Hello TL,

I recently came across that question,discussed alot with friends and concluded that mass gaming is a good way to improve yourself fast and effectively.
Do you mass game?
What do you think about mass gaming when u are kinda tilting?
Is it good to masspractice or like some pro's choose who to play and who to not ( customs )?
Do you think that is the best thing you can do to improve?

AcesAnoka

Belgium262 Posts

August 01 2011 23:36 GMT

If you want to get good fast, mass games. if you want to get even better practise only against people better than you.

Denzil

United Kingdom4193 Posts

August 02 2011 00:14 GMT

It's quite interesting, the idea of quality v quantity. By doing quantity you get game sense and trends on ladder. By doing quality you get refinement of builds and specialized responses and builds. I guess it depends on where you're at in your "quest" to become a gamer.

If you're bronze - low / mid masters I'd guess mass game as that acquired game sense is what's going to tell you if you're getting cheesed or when a push is coming or when the best time to expand is.
If you're pushing high masters / GM I'd guess you want to scrape those extra 5 - 10 minerals in the early game and then have your upgrades on time and push when you want to push so refinement is what is needed.

Striker.superfreunde

Germany1120 Posts

August 02 2011 00:36 GMT

'tuff call.
blacken out 'en mass or deliver high qualitity by considering twice after some games.
I prefer the second one.
cheers.

BushidoSnipr

United States910 Posts

August 02 2011 00:38 GMT

Sometimes im in the mood for it, sometimes its boring as hell. It's only boring when you do the same build and every game is a macro game. Although it helps A TON

MrCon

France29748 Posts

August 02 2011 00:38 GMT

Massgames is important as a first step. In fact you should massgame, then practice "quality" (specific things), then massgames using what you learned and so on.
Mass games let you acquire reflexes and rapid thought process, train your fingers, and train your general gameplay.

lunchforthesky

United Kingdom967 Posts

August 02 2011 00:49 GMT

On August 02 2011 09:14 Denzil wrote:
It's quite interesting, the idea of quality v quantity. By doing quantity you get game sense and trends on ladder. By doing quality you get refinement of builds and specialized responses and builds. I guess it depends on where you're at in your "quest" to become a gamer.

If you're bronze - low / mid masters I'd guess mass game as that acquired game sense is what's going to tell you if you're getting cheesed or when a push is coming or when the best time to expand is.
If you're pushing high masters / GM I'd guess you want to scrape those extra 5 - 10 minerals in the early game and then have your upgrades on time and push when you want to push so refinement is what is needed.

I think that in Bronze/low silver you would benefit more from watching dailys/a few specific vods BEFORE you mass games. Mass gaming is great but not if you don't even know builds/basic strategy.

Philosophy

186 Posts

August 02 2011 00:51 GMT

Koreans prove quite well that there is no real alternative to mass gaming.

Kiangani

United States122 Posts

August 02 2011 00:53 GMT

I'm not sure what classifies as "mass gaming", but I just play for fun, either that means 2 or 3 games every now and then or twenty+ game long binges, and am improving at a halfway decent pace.

ronpaul012

United States769 Posts

August 02 2011 00:53 GMT

#10

It totally depends on the level of skill you have. The lowest level of players need to get quality not quantity. Then the mid level (gold-plat/diamond) should focus more on quantity and working out the chinks in their armor. Then the top level (diamond-masters) should probably focus more on quality.

More than anything though it just depends on how you are as a gamer. If you learn by doing, mass games, but if you learn by watching/listening, then streams and replays are the best.

Malpractice.248

United States734 Posts

August 02 2011 00:53 GMT

#11

On August 02 2011 09:51 Philosophy wrote:
Koreans prove quite well that there is no real alternative to mass gaming.

Their "mass gaming" Includes quality due to high lvl of players, and normally repetitively playing the same teammates over and over etc. (when not laddering)

Striker.superfreunde

Germany1120 Posts

August 02 2011 00:56 GMT

#12

@lunchforthesky
I wouldn't maintain that koreans are mass gaming. I guess they practise well thought-out and with a lot of discipline.
Probably there consists a huge different between casual mass gaming and korean mass gaming

Arcanewinds

United Kingdom197 Posts

August 02 2011 00:57 GMT

#13

I often mass game, playing 30+ games a day. I tend to tilt a lot however, and you don't feel like you're improving that much, but you do I'm sure.

Percutio

United States1672 Posts

August 02 2011 01:01 GMT

#14

You need to mass games if you really want to improve. This is because there aren't any SC2 players that can say their mechanics are solid enough not to.

That said, low level players need to take a few breaks every once in a while to learn what they need to be improving specifically (IE smashing games out can hurt if you start practicing the wrong things). Still, as long as you are at least improving mechanically it helps.

The more solid someone's mechanics get the less they need to mass games and the more they can work on quality/strategy and the other aspects of game play that help someone improve.

kardinal

Sweden154 Posts

August 02 2011 01:02 GMT

#15

The question is irrelevant. It's not an either or when it comes to improving.

You need to mass game quality games to improve at all. Just dicking around playing either ladder or friends over and over without thought to why you win or lose won't let you improve fast at all.

Likewise the opposite, super analyzing every aspect of one single game you play every few days won't let you improve fast at all either.

You need both.

rizla123

Ireland28 Posts

August 02 2011 01:06 GMT

#16

i think massing ladder games is the way to go it refines your game sense and mechanics but i do customs every now and then if im having trouble with certain matchups but generally i just play ladder games i play between 10-15 games per day if i have the time.i dont learn anything from watching streams or replays so i just mass games to learn a new build

Aegeis

United States1619 Posts

August 02 2011 01:11 GMT

#17

I would say mass gaming for specific strategies like if you were to ask your practice partner to 2 rax scv bunker rush you it could be very effective but just ladder I would say it gets really pointless after 2-3 hours.

CameronJ

United States57 Posts

August 02 2011 01:13 GMT

#18

If you're IdrA? Quality definitely. He has his mechanics down, he just needs to 'refine' or 'polish' himself.

If you're just starting out? Mass games

Whitewing

United States7483 Posts

August 02 2011 01:14 GMT

#19

If you're talking about 6-8 hours a day when you say mass gaming, then yeah, that's the best way to get to a semi-pro/pro level to get yourself started.

Etarberec

9 Posts

August 02 2011 01:16 GMT

#20

Mass gaming = possible loss streak imminent.
Simply watching 4GateRobo builds on Day9 and Husky actually allowed me to replicate the build accordingly, with various room for timing windows on the 2nd-4th Gateways accordingly dependent on my opponent's base when scouted.
I also had to watch Mothership Rush a few times before I dared mimic LiquidHuK's sheer genious, and of course experiment with it.
Never got to watch Zarchon build, though. I did practice it for the 1v2 Outmatched Hard Achievement.