.
If all my games were rated then my rating wouldnt be accurate, since id be resigning non lost games all the time, and by extension when i play rated id be often playing people below my level.

This summed up my point better than I did...

From the standpoint of high ranking players unrated games are a good way to engage in philanthropic volunteer work.  Like 1000 Points of Light in the chess world.  Of course if you rank high and lose, you don't lose any ELO points, but Master_Valium can still post the game to this forum and beat his chest like King Kong about it, and insist you weren't really drunk off your ass at the time.

I play unrated games when I do not want to think too much, or when I am playing on my cell phone. You simpy cannot play live games as fast as you would on a pc/laptop, also more prone to 'misclicks'.

Now THAT is a good idea.  I'm used to playing on my Mac with a Magic Trackpad, and I can't seem to perceive the game as well on the small screen of my iPhone when in the waiting room or somewhere killing time.  That would be a good way to pass the time with an unrated game, with no risk.

never unrated

If you're playing at a distinct disadvantage such that the negative impact on your score is not reflective of your current skill, that might be a realistic and reasonable time to play unrated. Otherwise, what's the point?

the point is unrated is pointless...and cannot be taken seriously

There may be another point of view. Assuming similar strength of players, Prefering rated games means that what you want is accumulate points and raise your ELO. Prefering unrated games you really want to play chess for the pure sake of chess.

Here is  curious “survey”. . .

Taking a look (glance) at the “Quick Search´s”, specially the “Any´s”

 --.You find very few foreign countries (as per USA and UK) in the rated games than in the unrated ---Look at the “No preference Any”

Looks like the industrious countries players have very well in mind the idea of the “benefit” in any event. The others, more “romantic”, go for the pure spirit of “playing chess” forgetting about any material benefits.

Exactly, it is points-less, but only pointless to a point, in that unrated can have a very good point, and that point is, that, if playing rated will detract from your points in a way that isn't really reflective of your rating or skill, then playing rated is more pointless than playing unrated. 

Unrated games have value for those of us returning to the game after many years. I learned to play early but lacked opportunity to advance for a number of reasons. I love the challenge and now have time to devote to the game. Playing unrated games is a learning device. I am taking lessons. However, I know I have a long way to go before I can give a rated player a serious challenge. In the meantime, unrated games are my niche. Each person may see different values in chess, depending upon their background and experience. Just MHO.

I, too, subscribe to the "never unrated" philosophy.  I've played over 200 games online from January 2012 until now and I've managed to improve my rating from 970 (which is whay I'd dipped to after a long, and I mean long, break from chess) to what is currently 1241.  I'm hoping that by continuining to play a large number of games (rated because I want to know that the person I'm playing cares) to continue to improve.  

My progress has been slow, but I'm getting there.