In the many, many games I have played I have yet to win. Wow, that was a painful thing to admit, but I am stronger for it. Chat is a huge part of the Acrophobia experience. It's easy to get into and fun to participate in. Chat happens within the game itself and can easily interfere with the game.
Many folks seem to come more for the social aspect than for any real competition.
No, you probably aren't likely to learn about astrophysics but the chat is fun nonetheless. Everyone is friendly and they very often try to encourage newbies. It's rare to find but many people there still seem to remember what it is like to be a newbie, which is nice. Maybe she was lying and was actually 55. Yeah, that has to be it, she was lying.