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Starcraft II with ADHD

Blogs > iGrepair
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iGrepair
Profile Blog Joined June 2012
34 Posts
September 28 2012 01:57 GMT
#1
Hello everyone, my name is Drake "Repair" Porter. I am currently the Team Manager of Team iGnite. I came today to talk about what its been like playing Starcraft in general with ADHD. I was born with ADHD and have tried various medicines and treatments. I have never been able to "fix" my ADHD. I started out playing Starcraft Brood War VERY casually and grew to become fairly good, never realizing what doors I could open with it. The key I have found to playing RTS games with ADHD is repetition. In starcraft every game I do not think very much, I just do things and play very passively due to my ADHD. When I plan things out for builds that I specifically make for my ADHD playstyle, I keep in mind that ADHD makes it very difficult to focus on many things at once so I try to create the least amount of possibilities and also work on having high EPM not APM as spam will lower my focus on the game. With ADHD I have to practice more than the average pro, I used to play about 14 hours a day of straight practice. I have won almost 1,500 ladder games in Starcraft II and am only Diamond. Please keep in mind that I played Brood War as well. In my mind heres how it goes. Game starts: Split Workers, I naturally begin doing my build without thinking of it. I often think about how my day has been and the fear of demotion. I then begin thinking of bunnies and unicorns while i reach into the mid game. As we get into the late game I begin doing horribly, usually cause I haven't planned out what to do in a situation like late game. People with ADHD do not play like people without. The constant drills that I do are the only reason im diamond and the amount of time I put into the game should result in more skill. I will update this blog responding to questions and things like that. I began straying off the topic and really want to bring notice to the players with ADHD (mine is very bad just saying) but I dont really know what players who have no ADHD are wandering what its like so ask questions and leave recommendations please.



*
Ettick
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United States2434 Posts
September 28 2012 02:32 GMT
#2
I have ADHD as well and I experience a lot of the same things you describe in this post. I can play early game just fine then I just lose it mid game. Though, I'm in silver and ADHD is probably not my main problem lol...
AnachronisticAnarchy
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
United States2957 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-09-28 03:01:00
September 28 2012 03:00 GMT
#3
Huh. I thought not thinking while playing was completely normal. Granted, I'm only gold so I need to focus a lot on macro, but still. Is it normal for people who haven't mastered basic macro yet to not think while playing, or is it specific to people with an impaired ability to focus like me or Repair?
"How are you?" "I am fine, because it is not normal to scream in pain."
Azera
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
3800 Posts
September 28 2012 03:14 GMT
#4
Holy fuck. Paragraphs, man.
Check out some great music made by TLers - http://bit.ly/QXYhdb , by intrigue. http://bit.ly/RTjpOR , by ohsea.toc.
GT350
Profile Joined May 2012
United States270 Posts
September 28 2012 03:32 GMT
#5
Wall. Of. Text. Let me...

Hello everyone, my name is Drake "Repair" Porter. I am currently the Team Manager of Team iGnite. I came today to talk about what its been like playing Starcraft in general with ADHD. I was born with ADHD and have tried various medicines and treatments. I have never been able to "fix" my ADHD.

I started out playing Starcraft Brood War VERY casually and grew to become fairly good, never realizing what doors I could open with it. The key I have found to playing RTS games with ADHD is repetition. In starcraft every game I do not think very much, I just do things and play very passively due to my ADHD. When I plan things out for builds that I specifically make for my ADHD playstyle, I keep in mind that ADHD makes it very difficult to focus on many things at once so I try to create the least amount of possibilities and also work on having high EPM not APM as spam will lower my focus on the game.

With ADHD I have to practice more than the average pro, I used to play about 14 hours a day of straight practice. I have won almost 1,500 ladder games in Starcraft II and am only Diamond. Please keep in mind that I played Brood War as well. In my mind heres how it goes. Game starts: Split Workers, I naturally begin doing my build without thinking of it. I often think about how my day has been and the fear of demotion. I then begin thinking of bunnies and unicorns while i reach into the mid game. As we get into the late game I begin doing horribly, usually cause I haven't planned out what to do in a situation like late game.

