The stigma attached to 'playing the game' did linger throughout the TEN era, but being the first season especially a lot of them were probably more just interested in being a part of the 'Social experiment' and the experience. You wanted to play a 'game'? You went on shows like The Mole, or Survivor (which didn't have an Australian version at the time, only that 2nd season of the US series that was filmed in the Outback).
Big Brother was probably at the time seen as more a show were you went on for the experience, but ultimately took a back seat and let the public decide and 'play the game' of who should win or be voted out.
There was a lot of pushback and distaste among a lot of the housemates in those early seasons towards nominations being this necessary evil that took them out of their 'journey' in the house in a way to be involved in 'genuine' connections and friendships with other housemates, and a general sense amongst some that the winner should be someone who was entertaining, effortless in their movement through the experience but wasn't actively trying to play the game and maneuver their way through it at the same time.