Even with those who regularly combat each other, there is still a debate. In my opinion, it s all of those things. The beauty of these games is that they are multi-faceted. We can play them to duel, to war, to claim territory, or any of a hundred other reasons. A craftsman could say that he dominated the game because without his goods the wars could not have been fought.
Domination is about controlling the game in a specific manner.
But domination is fleeting. PvP isn t like playing basketball. There is no score, there are no definitive victories, there is no trophy at the end of the year, and most importantly there is no camera recording your every move. People will remember things how they want to. Players always look for the silver lining.