A lot of people ask me: "What's the one thing you can tell me that will most drastically improve my game?" There's a million subtle in-game tips and tricks I could tell you about, but perhaps the most crucial yet often-overlooked idea is your MINDSET.
You've probably all heard sayings repeated over and over like "The Power of Positive Thinking" and "Healthy Body, Healthy Mind", and there's a reason they're repeated: they're true! Think about IdrA, he's among the most phenomenal SC2 players. His mechanics and game-sense are on a whole other level than the average player, but you still see him struggle in tournaments and make bad decisions when he's in pressure-filled situations. Stress and anger, you'll find, are a SC2 player's worst enemies.
So, how can we apply this to our game? It's simple:
Oftentimes, people get so caught-up in the stress of the game that they forget to have fun. At the start of every game, don't me mute and don't be rude: put out the GL HF. If he doesn't respond, that's fine - you're probably in a more positive mindset and now you know you have that edge over him - so smile to yourself . Take it a step further every game by wishing your opponent the best of luck and telling him to have a blast, and leaving every game with "GG nice timing push or "GG wp, that harrass was killer, man!" If you stay good mannered, you're more likely to stay in a focused and positive mindset. Then, instead of rage-quitting and queuing another game while you're angry, you can take the reasons you lost and apply them to your game to further your growth. And who knows, maybe that player to whom you showed respect in your gracious exit from the game will provide you with a couple tips and practice games to really help you overcome that flaw in your game.
Now, I'm not saying everyone should point at IdrA and do the throat-slash like oGsMC did at MLG, but SC2 is competitive and you have to know you have an edge over your opponent to play your best. When I play a game, I use positive self-talk to stay pumped and focus. Yes, it sounds like something an insane asylum resident would preach, but I assure you it's been proven effective. There are two types of Self-Talk I recommend. The first is motivational self-talk: say something to get yourself into the zone like "I'm going to win this game" or my personal favorite "The way I see it, those are my ladder points - You're just holding them for me ". The second type is instructional self-talk. For example, say "I'm going to get my speed up early, then expand, then I'm going to drone to 27 get a warren down and grind this guy's front door with ling/roach. Man, I'm going to FORCE the issue until he makes a mistake, and when he does, I'm going to capitalize on it." Therefore, talking to yourself doesn't mean you're crazy - it keeps you focused on your specific goals in the game and gives you that oh-so-critical mindset advantage.
How many times have you heard someone complain about how strong colossus are, how slow hydras are, or how this guy or that guy is a maphacker. Ignore this type of thinking. Every SC2 player would learn and play significantly better if they considered imbalance, hacks, and cheese none-existent. If you stop focusing on things you can't control, you'll start focusing on the things you can. When someone cheeses you, treat it like you played a 30 minute game and still be polite and good-mannered. When someone marine/scv all-ins you, avoid thoughts like "What a cheesy noob" or "can he not win a real game?" When you get cheesed, exit the game with class, and pay attention to how you could have scouted a little earlier, how you could have reacted a tad faster, how the execution of your defense could be improved upon. Cheese is a part of the game, you can't get rid of it but you can be adequately prepared for it.
This last tip isn't absolutely necessary to success, but if you want to play at your best you have to be at your best - both physically and mentally. I have celiac disease, so my diet is heavily restricted, but ever since the diagnosis I've paid very careful attention to what I eat and I feel and play the better for it. I'm not going to lecture you on working out and eating right, but you WILL notice a difference in your focus if you're properly nourished and you WILL notice a difference in your stamina if you're in better shape. Something I do frequently is workout in between games. You don't need a strict routine - but do some pushups, situps, planks, whatever - Get the blood flowing and the heart racing in between games and snack on blueberries and yogurt instead of nachos and ice cream. There's no reason someone who plays 12hour days in SC2 can't be in excellent physical condition - try to apply your in-game dedication to other areas of your life!
Discussion Questions
Question: How many losses do you usually go before you need to walk away? Answer: + Show Spoiler +
I think what you experience is similar to the psychology behind a gambling addict (I don't mean that to offend you lol bare with me). You start to lose and you think "I need to get my money back." It's like in poker when you're playing well for an hour, and then you lose a HUGE hand (or get bluffed) and you go on tilt. You start thinking about that hand and how you should have played it, and your overall focus deteriorates. You start to bluff too much and you don't stick to your planned strategy.
The same things happen in StarCraft when you're losing, people start to blindly all-in and they deviate from the gameplan that usually leads to success. People place a lot of importance on points/ladder rank/win-loss ratio, so there's a certain level of stress when you start losing. You'll start thinking about the game where you got cheesed and lost while playing new games, and that's basically like a poker player being on "tilt" - you won't be "In the zone" so your timings/execution will start so slip. That's why you need to GG after every game and review (with an open mind) the games you lose, carefully looking over your mistakes and your opponent's build/thought process.
If you find yourself rage-quitting games, being bad-manner, or even just have those familiar "Ugh this guy sucks, what a cheeser" or "I suck, I should be winning, what's wrong with me?" thoughts, it's time to take a break. It doesn't have to be a long break just do something that'll renew your confidence/focus. Coffee and a light workout do wonders for me, some players save replays where they perform really well so watch that and remember how good you're capable of playing. When you sit back in front of the screen, you should be focused on your strategy and your minset: the only thing you should think about yourself is "I'm a great sc2 player and I'm going to win these games, nothing is going to stand in my way."
If you make these changes in your game, what's the worst that could happen? Thank you all for reading, I wish everyone the best of luck in their games, and hope you all have a blast!
On July 18 2011 05:47 Aletheia27 wrote: I don't understand why this is in strategy....
I don't see anything wrong with it. He is giving important hints to all players about your mentality upon improving, so it's a strategy to further improve. :D
However, very nice read, keep on the good work! I think that way too many people just overlook these points while they're in their mass gaming phase, they should give this a go. :-)
Great post, However I know quite a few people that have a verry positive mindset, but their mechanical skill is close to terrible, and it makes them look they don't want to get better at all. I think that even though you NEED to have a positive mindset, it is also crucial to beat your self down whenever you make mistakes, you MUST be able to see what mistakes you did and to make sure that they will never happen again.
Why is Anger a bad thing? The reason I got into platinum from bronze is because my friend that introduces sc2 to me would do theses retarded cheezes all the time and I got pissed, and wanted to win against him.
agree with everything, just want to add some points: 1) write gg guys. I think I'm the only guy in Europe who does it. and it correlates with 3), because people get so mad about "imbalances" that they start to cheese, all-in and try bad stuff, instead of focusing on beating those colossi, trying to play a macro game vs zerg etc... most important points are 2) and 4)... If you don't think you can win any matchup in any situation, you will have a bad gamefocus. And if you are tired and sick... don't ladder! Watch a stream and get some sleep!
Well anger CAN be fuel for dedication and learning, sure, but it's typically destructive. I think staying positive is important for maximum progress, and anything you can do while angry you can likely do while happy.
On July 18 2011 06:01 TangSC wrote: Well anger CAN be fuel for dedication and learning, sure, but it's typically destructive. I think staying positive is important for maximum progress, and anything you can do while angry you can likely do while happy.
I don't see how anger is necessarily the opposite of a positive mentality. They go hand in hand. But this is neither time nor place. My remark was not to the validity of your post, but dedication and mentality to me seem more 'the way" to approach a game and your own development. However to me strategy exists within the confines of the game and should be used to assess individual situations rather than the reverse analysis. Maybe I have my definitions confused or TL didn't intend strategy to embody so stringent a definition. Anyway, good write up.
EDIT: Err, to clarify. My remark was not to the validity of your post, but the categorization of it or placement
@TangSC I also have celiac disease! Not something to be 100% happy about lol but since going on the diet a few years ago after being diagnosed, I have noticed that I am feeling better physically which helps me be focused on what I do. My grades in school went up and I noticed my abilities in videogames have increased dramatically! Good tips to help you improve! Keep up the good work man!
I mean I notice it with my students when we're doing lessons, if they stay calm and focused they play well but once they make a mistake or 2 and start sighing and grunting, their overall game-play declines. And if they start swearing, it's over!
Surely you're right in that everyone is different and needs to find the optimal way to learn themselves, but I just provided some general guidelines that I, based on personal experience and coaching experience, believe will help the majority of readers.
I feel like when people are angry they start asking themselves the wrong questions like "Oh man why did I do that, I'm such an idiot" instead of "Ok what can I do now to give me a chance to win this game?"
Nice post man! . . . I agree with everything. I know I play so much better when I am in a positive mindset. I do have that side of me that gets negative and rage-quits just to reload another match to rage-quit again.
Have to have a nice balance of self-criticism but also a positive overall attitude.
On July 18 2011 05:59 Moda wrote: Great post, However I know quite a few people that have a verry positive mindset, but their mechanical skill is close to terrible, and it makes them look they don't want to get better at all. I think that even though you NEED to have a positive mindset, it is also crucial to beat your self down whenever you make mistakes, you MUST be able to see what mistakes you did and to make sure that they will never happen again.
Why is Anger a bad thing? The reason I got into platinum from bronze is because my friend that introduces sc2 to me would do theses retarded cheezes all the time and I got pissed, and wanted to win against him.
I think it's a balance. Anger is bad if it makes you less focused. It depends on the person, if someone gets pissed and it makes them sharper, it's great, but blind rage gets you slaughtered.
I remember when Fruitdealer qualified from his Code S group last season he said ZvZ is all about mindset and mood that's why he was confident on beating Check in ZvZ.
I would be more mannered when the Zerg scouting information from a 6rax wouldn't be identical to the scouting information of a 1rax expand (seeing no gas, one rax, few marines, no addon) and the time when the OL even reaches the enemys base, the 6rax is already moving out.
i disagree with people who say anger will help you get better. anger may provide the drive to play non-stop but i would find that you always learn so playing non-stop of course you'll learn but i would reckon slower than being positive.
getting mad surely just throws off any further games you play because you're thinking about the annoying previous game instead of your current one, and we form conclusions and think more clearly when calm therefore you're more likely to be able to make an accurate assessment of why you lost and therefore improve faster.
also i can see how going into a match positive helps. being positive usually means you will be decisive and any decision is better than no decision. also it will help you to play aggressively which even if you lose from you still learn more than just turtling
I think anger is a natural feeling to feel after losing a game, especially to some no skill cheese/all-in, or just forgetting obs of some sort when its obvious he's going dts. no one likes losing. I think to shove it down and not acknowledge it is doing yourself a disservice. I feel the best way to deal with your anger is to step away from the game for a few minutes, let your anger dissipate naturally and go back to playing with a "clean slate"
I do always try to gg, but my god, sometimes its hard.
On July 18 2011 05:38 TangSC wrote:You've probably all heard sayings repeated over and over like "The Power of Positive Thinking" and "Healthy Body, Healthy Mind", and there's a reason they're repeated: they're true!
I don't disagree with a lot of your stress on mindset, but this is ridiculous.
The reason stuff like this is repeated is because people wish it was true, for some weird reason. Its patently ridiculous, though, because merely thinking about something in a different way cannot change the facts of the situation.
There is no actual difference in thinking a cup is half full or half empty, except the differences that might cause in how you approach other things. The cup contains 50% of the total it could contain, no matter how you phrase that in your head.
The weird thing about this kind of thinking is its actually incredibly arrogant - it suggests that if someone thought positively enough, they could have avoided getting cancer, or being hit by some drunk on the road, etc, etc.
Mindset is important in SC2, but the important part of it is being realistic and logical.
On July 18 2011 05:38 TangSC wrote:You've probably all heard sayings repeated over and over like "The Power of Positive Thinking" and "Healthy Body, Healthy Mind", and there's a reason they're repeated: they're true!
I don't disagree with a lot of your stress on mindset, but this is ridiculous.
The reason stuff like this is repeated is because people wish it was true, for some weird reason. Its patently ridiculous, though, because merely thinking about something in a different way cannot change the facts of the situation.
There is no actual difference in thinking a cup is half full or half empty, except the differences that might cause in how you approach other things. The cup contains 50% of the total it could contain, no matter how you phrase that in your head.
The weird thing about this kind of thinking is its actually incredibly arrogant - it suggests that if someone thought positively enough, they could have avoided getting cancer, or being hit by some drunk on the road, etc, etc.
Mindset is important in SC2, but the important part of it is being realistic and logical.
So, you'd argue that a player at the end of a 10 game losing streak has just as much chance to win their 11th game as a player coming off of a 10 game winning streak?
Going into a game prepared to lose, and going into a game prepared to win are clearly going to yield different results. Pro players go on tilt all the time after bad games or poor results, trying to argue that it doesn't have an effect on gameplay simply doesn't make sense.
Do you need something more than a positive attitude? Well no shit, I've never seen anyone claim otherwise. Will a positive attitude, in addition to things like strong mechanics, decision making, and practice help you win a tournament? Positively.
On July 18 2011 05:38 TangSC wrote:You've probably all heard sayings repeated over and over like "The Power of Positive Thinking" and "Healthy Body, Healthy Mind", and there's a reason they're repeated: they're true!
I don't disagree with a lot of your stress on mindset, but this is ridiculous.
The reason stuff like this is repeated is because people wish it was true, for some weird reason. Its patently ridiculous, though, because merely thinking about something in a different way cannot change the facts of the situation.
There is no actual difference in thinking a cup is half full or half empty, except the differences that might cause in how you approach other things. The cup contains 50% of the total it could contain, no matter how you phrase that in your head.
The weird thing about this kind of thinking is its actually incredibly arrogant - it suggests that if someone thought positively enough, they could have avoided getting cancer, or being hit by some drunk on the road, etc, etc.
Mindset is important in SC2, but the important part of it is being realistic and logical.
I believe what he means in respect to positive thinking being applied to your Starcraft gameplay is that, while in the middle of the game, instead of swearing and letting yourself get angry and say things to yourself such as 'losing that stalker push was BS, I got nothing, his counterattack will obviously crush me', which makes your loss a reality in your head before it even happens, it would be a lot better to stay confident and positive, and staying focused on attempting to stay alive during the supposed counterattack instead of sighing and grunting and generally being self-defeating.
And TBH, I definitely agree that staying in a positive mindset is beneficial over being angry. I really wish I could control my temper when I go on losing streaks, and you cannot tell me that if I was in a positive mindset I would still be slamming the table with my fist, getting up and swearing at myself for being a fucking idiot (which can definitely be argued has negative repercussions on you mentally/physically).
On July 18 2011 07:56 TrickyGilligan wrote:So, you'd argue that a player at the end of a 10 game losing streak has just as much chance to win their 11th game as a player coming off of a 10 game winning streak?
If they're in control of their emotions, yes. And that doesn't mean they're happy, it means they're fully aware that the only way previous games can affect their next game is if they allow it to.
[edit] Mind you, I'm assuming these players are identical otherwise. Obviously if you're drunk as fuck and thats the reason you're losing you're more likely to keep losing, but it has nothing to do with how positively you're thinking.
Going into a game prepared to lose, and going into a game prepared to win are clearly going to yield different results. Pro players go on tilt all the time after bad games or poor results, trying to argue that it doesn't have an effect on gameplay simply doesn't make sense.
Going on tilt is not the same as failing to think positively.
But by going on tilt and getting angry, their thoughts are being clouded and they make the wrong decisions and judgements, leading to a snowball effect seen before such as IdrA during all of MLG Dallas except the first day.
If you are positive and can keep your emotions in check, you have a much greater chance of staying focussed and assessing the situation at hand, than if you allow the game to be lost in your head before it truly is.
On July 18 2011 07:56 TrickyGilligan wrote:So, you'd argue that a player at the end of a 10 game losing streak has just as much chance to win their 11th game as a player coming off of a 10 game winning streak?
If they're in control of their emotions, yes. And that doesn't mean they're happy, it means they're fully aware that the only way previous games can affect their next game is if they allow it to.
