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Fear of the Game

Blogs > Meliv
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Meliv
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
United Kingdom19 Posts
March 30 2010 12:14 GMT
#1
I love Starcraft 2. I'm obsessed with it. I go to bed thinking about it, then I dream about it, then I wake up and I'm still thinking about it. I've lost the desire to play any other video games since discovering Starcraft 1 and then later SC2

My problem though is that, I have a phobia of this game. I've never been good at RTS games. Ever. I'm the guy who plays the singleplayer portion of an RTS and as soon as you get to the first mission where the tutorial doesn't help you anymore, I quit without even a glance at the multiplayer. This is a handicap no doubt but slowly I've been overcoming it. When you boil starcraft down to it's core of micro/macro/harrass/unit counters it all makes sense and slots together well

It doesn't help my phobia, but what makes it worse is the competitivness and stress that comes from playing on the ladder. I both love it and hate it. I fantasise about playing in big tournaments and making money years and years in the future but the thought of playing one complete noob like me on the ladder terrifies me. The game stresses me out so much I can't bring myself to play it. After playing 2 custom games with a friend I had to stop because I was worn out

Is this common? How do I get over this? Should I just bite the bullet and play 20 games without stopping or try and play X amount every day?

love1another
Profile Blog Joined December 2009
United States1844 Posts
March 30 2010 12:20 GMT
#2
Man.... if it stresses you out, just don't do it. I don't know why you have to force yourself to do something that causes you pain.
"I'm learning more and more that TL isn't the place to go for advice outside of anything you need in college. It's like you guys just make up your own fantasy world shit and post it as if you've done it." - Chill
nozaro33
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Taiwan1819 Posts
March 30 2010 12:21 GMT
#3
Well, my advice would be to just enjoy the game at earlier stages. I love playing the game, but I acknowledge that I will never be a progamer or an B+ and higher player.
When I started laddering, I was also terrified like you, but a change of attitude, (and the fact that I had absolutely NO practice partners) I started playing iccup for the sake of practice and fun.
#1 Flash / #2 NaDa / #3 Stats fan / KT fan for life
lazz
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Australia3119 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-03-30 12:30:21
March 30 2010 12:29 GMT
#4
Yeah I have this "fear" as well. Honestly I think it's mostly an ego thing. You really have to just "let go" and not care about ladder points. After all, the entire point of the ladder point system is to match you up against similar level opponents so you can grow faster as a player. Just stop worrying about ladder points and win ratios and instead focus on improving and refining your game.
sixghost
Profile Blog Joined November 2007
United States2096 Posts
March 30 2010 12:39 GMT
#5
On March 30 2010 21:29 lazz wrote:
Yeah I have this "fear" as well. Honestly I think it's mostly an ego thing. You really have to just "let go" and not care about ladder points. After all, the entire point of the ladder point system is to match you up against similar level opponents so you can grow faster as a player. Just stop worrying about ladder points and win ratios and instead focus on improving and refining your game.

It's easier said than done, but this post is right. I still remember being terrified when I first started playing on bnet.

Just keep playing, it goes away once you know what you're doing.
mG.sixghost @ iCCup || One ling, two ling, three ling, four... Camp four gas, then ultra-whore . -Saracen
mOnion
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
United States5657 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-03-30 12:41:19
March 30 2010 12:40 GMT
#6
After playing 2 custom games with a friend I had to stop because I was worn out


whats gonna happen to you when you have sex?

i mean jesus its a video game not a scorpion. if you like it, play it. if not, chill out and take a swim or something.
☆★☆ 7486!!! Join the Ban mOnion Anti-Trolling Initiative! - Caller | "on a scale of machine to 10, how bad is that Zerg?" - LZgamer | you are the new tl.net bonjwa monion, congrats - Rekrul | "Cheeseburgers dynamite lilacs" - Chill
jello_biafra
Profile Blog Joined September 2004
United Kingdom6637 Posts
March 30 2010 12:41 GMT
#7
Yeah you just gotta man up and play, not giving a fuck about losses and instead learning from it, that is the path to gosuness.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions | aka Probert[PaiN] @ iccup / godlikeparagon @ twitch | my BW stream: http://www.teamliquid.net/video/streams/jello_biafra
snotboogie
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
Australia3550 Posts
March 30 2010 12:42 GMT
#8
I know how you feel. Just before I press the Find Game button I experience a small bit of hesitation. Noone wants to invest tremendous focus for 20 minutes just to lose.

