Mental Strategies

Part #2 of the Mental Strategies Section

Title: Now I'm In The Game.. How Do I prepare for the goal ahead?

Your in a game ready to go shoot some people in a game of Quake.. or your ready to try to out strategize someone in Starcraft? How do you prepare for this? That's what this part is all about:

    You take a deep breath as the Computer screen pops up and you have joined a Chat Screen of somesort. You say "Hi", and everyone greets each other and the game begins.. What do you do now? Well let's begin it this way Do not panic about the game beginning, it's a game there's nothing to be nervous about. If it's the National Championship of College Basketball well.. you get the right to Panic because it's the biggest game of a student's life. However when we talk about a game there is no purpose to panic just think about the thing that you are going to do to try to win a game. Talk to yourself to calm yourself down, and maybe even write down what you want to do in the game on a sheet of paper. I usually experience Panic when I go into a ladder game and the Chat Screen Loads up, I get nervous and I just think about things that I need to do to try to win the game of Starcraft. Then when someone joins in the game I get even more nervous. TRUST ME! It happens to everyone. I get worried about things at School even, when it's my turn to do something on a team of somesort, will I do it right and be considered wanted? Or If I missed the Question or do something wrong: Will they all hate me?? Trust me.. it goes through everyone's mind at some point in life.. It happens to me an ordinary 13 year old kid. When the game begins don't get nervous try to get included in the game, and have fun with it. That's what I try to do, but when there's some sort of Competition involved in a game, It's REAL hard! I always have liked College Football so I do a lot of comparisons with it. How would you feel if the score was 38-36, and you were the Field Goal Kicker for Pioneer High School(an Ann Arbor High School Go Pioneer!), and you had a chance to kick that winning Field Goal to win the NATIONAL Championship! Trust me you would be VERY VERY Nervous. Then your time has come, the ball is snapped, the ball is placed on the ground and it's all up to you to kick it through the uprights.... Starcraft is so Similar to that situation except it is in a small magnitude. Just think confidently and you'll do just fine. Even if you lose a game, you've accomplished something. If you're working with a friend keep talking with each other as much as you can, because from what I have noticed Talking helps ease someone and makes it easier to have fun. Trust Me Ian, Andrew, Brian just to name a couple of my friends really help me do that! They are true friends because they can accept someone willing to speak to them to reduce nervousness. THANKS A TON FOR THAT!! Through Starcraft, I try to communicate with everyone as much as I can because It is a way to ease me and it probably eases the other people so you can get down to business. Usually I try to make a joke or two when I'm about ready to do a presentation and it really helps. Starcraft and games in general can be compared to a Presentation as well, because you are making a case to another actual Human Being about what you are doing in the game of Starcraft or anything and be teaching them new strategies that they can use in the future. Or other people would just leave when they lose which is the WRONG thing to do when playing a game of anything.
Here's some quick tips for how to Keep yourself ready to get the goal that you want:

• NEVER PANIC: Never Panic when you are about ready to start a game, and do something. My First game of the Starcraft Beta was a game that I was worried about a quite a bit, because I had no idea how I was going to do, but everything turned out to be very good(even though I lost that game). Also, if you don't panic you'll enjoy the game so much more than if you didn't. There are a few things you can do NOT to panic:
  #1: Take Several Deep Breaths: It's the Doctors cure for nervousness
  #2: Think positively: Repeat this Phrase to yourself over and over "I'm gonna win", "I'm gonna win", "I'm gonna have fun", "i'm gonna have fun"
  #3: Doing a Presentation Tip: Practice the Presentation in your head, and think that you are going to do REALLY well. It's the same type of thing as above, and it will work in games too.
• Have A Ton of Fun: Enjoy the game, Enjoy The Atmosphere. Do not let things get to you really easily when you are playing a game. The game you bought is for entertainment, not an additional Source of Stress : )
• Teaching Others Is the best thing you can do: Someone has a question before a game about a unit, or something like that. TELL THEM the answer to the question. If you don't, you could be turning a 3 hour game learning 50 strategies, into a 2 minute rush. Which would be more fun? Well, how bout this comparison.. If you wait an hour you get 10 pieces of Apple Pie(My favorite!), or you can have 1 piece NOW. Which would you take? if you hate apple pie probably the 1 piece, but if your like me I'd want the 10 pieces. So it takes some patience.. In other words you'd enjoyed the 3 hour game more
• Don't think of it as a competition: Think of it as something that you wanted to do, because it's fun and it's cool! If you think of it as a competition your urge will be beat the other person with all your might(or in any means possible).
  
  In Conclusion, Think of playing a Game as Fun instead of trying to win the game in as little time as you want. You want a full gaming experience? Then you need to play EVERY Type of game in one. 3 hour games, 2 minute rush games.. yadda yadda yadda. Enjoy games, and ENJOY life. It's the best way to do things!
  
  -SpaceDominator