As I've grown older I have experienced a similar trend. Easier to adapt to new games cause I'm so used to all the tropes and formulas, but harder to be REALLY good like I used to be at some games. I think for younger people you fully immerse yourself and the game becomes your reality. For adults.. it's just another game. With that said I did manage to get GM in OW2, but not the highest ranks. I feel good enough about it.
Improvement plateauing before reaching the highest ranks is pretty common in many competitive games. The first obvious answer is that getting better at anything comes with diminishing returns, meaning that the people above you spent exponentially more time than you to get there. It's misleading to think that being 'one rank above' only reflects a slight difference. That rank could mean double your playtime. When you've played hundreds of hours, that may mean the people above you have spent thousands, and that's probably how long it's going to take you to get there; don't expect to see results too soon. There's another dividing factor between those who are 'above average' and those who are exceptional. Most people don't really know what focused practice feels like, and are confused when they seem incapable of reaching exceptional levels. An important shift in mindset from playing to practicing needs to be made to improve past that point. Unfocused practice--in this case just playing the game--is fun, and it will get you pretty far; certainly well above average. However, as you climb up the ranking, you're going to run into people who take the game more seriously. Focused practice, on the other hand, is monotonous, mentally exhausting, and uncomfortable. Most people naturally avoid it, sometimes to the point of not ever knowing what it feels or looks like at all; it's unintuitive, especially if your motivation for playing the game is just to have fun. I'm also really happy to see you talk about another conversation that's ignored a lot in competitive games: whether you *really* want to improve. I think with the understanding that a lot of people are unfamiliar with focused practice, the question may seem confusing. You're telling people they don't want what they explicitly claim they do. They enjoy playing the game, and they want to be better if it means doing the thing they enjoy many, many times. The reality is, that's not what being better feels like. Being better feels like getting off the game, cracking open a book, and studying. A better way to introduce the thought to those people might be asking them this: imagine the only way to get better was to sit down and learn about some boring topic for hundreds or even thousands of hours, then when you go back to that game you'll be as good as you want to be. Would you still want to improve? If not, there's nothing wrong with that. It's better to know you're making the conscious choice not to improve than blaming yourself, your genetics, your teammates, or whatever other excuse. Not every game with a competitive rank or elo requires you to be at the top, despite how game companies have perfectly mastered the art of tempting you. Even as someone who loves how rewarding focused practice and improvement can be, I still have many hobbies where I don't concern myself with such things, and that's okay too.
It's an insightful video, by the way! I didn't compliment that enough. You brought up some interesting things that not many people realize. It's unfortunate this video is shorter, because you had some really brilliant ideas that weren't explored nearly enough. I'll look through some of your other content eventually, because you really showed potential for it being such a short format, and I'm sure you could make something fascinating with more time.
If your understanding of the game is actually good (if we're talking ow specifically), you'd know you get the rank you deserve, barring external influences such as stacking and/or playing exceptionally good/bad heroes. I am a mid-high masters player. If for whatever reason I am playing in diamond I will consistently stomp lobbies until I am within a division or two of my peak. If for whatever reason you feel that you "are good enough to beat these players alone" you are more than likely a player that crutches a lot on their mechanics to gain value in situations such as isolated 1v1s while lacking in other aspects without actually knowing. You have to understand that for the most part, all players on the competitive ladder are subject to the same randomness of matchmaking and that you are not special in regards to getting bad teammates (who mostly are not even bad relative to you if they are the same rank as you).
I've always found that a lot of people think they can just play competitive only and get to the highest rank of their respective games. Sure, some people can, but not very many. Most people need to also spend time actually working on getting better, through aim-training, practicing techs, doing VOD-reviews, learning the deeper interactions, mechanics and game knowledge that just playing isn't going to teach you in a time effective matter. Think of how long a professional football player drills just shooting at a goalkeeper, on repeat, for hours. If the same football player only played full football matches, he'd have maybe a handful to a few handful of attempts to score a goal every match. Instead, he can get the same amount of attempts in five minutes from practicing shots on the goal and nothing else. Practice doesn't make perfect. *Perfect* practice makes perfect. There is a big difference in the quality of how you choose to practice and learn things. Manage your time and training effectively, and you can become good at anything in life.