People with ADHD do not play like people without. The constant drills that I do are the only reason im diamond and the amount of time I put into the game should result in more skill. I will update this blog responding to questions and things like that. I began straying off the topic and really want to bring notice to the players with ADHD (mine is very bad just saying) but I dont really know what players who have no ADHD are wandering what its like so ask questions and leave recommendations please.
Bigtony
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United States1606 Posts
September 28 2012 03:38 GMT
#6
I can't tell what the point of this blog is :X

do builds -> victory.
Push 2 Harder
BigFan
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
TLADT24920 Posts
September 28 2012 04:00 GMT
#7
^He's telling you how his ADHD affects him when he plays SCII and what has worked to help him out.
Former BW EiC"Watch Bakemonogatari or I will kill you." -Toad, April 18th, 2017
ParkwayDrive
Profile Joined July 2011
United States328 Posts
September 28 2012 04:12 GMT
#8
well u should be able to get some adderall from your doctor if you really have adhd. nothing like a good 20mg of adderall for 8 straight hours of starcraft 2
ultrakiss
Profile Blog Joined April 2012
97 Posts
September 28 2012 05:13 GMT
#9
Hey I have ADD as opposed to ADHD. I think I have some similar experiences I would like to share. My biggest issue is that I get so distracted during games that I have trouble even following a 4gate build order. Its not that I can't do the builds, I just have a ton of trouble focusing. I play zerg because I can improv more with them (at least in plat), so I just try to make sure Im never supply blocked and get as much stuff/spam as many actions as possible.

If I don't keep constantly doing things Ill start to daydream and my apm/mechanics will go to zero while I stare at a space whale or something. (I've lost a lot of games where I basically forget to play and my 50 supply lead becomes a 100 supply deficit just because im not doing anything.) I guess the more mechanical macro of zerg keeps my hands busy even when I space out mentally.
Typhoon1789
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
Australia292 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-09-28 10:13:18
September 28 2012 10:02 GMT
#10
I also have ADHD. But you cannot use it as a excuse to be bad at SCII. In SCII your always doing something, thus i always found it easier to focus on than say studying or working. Also get off the meds, there just plain bad for you. They fucked me in the head, meds shouldn't be the awnser to adhd.

I know it can be hard to focus sometimes but over the past 20 years ive learned to control my self alot better. Maybe instead of relying on the drugs, learn abit of self control, it is indeed possible with adhd to do so. I am living proof of that. Also, being impulsive is a great thing to work with. I say that can be an advantage in SCII. Sometimes doing so will lose you a game, but most of the time for me it works out.


I should add, i have very bad adhd or atleast used to till i started forcing my self to control my self a little better. In school, i done no work, i'd talk non-stop, wouldnt listen to the teachers at all and cause all sorts of havok even when i was on the meds. It got to the point where i was only allowed at school for about half a day. 9 am - 12 PM. Im surprised i was not expelled, i guess i got lucky.
Professional Cunt.
SEA KarMa
Profile Joined October 2010
Australia452 Posts
September 28 2012 13:05 GMT
#11
medium to low ADHD here. Manage to 'control' it to a certain extent. Dunno if it helps, cause theoretically with ADHD you are always finding something to do, which is useful in SC2. Masters here, but probably not relevant.
"terrible, terrible damage". terrible, terrible design.
ultrakiss
Profile Blog Joined April 2012
97 Posts
September 28 2012 13:51 GMT
#12
Not to hi jack the blog, but does the op or anyone else play on their mediation if they take any or have experiences with this? I only take my meds on certain days for various reasons and I feel like when I do play sc2 on mediation my losses are way more frustrating. I also feel like I play worse, but I don't know for sure.
Smancer
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States379 Posts
September 28 2012 14:14 GMT
#13
I don't know. When young a long time a go, I was tested for ADD. I don't think they had ADHD back then. The results of the tests were, well he certainly has attention issues, but if he wants to he can pay attention. If a mirror image of me were to be tested today, surely I would be diagnosed.

