Honing Your Gaming Skills

In order to prevail, you need to expand your arsenal.

It needs no elaboration that for the average gamer he/she will capriciously procure a predetermined set of games he/she will play. This is not rocket-science, but common knowledge, since it is an innate trait. Why? In reality it all comes down to personal preference. The logic of what entertains your senses and envelopes your hedonic self. This is just a pretty way of saying ‘you play what you like’. It is how we approach the majority of things in life (or should).

However, accompanying the aforementioned philosophy is the obvious, and that is we will not experience certain things or never cogitate about its existence. Some of us are FPS-fanatics while others are RTS-rangers (sounds sexually ambiguous); some of us join the world of Sport Simulation, while others tank RPG’s. Whatever your primary genre of affection, it is of probable tendency that you do not indulge in all genres, be it because of time, preference or budget.

Therein emerges the problem for the more competitive gamers. It introduces the layers of acuteness of a particular game that you have embraced as that which you would like to play competitively. How well your aim is, or how meticulous you command your army, it is all dependable on your knowledge of the game and highly likely your reflexes. Yet, how can you achieve a greater level of sense or skill when it comes to your gaming capability? And the obvious answer is practice, but how about using other gaming platforms (or just other titles in general) to perfect your current technique.

Now let us look at the two most prominent aspects of how to excel in a game:

A) Awareness

B) Reflex

It is as easy as that. Did you enjoy that? Here, let me lie again. You will be an astronaut! Oh yes, so much fun. Well, that’s enough. Evidently, in order to really perform exceptionally in a gaming title you need to learn its mechanics, practice and amend your obvious mistakes. But there is that slight residual aspect that suggests inadequacy. Also, with excessive practice in a particular game follows the inevitable ‘routine’ procedure. Meaning that certain actions are executed because it is the basic way of obtaining the desired effect, and it becomes a habit. Now superficially that statement resembles truth in that it is the correct behavior, yes, but with routine actions you render yourself vulnerable to prediction. This is not a reference to, say, last hitting creeps in DotA, or reloading a weapon in CS, but rather to that insidious layer where slightly more complicated methods are contemplated.

The following is a brief explanation on the two primary traits (mentioned above) that are mandatory of competitive gamers to have.

A) Awareness

This is a broad term that could be defined by a few things, but it could be most likely summed up with the phrase ‘know your surroundings’. Regardless of genre/game this is constant. You should always, at any given time, be as lucid as possible to your environment, where the enemy is, where your goals are located, what is the best method/path to reach them, how many routes there are to a target, which is safest, which yields the highest possibility of confrontation. However awareness is could also be defined by convening the additional knowledge regarding game dynamics and basically how the game plays in general (interface, items, weapons etc.)

B) Reflexes

HOW GUD IS UR MICRO MY BOYKIE. WHATS UR “APM DOOD? KLIEK OP SY KOP JOU DOORSTOP!”

Reflexes are self-explanatory. How fast you can respond to events in the game. Superimposed on this is how accurately you dictate action, for instance responding in a FPS when an enemy emerges from a corner. Do you:

1) Turn to face another direction (if you can’t see him, he can’t see you)

2) Mousesalsa (fire off a shot that is nowhere near his body)

3)  Aim for his head, squeeze the trigger (sounds deliciously PG-rated)

Having a determined aim in a FPS is vital, but never err to infer (you have unlocked MC-hammer achievement) that reflexes are only native to FPSeseseseses. It is vital in almost all games (I say most simply because when it comes to turn-based games there is much more leniency).

So how does indulging in other genres of gaming platforms help develop your skills in a specific game? There will always be overlapping properties with various gaming platforms, be it in dynamics, strategy or goals. However most do not use these inconspicuous tools, but to deduce that it will not help is absolute jizzizms. Example time folks, gather around, that’s right, closer, get off my leg.

One of the most neglected elements in the game of DotA (even War3 in general) is that of the mini-map. It is common for a rookie to be ignorant of its existence, but more importantly its uses. It is the holy grail of information. The implication of this is fairly obvious; it is absolute paramount to keep a constant eye on it, which means that not only do you have to assess the information on the primary interface, but contend with key situation/developments provided by the mini-map. So what games could potentially help you learn the apt awareness so that you can efficiently interpret the events?

RTS-style games would probably the initial response, and rightfully so. However, how about a Flight Simulation title? <MASS-GASP 2000> Few things have the ability to overwhelm one like a Flight Simulator game, but how could this help in constructing a DotA-brute? Let us assume you are executing a landing sequence in a Flight Simulator game, and you are approaching the airfield, you have to intermittently monitor a magnitude of factors. INNNNCESSANNNNNTLLLLLLLY. For instance:

a) Flaps are set

b) Gear extended

c) Having the correct approach speed

d) You have an acceptable descend rate

e) The Angle of Attack of the aircraft is correct.

f) You are the appropriate altitude in relation to the distance form the airfield

g) You are lined up for the runway

Note this is a basic (neglecting communications, the correct procedure for joining the airfields airspace, flight checks to mention a few) explanation of the landing sequence. In that rudimentary ‘guide’ you are effectively monitoring the following gauges; Altimeter, Airspeed Indicator, Vertical Speed Indicator with the addition of consulting the outside environment (in accordance to VFR). It is a relentless task, that once practiced, becomes a habitual procedure and ultimately easier to execute. With all these observations that you are enduring, will come a great demand of discipline. POINT IS! You are concentrating to the degree that you will leak bone-marrow. You have to remain conscious of multiple factors simultaneously, which is exactly the equivalent of observing the main interface and the mini-map in Warcraft 3. STAY FOCUSUSSED MAN, U CUD SAW I WAS LIKE COMIN LIKE TU GENG.

The above-depicted scenario is fairly succinct to the primary idea of how a totally different game could potentially avail your skills regarding another game. The majority of professional gamers fathom that when micro-ing various games you tend to build upon the previously cemented fundamentals of what you have already obtained, and that there is much correspondence between them (even if very subtle). However this does NOT substitute the vigorous practice that accompanies the specific title you wish to compete in. That said, be aware of the degree you practice. Too much will ruin your acuteness in some areas, things will form procedure, and it does affect the amount of enjoyment you receive from playing which is the single most significant factor when playing a game. If you do not enjoy it, you WILL lose your motivation to participate in the game and precipitously barrel-role down the fail-road.

Do take into consideration that this is not the standard or recognized ‘Guide to competing in E-sports’ but rather an elementary indication to what might fuel your abilities to render them more balanced and effective. In truth, all gamers have at least once in their life contemplated: What would it be like to be a pro-gamer? The fact is presently very much obtrusive, that the industry’s potential is conglomerating and it is demanding growth, even if not in profound quantities, but nonetheless it is expanding in docile fashion. Thus one should never deduce that there is no future for an individual in competitive gaming. And there is no doubt that possessing knowledge from various platforms/titles one could become quite the revered opponent in any game.