[edit] Mind you, I'm assuming these players are identical otherwise. Obviously if you're drunk as fuck and thats the reason you're losing you're more likely to keep losing, but it has nothing to do with how positively you're thinking.
i don't use gg or any glhf things because i think they're way overuse and doesn't have the meanings anymore, but i'm still having fun, if they say glfh i will response back but i never say it first.
On July 18 2011 08:05 Naeroon wrote: But by going on tilt and getting angry, their thoughts are being clouded and they make the wrong decisions and judgements, leading to a snowball effect seen before such as IdrA during all of MLG Dallas except the first day.
If you are positive and can keep your emotions in check, you have a much greater chance of staying focussed and assessing the situation at hand, than if you allow the game to be lost in your head before it truly is.
My point here is not that keeping your emotions in check isn't necessary, its that doing that doesn't mean being positive.
If you blow an attack in a game and say to yourself "the only way I can win this now is if he makes a mistake" nobody will call that positive thinking. If you say "i'm still in this!", that they'll call positive.
But neither one is functionally different - the game situation is what it is no matter how you think about it. If getting angry makes you rush decisions, then you work at not getting angry, but that does not entail being un-erringly positive, it entails being realistic.
On July 18 2011 08:05 Naeroon wrote: But by going on tilt and getting angry, their thoughts are being clouded and they make the wrong decisions and judgements, leading to a snowball effect seen before such as IdrA during all of MLG Dallas except the first day.
If you are positive and can keep your emotions in check, you have a much greater chance of staying focussed and assessing the situation at hand, than if you allow the game to be lost in your head before it truly is.
My point here is not that keeping your emotions in check isn't necessary, its that doing that doesn't mean being positive.
If you blow an attack in a game and say to yourself "the only way I can win this now is if he makes a mistake" nobody will call that positive thinking. If you say "i'm still in this!", that they'll call positive.
But neither one is functionally different - the game situation is what it is no matter how you think about it. If getting angry makes you rush decisions, then you work at not getting angry, but that does not entail being un-erringly positive, it entails being realistic.
That is true. The game situation is what it is no matter how you think about it, but the point of being positive (or realistic) is so that you can act upon the game situation as it is in this point and time and attempt to correct it or win the game. I completely understand the point you have made, as being positive and being realistic most certainly do not go hand in hand (ie. The world is going to be destroyed, no life will ever exist on it ever again... pretty dreary, but quite realistic considering the world would be gone). However when you are positive it also brings forth other traits, such as being motivated, being focused, being on-task, etc. You can't say working in an angry or distracted/otherwise frustrating condition has proven better results that staying postive and focused.
I don't mean to devalue your point whatsoever. But being realistic is also in of itself a type of clouded judgement... Take this for example, what if you were a guitarist, and both your arms were lost in some sort of accident. You would sit there, being quite realistic about the situation by concluding that there is 'no way ill be playing guitar again in my life.' You really will never play your guitar again since you lost your arms, no two ways about that. But if you had really been on the more positive side, believing 'I'm still in this!', then you would try to find someway around this seemingly tricky problem. And people have in the past, I have seen men play guitar with only their legs and feet, and they weren't half bad!
Positivity by itself most certainly is not what it takes to accomplish things. But by being positive, other things happen, such as being motivated and focused. The same type of things happen when you are angry; you get frustrated and start thinking in self-defeating patterns.
This is very important. I used to leave without gg and ragequit and BM a lot a couple of months back, but I've since changed my mindset towards always typing out the gg and the gl hf, and it actually does make a world of difference.
If you don't think anger makes a difference to your play, go watch replays of when you were angry and have a good laugh at all the silly mistakes you make :D
It's important to keep ladder practise a focused but still light-hearted experience; make sure each game comes across not as "I PWNED THAT NOOB" or "I SHOULD HAVE PWNED THAT NOOB", but instead a learning experience from which you can take away knowledge that will help you to improve your strategy and overall play.
Came from a PvP base race where I lost by a couple of buildings, smashed my fists into a few things, was cursing like a fucking sailor, threw a few books across the room, and ditched my friend on skype (lol if you see this, sorry about that dude).
But after I read this...I'm not angry at all. Nice post. He's right about everything.
In response to the argument above me, perhaps you will not save your individual game through positive thinking, but the mentality of "I fucking suck I'm a pathetic loser What the fuck is wrong with me I'll never be good at this game Why do I even play It's not like I'll ever succeed with it in any way ever" that I had after the game won't help me get better at all.
Honestly the way you seem to plug yourself (Tang 233) constantly in all your (Tang 233's) posts makes me want to punch a wall and definitely doesn't help me take you (Tang 233) the least bit seriously.
Anger leads to nothing is this kind of game. Don't try to justify stuff, just have some fun while playing. I find myself very relaxed while I play, and that's why I keep doing it.
Cool post I enjoyed it . Most people will be quick to not believe in this sort of thinking or after trying it blaming future success solely on more traditional reasons for getting better such as practicing. This type of thinking not only applies for SC2 but for any competitive sport or goal you are trying to achieve, especially in long term circumstances such as a tournament etc.
I think that thinking positively is highly underrated in all aspects of life. Some people refer to this as the law of attraction, but whatever it is I believe it to be true. Taking it to the extreme and making it work 100% of the time is not practical at all though.
Well I think being confident at your level of play is good enough for me.
However, I always fall into my own little trap that I'm always economically behind, it's just I'm always afraid my enemy has expanded like 3 times whenever I don't scout them often enough.
This was rather very interesting. Yeah, countless games I would go on a losing streak and play bad or go all in to lose as the streak builds. Staying positive mindset and thinking its a game really goes all long way.
Especially there was this image of Idra v. RuFF where idra was like something about stupid builds, and ruFF responds with "Just a game, son" Really made my day.
One cause Idra's rage and really because Ruff said it right. The clear majority plays for fun and when you get into the competitive heat it really makes you lose sight that when it comes down to it, its a game.
You might be right, Mr Showtime, I don't think the post follows all the guidelines of a strategy post. Even so, I know beyond reasonable doubt that players looking to improve their strategical SC2 thinking will benefit from mindset analysis and I hope it'll remain on those grounds!
Great post man. I always used to rage and curse people out if im losing but after reading this I feel like im in a way better mind set in games. Thanks and keep it up.
It's never an excuse to blame a loss on cheese. Calling it "no skill" or "unscoutable" isn't acceptable either. Your mission is to play the game you're given better than your opponent. If you need to put up an instant spine crawler every game to defend cheese, then fucking do it.
There's no valid excuse to ever not gg or bm, unless of course your opponent starts it with some "wow zerg so bullshit," then by all means, lay into them.
I don't mind getting cheesed here and there. They are the games that helps me with crisis management and multitasking, I got to remember a few things:
1) Build combat units 2) Decide to cut probes, or keep making (depending on severity of cheese) 3) Adapt to the situation - ie: adjust build order, such as putting down a 2nd/3rd gate or forge earlier than usual, delay/prioritize other things. 4) Decide on the amount of probes to pull to defend (ie: learn to be clutch!), too little you lose everything, too much and you sacrifice your econ. 5) Keep my supply unblocked 6) Scout
Ry-Masta-T, that's a very good way of thinking of things man. I agree with what you say, haha sometimes I rage at people who are very bm...I'll admit to that offence! If a guy is flying his one barracks after you roach/ling and kill all his buildings for example, I throw out the premature gg
I absolutely love this post, thank you for it! SO many players have such negative mindsets and it sets people back terribly. I consider myself a somewhat calm mannered person, and tend to stay in a decent mindset during all games, but when my mindset slips and I get mad over something or frustrated, I really do notice myself playing at a sub-par level because of it.
I have had the exact same thoughts about Idra, if he could keep his cool I believe that he would get MUCH farther in tournaments and everything else.
On another note: BM just ruins the game for some people, or is just plain unnecessary. If you're in a bad mood, or angry about the GAME just remember that it's a game for fun, no need to trash talk and rage over it.
I think #3 is really one of the biggest keys to success. Coming in with a game plan and sticking to it makes playing so much less stressful. So yeah, play YOUR game and you'll be surprised how often it works out.
I mean, we make plans (builds) for a reason, right?
Motivating little read. I try to apply these ideas as often as possible but sometimes they slip away from me after dying to a cannon rush or proxy gates etc.
I'll have to try to keep these in mind no matter what. ^^
I see you've moved on from relentless advertisement in the team liquid starcraft 2 channel to direct advertisement on team liquid.
At least you don't suggest cleaning out your ears so you don't miss a workers under attack message. That's the only positive thing I can say so I'll leave this post at that.
What do you do if lose to someone(when you're testing out a strat or new race) , say gg, and then they message you after, telling you that it wasn't a gg and that you're a terrible player and could never measure up to them(even though you know you can) ? :'(
@Garuhn You block communication with them and let that be that, if you're confident and positive you know you can disregard people's negative opinions - dwelling on them is pointless. It's why I avoid arguments in chat, there are always people who will disagree and some people just look for a reason to troll
I feel like I'm odd in this regard. I can't go into a game feeling confident, otherwise I mess up a lot in my execution. I usually go in thinking that I'll lose if I don't play the top of my game, even when it tells me I'm favored.
Another aspect of a positive mindset is to not be too focused on mistakes. People always talk about how you have to analyze games you lost so you don't make the same mistakes again. But analyzing what went right is just as important in my opinion. I.e. if a game went perfect for you, also analyze that since a. it boosts your ego b. you find out what your strengths. Reinforcing your strengths is just as important as reducing mistakes and also goes farther when it comes to developing your own play style (as opposed to just a flawless but predictable and generic play style).
Dunno why people have to be so negative. Tang, I've been in your chat channel on battle.net many times and I gotta say its been an incredibly helpful beacon of information and socialization, with other people who need help just like me. Sure, if you really want his post to be nothing more than a blatant advertising scheme, then I suppose it is. But the man didn't make the topic solely to shamelessly plug him and his site. He at the very least wrote out a page of information that was intended to be helpful (and it definitely was, mindset is easily one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in your play). There have been many times where people in the past simply created a thread to plug themselves and their product/site, but this is not one of those. You can't get mad at the man for including his site at the bottom of his post....
The man is a helpful player who has definitely guided many noobs such as myself in the right direction. I'd love to see what you guys have done to contribute to the community/players, beyond attempting to completely shut down this topic with your accusations of its credibility.
EDIT: And to clarify, I am referring to posters such as Probe1, who only joined in on the discussion to add NOTHING of value or even of positivity, only a pretty thin post specifically designed to berate Tang and his thread. I seriously don't see how your post is of any greater (or even EQUAL) value than the OP.
Thanks a lot Naeroon :D and all the others for their feedback. I've found that even the comments from those who disagree with my OP are often constructive and interesting, so don't let the few being negative influence you. I'd love to hear all the different ways people stay focused and psyched, and I'm even consider writing a second post including some of the constructive concepts discussed in the comments that you guys have used to better your games!
In short, keep posting the techniques/tips you guys have for those trying to stay in a positive/learning mindset!
On July 18 2011 05:38 TangSC wrote: 1) Be Good Manner - ...and leaving every game with "GG nice timing push or "GG wp, that harrass was killer, man!" If you stay good mannered...instead of rage-quitting...And who knows, maybe that player to whom you showed respect in your gracious exit from the game will provide you with a couple tips and practice games to really help you overcome that flaw in your game.
On July 18 2011 05:38 TangSC wrote: 2) Be Confident - ...talking to yourself doesn't mean you're crazy - it keeps you focused on your specific goals in the game and gives you that oh-so-critical mindset advantage.
On July 18 2011 05:38 TangSC wrote: 3) Focus on YOUR game - ...learn and play significantly better if they considered imbalance, hacks, and cheese none-existent...When you get cheesed, exit the game with class, and pay attention to how you could have scouted a little earlier, how you could have reacted a tad faster, how the execution of your defense could be improved upon. Cheese is a part of the game, you can't get rid of it but you can be adequately prepared for it.
On July 18 2011 05:38 TangSC wrote: 4) Be Healthy - ...I have celiac disease...I've paid very careful attention to what I eat and I feel and play the better for it...you WILL notice a difference in your stamina if you're in better shape. Something I do frequently is workout in between games...Get the blood flowing and the heart racing in between games
I agree. I feel like this is good and applicable advice that is often overlooked for not only Starcraft but for any competition(s). It used to work for me competing in wrestling and some of the dumbest loses I have taken in both could have been avoided by following the advice in the OP.
1. Being well mannered in games have, for me, not only led to getting advice about the game but to making practice partners at my skill level. As is true for anything you do, "perfect practice makes perfect." If you are well mannered and helpful you will inevitably make friends of those who are also well mannered and willing to help you.
2. In competitions I rarely talked to myself aloud but in my head I used to either get a song stuck or talk to myself about, well, anything. It calms the nerves and allows for better and faster performance. Getting angry or nervous leads to making momentous mistakes.
3. Everybody hates cheese, but if you get cheesed follow tang's advice. For all you know you might be able to refine your opening build order and make it stronger.
4. This is probably the most important part of the OP. I find that after playing 4 or 5 matches in a row that my apm dips, i miss larvae injects, etc. Getting your blood flowing means more oxygen to your brain and you'll pay better attention.
I couldn't agree with you more. I think a bad attitude in this game will really impede your ability to improve. Anger makes you more unfocused, just because it's very hard not to dwell on the fact that you lose. If you take a more positive approach to your losses, it will overall make you a better player.
i agree with not getting angry. i understand its tough to not rage when u lose like 10+ games in a row or have multiple days where u end up losing more than winning but playing angry will only make u lose more. its hard to take a step back from a loss and reflect on how you loss so you can win the next game when clicking find match is easier than watching ur own replay
On July 18 2011 07:56 TrickyGilligan wrote:So, you'd argue that a player at the end of a 10 game losing streak has just as much chance to win their 11th game as a player coming off of a 10 game winning streak?
If they're in control of their emotions, yes. And that doesn't mean they're happy, it means they're fully aware that the only way previous games can affect their next game is if they allow it to.
[edit] Mind you, I'm assuming these players are identical otherwise. Obviously if you're drunk as fuck and thats the reason you're losing you're more likely to keep losing, but it has nothing to do with how positively you're thinking.
Going into a game prepared to lose, and going into a game prepared to win are clearly going to yield different results. Pro players go on tilt all the time after bad games or poor results, trying to argue that it doesn't have an effect on gameplay simply doesn't make sense.
Going on tilt is not the same as failing to think positively.
Sorry to say but Kzn is right.
It looks like you believe in "the secret" book lolllll.
But I agree to the Topic that if you try to be good mannered every game , it will improve your play , since you will go less on tilt.
Good OP. I think everyone that posted here generally wants to become a better SC2 player. It's very easy to get mad when you lose a game. If you can try to have a positive mindset about the game you can view a loss as an opportunity. When you lose a game don't think of it as the other person being better than you. Try to view your loss as a mistake that YOU made that your opponent exploited. It could be poor macro, micro, scouting, "special tactics", wrong unit composition or a hundred other things. Your opponent wasn't better than you, you just made mistakes. I find when I view my losses in this manner its easier to swallow. Just remember the end goal is to get better and you can't get better if you never lose
Hey tang, Great to see someone else agrees with me. I already do this to some degree when i play, I say glhf, try to chat a bit and have a good time, when I lose I'm like "Wow that was some great macro you had there" or "nice strat, I've never seen it before" or something like that before gging out.
I especially loved your last point though: be healthy. I usually don't eat healthy, but every once in a while after eating spinach with my dinner or something, I feel a lot better, a lot more optimistic, and my brain works a lot faster. Being healthy has a direct impact on your performance.
I've been playing online games for some time now, and Starcraft is defenitely the most rage-pron game I've played! Sometimes it REALLY, but REALLY gets to me. I get to the point I dont recognize myself after losing some matches... Pretty scary heh.
On July 18 2011 07:56 TrickyGilligan wrote:So, you'd argue that a player at the end of a 10 game losing streak has just as much chance to win their 11th game as a player coming off of a 10 game winning streak?
