I completely agree with your perspective. Playing games in a casual, friendly setting really strips away the high pressure elements. I think it's more about enjoying the time together the absence of serious consequences in friendly games keeps it all in good fun.
Playing games in a relaxed atmosphere usually doesn't matter about winning or losing because a person or group of people is enjoying their holiday or spending their free time with their friends. I sometimes do things like that, although not too often because I'm hampered by my own personal busyness, but things like that are quite fun, especially if our friends have the same frequency in playing the game regardless of winning or losing.