{"id":179734,"date":"2022-02-03T15:37:02","date_gmt":"2022-02-03T20:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/armchairarcade.com\/perspectives\/?p=179734"},"modified":"2023-05-01T14:38:34","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T18:38:34","slug":"better-at-competitive-gaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armchairarcade.com\/perspectives\/2022\/02\/03\/better-at-competitive-gaming\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get better at competitive gaming: tips and tricks to boost your gaming skills?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is competitive gaming?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most people understand competitive gaming<\/a> as playing games with the idea of being the best they can be. That\u2019s not wrong, but gamers know that this has no borders; sometimes, competitive gaming is just playing the best you can. In general, enhancing your skills will take lots of time, discipline, and dedication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are different play styles among the esports industry: individual games, team-based games, cooperative games\u2026 Whichever you choose, your gaming skills will be very important to achieve your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The level of your competitive gaming depends on your skills and goals: just trying to be the best you can, or striving to reach a professional level. In any case, you will need game knowledge, ability, discipline, motivation, and lots of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most competitive games in the esports industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It would be unfair to just name the top five most competitive games in the esports industry; this is something personal. Therefore, let\u2019s focus on their approaches, as naturally as possible. Remember that the goal is to try to list the most competitive and well-known games, not just the most competitive game in the universe \u2014 there are many of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First-person shooter: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Valve Corporations has made multiple updates in the Counter-Strike franchise, and this is the latest one. Every person that played Counter-Strike knows that it\u2019s a highly competitive game: grinding your in-game ranking can take months or even years, depending on the level you are. Each team has six players, and a competitive match normally involves up to 15 rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to outperform your opponents by just being better: at aiming, tactics, and strategizing. CS:GO is a great way to improve your micro and macro awareness and skills as you decide to go to someplace or avoid that same place, aim, and coordinate with your team. This requires a deep understanding of the game, avoiding committing the same mistakes as your opposition, and lots of practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many first-person shooters available in the gaming market, such as Overwatch, Team Fortress 2, PUBG, Fortnite, and others. Their goals are fairly similar, despite some of them being very different games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MOBA: League of Legends and Dota 2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

League of Legends has a wide professional scene along with many casual players, and it\u2019s very competitive for both. However, elite players at the competitive scene play differently from your standard game: they have such coordination, communication skills, and a high understanding of the game and its objectives that sometimes a normal player can\u2019t even keep up with the professional decision-making process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In LoL, your objective is to destroy the enemy team\u2019s Nexus, and you get kills, assists, and deaths to maneuver the in-game currency: gold. Gold allows you to purchase better items to overcome the opposition. The game is played between two teams composed of five members each. Every player has a different role in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Don\u2019t be fooled by the apparent simplicity: LoL requires a good amount of skill and, despite being a team-based game, performing well individually is key. League of Legends gaming tournaments can be huge Tier-1 events or local-based grassroots tournaments; and to participate and succeed, you can only improve with time and studying. Some players opt for LoL boosting<\/a> to hone their skills against higher tiered opponents early on and increase their chances of success in these events in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this category, we can give an honorable mention to Dota 2, which requires similar skills. Dota 2 has the highest prize money across all the esports scene, with The International 10 being the highest-paid event ever: over $40 million were distributed there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other titles and categories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Those are the games that are the most competitive and well-known in their categories. But there are many others, such as Rocket League, Fortnite, PUBG: Mobile, Rocket League, Chess, and many others. Remember: playing competitively requires the best of your mental game, and to do that, competitive gamers generally follow a lot of rules. Building good habits can help you to be a more resilient gamer, which is the key to strike success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s interesting to remember that mobile games are charting off-the-hills today, and don\u2019t think that those games have a different approach towards the competitive scene, or that you can forget about discipline on the vague idea that they\u2019re easier than PC games. On the contrary, they do require meditation, thinking, communication skills, and good habits, just the same as the others. Let\u2019s dive into these characteristics!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competitive games require physical health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Physical health can be decisive in enhancing your gaming abilities. Performing well at video games requires some physical activity \u2014 do what you like the most, but don\u2019t think that a sedentary lifestyle will do well for you. Go for a walk in the morning, or do some gym in the evening \u2014 as long as you\u2019re moving your body, it\u2019s a good sign, and will also help in other aspects of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most interesting aspects of competitive games is that it may not be enough to just be very good at them, but keeping that form for the next months or years. In this sense, paying some attention to your physical health can only improve your performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the very least, doing a physical activity helps you to live longer, so you\u2019ll be able to extend your reign! Jokes aside, many professional esports athletes think that doing a physical activity helps you to be a better gamer, so you should try it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing games vs. mental health: How to balance it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most video game professionals understand that playing games can be bad for them if it precludes them from doing other activities. While some mention physical health, in general, each competitive game poses its own problems and stresses. So, playing a video game can be exactly what you need to improve your multitasking skills, muscle memory, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improve your memory <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In most games, critical thinking is key, but sometimes you\u2019ll need to just remember what key video game players do in some circumstances. Therefore, recognizing patterns is an important step towards getting better at competitive games \u2014 what would the best player do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online tournaments help to act in the same manner as pros, but can you remember everything from each game? Probably not. However, you can use your gaming skills to get better at this and also become more attentive towards people you care about: remembering their names and birthdays, for instance. It\u2019s not guaranteed, but gaming does help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Competitive gaming as a whole depends heavily upon communication skills, be it in the game, while spending time with your friends, or quality time with the community. Use your free time to develop, stay motivated, or make new friends \u2014 this is a great idea to enhance your gaming capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a shy person, gaming can help you to connect with other players \u2014 gamers like you, and use your game time much better: you\u2019re developing an important part of your life and professional career, even though they might be not related to games. This is the same thing as creating a network. You\u2019ll have to work hard to find better gamers and the most awesome people. But they\u2019re there, just like you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better reaction time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, a decision takes less than a second \u2014 and that decision will make your team either triumph or lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competitive games help people who struggle to make a decision or choose between options. Video games can improve it, and you are welcome to use them as a personal life enhancement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It takes time\u2026 And requires patience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t think you\u2019ll become Faker <\/em>or Magnus Carlsen <\/em>out of nowhere. Developing your gaming skills takes a lot of time, practice, and sometimes you\u2019ll see yourself at awkward spots, lacking confidence, and facing other personal challenges. Don\u2019t let these things get the best of you \u2014 stay in touch with the outside world as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at your matches and improving at the things you missed when you lost a game is very important. Also, register for your first tournament: this will create tension inside you that you will feel forever, and breaking that barrier is very important. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t think that you will never improve: gaming skills are usually slow to develop. Be patient, disciplined, communicate with your team or with people within your community, and the results should come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to handle tilt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tilt happens when a machine stops working because you\u2019ve punched it a lot (mostly pinball machines). In online games, this happens when you\u2019re very stressed out, and people (teammates, yourself, etc.) keep \u201cpunching\u201d you, either by criticizing your plays, or when you\u2019re being shut down many times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gaming experience can be heavily impacted by this factor. Your critical thinking is being nullified because you\u2019re angry. So, to handle tilt, the steps are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n