I've picked up a couple tips and tricks on "game," but have mostly dismissed them. Most notably, these include being aloof to make someone have to chase after you and getting the person you're pursuing to do favors for you (which they psychologically justify by concluding that they like you.)

For the most part, I generally consider these tactics to be off-limits, because they take advantage of human instinct rather than your own character. It's also easy to imagine some self-identified "nice guy" borderline sociopath taking notes on this aspect of game, thinking that pushing all the right buttons entitles them to sex.

On top of that, I've always thought that people whom these are effective toward possess undesirable qualities, particularly people that are attracted to someone that seems aloof or unavailable. At best, it comes across as a person surrendering to their own instincts (namely the scarcity principle) rather than resolving which people are good for them logically, or it might signal the naivety of someone that's never lost someone they cared about. At worst, it indicates that person takes what they have for granted and is ultimately ungrateful.

A couple months ago, I started seeing someone that's made me reconsider my stance. She's told me flat-out that she feels a greater attraction toward people she's less likely to end up with, as well as saying that a relationship with no drama would be boring (in theory this would mean her ideal relationship would require some kind of unnecessary mental upkeep to maintain.)

Normally these preferences would turn me off, but this girl is intelligent, self-aware, and seems very compatible with me. That alone isn't enough to make me do a face-heel turn and start pretending I'm too busy to talk to her, but I think it's worth asking about to see if I'm too quick to consider certain behavior manipulative (or to write off other potential partners) without considering a more balanced perspective. Any thoughts?