You're right, and that's the point of it. If you play games where one set of moves means you'll certainly survive and win, then you're going to make those move

You're right, and that's the point of it. If you play games where one set of moves means you'll certainly survive and win, then you're going to make those moves. It's like playing chess, with a loaded gun beside the board so you could shoot yourself if you chose to. That might give you a thrill the first time, but you'd soon get bored of it, and you wouldn't learn anything worthwhile from it. The really absorbing games are the ones where every set of moves could get you killed, and the winning ones are more likely to than the safest losing ones. Many books have been written about this stuff. I think Joe Simpson's This Game of Ghosts is the most accessible.