[Ekcrbe]

If FRC is supposed to be a real-world engineering "simulation" of sorts for students, as it sounds like some people are arguing (and fairly, because it is), then I think the build-to-win vs. build-to-learn debate comes down to one big thing.

In the real world, your efforts to be the "best" engineer should be those which produce the most effective product and best experience for your customer.

Success in accomplishing a customer's goals for a product is analogous to success in accomplishing the GDC's goals for the game. Success in playing the game is defined by on-field performance, namely winning.

Hence, by building with the intent to win the game, you have created the robot which most closely resembles the solution you should pursue in a real-world engineering project, and thus begun to learn how to be the best engineer you can.