If they're in control of their emotions, yes. And that doesn't mean they're happy, it means they're fully aware that the only way previous games can affect their next game is if they allow it to.
It's just a shame that nobody is fully 'in control of their emotions', then. It is fallacious to think that we can control our own auto-response chemicals just by thinking about them. There are people who can stop those emotions from showing too much to the world, but if you know how you can read most people's emotional state like a book.
MOST people will be affected by a 10game losing streak and will not play average or above in the next game.
On July 20 2011 00:51 bylex wrote: I've been playing online games for some time now, and Starcraft is defenitely the most rage-pron game I've played! Sometimes it REALLY, but REALLY gets to me. I get to the point I dont recognize myself after losing some matches... Pretty scary heh.
Só I agree and backup everything posted by Tang!
Cheers!
You should try Street Fighter IV online or the new sequel to know what's a real rage-pron game.
Anyways, i agree with OP on positive mindset winning you games. Mixed with coffee and good physical shape, it does miracle, it really clears your mind.
I really like the "be polite" and "be healthy" parts. I think I will start gging with a nice phrase about their play from now on, at least to show that I understand that they got the best of me and not any other reason that I lost.
You can eat doritos, just do so in moderation haha a big bag in one sitting may not be ideal.
Obviously practice is very important, as is dedication. I suppose my point is that if you can dedicate yourself to practicing frequently in the right mindset, overall you'll find more joy in the experience and be more willing to continue practicing and learning . Confidence is an important tool, but a lot of people take it to the point of being arrogant. That's why I say getting angry when you lose a game is the wrong reaction because you'll be tempted to overlook some flaws in your play. Perfect the style you know, but don't reject other people's styles. You should know your edge but also be aware that you may not always be right - remember that arrogance can stunt learning and that creative flare. I think people need to see that there are a lot of different ways to approach situations and not necessarily one correct answer to anything in SC2.
On July 20 2011 01:06 leBIGcrab wrote: Mixed with coffee...
You can drink coffee while playing starcraft?
I love coffee and many days I drink more coffee than water but when I combine starcraft and caffeine my pulse skyrockets somewhat frighteningly.
Same is true for losing, might be a further reason to incorporate the OP's suggestions . Guess I'll try it (again), sometimes a cool attitude when losing would be really beneficial.
I Love this a lot... I feel like this is the important stuff right here. If you have a good mindset and are willing you can even get better. Keep up the good thoughts :DD
this guide is basically how to be a nice person on battlenet. I think a lot of it probably won't help very much, but it has two very good points.
Confidence and anger managment are both essential to playing well, though I'm skeptical about the part about needing to be good mannered, combatex and deezer both seem to manage alright in GM. But you will notice that these players despite their other not so great qualities(that I won't mention here) they always think they will win no matter what and they always persevere asking for a rematch after a loss.
You need a competetive mind set in order to get good at Sc2. Wanting to get better to beat your oponents is the way to do it. But yeah positivity is good i guess but it's not the most important thing.
1 should be "be well mannered" or "have good manners"
Additionally, your example with IdrA is way off the mark. IdrA has won a couple of tournaments-- he's also gotten to the ro8 in GSL Code S, a feat only one other foreigner can say. There are plenty of people who are really nice in real life, but can't hack it in tournaments. FXOSheth is a fantastic player, and the nicest person on Bnet, but he has made literally zero noise in tournaments.IdrA's mindset may be his downfall, but I seriously doubt that the best way to drastically improve your play is to think positively.
It is better, by far, to have played 10,000 games, and go on tilt all the time, than to have played 5,000, and to never get angry at the game at all. Anger can be channeled into a more efficient mindset, and while this is difficult to do, being able to do it isn't going to win games. Mechanics and experience are the best ways to drastically improve.
Besides that this thread shouldn't be in the strategy section (because psychological preparation isn't a strategy, it's just common sense) I can't help but feel that this thread is lacking so much.
Obviously a mindset can affect work, sports, and critical thinking. However, this only preaches basic thought. There isn't great philosophical or scientific thinking in it. It's just words that most people are raised into thinking. It doesn't draw a line into the negative affects of playing a game for fun, and not in a serious manner at all; and the positive effects of taking the game seriously and not in a casual manner. There are hundreds of tips to give and the main post only gives four, and it doesn't dive into great detail... Overall this thread seems to be severely lacking.
I definetely think this is helpful to everyone. I know sometimes when I get dt'd or 6 pooled I want to call him a piece of shit. But instead I just say gg and leave.
The OP is 100% true. I'm a life & business coach and have literally coached thousands of people from all walks of life...and watched these principles at work firsthand.
There are examples of people with poor mindset that have success, but the VAST majority of people who are "successful" do have a positive mindset. (whether the "success" is being an Olympian, being a self made millionaire, etc.)
If anyone wants to further your learning along the potential & power of your mind, I highly recommend the following 2 books: - Think & Grow Rich - As A Man Thinketh (Short read)
Hey I think it's great you're a life and business coach, are there any principles in your profession that would apply to SC2 gamers? I'm sure I missed a few good points.
What i think alot of players need is a goal. Like "get into master's league". And dont blame the game, blame yourself. all this crap about "wow terran is strong" is bull. focus on yourself and no one else. also watch day[9] XD
Excellent thread. I 100% agree with eating healthy and working out can drastically improve your performance in SC2. I've been working out more lately and trying to eat better and I've noticed a difference in how I perform and remember things and pay attention in a game.
On July 22 2011 09:28 TangSC wrote: Hey I think it's great you're a life and business coach, are there any principles in your profession that would apply to SC2 gamers? I'm sure I missed a few good points.
Hey Tang,
Yes...there are a LOT of principles that apply. (and personal development is one of my favorite topics...I've always loved figuring out why "we" do what "we" do as humans...and how to pursue the path of trying to maximize all areas of my life - physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually, socially, etc.)
Here are 2 main ones that are really important across all areas of life & learning...feel free to discuss from here and I'll pull out some other principles as they arise.
(The 2 above are really aimed at a "newbie" to psychology/computers/business...I'm pretty sure the vast majority of TLers will feel as if they're explained "too slow"...so stick it out as I promise the lessons are worth it! For example: I have a medical doctor that I coach...that the above "Success Formula" completely changed his life when he "got it". He's created a considerable residual income on the side of his medical practice from applying "The Success Formula")
PS - Ignore any references to marketing or business or anything...that's the audience the videos are aimed at...but the lessons are still there for gamers & everyone else.
i'm a guy whos uber competitive and i just get mad. whenever i lose it makes me fucking furious. i can't really help it. it's like 6 wins 1 loss i rage so hard. i'm scared im gonna break something in my house lol. i just get down on how stupid i am for losing to so and so or how people are worse than me but still win. my ego is too big
Great post Tang. Thank you for extending the much needed etiquette and standards that this community desperately lacks. Too many people treat the online world as garbage can for their reckless thoughts just because they don't need to be responsible for what they say/act. These people simply deteriorate themselves and the community.
I make it a routine to always greet politely and congratulate my opponent on his/her win regardless of how it was achieved. Proxy canon or scv rush, you name it, I'd still gg out of it. In my opinion, game-rage is due to via hate of self-incompetence and jealousy. By being angry and offensive, you're not benefiting from it, and even worst, your opponent loses nothing, save a laugh. Serenity, says Buddha: take a step back, and observe the vast sea and sky.
On July 22 2011 10:35 shawster wrote: if only i could adopt your training philosophy
i'm a guy whos uber competitive and i just get mad. whenever i lose it makes me fucking furious. i can't really help it. it's like 6 wins 1 loss i rage so hard. i'm scared im gonna break something in my house lol. i just get down on how stupid i am for losing to so and so or how people are worse than me but still win. my ego is too big
Having a competitive drive & spirit is VERY important to compete at the top levels.
BUT
Getting "furious. i can't really help it", "i'm scared im gonna greak something in my house" - Dude...seriously?
Brother...first...NEVER call yourself stupid, NEVER! ("i just get down on how stupid i am for losing to so and so")
If you are serious about your above comments & not just trolling...take a few minutes and really think about the bigger picture. I would guess you've seen these feelings/behavior come up in the past...and I really do have things you can do...because you CAN help it. (You just haven't been motivated enough yet to want to try to help/change it)
(It's not just you brother...millions around the world, especially in 3rd world countries, experience similar emotions...so this is for anyone that relates to what you're saying.)
Imagine this...what if you raged so hard...you punched a hole in the wall... Would that be the event that has you really look for a solution to change?
What if you raged so hard...you yelled at & completely embarrassed & crushed the next person you talk to... (If you live with others) Would that be the event that has you really look for a solution to change?
What if you raged so hard...you smashed your keyboard into your monitor, needing both a keyboard & a monitor? Would that be the event that has you really look for a solution to change?
What if you did something worse than the above scenarios?
We won't "change" behavior, or do anything different...unless we get significantly "motivated". It's all about leverage.
(You know why Idra still rages? Because he's never had consequences large enough to want to change. What if he couldn't play SC2 for a living?...that would probably motivate him. What if he went to jail for a bit?...that would probably have him thinking about it too. As obviously he's very intelligent...he just hasn't applied his intelligence to his emotions. The reality is that likely none of the above will happen...Idra won't be motivated enough...and in 10 years when SC3 is coming out...Idra will still be raging.)
Don't get me wrong, I used to play NCAA Div 2 soccer in college, then went on to semi-pro soccer...I totally get the frustration & anger and I have experienced those exact same emotions.
But...I can tell you that if you are "pissed off enough about your anger"...there are simple things you can do to change it. (No, not "counting to 10"...even though that works to a small degree...it's not enough to overcome a huge emotion like we're speaking of)
The reality is that anyone on this Earth can have a very large degree of control over their emotions, or their "state".
Crap - Now I just realized I spend these past few minutes setting myself up to have to explain how to change all of this...
(It's actually a whole blog post...but just watch between 1:40 and 6:20 on the video.)
Keep this in mind...imagine a triangle that has 3 sides: Focus Physiology Language
This "triad" is what makes up our emotions. (our "states")
So...if you're pissed, change your focus, language, and/or physiology, and you can change the state of feeling pissed.
This works for everyone, every single time...as long as you make enough change to 1 or more of the sides of the triad.
Let's look at the easiest way to make a VERY quick change in state - your physiology. (Remember there's still 2 other parts to the triad...but you can literally feel a change w/ just changing 1 part of the triad...change all 3 and you will instantly "feel" differently in ANY state you're in for the rest of your life)
So if you're sitting at your computer, pissed about a game you just lost...DON'T JUST SIT THERE! Change your physiology by getting up and physically doing something. (punch the air, jump around, do some quick sprints, do sit ups, punch the air (air box), dance do your favorite music, etc.) The more drastic of a change in your body from physically sitting at a computer, the more you will feel differently.
There is a thread that was started...and now I can't find it for the life of me. It was all about every time you lose mid-late game, you do "x number of situps". If you lose to cheese, do "y number of situps". Do "x" if you lose 5 in a row, etc. It had you doing different pushups & sit-ups for different scenarios. (and I think you also did stuff for winning)
This stuff is GREAT for changing your physiology...which naturally changes your state.
Thanks Tang, this really hit home for me. And made me smile too
And Coach, I really like the idea of changing your physiology when you have that tense, keyed-up feeling after a bad loss. I will definitely try that next time. Sometimes I'm so mad or down on myself I can't even click the "Save replay" button... I just want to pretend it never happened! Getting up and moving around for a bit before dealing with the replay would probably really help my state of mind.
A great way to have fun is to do a few old day9 strats. you'll also improve quite a bit!
Do the "attack every 5 minutes with a warcry" funday strat. You will learn lots of timing (most new players don't get aggressive,) and yelling gibberish at your opponent is always fun. Combine with Dr. Seuss style wording for extra hilarity.
Or do the "expand every 5 minutes" strat. Again, it's really funny and teaches newbies map presence.
My personal favorite, since I don't care about getting top in my master division, is to have a silly endgame plan, where stress is the highest. Make your goal to transition into 35 ravens. Or carriers, etc.
And those little 10 minute breaks after stressful games are a godsend.
And finally, stop trash talking unless it's plain goofy. Get into the concepts of manners. If you lose, you lose. That's it. Calling your opponent an *insert long series of expletives* will NOT make you feel better, and your opponent will always just laugh at you. Studies have shown that taking your anger out via aggression will make your anger WORSE! Be mannered. You lost to a 6pool? He's not some cheesing jerk, you just need to tighten up your opener, and he showed you that. Be nice. Don't just say GG and rage, take a few seconds to think of something NICE to say to your opponent! It will make you feel better. Seriously. And your opponent, if he's not twelve, will really appreciate that. I take the time to remember people who complimented my play. And that list is really, really short (and it's not because I'm bad. which I am.)
The biggest thing missing from Esports is true sportmanship. See what happened to pro sports once that was lost? Remember why HoN was the worst game ever at release? We're viewed as a bunch of angry, sweaty, basement dwellers because we perpetuate the angry (and often the sweaty, and occasionally the basement) stereotype far too often. This is why Sheth, Boxer, TLO, and Jinro are my favorite players by a longshot. And QXC, but that's just because he's hilarious.
Great writeup, man. I didn't know who you were before, but I do now =P.
I guess I'm different. I feel like anger actually makes me better and helps me focus more. If I'm happy and I lose, I think I get ever more depressed than when I was angry.
But since I don't play SC2 anymore, I'll try to apply it to my future games. Thanks!
Nice write-up. I definitely get a bit upset when I lose, but I've been working on setting my mind to not go that route as it is really not beneficial at all and I tend to let it get the better of me.
Good to see you're giving a lot to the community, Mr. 5-Gate
I'm surprised this thread is even in the strategy thread. This is another one of these gross delusions where thinking everything is alright instantly makes it so; or, as Tang put it: "with a positive mindset, you can change the world!" (or something to that regard).
Emotions are an important part of the human psyche, and these ridiculous "life coaches" that ignore this fact in favor of touting bullshit do nothing but anger me. Anger is an appropriate response if one wishes to become better; it encourages one to work harder and helps set goals. If you're angry at someone for beating him, you're going to try to your best to beat them, whereas if you're perfectly happy and bubbly after a loss you'll do nothing to improve. This is why in bronze league you see some of the most mannered people; they're happy to just click around and watch lasers fly everywhere without much regard to the strategical side of the game.
This encouragement to abandon all emotions except happiness not only does not work but buries relevant emotions under a pile of metaphorical happiness horse shit. Keeping a clear, focused mind during a game is important, but being another one of those people faking happiness to try to improve their lives will do nothing. Happiness is contention; it represents a gladness one has met his/her goals. If you're happy, you're already satisfied, and won't do much to improve.
Should you be angry and swearing and throwing things after every game or every cheese? Of course not. That doesn't mean you should bury your genuine emotional anger at failing to meet a goal under a sea of fake happiness.
This has nothing to do with Starcraft 2 strategy; it has to do with how to bullshit yourself into wasting times on your mentality to reach unnatural levels of fake happiness. Believe it or not, humans aren't supposed to bury their emotions and they're not supposed to pretend that the only positive emotion is happiness. If you adopt this ridiculous happiness mentality, you'll water down actual happiness and have trouble celebrating real goals.
For example, when I got into Masters League, I immediately jumped out of my seat in joy. The pure elation of achieving a goal I'd worked hard for invigorated me. Why should I be happy when I lose to a banshee rush that I scouted a few seconds too late? Anger is an appropriate response.
Finally, I'd like to say that I have nothing but the utmost disgust for anyone that considers being a "life and business" coach a worthwhile job. What people are looking for is motivation, not ridiculous, fake, bubbly "happiness". When you act happy to a higher degree than is even possible, you alienate the people who actually believe that they should be that happy. There's a reason evangelicals speak in tongues; all evangelicals are strongly pressured to receive the "gift of the holy ghost". Well, quite obviously, the holy ghost doesn't exist, so they fake it until they eventually believe it through simply wanting incredibly much to believe it. The same is true of this fake happiness; it causes truly unhappy people to feel like there is something wrong with them and act more "positive" to compensate.
