Playing or Competing

Part 1: Recognising that you are there to compete

Winning is fun. It’s a fact that many shy away from - “It’s the taking part that counts” - but it’s the truth, winning is fun. This doesn't mean you can’t have fun without winning, but it does mean that you can enjoy things more if you do. In fact, winning is so much fun that it makes experiences that otherwise wouldn’t be enjoyable, popular and competitive. 

With that in mind, when you load up a game are you playing or competing? If “playing” are there certain games or environments you should avoid? Once you have started “competing” can you go back to just playing?

Identifying what your motives are when entering a certain arena can help you take the steps to make the experience as enjoyable as possible, whether you are looking to compete or not. Choosing the right playlist or game mode, doing the requisite amount of research into the meta, and understanding what is expected of you by your fellow players will all ensure that either you get the most from your competitive intent, or that you avoid those players that are trying to perform at the highest level they can.

If you are looking to compete, you need to accept that and focus on it. This will allow you to enter the fray as well prepared as possible, and enable you to improve over time as quickly as you can.

“You just have to not feed” - Faker

I’m not looking to cover raging online, but I’ve been in many a ranked game of  League of Legends and a typical “discussion” goes something like this:

Player 1 - “OMFG, noob etc etc”

Player 2 - “Lol chill, it’s just a game”

I have little time for people that rage at other people online, but I find a reaction like Player 2’s very confusing. If you don’t care about your performance, if you are really playing just for fun and the result doesn’t bother you - then why are you playing a competitive game, in a game mode designed for competitive players, competing to be the best they can be?

It sounds harsh, but if you don’t care about winning or losing, then don’t play in competitive ladders - especially if you are going to be match-made with other people on your team. Your performance directly impacts on their experience and they are trying to perform at their best, and arguably have the right to expect the same from their fellow players.  There are casual lists and modes in most games, and whilst you may still encounter comments similar to Player 1’s above, at least you can tell them to clear off to the ranked lists!

Player 2’s reaction could also just be a way of protecting yourself from the feeling that you are playing badly - “Oh it’s just a game, who cares if I’m doing badly” You! You care. If you didn’t you likely wouldn’t be in the ranked playlist. By pretending you don’t care you miss the opportunity to learn from your mistakes and improve for next time. When you make a mistake, or play badly for whatever reason, identify this and learn from it, don’t shy away from failure or you won’t be able to fix it.

“I never settle for anything but the best” - Miranda Lawson

Five ways to improve at competitive gaming:

1. Research

• Be prepared! Check the sub reddit, watch some streams, learn what the meta is and pick up some ideas to ensure that you are giving yourself the best chance you can to be as competitive as possible from day one.

2. Be mentally ready

• To play at your best you need to be ready. Ensure that you are relaxed and awake enough to give it your all. If you aren’t feeling up for the fight you are best off playing in a more relaxed manner, and get back to competing when you are 100%. By gaming when you are feeling sub par you will hurt your chances of doing well, making it harder to remember and learn from the experience and be more susceptible to tilt.

3. Enter the competitive game mode

• Jump in at the deep end. Yes it will be hard work, but by playing in a casual mode or vs AI you can quickly get into bad habits that will hurt you when playing the game “properly”. By entering the equivalent of the “ranked” playlist as early as possible, you will be exposed to the competitive environment and get a real idea of what people will be doing and what you will need to do to improve.

4. Don't make excuses

• Focus on you. Don’t worry about what your opponent is doing, don’t blame your team, don’t pray to the RnG gods for forgiveness. React, adapt and take note of what you are doing wrong. Get the most from the experience you can. If your team is feeding all around, play your best game possible and come out of it with a score to be proud of. If the RnG gods are damning you and the top decks you need are all at the bottom of your deck, focus on playing well and making no mistakes, think about what cards would have helped you or what plays you could have done differently. The outcome of a match can be out of your hands - your performance is not.

5. Take a break

• Tilt is real. Avoid it. If you feel yourself getting exhausted or stressed then walk away for a while. Run, eat, play something else, do whatever you can to level out and then approach your competition fresh to start the process again. Walking away is always the right call. Your ELO will thank you and the time you would have spent banging your head on your desk will have been much better spent elsewhere.