i'm gonna be honest, you make a few good points, but in the first half especially its a lot of cope. i don't like to big myself up a lot but i too am the one in my friend group that, no matter what game, if we play customs, the team i am on will win. i have played videogames for a long time and in the same way i find it easy and natural to pick up a new game at a rate my friends cannot match. okay. done with the self ego boost lmao, personally i believe in these lobbies you state you can 'best them 1v1' but 'cant win as a whole', is a major red flag that you crutch on your mechanics, the major aspect of gaming that carries over from game to game, so, its understandable. i was the same, in most games i could reach what i like to call the mechanical barrier. think of ranks similar to mid-high dia in ow, while yes, it is very close now to master level. you can most likely attest to it yourself that often times the mechanical skill level of players in each game is far from evenly matched. this is a rank any mechanically proficient player can easily attain and hold just performing at their base, innate skill level, even having some games of incredible performance due to the mechanical disparity. to reach higher you must understand the game on a much, much deeper level. those at ranks above you possess all, if not more mechanical skill than you do. only their macro knowledge is far superior. this is why you feel you cannot 'win as a whole'. you simply are not well versed enough in the games actual macro meta. i'm not referring to 'best heros' or 'best comps', but deeply rooted strategy, for overwatch, namely; positioning, timing, ult/ability tracking, ult usage, mindfulness of teammates and opponents positions at all times, to name a few. this is what you must attain to change these games from a loss to a carry on all fronts. once you can see the enemies' mistakes as they make them, opportunities to punish become plentiful. then, as you climb higher the opportunities will lessen once again, not because you got worse, but because your opponents are now aware that you are looking for these opportunities, and they too are watching you just as closely. this got real long real fast but i want to finish by saying your mention of 'playing on autopilot' is a big factor into reaching a plateau with your skill level, and that i was also guilty of it for a time. as a former LoL player i can firmly say, autopilot playing vs non-autopilot will be the first change you should make to your game, and it will also be the most effective. good luck on your future ranked endeavors in any future games. but don't forget to have fun ;p
Your argument is "don't learn to play musical instruments unless you're musically gifted" I think at your level of gameplay there are oceans of knowledge that can make you immediately better at the game. Yeah, you will not be fricking Beethoven but you can play some cool songs. Just git gud. I played with a friend stuck at gold and he became masters. Don't gaslight yourself into believing in ello hell.
@@reynal_omnicide9217 I’m not trying to say that I am saying that through being at this spot for a long time I have realized that no one without hard work will reach that highest rank. I am not complaining I am just pointing out the most common things people blame instead of themselves. Thanks for watching though
As I've grown older I have experienced a similar trend. Easier to adapt to new games cause I'm so used to all the tropes and formulas, but harder to be REALLY good like I used to be at some games. I think for younger people you fully immerse yourself and the game becomes your reality. For adults.. it's just another game. With that said I did manage to get GM in OW2, but not the highest ranks. I feel good enough about it.
Improvement plateauing before reaching the highest ranks is pretty common in many competitive games. The first obvious answer is that getting better at anything comes with diminishing returns, meaning that the people above you spent exponentially more time than you to get there. It's misleading to think that being 'one rank above' only reflects a slight difference. That rank could mean double your playtime. When you've played hundreds of hours, that may mean the people above you have spent thousands, and that's probably how long it's going to take you to get there; don't expect to see results too soon.
There's another dividing factor between those who are 'above average' and those who are exceptional. Most people don't really know what focused practice feels like, and are confused when they seem incapable of reaching exceptional levels. An important shift in mindset from playing to practicing needs to be made to improve past that point. Unfocused practice--in this case just playing the game--is fun, and it will get you pretty far; certainly well above average. However, as you climb up the ranking, you're going to run into people who take the game more seriously. Focused practice, on the other hand, is monotonous, mentally exhausting, and uncomfortable. Most people naturally avoid it, sometimes to the point of not ever knowing what it feels or looks like at all; it's unintuitive, especially if your motivation for playing the game is just to have fun.
I'm also really happy to see you talk about another conversation that's ignored a lot in competitive games: whether you *really* want to improve. I think with the understanding that a lot of people are unfamiliar with focused practice, the question may seem confusing. You're telling people they don't want what they explicitly claim they do. They enjoy playing the game, and they want to be better if it means doing the thing they enjoy many, many times. The reality is, that's not what being better feels like. Being better feels like getting off the game, cracking open a book, and studying. A better way to introduce the thought to those people might be asking them this: imagine the only way to get better was to sit down and learn about some boring topic for hundreds or even thousands of hours, then when you go back to that game you'll be as good as you want to be. Would you still want to improve?
If not, there's nothing wrong with that. It's better to know you're making the conscious choice not to improve than blaming yourself, your genetics, your teammates, or whatever other excuse. Not every game with a competitive rank or elo requires you to be at the top, despite how game companies have perfectly mastered the art of tempting you. Even as someone who loves how rewarding focused practice and improvement can be, I still have many hobbies where I don't concern myself with such things, and that's okay too.