Don't mean to be rude, but where's the evidence that support your claims? It just looks to be some unfalsifiable pseudo-psychological dribble. The only appeal is that your theory appeals to common sense (which is why most people are agreeing with you). Unfortunately however, common sense provides an unsatisfactory basis for a psychological theory.
"You don't see the correlation between mindset and strategy?"
1. The most elite athletes are not correlated to the extraneously positive principles that you propose 2. What correlations are you talking about? 3. Correlations do not imply causality
It has plenty to do with sc2 strategy, Sanddbox, otherwise I wouldn't have wrote it on an SC2 forum. I don't think it's "fake happiness" to treat yourself and fellow gamers with respect, and to try to stay positive, confident, and determined.
1) Be Good Manner - Oftentimes, people get so caught-up in the stress of the game that they forget to have fun. At the start of every game, don't me mute and don't be rude: put out the GL HF. If he doesn't respond, that's fine - you're probably in a more positive mindset and now you know you have that edge over him - so smile to yourself . Take it a step further every game by wishing your opponent the best of luck and telling him to have a blast, and leaving every game with "GG nice timing push or "GG wp, that harrass was killer, man!" If you stay good mannered, you're more likely to stay in a focused and positive mindset. Then, instead of rage-quitting and queuing another game while you're angry, you can take the reasons you lost and apply them to your game to further your growth. And who knows, maybe that player to whom you showed respect in your gracious exit from the game will provide you with a couple tips and practice games to really help you overcome that flaw in your game.
With start of season 2 I decided to begin every game with gl hf and always type gg before I leave. It works wonder for me as I calm down way more quickly.
I probably should go further and applaud my opponent if his blueflame hellions just killed 15 of my drones. Because he was not supposed to do that much damage, but he did.
3) Focus on YOUR game - How many times have you heard someone complain about how strong colossus are, how slow hydras are, or how this guy or that guy is a maphacker. Ignore this type of thinking.
This is my goal for the upcoming season 3. I so need to get rid of the thinking that I need to outclass my player just because I play zerg.
after i play chess, for example, i feel invigorated
after i play sc, however, i feel a bit mentally physically drained. i think the macro needs to be toned down to make the game more enjoyable. i don't like button mashing my keyboard. it just makes me feel stupid. i don't like winning games because of better macro only too.
anyways, i'll definitely start playing a bit again when HoTS comes out. i love the graphics by Blizzard <3
Yeah there's definitely a drain associated with SC2 gaming, it's quite taxing. Even so, I think long sessions lead the best results and I think caffeine and healthy eating can be quite the boost. I play really well after eating salads and blueberries, for example, and if I start to get tired or in a slump I'll down a coffee. Even if these things work as just placebo, that's fine - I tell myself it's going to help and it seems to work, as I said it's all about mindset.
On July 26 2011 05:13 Ineffability~ wrote: My biggest winning streak( meaning I won about 80% of my games) was while listening to this song on repeat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QS0q3mGPGg :D
This just made my day
also great write up! I think a great mindset coming into the game is essential, but sometimes you get mad after a few losses and just want to CRUSH the next guy you face on ladder. I dont know about the validity of the claim that it will help your game, but if everyone adopts a positive mindset it will definitely make playing games more enjoyable as people wont be as BM as they are now.
I made a post similar to this one, got deleted as it was deemed not 'strategy', but the gist of it was -
Don't whine about getting cheesed. Hope for it, because that's how you learn to scout well, anti-cheese well, and just become super solid in the early game. Enough of your games, even the ones where you get cheesed, will equalize and go long for you to get practice in the endgame. Besides, cheese games are usually both action-packed and short, which IMO is perfect =)
And cheese actually is great, because if you lose to a cheese you don't know how to beat, you suddenly have a fascinating puzzle to solve after the game. Woot!
That's a good point Juicebox. Anytime someone harasses you and does some damage, or uses great micro to take out more than you think he should, keep in mind his focus HAD to have been on his micro and so his macro probably took a hit.
1) Be Good Manner / ~~ / 2) Be Confident / ~~ / 3) Focus on YOUR game Every SC2 player would learn and play significantly better if they considered imbalance, hacks, and cheese none-existent
4) Be Healthy
Been saying these things FOREVER to students (Also do lots of coaching). No, you may not be used to being Good Manner to people that cheese you or insult you. [b]Do it anyways. Don't downplay your chances of success, it can only hurt you. You ARE gonna learn from the game, he DOESN'T start with any kind of advantage over you, he HAS weakness just like you do. Go and Win.
I mean just look at my signature. I've had that for most of the year. Ignore perceived imbalance, hacks, and cheese. Nobody looks at top tournaments and sees 6 in a row that are missing a race in top 8. I'm not talking about individual tournament variation, I'm talking about multiple tournaments. All 3 races can win and DO win. Practice.
Be healthy ... well I work out but not when I'm gaming so =). I work out after my job and before gaming, but make sure to take small breaks for my eyes. And yeah, don't do nachos and soda try fruit and regular water/milk/orange juice drinks.
One more I'd like to add: Keep practicing If you try something new, and like it, keep in practice of trying it, refining it. Don't stop laddering for a week, or not use the strategy for 13 games before trying it again. Make the Ladder YOUR training ground, or more simply, make the ladder YOURS. It's okay losing to silly cheese you didn't scout or aren't prepared for. It prompts the general question on what you can/can't hold off, and what scouting needs to be done. Losses are frequently more useful than wins.
I like what Danglers says about making the ladder yours. This is an extremely relevant concept - people always think ladder is about showing off, about pride, about points and score. To a small extent this is true, but if your goal is improvement, excellent results shouldn't be your first goal. If you're trying to perfect a build, you absolutely can NOT hone a build without losses - it's just not possible. You need to ask yourself why you lost, what you could have done differently, what strategy this particular player employed that caused you either beat your strategy or force you to deviate from the strategy you were trying to use.
great post tang, a good read and i agree with everything you said. when im in a good mood and positive about playing, im twice as good... at least it feels that way.
My mindset against IdrA? haha, I wouldn't say it was much different than any other game. I told myself from Day1 of SC2 that I was going to play and beat him one day, so at the start of the game I had my game plan and I was positive and focused. A little rattled, admittedly, but I was really excited and I thought there was a good chance I could beat him. I just kept my usual positive reinforcement: "Ok, time to barrel down this guy's front base like every game ZvZ I play. I'm going to crush him, when it comes to a micro war I'm going to play flawlessly and pressure this guy so hard." Unfortunately, he droned up and my lings won pretty uncontested, I was hoping for a micro battle at least but he just ragequit when he saw how many units I have. Not the style of game I wanted to beat him in, but to take a game of him meant a lot to me.
Sometimes it's hard to keep cool when losing a 1v1 but I guess this does help understand the importance of pushing your game mentally as much as practically. Thanks for the great read!
What I recommend when you're having a losing streak ties into being healthy. Take a break, do a workout or get a good lunch. For example, in mid-day when I'm losing I'll go for a jog, have a green tea or a coffee, and eat some berries and yogurt. When I'm back at the desk, it's a completely different Tang.
Good post. Like most people, I do rage quit occasionally if some game really stressed me out, but for the most part I try to be GM. What I normally do nowadays is just play a lot of custom games or 1v1 obs, since I realize that losing won't affect anything in those game types, and I'm able to learn and improve in a friendly environment.
If you can approach ladder in the same way, Aesces, you'll find it much more beneficial. Ladder really shouldn't be any more stressful than customs, and it's typically less wait time as well as opponents close to your skill level. If it stresses you out and doesn't motivate/encourage you, then don't think at all about points and wins - focus instead on improving. The ladder is your playground, it only becomes something else if you build it up to be in your head.
I have found everything Tang has said here to be 100% true through the past months, and it's what I tell my friends to do to break through a wall to improve.
Great post. My biggest issue has always been letting some silly strategy get to me and put me on tilt. Also, I like the idea about verbally reminding myself about what I am planning to help keep me focused.
At least I always gg, even if I as;ldfjsad ;fjasdf ;osahfsad; ifj wq;foj before hand
Yep! I feel like Kanga even though I dont gg often because its some kind of reflex to just flee from a shitty game. I just want to add that I often times lose focus when something totally expected still does damage. Voidray harass for example... There is one and my queen is about to kill it and it charges and kills my queen and suddenly a second void pops up at my natural and i defend defend defend and suddenly phoenix lift my first few hydras... IT ANNOYS ME TO LOSE TO SOMETHING I EXPECTED.
Anyways. Ill follow these rules now even though Ill start it seriously after I recovered from my manflu.
On July 18 2011 05:59 Moda wrote: Great post, However I know quite a few people that have a verry positive mindset, but their mechanical skill is close to terrible, and it makes them look they don't want to get better at all. I think that even though you NEED to have a positive mindset, it is also crucial to beat your self down whenever you make mistakes, you MUST be able to see what mistakes you did and to make sure that they will never happen again.
Why is Anger a bad thing? The reason I got into platinum from bronze is because my friend that introduces sc2 to me would do theses retarded cheezes all the time and I got pissed, and wanted to win against him.
"beat yourself down" is a pretty harsh word to use.
What tang is saying is actually true. and everyone know it. If you lose a game, "gg" and go check the replay and REMEMBER what you did wrong.. maybe you didnt scout good enough, or maybe u did get supply blocked to often? and when you check your own replays and see what you did wrong...
THATS LEARNING, thats how you get to higher leagues..
TL;DR be happy, watch replays, get higher leagues, learning !
I agree with the importance of being able to take a critical look at your play, but I don't think anger helps this at all - I think if you approach your mistakes positively, you'll make just as much (if not more) progress than if you try to look at your mistakes when you're upset.
I like this post - it's not always easy to stay positive. You just need to stay confident and work on your game. Don't look to imbalance, BM and other poisonous thoughts. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. If you focus on improving and treat each game as a learning experience you're on the right track.
Ive often caught myself BMing people and getting very angry. I have lately tried not to do it as much just to not be 'that guy' i didnt realize that it would effect my gameplay at all!
After reading this post, ive only broken 3 keyboards, punched 6 holes in walls, and called 60 people on the ladder asshat noobs! I've been winning alot more lately with this generally positive mindset , I notice when I visit the chat channel "TangStarcraft" whenever I call someone a noob, I am corrected that it is a positive learning environment. So positive stuff is good, positive happy kittens flowers ponies
This post, if taken to heart, would likely benefit more readers than any other strategy article on the forums. Mindset in ANY skill-wielding endeavor, not just SC2, is pivotal. Well done, TangSC.
I like a lot of what's in the OP, but I'd say it's closer to a description of what it'll be like when you have a positive mindset than an instruction manual for getting there.
For me, the most useful tool for developing a positive mindset has been a basic understanding of how a brain works - not at the level of synapses, or any particularly deep psychological insight, but just in broad terms of what it's trying to do.
Brains devote themselves to rationalising how they feel, so that they can better pursue or avoid those sensations in future. The trouble is, the explanations and solutions your brain spits out first tend to be quick (and rather short-sighted) fixes that aren't aligned with the bigger picture of what you're trying to achieve. So when we talk about the process of developing a positive mindset, what we mean is that we want to stop our brains coming up with bad ways to avoid negative feelings.
Mostly, losing feels bad because what you wanted to happen - what you bent all your effort toward making happen - didn't happen. Publicly. It's not about rankings or points. That's why my first urge upon losing a frustrating match has often been to deliberately lose a string of games. Yes: my brain would rather I try to lose points and succeed than try to win them and risk failure. I can't blame it, either: the vague idea that maybe learning to play SC2 better or get into Platinum might be fun and make me happy is, in emotional terms, peanuts compared to having ten to thirty minutes of hard work pissed on by a complete stranger.
You might find your brain spits out ideas about imbalance instead. This is a slightly more sophisticated mental tactic aimed at insulating you from further feelings of failure, and is generally my brain's second port of call after a bad loss.
The problem with buying into such quick fixes is that it makes them the go-to solution next time. I actually did throw a string of games in a row once. It was briefly cathartic but now every time I lose there's that knee-jerk impulse to do it again.
I cannot over-stress the importance of remaining aware of these tricks your ever-helpful brain is trying to pull. It's just trying to make you feel better, bless it. Just don't adopt the ideas it comes up with, because if you do you'll set them in concrete and start embellishing them with confirmation bias.
So: what to do about it?
The first big win is to reduce the bad feelings you get when you lose. That means setting yourself goals that aren't 'Win the game.' For instance, you could join some games with the sole objective of figuring out what your opponent is doing. If you get it right, you 'win', regardless of the outcome of the game. Concentrate on that and you'll soon get a feel for when you need to scout on each map and how to read what you see. Or you could join some games with the sole objective of keeping your money below 500 until the X minute mark. As you start to nail these objectives, combine them and slowly add more. Winning is something that happens all by itself when you do enough things right.
Day9 and others sometimes talk about how they spent a week just concentrating on macro or some other facet of the game. This is what they mean; it goes beyond just focusing your attention, it extends to the criteria you have for winning and losing.
A second big win is the flipside of the first: take control of the GG. Very often the outcome of a game is decided several minutes before it ends, through macro failure, neglecting expansions or important upgrades, not teching or scouting properly. Taking control of the GG means setting your own boundaries for when you leave the game. You might say to yourself: "Ok, letting my minerals exceed 1000 before I'm on three bases is tantamount to suicide, so if it happens, I GG. If I suddenly happen upon a well-saturated expansion I had no idea existed, I GG."
This is not the same as rage-quitting. Quite the opposite. To emphasise that and leave yourself with a clear conscience, be sure to tell your opponent why you're leaving: "I promised myself I'd quit if I missed a hidden expansion, so GG "
Taking control of the GG in this way might sound bonkers, but give it a try: I found it extremely refreshing, relaxing, and it really helped me focus on the way I was playing and the mistakes I was making. After an hour or so it felt almost like playing the single player campaign or a challenge mode; far less stressful.
A third big win is to list to yourself all the things you did right in a game while you're waiting for the next to start. This can really take the sting out of a loss very quickly, and got me over a hump where I was beginning to scout what my opponent was up to more reliably, but failing to deal with it properly. So if you hold off two cheesy plays but die to a third, focus on the ones you handled correctly. Your brain learns skills best through positive reinforcement. If all you do is dwell on what got you killed, you can become paralyzed with "don'ts". You can even end up going backwards, neglecting the things you used to do well.
The good news is that, just as seizing upon the bad, short-term solutions to losing (tilting, blaming imbalance) feeds upon itself, so the process of developing a good mindset feeds upon itself. Accentuating the positive, setting goals and taking responsibility for the GG will become your brain's mechanism for coping with failure.
Loljk, but nice addition there Umpteen, helping make this thread/topic meatier and more filled out, maybe now people will have more discussions about the topic at hand and less about whether or not it is strategy forum worthy
I have another tip: Take a breather after a tough loss. I was having the worst morning, went like 0-5 and was getting more than a little frustrated. I was thinking I'd call it for the day, but instead I went and watched Entourage and did a light workout and had a coffee. When I came back, I was focused and grinded out to a positive win/loss ratio.
If IdrA got mindset coaching from me, I still argue he'd be the best player in the world. He's a perfect example of how emotions can negatively effect how well you play.
I like a lot of what's in the OP, but I'd say it's closer to a description of what it'll be like when you have a positive mindset than an instruction manual for getting there.
For me, the most useful tool for developing a positive mindset has been a basic understanding of how a brain works - not at the level of synapses, or any particularly deep psychological insight, but just in broad terms of what it's trying to do.
Brains devote themselves to rationalising how they feel, so that they can better pursue or avoid those sensations in future. The trouble is, the explanations and solutions your brain spits out first tend to be quick (and rather short-sighted) fixes that aren't aligned with the bigger picture of what you're trying to achieve. So when we talk about the process of developing a positive mindset, what we mean is that we want to stop our brains coming up with bad ways to avoid negative feelings.
