As someone who has spent countless hours playing and competing in a variety of games, there's always one question I am asking myself. What can I do to maximize my potential and be the best I can possibly be? It most certainly is an intriguing question and not one that is normally easy to answer, but thanks to the years of experience I have gained within the gaming industry, I believe I have enough know-how to share what I have learned.
The biggest fault that a lot of gamers have or have had, myself included, is the mindset that they are already the best they can be and that there is no more room for improvement. This is possibly the worst way you can think because, eventually, you are going to run into an obstacle that you cannot get over.
And this is when frustration boils over because you don't understand what is happening and why it's not going your way.
For me, personally, I have seen this a lot when playing hit first-person shooter game, Overwatch. As a game which pivots on teamwork and coordinating your abilities to beat the enemy team, it relies on your ability to rally and guide your team mates. And, more often than not, I have been in teams which flail around and flame the rest of team for being bad - and so on. This is generally a poor attitude to take because no-one is free of blame regardless of how well you think you are doing. What you should be focusing on is what you and your team can do better or different.
This is all about understanding the situation and being able to react to it, of course personal skill does play a part in this as well. In the case of Overwatch, it can be as simple as practicing your aim for 20 minutes a day, or studiously studying each map so you can better understand how each character can act with the terrain.
But, regardless of personal skill, it is all about understanding why things may not go your way sometimes.
As an avid player of Starcraft 2, within the world's top 4%, this attitude is key to improving in a game where the slightest mistakes can make the biggest of differences. I most certainly feel the pressure of needing to be at my best 100% of the time because, at that level of play, there is little room for error.
I have faced many barriers in all my years of playing StarCraft, but what did I do to get over them? Well, I practiced. Constant practice is the key to attaining proficiency at anything. And it certainly paid dividends, as I was able to climb ranks quickly and become a much stronger player.
Being willing to accept help from people who are better than me has been key to my development. From what I have seen in my time as a gamer, it's that people seem to be unwilling to accept that others can be better than they are. But that is the way of the world: there is always going to be someone better than you, somewhere out there.
But until I reach that point of being the absolute best, I am going to keep practicing and keep asking for help. I am even willing to learn from guides which may be considered for newer players, because sometimes going back to basics can help a lot.
This is the attitude everyone should have, regardless of what you do in-game or in life. You should never be satisfied until you know you are the best.
I have also been keen to put my gaming skills to the test on the poker tables, and this has most certainly been an eye opener for me as it's a lot different to my normal standard competitive games like StarCraft. It requires a much different set of skills, but as I am really competitive the challenge has been welcoming - and there has been a history of Starcraft players making it big on the tables.
Initially, I found it quite hard because I wasn't too sure where to start, but after a quick sweep of the internet. I quickly found there was tonnes of material out there to help me improve, I spent countless hours reading poker guides, articles and watching youtube videos until I felt I was ready to start competing.
Obviously in this scenario I was a little skeptical about competing, because unlike when I have played StarCraft tournaments, I haven't been putting my own money on the line. Playing first for play money, I quickly adapted and now feel more than comfortable - even having had some success.
If anyone is willing to put the work into improving, then there is nothing standing in your way. The keys to success are at your own fingertips, you just need to get over that first barrier standing in your way.