Speaking specifically about fighting games, there are multiple levels of progression, and thus different mentalities. At the lower levels of competitive play yo

Speaking specifically about fighting games, there are multiple levels of progression, and thus different mentalities. At the lower levels of competitive play your best options are in fact, "playing not to lose" and letting your opponent make mistakes, then punishing them. At higher levels, execution is assumed for 90% optimal combos and situations, and dropped combos are uncommon. In those situations you need to force your opponent to make mistakes that they wouldn't make normally, and thus you "play to win". I can make a similar analogy in tennis, where low-level matches have a low ratio of unforced errors to passing shots, whereas professionals have a higher ratio. Professionals in competitive fields are working on a different level where consistency is expected.