It's an insightful video, by the way! I didn't compliment that enough. You brought up some interesting things that not many people realize. It's unfortunate this video is shorter, because you had some really brilliant ideas that weren't explored nearly enough. I'll look through some of your other content eventually, because you really showed potential for it being such a short format, and I'm sure you could make something fascinating with more time.
@@blackfire2047 thank you I appreciate that and it means a lot
If your understanding of the game is actually good (if we're talking ow specifically), you'd know you get the rank you deserve, barring external influences such as stacking and/or playing exceptionally good/bad heroes. I am a mid-high masters player. If for whatever reason I am playing in diamond I will consistently stomp lobbies until I am within a division or two of my peak. If for whatever reason you feel that you "are good enough to beat these players alone" you are more than likely a player that crutches a lot on their mechanics to gain value in situations such as isolated 1v1s while lacking in other aspects without actually knowing. You have to understand that for the most part, all players on the competitive ladder are subject to the same randomness of matchmaking and that you are not special in regards to getting bad teammates (who mostly are not even bad relative to you if they are the same rank as you).
I've always found that a lot of people think they can just play competitive only and get to the highest rank of their respective games. Sure, some people can, but not very many. Most people need to also spend time actually working on getting better, through aim-training, practicing techs, doing VOD-reviews, learning the deeper interactions, mechanics and game knowledge that just playing isn't going to teach you in a time effective matter.
Think of how long a professional football player drills just shooting at a goalkeeper, on repeat, for hours. If the same football player only played full football matches, he'd have maybe a handful to a few handful of attempts to score a goal every match. Instead, he can get the same amount of attempts in five minutes from practicing shots on the goal and nothing else.
Practice doesn't make perfect. *Perfect* practice makes perfect. There is a big difference in the quality of how you choose to practice and learn things. Manage your time and training effectively, and you can become good at anything in life.
The irony of the title is funny to me lol
I didn't even notice that Lmao
i'm gonna be honest, you make a few good points, but in the first half especially its a lot of cope. i don't like to big myself up a lot but i too am the one in my friend group that, no matter what game, if we play customs, the team i am on will win. i have played videogames for a long time and in the same way i find it easy and natural to pick up a new game at a rate my friends cannot match. okay. done with the self ego boost lmao, personally i believe in these lobbies you state you can 'best them 1v1' but 'cant win as a whole', is a major red flag that you crutch on your mechanics, the major aspect of gaming that carries over from game to game, so, its understandable. i was the same, in most games i could reach what i like to call the mechanical barrier. think of ranks similar to mid-high dia in ow, while yes, it is very close now to master level. you can most likely attest to it yourself that often times the mechanical skill level of players in each game is far from evenly matched. this is a rank any mechanically proficient player can easily attain and hold just performing at their base, innate skill level, even having some games of incredible performance due to the mechanical disparity. to reach higher you must understand the game on a much, much deeper level. those at ranks above you possess all, if not more mechanical skill than you do. only their macro knowledge is far superior. this is why you feel you cannot 'win as a whole'. you simply are not well versed enough in the games actual macro meta. i'm not referring to 'best heros' or 'best comps', but deeply rooted strategy, for overwatch, namely; positioning, timing, ult/ability tracking, ult usage, mindfulness of teammates and opponents positions at all times, to name a few. this is what you must attain to change these games from a loss to a carry on all fronts. once you can see the enemies' mistakes as they make them, opportunities to punish become plentiful. then, as you climb higher the opportunities will lessen once again, not because you got worse, but because your opponents are now aware that you are looking for these opportunities, and they too are watching you just as closely. this got real long real fast but i want to finish by saying your mention of 'playing on autopilot' is a big factor into reaching a plateau with your skill level, and that i was also guilty of it for a time. as a former LoL player i can firmly say, autopilot playing vs non-autopilot will be the first change you should make to your game, and it will also be the most effective. good luck on your future ranked endeavors in any future games. but don't forget to have fun ;p
Your argument is "don't learn to play musical instruments unless you're musically gifted" I think at your level of gameplay there are oceans of knowledge that can make you immediately better at the game. Yeah, you will not be fricking Beethoven but you can play some cool songs. Just git gud. I played with a friend stuck at gold and he became masters. Don't gaslight yourself into believing in ello hell.
@@reynal_omnicide9217 I’m not trying to say that I am saying that through being at this spot for a long time I have realized that no one without hard work will reach that highest rank. I am not complaining I am just pointing out the most common things people blame instead of themselves. Thanks for watching though
you're*
@@toethegangsta lmao thanks for pointing that out
I can smell you through the screen.
@@Takolouski you should be thanking me then because even my farts smell like roses