How to be a better multiplayer gamer

Being a gamer all of my life, I've inevitably ended up grinding away at multiplayer games trying to better my self, climb leader boards and get that dopamine hit from dominating a multiplayer lobby. To my surprise, most of the time I performed badly wasn't due to a lack of mechanics or ability, but rather a lack of 'Mental' or a learnable skill such as game sense, tactics or set up. With that in mind, here are my 10 tips on how to be a better multiplayer gamer.

1. No-one is better than you, they just have a larger time investment.

If you only read one tip, close the article and go about your day this one is the most important. The majority of players will never reach their skill ceiling in a given game simply because they don't play enough. When an opponent (or team) is constantly wrecking you, it's usually because they were further along their journey to their peak skill level.

This isn't just game specific though, so many things in gaming are learnt through constant repetition regardless of the title you play. 'Jiggle peeking' or 'Shoulder peeking' (Exposing only your shoulder to a rival player from behind cover in an attempt to get them to shoot and reveal information on their position) is a universal concept that extends into every First Person Shooter (FPS). If you can learn the concept in one game, you can apply it to every game.

Getting better at gaming is heavily correlated with just playing more. Getting better at a particular title is a matter of specialisation but more on that in tip #4.

2. Don't Tilt

For some of the older readers, you may be thinking back to your pinball days, testing the limits of how far you could rock a table before having to forfeit your ball. Tilt in video games though refers to when players get so annoyed they lose focus and notably get worse at a game.

Avoiding tilt is easier said than done, especially with the increased levels of connectivity between players on opposing sides in games and the torment you can suffer as a result. (see below)

However, it's important to understand what causes the tilt and how to mitigate it. For me personally, getting tilted is very rarely contained within the game it's self; mundane and rather basic human necessities like being hungry, thirsty, tired or just in a bad mood are way more likely to contribute to a rage quit then the actual shotgun to the face that finally caused me to alt +f4 out.

If it is an external factor, go and solve that first. Not only will time away from the game allow you to reset your mental, but often fixing the underlying problem will make you perform more optimally. If it is just the game causing all your distress, you're probably so invested that a simple break to do anything else will get you through your tilt and playing again in no time.

3. Most things are a skill issue

"What's a skill issue?" Well it's a somewhat condescending way of telling someone to "Git Gud." Having said that... most things are a skill issue... if you were better at the game you wouldn't have the problem you currently have. More importantly though, it's about recognising your own short comings and how you can work on those. Taking accountability for your self improvement and recognising your flaws will go a long way to upgrading your skill level.

For the longest time I was annoyed at Battle Royale games because of the seemingly unfair nature of 3rd parties. For those unfamiliar, 3rd partying a fight is the art (yes art!) of turning up to a fight between two other teams just as one team has prevailed. This allows you to saunter in and clean up an easy fight against a weakened opponent.

But... this is a skill issue! If I was finishing my fights faster, looting faster and had the game sense to recognise the probability of getting 3rd partied more often, I'd be able to drastically reduce my chances of falling victim to this tactic. Now if I can't finish a fight quickly, i'll disengage and wait for the inevitable 3rd party to turn up to fight my original opponents to which I'll 3rd party their fight. It's a vicious cycle...

Everything can be learnt by anybody, you just have to critically think about what you are worst at and how you can have a greater chance at success through your own agency. I.E

"Git Gud."

4. Specialise to get good

This is applicable to all games but is best demonstrated by fighting games.

Typically, good players of a fighting game will have a "Main", the character they are best at and a "Secondary" a character that covers the shortcomings of their main. Players do this as intricately learning two characters will be more beneficial at a high level of play than learning all characters to a mediocre level. Understanding all of a games mechanics or concepts on a foundational level is imperative, but specialisation is what gets you a cut above the competition.

In Tactical FPS games we have dedicated roles for each member of a team. IGL (in-game leaders) look at the meta (not to be confused with META) game and make decisions based on their analysis. Entry fraggers create space for your team and take the first engagements. Anchors hold down defensive sites and stop enemy advances. Each of these play a unique and valuable role that must be filled. No-one would prefer a Jack of all trades, master of none to entry frag instead of a mechanically gifted fragger who exclusively entry frags.

The better you get at games, the more people will specialise and learn their craft intricately. If you can't maximise your value within a role or with a character, then sadly you aren't the right fit or you don't know enough yet. Go away, specialise and come back ready to flex your knowledge and skills in your dedicated role.

5. Good comms (communications) are free

Now this won't get you through your 1 vs 1 on Street Fighter and is only really applicable to team games, but none the less. Good communication with your team mates is free and always valuable even if you aren't getting good comms back.

When giving comms you essentially share information with your team and ensure that everyone understands what is happening in game even if they themselves can't see or hear it. When pinned down by a sniper and behind cover, it's easy to call out a sniper's position, even if no-one confirms they heard your call, someone will out of blind self interest attempt to kill that player and as a result, you're going to be able to escape the situation. Did they give you comms back? No, but they received information they didn't have and were able to act on it. Check out some professional comms from a professional Valorant Team.

