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Why do I suck at video games?

C

Crayons

Banned
Despite the fact that I pour hundreds and hundreds of hours into games, I never get any better. Sure, I can beat most games fine, but as soon as I play multiplayer I realize how shit I am. This happens in countless games, Mario Strikes Charged, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Battlefield, Team Fortress 2, basically any game with multiplayer.

Why do I suck so much?
 
Maybe you don't dedicate yourself enough to a single game before giving up and making the excuse that you suck when you could improve if you spent enough time with it?
 
Probably because everyone else has been focusing on multiplayer while you've been playing the single player games. I never even attempt multiplayer modes for this reason, except for Smash.
 
Crayons said:
Despite the fact that I pour hundreds and hundreds of hours into games, I never get any better. Sure, I can beat most games fine, but as soon as I play multiplayer I realize how shit I am. This happens in countless games, Mario Strikes Charged, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Battlefield, Team Fortress 2, basically any game with multiplayer.

Why do I suck so much?
Click to expand...

Multiplayer is another world. You have to consider lag and all that stuff. Plus, players aren't the same AI, they may have their own patterns and irregularity.
 
Being good at multiplayer takes time, simple as that really. Even if you are familiar with the mechanics of a game you still have to learn how people typically behave online before you can even get a grasp on the multiplayer of a game.

I am going to say that people still playing multiplayer in the games you listed, that is probably the only game they play each day.
 
If you're just playing multiplayer you might plateau and never get over the hump. Some things you might not intuitively grasp and require study. There's also the fact that regardless of the game there will always be people better than you.
 
Do you ever go out of your way to read into how you get better at these types of games and figure out the more intricate details of them?

Learning is much easier with a guide than if you are just given something and told 'Have at it!" You also have to make sure you are learning from your mistakes and not just playing the game. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but it's easy to do this with video games.
 
Multiplayer is often a totally different experience than singleplayer. Are you spending those hundreds of hours by yourself and then hopping online and expecting to do well right away?
 
Crayons said:
Despite the fact that I pour hundreds and hundreds of hours into games, I never get any better. Sure, I can beat most games fine, but as soon as I play multiplayer I realize how shit I am. This happens in countless games, Mario Strikes Charged, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Battlefield, Team Fortress 2, basically any game with multiplayer.

Why do I suck so much?
Click to expand...

Jimmy fallon, is that you? =p

---
I really can't say
 
Like others have said, multiplayer is much different than single-player. If you want to get good in multiplayer, you have to play it more.
 
You cannot just casually play a game and expect to able to compete with most people online, especially if they are older games. Throw a new player into Counter Strike 1.6 or Brood War and it will take them months to get even remotely good

Every online community has the small but dedicated crowd that play on a daily basis, you cannot compete with them unless you are ready to devote just as much time as them.

So really its dedication and time you put into it. its not enough to play single player, you have to play online.
 
Rickenslacker said:
If you're just playing multiplayer you might plateau and never get over the hump. Some things you might not intuitively grasp and require study. There's also the fact that regardless of the game there will always be people better than you.
Click to expand...

I know that, it's just that it seems everyone is better than me. I was just playing Bad Company 2 and I got 16 deaths and 1 kill.

Rebel Leader said:
Jimmy fallon, is that you? =p
Click to expand...

Hah, no. I'm slightly better.

Roubjon said:
Learning is much easier with a guide than if you are just given something and told 'Have at it!"
Click to expand...

But that's the way I've done everything ever?
 
If you want to get good at multiplayer modes read up on them online, watch help videos and just practice. Personally I suck at multiplayer too but I don't really care.

Videogames don't have to be about how good you are but about how much enjoyment you get out of them. I get a lot from my single-player games and from playing with friends locally so it doesn't matter to me if I'm not close to be considered "good."
 
When you go up against people who've been playing the multiplayer for several hours you're bound to get your ass kicked.
 
I panic as soon as I start playing MP. I get this anxious uneasy feeling and I put sooo much pressure on myself to perform well. I usually don't.