However I feel the way BNet 2.0 is, is far better than in SC1. SC1 you had to create the game, wait for people to join, look at their iccup points, etc... much longer to get hesitant and just do something else.
SnowFantasy
Profile Blog Joined September 2006
4173 Posts
March 30 2010 12:45 GMT
#9
Kwark wrote this about iccup points and it might help you:

The way I see it ICC points are a currency for practice games. You pay points to practice vs better players and worse players pay their points to practice vs you. Tonight was expensive but this is why I got all the points. To buy series vs top level players. And I scored a few wins vs them so I'm proud of myself there.
Hot_Bid
Profile Blog Joined October 2003
Braavos36375 Posts
March 30 2010 13:30 GMT
#10
This really is just a fear of failure, and its perfectly natural. People, especially competitive people, don't like losing and don't like doing things they aren't good at. The best and most mentally strong players are not afraid to lose; they are confident in their abilities and enjoy the challenge and reward. They may hate losing but they never are afraid to try. Its not an easy skill to learn.

Like lazz said, you just have to get over it. Accept that there are people better than you and that often they will beat you. Otherwise it'll always be stressful and you won't get maximum enjoyment out of it, especially with AMM which is structured to produce close, competitive games.
@Hot_Bid on Twitter - ESPORTS life since 2010 - http://i.imgur.com/U2psw.png
e.soul[gm]
Profile Blog Joined May 2008
Sierra Leone254 Posts
March 30 2010 13:53 GMT
#11
LOL i have this for sc2 only for some reason. i find myself watching replays, reading tl.net, watching vods more than i play.

i have no idea how i got C- level in brood war.
http://www.last.fm/user/jesuspopk
Zoler
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
Sweden6339 Posts
March 30 2010 14:02 GMT
#12
I used to think this much about SCBW, tho I was never afraid.
Lim Yo Hwan forever!
Flaccid
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
8841 Posts
March 30 2010 14:07 GMT
#13
"Fear of a game only increases fear of the thing itself" - Albus Dumbledore
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy
Archaic
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
United States4024 Posts
March 30 2010 14:58 GMT
#14
On March 30 2010 23:07 Flaccid wrote:
"Fear of a game only increases fear of the thing itself" - Albus Dumbledore

I wake up every night in a cold swear of Hunter Killers jumping down from the roof and impaling me with needle spines.

Yes, I have always been afraid of the game. I win once, and I'm unwilling to play again because I don't want to lose. It's very easy to get frustrated, or just rest on your laurels. However, it is so much more worth it to just keep forcing yourself to play.
zerglingsfolife
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
United States1694 Posts
March 30 2010 15:57 GMT
#15
Everything you said is very natural. I used to be the same way. One time I got hammered and started playing ICCUP games drunk, and I didn't care if I won or lost cause it was funny. After that, I was able to relax more whenever I laddered sober and although I am extremely competitive, I had more fun playing the game because it was less stressful. The only time I rage anymore is when I throw a game away when I have a lead.
Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crown and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness.
Neo27
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
United States154 Posts
March 30 2010 16:12 GMT
#16
I share the same phobia. When I join a ladder game, my hands and body shake like crazy.
I've only played about 10 total in the last year.
Thinking about it, I seem to be worried that my record will be bad, like being 0-10 says something about me as a person.

It doesn't, we just have to get over it and have fun. Good luck!
"I was born too damn early! Where were these games when I was a kid?" - Angry Video Game Nerd
jimminy_kriket
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
Canada5509 Posts
March 30 2010 16:20 GMT
#17
Bite the bullet. Once you start playing alot you dont get as worried about losing anymore
life of lively to live to life of full life thx to shield battery
qwsss
Profile Joined July 2009
Canada36 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-03-30 16:31:38
March 30 2010 16:30 GMT
#18
Yeah bite the bullet. I had the same problem as you before, but then I started mass gaming for real and after awhile it went away. For me the first 2-3 games of a session still do this but after im good to go.
w
citi.zen
Profile Joined April 2009
2509 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-03-30 16:37:38
March 30 2010 16:37 GMT
#19
I've decided a long time ago there is something very primal about people's reactions to SC. Some players thrive under competition - they are killers who love the chase and get better when things heat up. Others love the game, have deep strategic knowledge and so on, but wilt under pressure. Sure, with practice anyone can get a lot better, beat weaker players and get more comfortable - but when shit goes sideways they come undone.

I don't think you can ever train for that killer instinct. Some people just have it. It's in the eyes.
Aut viam inveniam, aut faciam.
onmach
Profile Blog Joined March 2009
United States1241 Posts
March 30 2010 16:43 GMT
#20
I like the way kwark puts it. I'm going to use that.

Anyways I have this problem too. My problem is that after a few days of not playing I get jittery and so it is hard to get started playing again, so I sit watching streams all night instead. Once I have played a few games then it passes and even when I lose I can look at it with rationality without getting angry or nervous.

Another thing that has helped me is not to eat a lot of sugar or drink soda while I'm playing. That increases the jittery factor several fold. Also often times I can kind of forget I'm playing a real person on the new battle.net because there is so little interactivity, and that helps immensely.
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