A Gambler's Mentality: Just what the Gamer Needs
Gamblers don’t gamble. They observe the finest detail. They analyze the most minute of moments. Then, they act. They act on rationality. Halo 3 might not be boiled down to mathematical certainty (yet), but that doesn’t preclude you from applying the same approach to the game.
Competitive video games such as Halo 3 allow for a tremendous amount of in-game thinking. Like any other sport or hobby that takes certain amounts of precision, high levels of thought are not requirements; however, using your brain as much as possible will give you a definite advantage over much of your competition.
The fundamentals of in-game thought are commonly established: timing power weapons and power-ups, calling out the location of the enemy and how weak he is, using teamwork to conduct organized pushes and setups, and setting up multi-pronged attacks to flush the enemy out of hard to break setups. After brainstorming this list of things that gamers generally think about during games, it has come to my attention that much of the thought process tends to focus on the team as opposed to the individual. Perhaps I am a bit selfish, but I personally tend to also think of Halo 3 as analogous to gambling, and this gambling mentality has allowed me—on the individual level—to make calculated decisions leading to more kills, less deaths, and better team results.
How to play like a gambler?
In the present day English language, labeling someone as a gambler would…
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About the Author: ctrl_alt_omni
With BA’s in Political Science and History, and a bright career ahead of himself after law school, Phil doesn’t exactly fit the gamer stereotype. Far from it—in addition to gaming, he enjoys basketball, endurance running, and classical literature. But the truly interesting thing about Phil is how he draws upon these passions to combine them with his deep knowledge of gaming strategy and skill to look at the game itself in a way few do—opting to pursue a more holistic path, believing that in-game practice far from enough.
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Man, I had fun reading this one (and working on the art direction, but that’s just the design geek in me). Cheers!
Very interesting read. Enjoyed it greatly.
This is a great article. Very easy to read, and very insiteful. I think that like you said, if every player watches a film and stops every 15 seconds and analyze, then they will gain a better understanding about why they made the choice they did and make better choices in the future.
This does a good job of defining what my instinctive method of play is like. Then again, I am a pretty analytical person. Also, agree with kaybesee about 15sec.
Great article as usual. It’s good when you “gamble” yourself and it pays off.
I have applied this method and it not necessarily worked yet. but it definetely opened my eyes on a lot of things i was doing wrong and now im about to reset.