Mostly, losing feels bad because what you wanted to happen - what you bent all your effort toward making happen - didn't happen. Publicly. It's not about rankings or points. That's why my first urge upon losing a frustrating match has often been to deliberately lose a string of games. Yes: my brain would rather I try to lose points and succeed than try to win them and risk failure. I can't blame it, either: the vague idea that maybe learning to play SC2 better or get into Platinum might be fun and make me happy is, in emotional terms, peanuts compared to having ten to thirty minutes of hard work pissed on by a complete stranger.
You might find your brain spits out ideas about imbalance instead. This is a slightly more sophisticated mental tactic aimed at insulating you from further feelings of failure, and is generally my brain's second port of call after a bad loss.
The problem with buying into such quick fixes is that it makes them the go-to solution next time. I actually did throw a string of games in a row once. It was briefly cathartic but now every time I lose there's that knee-jerk impulse to do it again.
I cannot over-stress the importance of remaining aware of these tricks your ever-helpful brain is trying to pull. It's just trying to make you feel better, bless it. Just don't adopt the ideas it comes up with, because if you do you'll set them in concrete and start embellishing them with confirmation bias.
So: what to do about it?
The first big win is to reduce the bad feelings you get when you lose. That means setting yourself goals that aren't 'Win the game.' For instance, you could join some games with the sole objective of figuring out what your opponent is doing. If you get it right, you 'win', regardless of the outcome of the game. Concentrate on that and you'll soon get a feel for when you need to scout on each map and how to read what you see. Or you could join some games with the sole objective of keeping your money below 500 until the X minute mark. As you start to nail these objectives, combine them and slowly add more. Winning is something that happens all by itself when you do enough things right.
Day9 and others sometimes talk about how they spent a week just concentrating on macro or some other facet of the game. This is what they mean; it goes beyond just focusing your attention, it extends to the criteria you have for winning and losing.
A second big win is the flipside of the first: take control of the GG. Very often the outcome of a game is decided several minutes before it ends, through macro failure, neglecting expansions or important upgrades, not teching or scouting properly. Taking control of the GG means setting your own boundaries for when you leave the game. You might say to yourself: "Ok, letting my minerals exceed 1000 before I'm on three bases is tantamount to suicide, so if it happens, I GG. If I suddenly happen upon a well-saturated expansion I had no idea existed, I GG."
This is not the same as rage-quitting. Quite the opposite. To emphasise that and leave yourself with a clear conscience, be sure to tell your opponent why you're leaving: "I promised myself I'd quit if I missed a hidden expansion, so GG "
Taking control of the GG in this way might sound bonkers, but give it a try: I found it extremely refreshing, relaxing, and it really helped me focus on the way I was playing and the mistakes I was making. After an hour or so it felt almost like playing the single player campaign or a challenge mode; far less stressful.
A third big win is to list to yourself all the things you did right in a game while you're waiting for the next to start. This can really take the sting out of a loss very quickly, and got me over a hump where I was beginning to scout what my opponent was up to more reliably, but failing to deal with it properly. So if you hold off two cheesy plays but die to a third, focus on the ones you handled correctly. Your brain learns skills best through positive reinforcement. If all you do is dwell on what got you killed, you can become paralyzed with "don'ts". You can even end up going backwards, neglecting the things you used to do well.
The good news is that, just as seizing upon the bad, short-term solutions to losing (tilting, blaming imbalance) feeds upon itself, so the process of developing a good mindset feeds upon itself. Accentuating the positive, setting goals and taking responsibility for the GG will become your brain's mechanism for coping with failure.
Man your post is golden. I have a problem of getting very frustrated by my losses in the ladder and that what I feel that keep me from advancing from plat to diamond in my case. I will try anything you wrote here and hopefully I will be able to actually enjoy this game like I did when I was bronze.
Good pointers. I always fall victim to being bad mannered whenever I get killed by somebody who is blatantly worse than me (all in, 15 Thor A->Move, etc.), but it's part of the game. I always need to remember to be a Sheth and just enjoy the game ^_^/
I mean it's not easy gulati, I still get frustrated at times myself. Oftentimes it's when players make a big mistake and lose that they get the most angry, but if your anger is at other players you're not going to acknowledge the gaps in your game.
Hardest part for me is focusing on my game only, you know that's something that Stephen Covey has said in his book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". You should always concentrate inside your circle of influence. Makes you think at what you can do not at other things.
This thread is great. But I do think there are some good kinds of anger. Maybe it only applies to some of us, but I find usually I'm not aggressive enough in my gameplay, and getting angry (in the Rocky kind of way) makes me better.
The not being focused part is so true... Focus does win the game most of the time, I wish I could be better at it. Be sure I'll put your advices into good use.
I think the most important aspect of staying focused is not to pay too much attention to the future or the past. Focus on what the right move is at the time, don't think too hard about losing that first scouting overlord to 1 marine cuz you forgot it flying over the terran CC and don't think too much about the fact that you could have walled in your ramp with queens but instead you have hellions running around. Rather, focus on what should be done about it now. (Making another overlord, doing your best to kill hellions with queen/lings, moving drones away)
Being focused shouldn't at all be related to how determined you are. I know that sounds completely silly, but let us look at an example.
To be determined is to have a goal and its ambition. In this case, we can think of ambition as a resource we use. Focus should always include the plan that facilitates the goal involved. Thus, focus uses determination as an important psychological resource. This may include openings, scouting & analysis, positioning, micro, and macro.
Judgement can always change due to mood, time of day, environmental factors, etc. Tang's tips really help himself and he is looking to help the community by sharing what he thought has worked and is acceptable in the community. He has made it to attune to the community as a Grand Master player.
Edit:
As a paddler in an athletics team, I second the thought of thinking of every one game at a time. This is analogous to thinking of every to-be-perfect stroke in the water and not thinking of how tired you are. Players generally learn every time they play. However, letting previous games deter your decision making will cost. For example:
If a player uses DTs and you've had a bad, emotional run through them, it is wise not to blindly get detection. Instead, let scouting, analysis, and familiarity run your decision making. The mentality upon questioning yourself when scouting should not be due to previous game, but rather to the game itself. "Do they have DTs?" is a legitimate question, but don't be too suspicious unreasonably due to recent past. It's easier said than done.
However, the lesson should be learnt here. Maybe the player needed to scout more. Maybe his macro slipped. Maybe he scouted but his reaction wasn't spectacular. .. or maybe he wasn't familiar with the build involved and now s/he knows and will be familiar with the build.
When being focused, every single game should be thought of as the best game you'll have to prove yourself as a player.
hey isnt this the guy that spams the hell out of every chat channel (including my clan channel) with this bs coaching ads? can you please stop doing that? No one is going to pay for your coaching.
On August 23 2011 07:33 Plutonik wrote: i find that i am never in a positive mindset right after i just got 1/1/1'd
A positive mindset shouldn't necessarily mean a optimistic mindset; just a clear one. It's hard to differentiate. Think of every game as a game on its own and not part of a run/series of games. The last player isn't the current player. It isn't easy, otherwise Tang wouldn't have posted what he had
I see this to be quite important. I mean think about it, if you lose frequently in a specific matchup, your going to mentaly go into your next game of the same matchup already feeling defeated, and under focused, as you believe you still just lose again, so why try so hard, right? Makes perfect sense to me. I like it. Good work, and thanks for the information.
This has helped me alot actually, especially when im tilting, just take a 5 min break, refocus and releave the negative energy and just go at it, and its amazing what it can do.. The human brain man, wicked sh*t. ^^
On October 12 2011 13:15 GHOSTGrim wrote: What are you trying to sell Tang?
My soul.
I'm an SC2 coach, I make no attempt to hide it but I do want to help the SC2 community who is not interested in paying for coaching by making threads/tutorials/videos.
I wonder why the top players are always so hard on themselves for losses, maybe it's because if you're not hard on yourself you won't put as much into improving.
That's my mentality at least.
No reason to say gg wp if your opponent was awful and you just missclicked during an engagement or weren't watching your minimap. Those losses have nothing to do with your opponent and are 100% your fault, accept that and then go on to next game, don't say GG or WP if you don't mean it.
I do competitive fencing, and its nice if i can say, "I will win the next tournament!", start practising every day etc.
But eventually that thing, i once began doing for fun, will become something stressful, and when the fun is gone, so will the dedication. Its combining Fun and Competition that will make you become better.
I think day9 has talked about these things.
I know for myself i sometimes need a break from starcraft for often weeks, because winning is becoming a obsession and the game starts taking over my life (I don't even play good with such mindset!), and unless you live in south-Korea that is probably a bad thing... :p
On October 12 2011 21:48 CatNzHat wrote: No reason to say gg wp if your opponent was awful and you just missclicked during an engagement or weren't watching your minimap. Those losses have nothing to do with your opponent and are 100% your fault, accept that and then go on to next game, don't say GG or WP if you don't mean it.
I would disagree and say that you should GG after every game, whether it was your mistake or your opponents superior skill. I believe it's disrespectful to leave without a gg, in any circumstance.
On October 12 2011 21:48 CatNzHat wrote: I wonder why the top players are always so hard on themselves for losses, maybe it's because if you're not hard on yourself you won't put as much into improving.
That's my mentality at least.
What happens during the game should have nothing to do with your long term ambitions and expectations, and none of that should be in your head. The top players barely ever change their facial expression while playing, very rarely you see clear signs of frustration.
They're frustrated and/or sad after the game is over. And even then, it's really only the MINORITY of progamers that will show any kind of emotional response - you only think it's many of them because only those who do it get attention. But if you're watching the GSL, probably 9 out of 10 times the losing player will just pack up his keyboard and go.
Being hard on yourself has also nothing to do with anger and emotional outbursts.
On October 12 2011 21:48 CatNzHat wrote: No reason to say gg wp if your opponent was awful and you just missclicked during an engagement or weren't watching your minimap. Those losses have nothing to do with your opponent and are 100% your fault, accept that and then go on to next game, don't say GG or WP if you don't mean it.
None of that really matters, "good manners" are a way to maintain mental discipline and focus. You shouldn't spend any time considering whether your opponent "deserves" a gg anyway, just type it and go.
i heard tasteless say this on the GSL a long long time ago.
"in world of warcraft you level your account up. in starcraft you level yourself up."
leagues and divison are just your account that blizzard has prettied up for you to encourage you to play more for whatever reason. listen to tasteless though. forget about your account. it's meaningless. level yourself up and your account will follow suit.
these are pretty much all things I do, aside from working out in between games, i go to the gym for that~flexes~. Honestly when I coach lower league players I tell them to not even worry about "imbalance" because in the grand scheme of things your personal QQ of the unit composition you were beat by is a very small minor thing to improving your play. I have also noticed if you play a smaller amount of games in a day you are much more prepared to play your A game for those few games that you do play, whereas if you grind a ton out in a day, you may become more susceptible to tilt and start to all in or cheese in situations where you shouldn't. Stay positive, and always NEVER EVER BM your opponent, accept your loss like a man and shut the fuck up and move on. Have some class.
On October 13 2011 03:07 Metora wrote: Stay positive, and always NEVER EVER BM your opponent, accept your loss like a man and shut the fuck up and move on. Have some class.
I agree, I've had a history of not always being the best mannered and ever since I started I've performed miraculously well.
On July 18 2011 05:48 TangSC wrote: You don't see the correlation between mindset and strategy?
I do: anything that improves your skills and/or winrate should be in the strategy section.
Thanks Darth, I would actually argue that since mind is so related to your in-game performance, this type of approach to the game will help anyone improve their skills...not to mention build more respectful relationships and have more fun overall.
Rage screws u up.. period.. Agree with TS points. U gotta stay positive, i have nvr loss a game where i tink positive, esp after constant destruction of expansions (im zerg)
If he doesn't respond, that's fine - you're probably in a more positive mindset and now you know you have that edge over him - so smile to yourself
That actually seems quite insane. Maniacal laughter will be the common result Though, that's cool in it's own way. I support the idea of being a sportive player. I don't believe in code though, I stopped Kendo because it was all too much about code and not about winning. For a game to be fun there must at least be some level of competetivity. That said, I do always greet my opponent, wish him/her gl hf and at the end of a game I credit them for their win or I say they were a worthy opponent. If they were not a worthy opponent, I don't say anything at all, because almost anything you say then may 'sound' sarcastic because the way chat works without seeing a face.
On October 14 2011 00:02 dersoy wrote: Rage screws u up.. period.. Agree with TS points. U gotta stay positive, i have nvr loss a game where i tink positive, esp after constant destruction of expansions (im zerg)
I wouldn't say I've never lost a game when in a positive mindset LOL but it definitely keeps me calmer and more focused.
i think you're slightly overdoing it it some parts but great post nevertheless, especially considering the whole sc2 community needs to manner up a bit.
On October 14 2011 04:19 Tal0n wrote: i think you're slightly overdoing it it some parts but great post nevertheless, especially considering the whole sc2 community needs to manner up a bit.
Agreed, It is a good post but I think anything past the first couple posts is redundant and not necessary. Before Sc2 came out commentators like Diggity talked about how great the starcraft community was in comparison to any other games and how they would like to see maintain the respect and well manners towards other players. This came up because the starcraft community would grow with the release of starcraft2 and many people did not want to see that community turn into those like DoTa or other FPS where trash talking was apart of your teams strat. No GG, No skill.
GGing every game is arguably the hardest skill in SC2, especially when you lost to a 6-pool or dt's or something along those lines. Just gotta keep your head, and later you will look back on that game and go "You know what, I did the right thing".
Unless your oponnent is a BMer in which case a gg wp is the best counter to a GTFO noob. Guarentees more rage on his end and since you blocked communications you will feel peaceful.
On October 14 2011 08:55 Peanut Butter wrote: GGing every game is arguably the hardest skill in SC2, especially when you lost to a 6-pool or dt's or something along those lines. Just gotta keep your head, and later you will look back on that game and go "You know what, I did the right thing".
Unless your oponnent is a BMer in which case a gg wp is the best counter to a GTFO noob. Guarentees more rage on his end and since you blocked communications you will feel peaceful.
Really? Personally I always gg when I lose, and I have never gotten mad at losing no matter what kind of ridiculous reaper cheese or whatnot; I think zvp is a lot harder than gging every game
On October 14 2011 08:55 Peanut Butter wrote: GGing every game is arguably the hardest skill in SC2, especially when you lost to a 6-pool or dt's or something along those lines. Just gotta keep your head, and later you will look back on that game and go "You know what, I did the right thing".
Unless your oponnent is a BMer in which case a gg wp is the best counter to a GTFO noob. Guarentees more rage on his end and since you blocked communications you will feel peaceful.
Really? Personally I always gg when I lose, and I have never gotten mad at losing no matter what kind of ridiculous reaper cheese or whatnot; I think zvp is a lot harder than gging every game
This is one of those situational things, I gg' in custom games, and in tournaments, but not all the time on ladder. In no way is this because I am mad, or I am raging, or frustrated, or even if 'he doens't deserve a gg' (yes I have heard that before). I simply do not type in ranked games. If someone says 'hi' or 'gl hf' then yes I type 'hihi' or 'u2' or 'gl hf' as well, but with my experience if they say anything other then that they are cheesing 70% of the time. This is something I have just learned to ignore, I don't read what they type to me in a ladder game and I dont expect them to read what I type so I just don't type. If it was a very close game or very well played then I message after game and say well played. I've never had someone msg me afterwards about it or accusing me of being bm, I'm sorry if that is what it seems like, I just simply don't talk after the first min of a ranked gam :/
On October 14 2011 08:55 Peanut Butter wrote: GGing every game is arguably the hardest skill in SC2, especially when you lost to a 6-pool or dt's or something along those lines. Just gotta keep your head, and later you will look back on that game and go "You know what, I did the right thing".