Is this going to help in your silver lobby with a bunch of random team mates... Well yes, a lot actually but it will become mandatory to give good comms when you progress past being an average player. Every opposition player will give good, concise comms about your movements to their team who will act on it, if you aren't doing the same for your team mates you're innately at a disadvantage.

Speaking in games to your team is free and is one of the easiest skills to learn with the largest pay off. Even a mechanically rubbish player can provide professional level comms and reap the benefits that come with it. Just don't tilt and give comms at the same time.

6. Game sense > mechanical skill

Everyone wants to be that player who has god/goddess like aim, moves with the fluidity of water and can turn encounters on their head with their raw ability. 99% of us will never be like that. Game sense is more important than mechanical skill as having good game sense will increasingly put you in more favorable situations that you're more likely to win. In other words, what use is amazing aim if you keep getting shot in the back?

Game sense is the knowledge in a Battle Royale that high ground is better than low ground, in a fighting game that someone who is constantly blocking is waiting for a whiff punish, in a racing game that the inside line isn't always the fastest or in a tactical FPS that rotation times vary with map, character and starting position.

Game sense is the macro play that puts you in favourable positions. Mechanical skill is the ability to execute your game plan on a micro level. Make sure you are always putting yourself in favourable positions and over time the odds will be in your favour.

7. Research the META

Researching the META (Most Effective Tactic Available) is imperative to getting good at any game. Watch Youtube, read articles, study statistics and take in what the community sentiment is towards your game. The META dictates the most common tactics / characters / guns etc that you are going to come across in your game. If you don't have a way to deal with the META then you're going to fall victim to the majority of the player base who are utilising it.

In fighting games, a META character will be the character picked the most by the community. Learning the match up (i.e how to exploit a characters weakness) will be beneficial to defeating this character overall. Should you choose to embrace the META, and use this character yourself, having studied what makes their character weak will let you recognise where you need to keep your guard up.

For FPS and other games, the META might just be the most effective way to go about playing the game. METAs form around guns in Call of Duty (CoD) simply because they are the easiest guns to learn/use with the largest pay off. By not using this particular set up, you may just be hindering yourself and making the game harder to play. There is something commendable about being a low tier god/goddess but unless you prefer the hard road, just play the META.

8. Bridge/fill the gaps

Now I know I've spoken about specialisation in #4 but this is the exception to the rule.

It's better to play a role badly then have it go unfulfilled at all.

If you're playing CoD and you have no flank watch you will constantly be getting shot in back. Even if you're not an anchor, and it's not your specialised role, by shifting over to watch the flank even temporarily, you will stop the opposition flanker getting free value. In turn, by not having your team mates getting shot, they'll be able to generate more value.

It's like being the captain of a ship with a hole in the hull. Yes you can stand up top trying to steer, but if you get below deck and patch the hole you'll have a greater chance of not sinking.

My favourite (and generally most annoying) example of this is in Rocket League. If you are playing doubles and your opponent is mindlessly ball chasing without result, don't go and show them how to ball chase better. Sit back and wait for the ball to spill out. This way, you are prepared to hit the other team on the counter.

It's a bit like #6. Ensure you are in the right place to maximise your teams' odds of winning.

9. Extend your winning streaks / cut your losses

This one is so simple I don't even know if it needs it's own tip! When you are playing well, ranking up and generally feeling yourself, continue playing for as long as you can! When everything is clicking you'll be able to make great progress and alleviate yourself from the plateau in your skill level.

The inverse is however also true, give yourself a hard limit on how many losses in a row you are going to take before cutting your losses short. When playing Rocket League, I give myself 3 losses from the rank I started at or 3 in a row, what ever comes first. This way i'm mitigating my downside potential and the chances of getting into a slump. In stock markets they say "you go up the stairs and down in the elevator" meaning progression is slow, regression is fast.

It's all about playing to maximise your potential. If you are smashing lobbies left and right, keep going. You may not get the stars to align like this for a while. It is more important to limit your losses as this is often going to be more influential on keeping you from plummeting into Elo hell.

10. Touch Grass

Ahh the classic insult used to suggest that someone does nothing but sit playing video games all day. They do (sadly) have a point though. You can't internalise mistakes, learnings and progress if you are constantly doing the task at hand. Sometimes you just need to distance yourself away from the activity to give it time to sink in.

Although the heading suggests going outside, taking any amount of break away from your favourite game will allow you to come back recharged and with a fresh perspective. I find that making a cup of tea between rounds of a game can help but often going outside to do exercise is the best. Having your focus completely removed from the game, giving your muscles and body a workout and coming back ready to smash it will inevitably help.

#1 noted that a large time investment is necessary, but it doesn't all have to be in one go. Take breaks, recover and come back ready to smash it.

What other tips/tricks have your amassed throughout your years of playing Video Games? Let me know through a DM at Jay Murphy (MA) or by leaving a comment below!