The shear number of kids today diagnosed with ADHD, to me, is just plain wrong. I am not saying that the OP doesn't have a serious disease, handicap, whatever you want to call it. When I was a teacher, a lot of kids used their ADHD as crutch, and as an excuse. As a result I have grown to generally dislike for kids that have it, and tell other people they have it.

To expand, when I was teaching there were two sets of ADD kids. Those who, when you read their "file" (IEP, 504) it would list ADD, but you would never hear then say it. They would try really hard in class, but wouldn't do well because they couldn't pay attention. They would be quite, do what myself and other teachers asked with guidance. I generally felt bad for these children because it was obvious that they really had something debilitating.

Then there was a second crowd. Loud, obnoxious sort, that wouldn't do what you asked, never even tried at school work because they didn't care. These kids would constantly fall back on the line "well I have ADD so I can't".

The former group I feel for, and was rare. The second group I feel is a result of over diagnosis, and bad parenting. Resulting in kids with shitty attitudes. They couldn't try or focus in school, and they would let you know it. But yet, their focus in football, or xBox was incredible. The former group struggled with things they even wanted to try and pay attention to.

It is my belief that if you try and focus your attention on something you really love, like Starcraft and you struggle, then ADHD is really a problem for you. However, if your ADHD kicks in at school, but you have no problem playing halo, or football, or chatting with a girl, or any other task you enjoy, you don't have ADHD.

I really think as a solution, parents and doctors should never actually inform the child that they have ADHD. If it is diagnosed. The child should be told they do not have it. Even if they do. Then, teachers, guidance counselors, etc, can make adjustments accordingly, without the students knowledge. It is just discusting to see some kids constantly use their diagnosis as an excuse. They are the worst type of person.

A good way to threaten somebody is to light a stick of dynamite. Then you call the guy and hold the burning fuse up to the phone. "Hear that?" you say. "That's dynamite, baby."
meteorskunk
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
Canada546 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-09-28 15:15:50
September 28 2012 15:13 GMT
#14
I have self-diagnosed myself with "attention situation". The way i view it is that my state of focus is as intense as any others once i reach it, but its kind of glitchy. My mind tries so hard to get something to stimulate it that it is stimulated by trying to find something and therefore not focusing at the task at hand.

When I see a micro situation in a game of sc2 I know what i want to do and have no problem focusing. The problem is too much focus on something like micro. I will obsess over it too much and forget about the over all game in the process. Getting a perfect opening is much harder for me. I have 2k games of 1v1 broodwar not to mention practicing the 3 hatch muta in single player a lot and still it is hard to not mess up an early game. I would definitely call myself debilitated in some ways compared to other players. Cannabis and alcohol both make me perform better, but alcohol and looking at a constantly moving screen is not good.


ADHD unite and trade tricks!!

Edit: yeah someone will say "this is everyone's problem" but it is exaggerated for some people and we know it.
Girl Blog Credentials: Comfortable talking to some women. Tried the sex once
U_G_L_Y
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
United States516 Posts
September 28 2012 17:06 GMT
#15
I have ADD. Drugs lose their effectiveness after a couple months. TvT is so frustrating because I always get way ahead and then lose due to not doing... anything... after about 12 minute mark. I just stop being able to harass, stop looking at the minimap. It is horrible! I started playing BW in 1999 when I was 16. But I can't freaking pay attention!
iGrepair
Profile Blog Joined June 2012
34 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-09-28 21:53:51
September 28 2012 21:53 GMT
#16
Thanks for all the feedback guys, I do admit I had to type this all up in like 6 minutes which for me can be difficult with my ADHD, I dont take ADHD as an excuse. In fact I think ADHD makes you better at Starcraft. Its more difficult to do things therefore you try harder and put in more time. The final result should be good.
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