Also, you shouldn't be blaming your opponent's strategy when they beat you. Your strategy should be tried and true, versatile enough to deal with anything they throw at you...that's the point! Refining your skills not criticizing others.
Generally I don't gg unless i thought it actually was a good game, i think a lot of EU players have this mentality compared to US, from playing on both servers US seem to gg more, but when EU people gg they more commonly talk about the game after etc. Otherwise I agree with everything, playing when your in a bad mood makes you play so bad being able to get yourself into a positive mindset, especially if you started out stressed or annoyed or something, is a real great skill to have.
Hey hey! I follow a lot of this. It really helps me stay chipper when I play, and not get too down. I know I can improve, and I try to, but sometimes I just suck. That's my fault, and none else's, so why bm or get down about it? Fix it, and move on. And remember:
This is actually true, ever since last week i've been stressed in life and while laddering. This weekend i had time to relax from everything and now im on a roll, being relaxed and not stressed is a big roll to do good.
On November 03 2011 09:36 Iksf wrote: Generally I don't gg unless i thought it actually was a good game, i think a lot of EU players have this mentality compared to US, from playing on both servers US seem to gg more, but when EU people gg they more commonly talk about the game after etc. Otherwise I agree with everything, playing when your in a bad mood makes you play so bad being able to get yourself into a positive mindset, especially if you started out stressed or annoyed or something, is a real great skill to have.
I think you should gg every game, even if you don't think it was a GG or that your opponent necessarily deserved it. Sc2 is way too unfriendly
Agree with the OP and many of the responses- your mindset matters a lot. It helps you keep cool and relaxed so you don't miss a crucial timing or even the small mistakes like supply blocking or poor micro.
Another thing I didn't see mentioned from scanning through is how it helps ladder fear (at least for me) when I stopped feeling like I was fighting myself, even a loss became fun, and I was much happier to play and learn the game
Keeping a positive mindset helps you to focus and to have fun. Also keep in mind that being nice and mannered will help to make the community a better place and have a positive influence in many people lives =]
And as a plus you get many good tips, practice matches and eventually even make friends.
Keeping a positive mindset helps you to focus and to have fun. Also keep in mind that being nice and mannered will help to make the community a better place and have a positive influence in many people lives =]
So true! As a player, I notice I get annoyed if I play 4-5 games in a row where no one returns my "gl hf." While the community can be helpful and supportive, it's often the opposite so I encourage everyone to be the better person and try to treat everyone (even the trolls) with respect.
Don't hate on other players for their style of play!
Great post. I just want to add that's not just sc2, it's daily life that will benifit if you think positive also. Family, job, relationships, everything will be better. Also many sports athletes agree that a positive thinking contributed to their success. The belief of "never give up, never surrender" although it sounds corny to think positive, it works! It's also not the easiest thing to do.
If you are cynical and think positivity is hogwash cause you tried it for a day and didn't work think of it like this. When training or working out you can't start out running a marathon or lifting your max. You have to work out mutltiple times a week to eventually get there. That's the same with positive thinking. If you work at it everyday day it will get easier and easier to think positive. A great way to start is to just start thanking things that are good in your life. Being grateful is a very positive thing.
I think this info has been lost over some generations. Some parents still teach it and those kids end up to be amazing. Positve kids seem to be the most succesful in life.
Thanks for posting this.
Edit : It also of course takes tons of practice. But this is something I believe Boxer does and Slayers in general. They seem to be very positve and it helps their game and practice.
I used to leave games without a GG when I didn't think it was a good game (I get cheesed, allined or similiar) and get frustrated. Now I always put out a GG, and it makes me feel sooo much better. I had to realize that it was my fault that I couldn't hold his early push, and try to work on it (I have serious issues with Zerg aggression ^_^).
I'm quite bm, but it's just how I enjoy playing the game (i dont troll, i'm just not mannered). For some people, the reactions of others is what makes the game fun.
A good way to help from raging though is to think of ladder as a best-of-20 against a good friend. He'll always take a set off you one way or another, especially if you are zerg.
On November 13 2011 10:36 Belial88 wrote: I'm quite bm, but it's just how I enjoy playing the game (i dont troll, i'm just not mannered). For some people, the reactions of others is what makes the game fun.
A good way to help from raging though is to think of ladder as a best-of-20 against a good friend. He'll always take a set off you one way or another, especially if you are zerg.
I mean combatEX bms every game for a psychological advantage, but I think that people should be nicer to people they don't know in SC2 and really life in general.
On July 18 2011 08:05 Naeroon wrote: But by going on tilt and getting angry, their thoughts are being clouded and they make the wrong decisions and judgements, leading to a snowball effect seen before such as IdrA during all of MLG Dallas except the first day.
If you are positive and can keep your emotions in check, you have a much greater chance of staying focussed and assessing the situation at hand, than if you allow the game to be lost in your head before it truly is.
My point here is not that keeping your emotions in check isn't necessary, its that doing that doesn't mean being positive.
If you blow an attack in a game and say to yourself "the only way I can win this now is if he makes a mistake" nobody will call that positive thinking. If you say "i'm still in this!", that they'll call positive.
But neither one is functionally different - the game situation is what it is no matter how you think about it. If getting angry makes you rush decisions, then you work at not getting angry, but that does not entail being un-erringly positive, it entails being realistic.
I think you have your semantics slightly muddled. The 'positive' refers to the way your mindset affects your game-play, not necessarily the mindset itself.
On July 18 2011 08:05 Naeroon wrote: But by going on tilt and getting angry, their thoughts are being clouded and they make the wrong decisions and judgements, leading to a snowball effect seen before such as IdrA during all of MLG Dallas except the first day.
If you are positive and can keep your emotions in check, you have a much greater chance of staying focussed and assessing the situation at hand, than if you allow the game to be lost in your head before it truly is.
My point here is not that keeping your emotions in check isn't necessary, its that doing that doesn't mean being positive.
If you blow an attack in a game and say to yourself "the only way I can win this now is if he makes a mistake" nobody will call that positive thinking. If you say "i'm still in this!", that they'll call positive.
But neither one is functionally different - the game situation is what it is no matter how you think about it. If getting angry makes you rush decisions, then you work at not getting angry, but that does not entail being un-erringly positive, it entails being realistic.
I think you have your semantics slightly muddled. The 'positive' refers to the way your mindset affects your game-play, not necessarily the mindset itself.
For learning purposes, when you lose a game you shouldn't be negative or frustrated but rather see it as an opportunity to learn and improve.
On November 18 2011 00:13 TangSC wrote: Want a longer life? Start with your attitude. A Mayo Clinic study in 2002 showed that optimists significantly reduced their risk of early death.
I think if we did an SC2-related study, we'd find that optimists experience significantly reduced risk of early death to cheese
yessah! This is very true. When I am in a great mood I play flawlessly, enjoying the little macoing/microing steps during slow action times.
Then again a glass of Whiskey goes a long way! hahahahaahah ^_^
:D great OP, and i find a lot of the suggestions helpful i used to be really frustreted and bad manner but ever since i started being nicer i play better too. sc2 is about fun and theres no reason you cant make friends and be competitive with them its prob even BETTER for learning and improving. thanks for the tips tangSC!
On November 28 2011 03:50 forevernerdy wrote: :D great OP, and i find a lot of the suggestions helpful i used to be really frustreted and bad manner but ever since i started being nicer i play better too. sc2 is about fun and theres no reason you cant make friends and be competitive with them its prob even BETTER for learning and improving. thanks for the tips tangSC!
I think one of the best pieces of advice I can give is make friends with people who beat you - they'll either give you tips or play you again and you can find out exactly what you did wrong.
This topic is all to relevant to me. It always seems to happen that i'll be doing great and all of a sudden i'll go on a 3 game losing streak. That in and of its self isn't bad but then I say, "I just wanna win one before I get off" which turns into a 4, 5 or even higher game losing streak. Why? Because i'm not playing "My game" and i'm not taking a break. Walking away can be a powerful tool and I really need to start learning that. If you get frustrated just walk a way, eat something or do another activity and come back. As far as the "my game part" whenever i'm on a losing streak I realize that every game I am losing is because i'm not playing how I usually do. When I realize that I always say "Ok this game is standard" but yet, it never is. When I lose my thirst to win consumes my logical thinking which doesn't allow to make any rational decisions. I struggle with loss streaks a lot and i'm trying hard to deal with them but the other thing is that the ladder was designed to win 50/50 so if you lose 5, eventually it will most likely even out so just be patient. Lastly, I totally agree with the eating right and being well nourished part. SC2 takes a lot of mental energy! I played a game yesterday at about 5 PM where I hadn't eaten breakfast or Lunch (Don't ask why haha) and decided to sit down and play sc2. My first game I played like a bronze and decided that I literally just could not play without getting some food in my body, it effected me that much. So all in all this topic is super important.
Question: How many losses do you usually go before you need to walk away?
On January 08 2012 00:44 VoidRayRH wrote: This topic is all to relevant to me. It always seems to happen that i'll be doing great and all of a sudden i'll go on a 3 game losing streak. That in and of its self isn't bad but then I say, "I just wanna win one before I get off" which turns into a 4, 5 or even higher game losing streak. Why? Because i'm not playing "My game" and i'm not taking a break. Walking away can be a powerful tool and I really need to start learning that. If you get frustrated just walk a way, eat something or do another activity and come back. As far as the "my game part" whenever i'm on a losing streak I realize that every game I am losing is because i'm not playing how I usually do. When I realize that I always say "Ok this game is standard" but yet, it never is. When I lose my thirst to win consumes my logical thinking which doesn't allow to make any rational decisions. I struggle with loss streaks a lot and i'm trying hard to deal with them but the other thing is that the ladder was designed to win 50/50 so if you lose 5, eventually it will most likely even out so just be patient. Lastly, I totally agree with the eating right and being well nourished part. SC2 takes a lot of mental energy! I played a game yesterday at about 5 PM where I hadn't eaten breakfast or Lunch (Don't ask why haha) and decided to sit down and play sc2. My first game I played like a bronze and decided that I literally just could not play without getting some food in my body, it effected me that much. So all in all this topic is super important.
Question: How many losses do you usually go before you need to walk away?
I think what you experience is almost similar to the psychology behind a gambling addict (I don't mean that to offend you lol bare with me). You start to lose and you think "I need to get my money back" It's like in poker when you're playing well for an hour, and then you lose a HUGE hand (or get bluffed) and you go on tilt. You start thinking about that hand and how you should have played it, and your overall focus deteriorates. They start to bluff too much and they don't stick to their planned strategy.
The same things happen in StarCraft when you're losing, people start to blindly all-in and they deviate from the gameplan that usually leads to succeses. People place a lot of importance on points/ladder rank/win-loss ratio, so there's a certain level of stress when you start losing. You'll start thinking about the game you lost or got cheesed while playing new games, and that's basically like a poker player being on "tilt" - your timings/execution will start so slip. That's why you need to GG after every game and review (with an open mind) the game and carefully look over your mistakes. If you find yourself rage-quitting games, being bad-manner, or even just have those familiar "Ugh this guy sucks, what a cheeser" or "I suck, what's wrong with me" thoughts, it's time to take a break. It doesn't have to be a long break just do something that'll renew your confidence/focus. Coffee and a light workout do wonders for me, some players save replays where they perform really well so watch that and remember how good you're capable of playing. When you sit back in front of the screen, you should be focused on your strategy and your minset: the only thing you should think about yourself is "I'm a great sc2 player and I'm going to win these games, nothing is going to stand in my way."
Being two-faced isn't my thing so I won't say gl hf or say gg when I don't feel like doing so. Doesn't mean I'm not having a positive mindset when going into the game though.
For me it's more like with "shut up & eat" but then with sc it's "shut up & play".
On January 09 2012 23:53 scMellOw wrote: Being two-faced isn't my thing so I won't say gl hf or say gg when I don't feel like doing so. Doesn't mean I'm not having a positive mindset when going into the game though.
For me it's more like with "shut up & eat" but then with sc it's "shut up & play".
Fair enough, I understand what you mean, but I don't see saying "gl hf or gg" as being two-faced. I see it as being sportsmanlike, like after a baseball game even if you lose you're going to line up and shake hands with the other team. You may hate that other team and think they're jerks that paid the umpire, but you still shake.
thanks for this. I never recognized this thread but i never look at the things that way and i will read this like 3 times and remind this thread before i start my games. Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo goood
good read i try to keep that in mind , because i am like the gambling addicts lol , cant stop when i am on a loosing streak i want those games back >_<
On January 11 2012 08:31 FederigoEU wrote: good read i try to keep that in mind , because i am like the gambling addicts lol , cant stop when i am on a loosing streak i want those games back >_<
I used to be guilty of the same offense, I'd go on a 5 game losing streak and start rage quitting games and getting frustrated either at opponents or at myself. I didn't realize how big a difference momentum/mindset are when you're laddering. Just try to not think about the win/loss, and take breaks when you're really frustrated.
For me #2 is definitely the most important, but I think the whole thing is great advice. I know I find so much of my play is entirely in my head; when I'm in a good mindset and focused I can win 8 in a row against all kinds of stuff, but when I'm mad or unfocused I can just as easily lose 8 games in a row really fast for silly reasons.
Plus it'd be great if everyone was more mannered on the ladder
Do you have any advice for someone in masters that has lost a lot of motivation to play... I feel since I'm never going to be GM there is little incentive to practice, the divisions being different and ranks largely meaningless doesn't help. I don't even get that angry really, just depressed with myself and go on like 9-10 game loss streaks every other time I play. Like man how shitty of a player do I have to be to lose to that, or wow that guy didn't even have a positive win/loss and still beat me etc. Dunno, sometimes I just think of hanging the game up, its really a shame that every other time I play I start hating myself lol. And I'm always mannered and work out everyday as well, eat right etc, so I'm not sure what's wrong with me.
I have a response to this. When you reach pro level in any game an online ranking system is second to useless. You are striving for the wrong goal seriously.
You should be considering every time you make a friend who is better than you and plays better a win in the direction of being a good player.
Scrimming people of higher skill calibers within the correct arena will always be a better benefit then the ladder system. Mass laddering will improve your play absolutely, but nothing will ever beat playing against those top players in a "tournament type of environment" (Bo3's-Bo7's) on multiple maps. Instead of fighting for the ladder points, play ladder as strictly practice when you cannot find those top tier players to practice against or you can't find a tourney. If you are high masters and take a tournament no one will question you even the GMs. Being a GM does however mean these players get that easy access to the higher skilled players but all that means is that you need to up your networking skills a little bit.
View GM, as what it is: A high masters player had the time/dedication to grind within a good time period and make that rank. Probability is a factor there, and I'm sure the GM's DID earn their spot don't get me wrong, but in all actuality there are plenty of GM's that will never turn a profit on this game because they might think "Well I made GM but I'm still not a pro. I've got no real motivation to improve here."
My advice to that GM would still be the same, just keep networking and trying to find better more capable players.
TL;DR:
Bnet is a tool, but not the only tool. Proper networking and respect of better players lands you (High Masters, GM) friends that you can train with to improve your game, regardless of your rank.
Side Note: I made high masters while full-time active army, I'm deployed now if Afghanistan now. STAY MOTIVATED!!!! I would have loved to try taking on the tournament scene. I envy all of your opportunities to stay involved with this game. Love you guys! Excellent article as well OP. The poker analogies I use for a lot of things in life as well. Poker is a good way to train that "freak-out" factor for sure.
Some more tips to improve your game: -Stop looking at porn -Stop smoking pot -Yeah, control the rage -Stop watching TV / movies / any other form of media Lastly: -Find Jesus
Seriously Tang, the TL community appreciates the work you have contributed, but please stop making so many topics like this...which makes me think, are you just trying to gain popularity by spamming topics?
Do not get me wrong, I think this is a good criticism (apologies if it sounds a lil rude) but some of your guides are really good, and there is no need to make so many guides. Focus on a few first, then think about writing more guides.