I've all but given up with MP. Never really liked it to be honest.
 
Hard to say without seeing you playing.

But maybe you just don't pay much attention to the mechanics of the games you are playing.

Some people with experience and good instinct do good results without thinking too much about it.
But if it doesn't work with you, you could just watch tutorials, video of good gamers or (and it's the best way) having someone who play well at your game to criticize in a constructive way your way of playing.
 
malfcn said:
Multiplayer is another world. You have to consider lag and all that stuff. Plus, players aren't the same AI, they may have their own patterns and irregularity.
Click to expand...
That's a really important point. So much of multiplayer is about anticipating what other people are going to do, even when you can't see them on the screen. It's a sort of situational awareness that, in my case at least, takes time to develop.
 
Are you good at anything else? I've noticed throughout my life that some people jus suck at everything, whether is he games, school, sports, etc.

Then there are people who are great at some things they do and are terrible at others.

I consider myself to be a jack of all trades. I am average to above average at pretty much anything I invest time into, but never get to that next level of being great.
 
Crayons said:
I know that, it's just that it seems everyone is better than me. I was just playing Bad Company 2 and I got 16 deaths and 1 kill.
Click to expand...

That sounds a lot like me whenever I try to play any FPS games with other people. Even local multiplayer.

Growing up I played almost exclusively single player games, most of which significantly slower (often turn based). The more "actiony" games I played were shmups, which were more a case of memorization and good dodging than fast running and shooting. I just never really developed the same set of skills that everyone else developed.
 
If you're playing an online shooter, try and party up with some people, if they're decent it makes the game alot easier than if you were playing with randoms.
 
I'm okay at some shooter MPs but usually put up bad scores on Battlefield so maybe you just haven't found -that- MP game you can do well in?
 
Crayons said:
I know that, it's just that it seems everyone is better than me. I was just playing Bad Company 2 and I got 16 deaths and 1 kill.
Click to expand...

That's an even better example of what I was getting at before. The people still playing Bad Company 2 probably have hundreds if not thousands of hours clocked in on that game. You don't stand a chance unless you want to equally put in that amount of time.

It's just kind of the harsh reality of 95% of multiplayer games.
 
Back when I was like 15 I was damn good at shooters. Counter-Strike for example, people would call me a hacker all the time because I dominated.

When I play now people suggest I should use hacks.
 
Crayons said:
hundreds and hundreds of hours into games
Click to expand...

This right here is your problem, or more specifically, this:

Crayons said:
games
Click to expand...

It's not that you suck, believe me. It's just in most cases, after the first couple of months of a game being released, most people that are still playing it will likely be extremely dedicated to it.

The best advice I can give you is to stick to your favourite genre for online play and try and get as good as you can. Skills can be carried from one game in a genre to another. Nowadays there isn't a fighting game that I can't pick up and get to at least a moderate level of skill in.

Also, remember that winning online isn't a true measure of skill. Certain tactics will work and may be abused because they can't be stopped as easily in an environment with lag, although perhaps this mainly applies to the fighting genre above others.

Additionally, if you can't compete online, there are still other roundabout ways of competing with others indirectly. Why not take up speedrunning your favourite game or trying to get the most points in an older title you enjoy?

Ultimately it all comes down to dedication, and if you don't want to stick with just one game (as I myself usually do not), just accept you likely won't be able to compete online until you take a lot of losses and try to learn from it.
 
If your mechanical skills aren't improving by constantly playing, you need to watch other good players playing the game. Look for commentary or team chat videos so you can get some insight on to why players did what they did, their thought process. Positioning, decision making and teamwork is extremely important in multiplayer, it's not just twitch skill. Players are out-playing you because their mechanics are better and they are playing smarter.

If you can watch your own gameplay back, watch it again and analyze mistakes you made and how you could have played it differently. Always try to play with and against people that are better than you, ask for help and learn from them. Find a role or playstyle that suits you, are you aggressive and a playmaker, support player, more of a leader, or focus on objectives? Things like that can help you find your niche in a particular game.

