Gaming Lessons

Lessons Demystified: Breaking the Myths

Traditionally, a coach has been an individual who used his knowledge to help those under his tutorage. While the definition of the word used in MLG competition might be different, the coach has existed since the dawn of human kind.

He’s been referred to as numerous things, but the purpose has always effectively been the same: to help. To teach. To improve upon.

Whether it be helping a young member of the tribe become a better hunter, or a soccer play work on his individual skills, the coach has always sought to discover the strengths and weaknesses, and then build upon those strengths while building upon, marginalizing or even (hopefully) eliminating weaknesses.

Our instructors are no different. Like the coaches before them, going back millenia, their purpose is to help their students improve. The only difference is that, the improvement takes place not on the soccer field, or in the woods, or on the tennis court, but rather, in a game.

And for some, that’s caused a bit of an issue.

Why such concern?

Whenever a thread about lessons pops up on various forums, whether it be Halo 3 Forum, MLGPro.com, or any for that matter, the question “why?” invariably pops up. It’s like Godwin’s Law, but instead of dealing with Nazis or Hitler, it deals with lessons. At times, things get aggressive.

But why? In my opinion, it stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of what lessons are, and what role they play in a person’s individual improvement.

And, of course, there can also be a little jealousy mixed in: with some individuals, who have worked hard in their own right, thinking that those who take lessons are taking a shortcut to success in front of them. For these individuals, it’s akin to line jumping at Cedar Point.

Myth One: Lessons are Facts

The first myth that we encounter is the assumption that lessons are, well, just facts. But, as any previous student can collaborate, that’s just rubbish.

Many assume this to be true because it makes sense at first glance: if you presuppose the idea that only experience can help one get better, little facts and tidbits are naturally the only thing that you assume lessons can cover.

Let’s face it, if we were just trying to sling facts, we’d have gone out of business long ago. Especially considering the fact that we push those “facts” forward through articles, and in the next few days, videos as well.

Facts and tidbits have a presence in our lessons. Absolutely; but only insofar as they are used to further the application of those facts.

Just knowing what something does is a far cry from knowing how to use it. Let alone how to use it well. And that’s a fundamental concept in the minds of all our instructors as they go about their lessons.

Myth Two: We Market Lessons as Replacements for Experience

Over the years, some have walked away with the idea that lessons are a replacement for experience. Or that we market them as such.

But nothing can be further from the truth: lessons don’t replace experience. Rather, they augment it and focus how you go about gaining that experience. In that sense, they help you shape how you spend your time.

Here’s a simple question: would you rather spend weeks or even months trying to figure out basic, intermediate, or even advanced techniques, approaches, and thought processes, or would you rather use a lesson or two to effectively condense that and allow that same time to be spent applying those skills to a higher degree?

You could spend weeks just plucking at your guitar, trying to figure out how in the heck you get music to come out of it, or you could hire a teacher and nail it all down nice and quick, then concentrate on putting those basics to use.

Even at higher levels, this holds true. Runners don’t abandon their coaches just because they took home an Olympic gold or two. And singers don’t abandon their vocal instructors just because they’ve become a hit.

At every level, lessons have purpose. Not to replace experience, but to augment it. To refine it. To shape it. For all of us, our time is precious. And if we want to get better as gamers, we need to get the most of it.

Myth Three: Lessons are All You Need

Wait, what? Freudian slip? Hello!?!

No; not at all. You see, not all of the myths surrounding lessons are bad. Lessons are our namesake, and we feel that they’re a huge part of stepping up one’s game if you want them to be. But we also feel that they’re not the only thing.

This has led Gaming Lessons to expand its offerings and services, both paid and free, to create an overall experience conducive to improvement.

For a gamer looking to improve, multiple lessons combined with gametime are a great start. Finally, toss in a Player’s Club membership to gain access to exclusive articles, interviews, and videos.

Then, start applying all of it to your game to start stepping up. Toss in periodical Game Reviews, that bring you alongside a Gaming Lessons analysts in the theater, and you’re further refining your improvement.

Then, look into lessons, gametime, and more again. Keep applying.

One lesson can bring about great improvement to a player. But continued lessons, combined with other services and content that stems from the Gaming Lessons site, can take you to an entirely new level.

But even then, none of it matters unless you start applying it to your game. In that sense, all of our services are tools. It’s up to you to determine what tools should be used, and when. We provide the tools, but ultimately, you’re in charge of how they’re used.

Myth Four: Only Bad Kids Buy Lessons

Ah, yes. My personal favorite. It seems that, over time, some have come to believe that only bad kids should buy lessons, gametime, Player’s Club memberships, etc. Unfortunately, what these individuals fail to realize is that they’re severely limiting their own options.

As I already mentioned, lessons are a tool. The same as articles, videos, and everything else we offer. Ultimately, it’s up to an individual to determine whether or not it’s a tool that should be used. Do keep in mind that a number of top amateurs, and even pro players, took lessons at some point during their career. Look at other professional sports, and you’ll see the same. Is a musician weak because they have voice instructors on their payroll? Is a runner weak because he has a coach to work with him? Or hell, are all of the pro teams weak themselves because they have coaches?

Ultimately everything we offer shares one common trait: they’re tools to be used. Using the tools available to you doesn’t make you bad, evil, dumb, retarded, or anything else: they just make you a gamer using the tools available to you. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Granted, we’re biased, but we find the stigma towards lessons to be rather undeserved. Even a player on a top 32 team could potentially benefit from lessons.

But we, nor the community can’t say that. Only that player can. We’re here to help you determine whether lessons are worth it. And countless reviews and commentary around the community is there as well. All of this is useful.

At the end of the day, however, it can’t replace your grasp of your own goals.

In Conclusion

We have a vested interest in continued lesson sales. We’re more than willing to admit that. However, don’t let that distract you from the point of this piece: lessons are an incredibly personal thing.

It’s up to you to determine whether they’re worth it. No amount of marketese and chanting on our part can change this and what it means to you.

We’ll continue to provide information that can help you make decisions in this regard. And we’ll continue to provide the high-quality of content that we’ve already made a name for ourselves with. Hopefully, that will give you a bit of a preview of the kind of quality instruction our lessons are known for.

And, if you’re still curious, a Game Review is an inexpensive and easy way to garner a sneak peak and narrow down what your lessons could focus on with one of our experienced analysts.

Beyond all of that however, the choice is yours. We only ask that you take our responses to some of the myths circulating about lessons to heart.

Lessons aren’t just facts. In fact, that’s barely a part of them. And they’re not a replacement for experience in the Game (though they do help you focus your efforts later on, which is huge). They’re also not the only thing you need: as helpful as they might be, their benefits grow exponentially when combined with other services and our free and paid content, not to mention the rest of the community. And, finally, you’re not a bad kid because you buy a lesson.

You’re just a gamer. Using the tools available.

About the Author: Bluestrike2