On January 30 2012 23:05 DontLoseSightOfIt wrote: Positive Mindset: The Key to SC2
Its more like
Positive Mindset: The Key to everything.
Seriously Tang, the TL community appreciates the work you have contributed, but please stop making so many topics like this...which makes me think, are you just trying to gain popularity by spamming topics?
Do not get me wrong, I think this is a good criticism (apologies if it sounds a lil rude) but some of your guides are really good, and there is no need to make so many guides. Focus on a few first, then think about writing more guides.
It's a little weird to be telling Tang not to make topics like this when it's 5-6 months after he wrote it...
starcraft is not a game of just macro'ing and micro'ing to defeat your opponent, it is a game where you must first conquer yourself
A statement that is true about most of the truly deep strategy games (SC2, chess, Go, etc.) as well as many martial arts.
I've actually found that adopting a similar routine in SC2 laddering to the practicing I do on my musical instrument has helped immensely. Even though the muscles and techniques aren't related, the process of growth and learning can be applied across any discipline.
More specifically in regards to strategy, it is always better to respect your opponent than not. Respect (i.e. positive attitude) means you don't walk into a trap. Arrogance and BM gets you killed.
"starcraft is not a game of just macro'ing and micro'ing to defeat your opponent, it is a game where you must first conquer yourself"
See what I mean?
Cmon, dont make things so complicated. The same could be said with soccer. Soccer is not a game of scoring goals. It is a game where you must first develop a healthy lifestyle, train hard.
On January 30 2012 23:05 DontLoseSightOfIt wrote: Positive Mindset: The Key to SC2
Its more like
Positive Mindset: The Key to everything.
Seriously Tang, the TL community appreciates the work you have contributed, but please stop making so many topics like this...which makes me think, are you just trying to gain popularity by spamming topics?
Do not get me wrong, I think this is a good criticism (apologies if it sounds a lil rude) but some of your guides are really good, and there is no need to make so many guides. Focus on a few first, then think about writing more guides.
First of all, I made this post months ago lol that can hardly be called "spamming topics." Also, if it's a helpful concept that may ease people's frustration and ladder anxiety, why wouldn't I write a post on it? You're basically saying "Hey Tang, you write good guides but stop." If you think I write good guides, why would I intentionally limit the amount of content I produce? I usually write a guide a week, because that's what I have time for.
im currently on a gamestreak of 3 wins / 20 losses during the past 3 days. i decide to take a break and am super confident to start a new ladder session. but the first game i play is a lose and all the frustration is back in my mind and i want to hurt myself because i play totally unacceptable. most of my mistakes are result of poor decission making (wrong units, horrible fighting position, unable to defend drops) but in the simple Q&A thread there was said "decision making is learned by playing a ton of games".
how do i overcome the frustration after the first game, which is a loss? doesnt matter what my enemy decides to throw at me, banelings only, immortal drop, hellion drop, roach only. everything works against me because of crappy decision making.
i really love the game but i hate myself because i am unable to win games.
in the past i was so frustrated because of situations like that so i uninstalled starcraft out of rage and didnt play for about 5 months. and when i restart after that break my MMR is as high as before, but my skill dropped because of not playing. so i keep losing then aswell. im so desperate and i hate myself..
right now i am diamond toss (soon to be silver)
i really want to play for fun, but losing 6 games in a row every time is no fun for me
The answer is quite simple. Just play for the reason to have fun and to improve. If you want to become better you need to struggle, that´s what a few korean pro gamer said. If you are frustrated after a loss streak you don´t have enough fun playing SC2. When i move command all my marines into banelings i just laugh at it and make a funny comment to my opponent. In a game aggainst a friend, where i played Zerg i destroyed a destructable rock with all my banelings right when he attacked me. It was really stupid but we both were laughing. It´s really important to enjoy playing SC2 unless you can´t deal with these frustrations about weird situations which allways happen. Just laugh and play the next game.
Yeah, this is probably my favorite post that I have read thus far. Attitude is everything, especially with this game.
As a side note, RTS provides a different type of community than other games (for the most part!). This community is overall respectful and courteous. It should be that way too considering how stressful and frustrating things can get at times. Ever play 1st person shooters? If you find 1 person with good manners it's a shock. Got sick of being called a "camper" by 8 year olds. 8 year olds who were using "f" bombs in sequences I have never heard before.
On April 10 2012 06:43 Lionbacker wrote: Yeah, this is probably my favorite post that I have read thus far. Attitude is everything, especially with this game.
As a side note, RTS provides a different type of community than other games (for the most part!). This community is overall respectful and courteous. It should be that way too considering how stressful and frustrating things can get at times. Ever play 1st person shooters? If you find 1 person with good manners it's a shock. Got sick of being called a "camper" by 8 year olds. 8 year olds who were using "f" bombs in sequences I have never heard before.
The internet? Respectful and courteous? Surely you jest! I think 99% of FPS players don't say or do anything while they play. I'd rather be ignored than endure the BM that is common on SC2 ladder (and custom games).
On July 18 2011 06:01 TangSC wrote: Well anger CAN be fuel for dedication and learning, sure, but it's typically destructive. I think staying positive is important for maximum progress, and anything you can do while angry you can likely do while happy.
I can't say I agree, it's different for everyone. Personally I hate losing, a lot. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, I want to be the best, obviously I'm not the best at everything I do, but that's what I want. If I lose I get angry, even if I'm playing Monopoly and it's down to unlucky dice rolls, I still do not like it at all. And that's what motivates me entirely and I generally do very well on competitive games. I certainly couldn't sit and try and think positively like how you describe it because I would feel like I'm just not driven to try hard enough at all.
I do sit and look back at games I've lost and think how to improve, I refuse to accept that it's because something is OP etc, I will look back at replays and see where things went wrong and how to improve, but it's because I'm not at all happy with losing and I don't want it to happen again. I really feel like I need to get angry a lot to play competitively and play well.
If I've just lost a game to someone which I know could have been avoided, I'm going to be a bit pissed off. So when I search again, I'm just going to keep mute and focus on the game. "gl hf"? You say? Sometimes I just don't want to read it!
On September 04 2012 19:55 Sacred Reich wrote: I'm on the fence on this one.
If I've just lost a game to someone which I know could have been avoided, I'm going to be a bit pissed off. So when I search again, I'm just going to keep mute and focus on the game. "gl hf"? You say? Sometimes I just don't want to read it!
A good way to not get pissed off (speaking as someone who used to throw his controller against the TV whenever I got shot in call of duty) Is to just think "Well shit. I lost a game. Better not do something stupid like what I just did again". Just keep reminding yourself that if you lose, you're learning. Oh, and people that don't chat when pissed of seem rather silly to me. A lot of times I don't get pissed off even to ridiculous stuff because we chatted for a bit. I remember a game where I was against a master Terran (Plat player here) who 3 pronged attacked me about 5 times, dropped me constantly and I could never catch his drops. Normally I'd be pretty pissed off, but instead I was thinking "Well this guy is really good, I shouldn't be ashamed of losing to him", told myself that next time I'd stick a cannon behind each mineral line and threw down the ggwp. I even told him after the match "Nice drops :x" and I ended up feeling great about the game, even though I lost in a spectacular manner. I then went into the next game, played my best and roflstomped my opponent.
Seriously, Idle chat does wonder for the mindset. I've never raged in a game where we're chatting.
I actually play a lot better when I am a little angry. It gives me that in the moment focus. In team games if a bm asshat on my team is on the other team in the next game. Or if I get rematched in a 1v1 where I lost. I almost never lose the second game.
Now if I could only get that mindset on demand, I'm just to cool normally. I actually think I would go up a whole league if I was in that mode all the time.
Watch every replay and identify what you did wrong. For me it is almost always not reading my opponent correctly.
I am also a huge advocate of physical exercise; I play so well after a run and some stretching and push-ups as this puts endorphins in the brain as well as increased blood flow allowing for better flexibility (adapting to your opponents strategy), reaction time and overall enjoyment of the game.
Food for thought: A short time ago (relative to the age of homo-sapiens), the average human ran 25km per day... Go figure.
For anyone who is very interested on this Topic i have just finished reading a book called 'Play to Win' its written by a Street fighter 4 Pro (ex now i think) and is dedicated to the improvement of yourself and using your attitude to your advantage, be it a posititve mindset or just a angry mindset, using it to its strenghs, for example one thing he did before playing in a major event was to get himself a little bit annoyed as the physical reaction to fight or flight (either) is increased physical actions and thought speed so sc wise, more APM and increased vision detection (noticeing things moving on minimap) Its a very good read and covers a lot of thoughts and how to play in basicly all moods using them to your advantage
On September 04 2012 20:26 ThyLastPenguin wrote: Oh, and people that don't chat when pissed of seem rather silly to me. A lot of times I don't get pissed off even to ridiculous stuff because we chatted for a bit. I remember a game where I was against a master Terran (Plat player here) who 3 pronged attacked me about 5 times, dropped me constantly and I could never catch his drops. Normally I'd be pretty pissed off, but instead I was thinking "Well this guy is really good, I shouldn't be ashamed of losing to him", told myself that next time I'd stick a cannon behind each mineral line and threw down the ggwp. I even told him after the match "Nice drops :x" and I ended up feeling great about the game, even though I lost in a spectacular manner. I then went into the next game, played my best and roflstomped my opponent.
Seriously, Idle chat does wonder for the mindset. I've never raged in a game where we're chatting.
+1
It reminds me of Stephano at IPL4 when he said "I am very prude [proud] of my play. Whoever I will lose to next will be a Korean, so I am happy no matter what."
For me, there are very few (if any) games where I lose to truly bad/stupid players. If I tell myself that I lost to a decent player, I come away feeling much better that high quality play took me down.
Anyone who's still playing SC2 is SO much better than the average SC2 player when the game launched. I know this for a fact because I took a very long break from the game, and it's like everyone moved up a league or two. Even Bronze players have practiced builds and timings now! Remember when they used to 1-base while randomly building a few bunkers/turrets and then call it good?
Losing to anyone before HotS shouldn't upset you as much, because everyone has gotten damn good. Just remember that if you're still playing this game, you're way better than almost all people who'll only return after HotS launches. I don't care if you're Bronze right now. You're playing against people who have a clue, and losing to them isn't shameful.
I honestly believe what the OP expressed is at the heart of why NA in general does not breed very good players. Your mindset is essential to being a good player. I don't know that you need to go into full on cheeseball self-talk (by the way if that works for you great, im not knocking it) but you should come into every game respectfully, and not attitude out when you get cheesed, or make accusations of units or races being OP. Unfortunately theirs alot of ego and attitude on ladder. Maybe some people don't care, and thats fine. But if you are wanting to get good at this game, mental health is ESSENTIAL to your success. SC II is such a mental game, you cant afford to come in in need of an attitude adjustment.
I can't tell you how many games i've won just because the other guy was mentally in bad shape.
On September 04 2012 21:13 Dan26 wrote: Watch every replay and identify what you did wrong. For me it is almost always not reading my opponent correctly.
Well I think it would be a bit time consuming to watch EVERY replay, but I do think it's a great drill to occasionally watch games from your opponents' points of view. I still do this from time to time and learn a lot about what my opponent is thinking. Especially if I'm using an unorthodox strategy and my opponent somehow shuts it down one-sidedly, I like to watch from his point of view and determine what tipped him off and how he responded.
I can vouch for the physical fitness bit. Staying in shape is 100% essential to getting good at sc2. Body and mind go hand in hand. Really good talking points tang.
On September 12 2012 09:07 Dontkillme wrote: Trying to be positive minded in a game like SCII is really hard, but I guess it never hurts to be GM.
It is very difficult, emotions run high in SCII. Still, the point I'm trying to make is putting time/energy into negativity will only impede your progress. That's time/energy that could be spent making adjustments to your play or learning how you could have responded better to what your opponent did.
I think the biggest hurdle to overcome when playing SC2 is to combine the need to stay positive with the need to take responsibility for failure. Most people will be unhappy when they realize they are responsible for their problems, so in order to stay happy and positive people will blame the other guy for cheating/hacking or blame blizzard for creating a bad game. If you don't feel responsible for your losses you won't improve and if you don't have a positive mindset you won't play well. Being happy despite actually, really feeling responsible is not easy, and that's the biggest hurdle.
Just want to say how much this has helped me. Before reading, I was a gold league terran who couldn't seem to win, was stressed about every detail, and couldn't find motivation to play. After, I am now on a 15 win streak, feeling great, motivated, and hoping for a promotion eventually! Thanks Tang!
Almost a year and a half after first posting this thread and it's still alive and kicking on the front page. Grats Tang. Another winning thread. Thanks for another useful and positive thread.
How the fuck is not saying gl hf rude? It's just a game for Christ's sake. If the other guy offers it and you don't respond, I can see how you'd say that could be rude. Kind of ridiculous otherwise. Anyway, great write up. More people should read this.
I know people have already said this but I think the best way is to just click on that find match button and just hope for the best. As a player who constantly hesitates I just press that find match button and put my hands off the mouse until player is found. It really does work for me and I already find myself into the game that I am able to play ladder after ladder.
One problem for me is most of the times I find myself disconnecting in ladder matches (which gives you a loss) and that is really frustrating, especially when you dc in those guaranteed win scenarios. I am not sure how having a positive mindset will help me in my fear of losing from internet disconnection.
On October 03 2012 14:42 hkimmy wrote: I know people have already said this but I think the best way is to just click on that find match button and just hope for the best. As a player who constantly hesitates I just press that find match button and put my hands off the mouse until player is found. It really does work for me and I already find myself into the game that I am able to play ladder after ladder.
One problem for me is most of the times I find myself disconnecting in ladder matches (which gives you a loss) and that is really frustrating, especially when you dc in those guaranteed win scenarios. I am not sure how having a positive mindset will help me in my fear of losing from internet disconnection.
Well positive mindset won't help you disconnect less frequently (it's one of the few limitations) but it will help you play better after you've lost a game or two to disconnects. Remembering that it has nothing to do with your skill level and therefore doesn't impact your desire to improve and compete should keep your spirits up and your mind focused.
On October 03 2012 03:34 Areon wrote: How the fuck is not saying gl hf rude? It's just a game for Christ's sake. If the other guy offers it and you don't respond, I can see how you'd say that could be rude. Kind of ridiculous otherwise. Anyway, great write up. More people should read this.
My counterarguement is: It's just a game, why wouldn't you wish the other player well? I personally see it as extremely offensive when players don't respond, although it doesn't bother me. I then usually get 1 base all-inned, hold, and then it's followed by a ragequit. People should play for fun; nothing wrong with socializing with your opponent. It's way Better than being angry the whole time you play and ignoring someone who's talking to you. If it was real life and you were to, say, play a game of chess against someone, wouldn't you at least say something?
I do sympathize with the people who don't talk due to ladder anxiety and fear of BM. That's the only valid reason to not talk IMO. However, a simple "glhf" and "gg" drastically lowers the chance of them being BM.
On October 03 2012 03:34 Areon wrote: How the fuck is not saying gl hf rude? It's just a game for Christ's sake. If the other guy offers it and you don't respond, I can see how you'd say that could be rude. Kind of ridiculous otherwise. Anyway, great write up. More people should read this.
My counterarguement is: It's just a game, why wouldn't you wish the other player well? I personally see it as extremely offensive when players don't respond, although it doesn't bother me. I then usually get 1 base all-inned, hold, and then it's followed by a ragequit. People should play for fun; nothing wrong with socializing with your opponent. It's way Better than being angry the whole time you play and ignoring someone who's talking to you. If it was real life and you were to, say, play a game of chess against someone, wouldn't you at least say something?
I do sympathize with the people who don't talk due to ladder anxiety and fear of BM. That's the only valid reason to not talk IMO. However, a simple "glhf" and "gg" drastically lowers the chance of them being BM.
Well I don't think we should take offence when players don't say GL HF or GG to us, but I do agree that it's better for everyone if we try to be well-mannered. I've lately been saying "gl hf, have a good game" and then if they respond asking "how you doin?" Not everyone responds, but those that do are less likely to rage later.