There is a lot to learn to be good at multiplayer games, it's not just twitch skill or playing until your eyes bleed. In order to get better, you have to be productive and proactive, learning, studying, and thinking about the game right before, during and after you play it.
 
Crayons said:
Despite the fact that I pour hundreds and hundreds of hours into games, I never get any better. Sure, I can beat most games fine, but as soon as I play multiplayer I realize how shit I am. This happens in countless games, Mario Strikes Charged, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Battlefield, Team Fortress 2, basically any game with multiplayer.

Why do I suck so much?
Click to expand...

There's a difference between playing a game and understanding it. Even after you've beaten a game, you may not know everything there is about it, especially competitive/skill based games. They require mastery.

Some people can become a beast at a game within a day's practice when they carry the mentality of seeking to understand, instead of just seeking to play.

Try playing some games that put you through the paces to understand their systems. I recommend Alien Soldier or most of Treasure's library.

When you play fighting games, study your opponent, and take the time to understand why you're getting your ass kicked. Master the basics, and expand.

Also get some inspiration from other players or expert vids. Always think outside of the box.
 
Play more arcade games.

Specifically - play one arcade game that you really like. See how long it takes to set your own personal baseline score and how often you can surpass it. Be willing to change routines that you establish as you experiment with the game's system to get better results. Every time you start the game, get into the mentality that you can, will, and should always play the game better today than you ever have before. Do this until you have obtained a 1CC or have surpassed your original baseline scores by ten fold.

Now, apply this mentality and focus you have obtained to your MP sessions, and be mindful that your opponents in a given game may have several years of experience beyond yours. If you are defeated soundly, rejoice in your opportunity for improvement.
 
Maybe because you're so accustomed to outsmarting AI in SP games you're thrown off by the unpredictability of actual humans in MP games? I have a weird knack for most FPS games where I can play them for the first time and usually put up positive K/D scores. I never get "pro" good at anything, though. I think since I dedicated a good part of my teen life to Halo 1-2 I developed good instincts that help me predict what people will try to do/how they'll try to maneuver in FPS games or something.
 
Actively lose. Pay attention to what the other player is doing when he's winning. Try new things.

Mario Strikes Charged
-> Try new team composition
-> Learn new ways to use each character's 'deke' (Hop over the goalie with toad, keep practicing that!)
-> If you're primarily shooting, try passing more
-> etc.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl,
-> Try new characters
-> Find one you're most comfortable with in terms of movement, attacks, etc.
-> Play against real people a lot (Fighting AI will not make you better!! Unless you're just using them to learn the game/get a better feel for your character)
-> Try to understand what advantages and disadvantages other characters have against your chosen characters
-> etc.
Battlefield,
-> I dunno. Grab a helicopter and ram it into people that game is crazy
Team Fortress 2,
-> Again, try different classes; try to find the one you like the most
-> Watch what the other team does
-> Stick with your team (unless your a spy or something)
-> Move around a lot, don't get hit!
-> Play a lot, others have been playing for a looooong while
-> Learn the maps
-> You're going to die a lot, that's just natural
-> etc.
 
You lack one or more of the following:

- ability
- knowledge
- motivation

Although I'm not quite sure how you can't figure at least that much out on your own.
 
Because you play more than one game. If you want to get good at something you pretty much just have to stick to that alone. You might have played every FPS ever made but that kid who does nothing but play halo all day will always be better at that game than you.

I know this is my problem because there's always something coming out that I want to play, so I rarely have time to become super-awesome at any one specific game. But occasionally I do get really good at something (in the past year MWO, planetside 2), so I know that I'm not just getting old or slow.
 
Honestly, to get decent at multiplayer in most games it just takes time and practice. Its hard to keep going when you are doing badly though. Watch what other players do as well, and you can gain a lot from that.

I used to be absolutely hideous at FPS multiplayer (COD mainly). I then watched my roommate, who was very good at it, play for a while, and it's amazing the little things you pick up. It then helps in loads of other games too.

But to be amazing you need to dedicate all of your time to one game and concentrate on it.
 
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