On October 03 2012 03:34 Areon wrote: How the fuck is not saying gl hf rude? It's just a game for Christ's sake. If the other guy offers it and you don't respond, I can see how you'd say that could be rude. Kind of ridiculous otherwise. Anyway, great write up. More people should read this.
My counterarguement is: It's just a game, why wouldn't you wish the other player well? I personally see it as extremely offensive when players don't respond, although it doesn't bother me. I then usually get 1 base all-inned, hold, and then it's followed by a ragequit. People should play for fun; nothing wrong with socializing with your opponent. It's way Better than being angry the whole time you play and ignoring someone who's talking to you. If it was real life and you were to, say, play a game of chess against someone, wouldn't you at least say something?
I do sympathize with the people who don't talk due to ladder anxiety and fear of BM. That's the only valid reason to not talk IMO. However, a simple "glhf" and "gg" drastically lowers the chance of them being BM.
Well I don't think we should take offence when players don't say GL HF or GG to us, but I do agree that it's better for everyone if we try to be well-mannered. I've lately been saying "gl hf, have a good game" and then if they respond asking "how you doin?" Not everyone responds, but those that do are less likely to rage later.
I guess it's not that big a deal, but when someone wishes you well and you ignore them it's...not offensive, just rude I suppose. Yeah, I usually say "gl hf " or "gl hf [theirname]", and always am mannered. After crossing into masters, people are actually being well mannered now! It's surprising.
Also, I got about 10x more hate/BM/hacking comments when I was playing Protoss compared to Zerg, I personally find it both interesting and hilarious
Im having alot of trouble when it comes to my temper after losing games! I always say to myself before games that "if you lose now, just say gg and leave" but then I just cant bring myself to do that. Instead im just leaving or making some dumb comment about how lucky he was or how easy his race are to play . Im pretty sure im even way worse then Idra. This is nothing im proud of in any way, quite the opposite actually. But most of the times I just cant bring myself to just say gg and leave. I really wish I could.
This post was a great read to me and I put it among "favorites". I think and hope it can help me become a more mannered player, because God knows im not. I want to be mannered though because Im really not enjoying that side of myself and id really like to try and change!
Honestly, the most fun that I have in-game is having a bit of banter before the game actually begins helps in more ways than I originally imagined. Saying "are you ready for some STARCRAFT?!?" has lead to some fun conversations, as well as I can easily tell who is going to cheese or not
On October 23 2012 05:08 Shadowslayer wrote: Honestly, the most fun that I have in-game is having a bit of banter before the game actually begins helps in more ways than I originally imagined. Saying "are you ready for some STARCRAFT?!?" has lead to some fun conversations, as well as I can easily tell who is going to cheese or not
Best advantage to being chatty lmfao
I've played extra defensive and won countless games by judging his response, it's so funny. Granted I don't talk much anymore, just say "glhf" and "ggwp" (or just "gg" if I should've won but made a lot of silly mistakes; ie. he didn't play well I just played badly).
From my experience, it is true that you don't get BMd when you gl hf / gg. Every single game no matter what I make a point of typing gl hf and gg wp / gg ty if I lose/win and I can only remember being BMd once in the last 200 or so games this season. (EU Plat)
I agree with this. Maintaining a competitive mood alongside a positive sense of play is a great way to tackle the stressful nature of this game. Psychology is extremely important with SC2 and maintaining a good psych can really help out.
I couldn't agree more with the OP. I wish I had known this when I first started playing. Things as simple as giving a wp after an annoying loss, and chit chat at the start of games really helps my mood, and thus my play.
On October 23 2012 05:32 Dujek wrote: From my experience, it is true that you don't get BMd when you gl hf / gg. Every single game no matter what I make a point of typing gl hf and gg wp / gg ty if I lose/win and I can only remember being BMd once in the last 200 or so games this season. (EU Plat)
Dujek One-Arm?
For a long time I didn't GLHF because it helped me feel like I was playing against a computer but now I just say it automatically. I don't really care about it tbh. It doesn't mean that much, it's just ceremony.
Although honestly it feels really weird to me that you would wish your opponent good luck in killing you and to have fun while doing so.
Haha yes, the key is to not care about those cheese that people are winning against you with, i can't even count the number of time someone beat me with those kind of strat and i am thinking to myself, wow i lost to that guy, he's higher ranked than me too, he doesn't know how to scout just blindly all in me and wins, it is frustrating. But you got to understand that those kind of build exist and understand that once someone does one of these build on you, the next time someone try the same thing youl be better at seeing it coming, and potentially stoping it, So besicly it just help you be a better player in the end. All you have to do is keep playing, and keep anylising what you could have done better, if you dont know the answer go on forum, chat with better player than you, etc ... That is the beauty that is sc2
ps: Oh, and even more important than that, the real secret is to enjoy yourself, listen to music while playing, sing s song to the other player in chat, talk to your opponent lol, just have fun, by experience it help's get the pressure off and you play better as a result, this is my secret Without being BM of course.
I always give a good luck at the start, and gg in the end. I've found particularly good (and useful!) to not limit myself to a simple gg at the end when I lose: instead I give a specific compliment about the game and then ask what should I have done to try and win in a similar situation. A bit of flattery makes people a lot more talkative .. and in the end, since you are not leaving the game immediately, as they have to wait for their army to kill you out completely or for you to leave, they may as well answer you ..just don't be an asshole and stay in the game too much if they are not in the mood!
Everyone knows that having a positive mindset is all in... :-D
Nah, I really enjoy all of Tang's Guides, and this is one that I remember I used to do. Ever since I got out of Bronze, my manners have slowly dropped. After a 4-5 month break I have been trying to keep a more positive attitude, and I can tell when which days I didn't by looking at my match history. Haha! I guess I should just try harder.
If we really need to have this on TL*, does it really need to be bumped several times a year?
*yes, I admit, I hate this "positive thinking" jibberish with a passion. Moreso because it is really everywhere. Here goes the hope that TL could be one of the island of reason in the sea of empty cliches.
On October 24 2012 01:13 opisska wrote: If we really need to have this on TL*, does it really need to be bumped several times a year?
*yes, I admit, I hate this "positive thinking" jibberish with a passion. Moreso because it is really everywhere. Here goes the hope that TL could be one of the island of reason in the sea of empty cliches.
It's everywhere people find it helpful! If you don't think it's helpful to be positive, that's an equally fair point of view, but at least explain your reasoning and suggest an alternative.
PS. It's interesting that you use two metaphors to explain how we need more reason on TL
On October 24 2012 01:13 opisska wrote: If we really need to have this on TL*, does it really need to be bumped several times a year?
*yes, I admit, I hate this "positive thinking" jibberish with a passion. Moreso because it is really everywhere. Here goes the hope that TL could be one of the island of reason in the sea of empty cliches.
It's everywhere people find it helpful! If you don't think it's helpful to be positive, that's an equally fair point of view, but at least explain your reasoning and suggest an alternative.
PS. It's interesting that you use two metaphors to explain how we need more reason on TL
I don't really think that using metaphors in speech has anything to do with it, they are just another way to convey the same message and that's what it is supposed to be about, the message, not the form.
Maybe I am just too materialistic, but I feel that these "motivational" texts (and, man, I have seen a lot of them lately) convey no message at all. Yes, in theory it sounds cool to be "positive" and whatever, but what is the pracitcal impact? I just don't see it. Heck, there are even books on how to act, think and live in a certain way, like literarly tens of thousands of words, that say completely nothing relevant to reality. I just don't see all these abstract concepts in the real world at all.
To comment on specifics, there are things that I agree with in your OP and things I don't. For one, I think that the whole Idra case is a little bit of roleplaying. We do not actually know what happens inside his head (unless you are close personal friends with him, which I don't know, of course) - he is just used as a personification for oversimplified concepts - and to me it seems that he likes it to some extent because it helps him market himself.
But what I really don't like is your emphasis on words. I really don't think that saying "gg gl hf" or "you're a fucking piece of shit" at the beginning of the game changes anything in the way how I play for me - and you know, the only thing that has an effect on how the game ends up is where you click and what you push on the keyboard! (to be clear, I always write the former, because I believe that people should be nice to each other and some can be sad if they are not treated "politely" but I absolutely do not care about being on the recieving end). The other part about saying positive things to yourself, is just ... abusrd. Heck, Tang, you are such a bright guy, doing all these in-depth [G]s shows a lot of intellect at your side - and yet you tell me that this has any effect on you? You know you are saying that to yourself just to cause this specific effect, so how are you able to trick you to believe yourself? Do you have two parts of brain that do not talk to each other except for articulated thoughts?
Not to be overly negative, I can't disagree with "I'm going to get my speed up early, then expand, then I'm going to drone to 27 get a warren down and grind this guy's front door with ling/roach. Man, I'm going to FORCE the issue until he makes a mistake, and when he does, I'm going to capitalize on it." - because that is just called strategy. You need to have a goal going into a match, have thought out what reason is beyond your clicks and keypresses. But it feels completely disconnected from the rest of the paragraph, because this is not empty speech, but specific structured strategy. I also agree with the approach that you have to look for your mistakes, because your play is the only thing that is under your influence.
Well, I still don't think I articulated very well why I hate motivational speech, but I think the general picture is here.
PS: thanks for being the first one to actually use my quote mechanism
On October 24 2012 01:13 opisska wrote: If we really need to have this on TL*, does it really need to be bumped several times a year?
*yes, I admit, I hate this "positive thinking" jibberish with a passion. Moreso because it is really everywhere. Here goes the hope that TL could be one of the island of reason in the sea of empty cliches.
It's everywhere people find it helpful! If you don't think it's helpful to be positive, that's an equally fair point of view, but at least explain your reasoning and suggest an alternative.
PS. It's interesting that you use two metaphors to explain how we need more reason on TL
I don't really think that using metaphors in speech has anything to do with it, they are just another way to convey the same message and that's what it is supposed to be about, the message, not the form.
Maybe I am just too materialistic, but I feel that these "motivational" texts (and, man, I have seen a lot of them lately) convey no message at all. Yes, in theory it sounds cool to be "positive" and whatever, but what is the pracitcal impact? I just don't see it. Heck, there are even books on how to act, think and live in a certain way, like literarly tens of thousands of words, that say completely nothing relevant to reality. I just don't see all these abstract concepts in the real world at all.
To comment on specifics, there are things that I agree with in your OP and things I don't. For one, I think that the whole Idra case is a little bit of roleplaying. We do not actually know what happens inside his head (unless you are close personal friends with him, which I don't know, of course) - he is just used as a personification for oversimplified concepts - and to me it seems that he likes it to some extent because it helps him market himself.
But what I really don't like is your emphasis on words. I really don't think that saying "gg gl hf" or "you're a fucking piece of shit" at the beginning of the game changes anything in the way how I play for me - and you know, the only thing that has an effect on how the game ends up is where you click and what you push on the keyboard! (to be clear, I always write the former, because I believe that people should be nice to each other and some can be sad if they are not treated "politely" but I absolutely do not care about being on the recieving end). The other part about saying positive things to yourself, is just ... abusrd. Heck, Tang, you are such a bright guy, doing all these in-depth [G]s shows a lot of intellect at your side - and yet you tell me that this has any effect on you? You know you are saying that to yourself just to cause this specific effect, so how are you able to trick you to believe yourself? Do you have two parts of brain that do not talk to each other except for articulated thoughts?
Not to be overly negative, I can't disagree with "I'm going to get my speed up early, then expand, then I'm going to drone to 27 get a warren down and grind this guy's front door with ling/roach. Man, I'm going to FORCE the issue until he makes a mistake, and when he does, I'm going to capitalize on it." - because that is just called strategy. You need to have a goal going into a match, have thought out what reason is beyond your clicks and keypresses. But it feels completely disconnected from the rest of the paragraph, because this is not empty speech, but specific structured strategy. I also agree with the approach that you have to look for your mistakes, because your play is the only thing that is under your influence.
Well, I still don't think I articulated very well why I hate motivational speech, but I think the general picture is here.
PS: thanks for being the first one to actually use my quote mechanism
I was just kidding about the metaphors haha.
Everyone can agree that Starcraft II is a psychological game as well as a game of mechanical skill. You're absolutely right in saying that ultimately, winning or losing a game comes down to where and what you push on the keyboard. But I would say that where/when you push the keyboard depends on what you're thinking about - if you're in the middle of a game and you're thinking "argh damnit I'm so bad why did I let these hellions in my base?" instead of thinking "Ok there's hellions in my base, what's the best response?", then your mindset is actually hurting your performance. I mean how many times have you gone into a chat channel and heard these self-depricating comments like "I'm bad" or "I suck"? When someone goes into a game thinking these things, it's easy to get frustrated when things are going wrong.
So I think the most practical aspect of a positive mindset is that it builds confidence while reducing frustration. Naturally it's not the same for everyone, but I think the average gamer can benefit from acknowledging that mindset does affect your in-game choices, and that it may be helpful to avoid negative thoughts that have negative impacts on your focus.
But isn't it, like ... obvious that when you have helions in your base, you should do something about it and think about the reason later? Do you really need a "mindset" for that? That's why it is called a real-time strategy, you kind of have to do things ... in the real time
Yeah, that's just exagerating, your last post isn't all that disagreeable. Maybe if you wrote the whole OP like that, instead of the overly positive chant, I would have actually liked it! I know that it is all a matter of personal taste, but I really consider the whole part about "telling positive stuff to yourself" to be very cheap.
On October 25 2012 03:52 opisska wrote: But isn't it, like ... obvious that when you have helions in your base, you should do something about it and think about the reason later? Do you really need a "mindset" for that? That's why it is called a real-time strategy, you kind of have to do things ... in the real time
Yeah, that's just exagerating, your last post isn't all that disagreeable. Maybe if you wrote the whole OP like that, instead of the overly positive chant, I would have actually liked it! I know that it is all a matter of personal taste, but I really consider the whole part about "telling positive stuff to yourself" to be very cheap.
Well of course it's obvious that you should focus on the game, but I suppose the core of my argument is that people focus more intently when they are in a positive state of mind. It's certainly something I've noticed in my own play, that when I'm upbeat I always play much better, and I've noticed when coaching that relaxed, excited, and optimistic students tend to focus better than those who are frustrated and negative. Whenever someone starts sighing or swearing, the game usually goes downhill. So if we can't agree on positive mindset being a key to playing better, we can at least agree that a negative mindset is harmful to decision-making and improvement.
And yes haha I wrote the OP at a time when I was in a particular (positive) mindset. Some of the suggestions come across as over-the-top or exaggerated, and I surely don't expect everyone to follow everything precisely - though if they did, I think there would be much less BM!
The analogy with gambling and being on tilt could not have been more spot-on. I have always laddered often during my SC2 career (which is only a tad more than one year long) but lately I have been grinding on ladder constantly, trying to improve my rank. I am quite successful in my pursuit, but along the way I have experienced some ups and downs. This past weekend I tried to explain my obsession with laddering to an older cousin of mine, who is 21 now, and he is an avid EVE Online player. Eerily enough I explained it to him in terms of gambling, where when I lost a game I immediately would load up another one, trying to win back the points that I lost. Eventually I would then go on a losing streak, making me even more upset about my losses. On the contrary, when I win a game I usually sit back for a while and take pride in my win, and rather read something on the Internet before loading up the next game. Just so that I am not portraying myself as a freak, my win ratio is in fact above 50% so those moments of glory happen a bit more often than usual.
To come to the point: I really enjoyed your article and the way that you explained that by having a positive attitude one can improve overall strategy and gameplay. Good work!
I've had a lot of trouble keeping a positive mindset after a losingstreak until I heard a good advice from Liquid Nony. He said that whenever he loses 3 games in a row he takes a short break like go for a jog, get something to eat or similar. This helped me a lot because most of the time I only need a couple of minutes to calm down and be able to reflect on what went wrong in the last games and be ready for a fresh try.