Motivation And Support

Posted by: xilef

The following article was written by Steven ‘Stune’ Embling

It’s fair to say we all get our motivation from somewhere otherwise we wouldn’t be where we are in gaming. Lazy people generally don’t get very far in life unless they are very lucky indeed. This article talks about the psychology behind different types of motivation and how being supported can help us be the best we can be in gaming.

Different types of Motivation

Love of the game – The classic, probably the reason why most of us got into playing games at this level. You have to enjoy what you do to get the most out of it. I’m one of these people who if something is boring I really can’t take any of it in, but if I find something interesting I have the ability to take everything in. Learning new skills and tactics will never be a problem for a game I’m enjoying. I would imagine the same is true for most gamers.

Beat player X – Rival players are a sure way of keeping you motivated. If a player who you feel you should be beating is beating your own scores then this is a good source of motivation to show ‘who’s boss’. It can be a bitter rival from the past or just a friend. In the original Forza Motorsport I had some really good battles with a friend called Furnace Inferno on the overall time trail scoreboard. We were really evenly matched as he was a great hotlapper but I used to beat him in most races. I was also the car club leader at the time so we swapped positions many times, constantly motivated by each other to stay in the top 10 in the world.

Time conciseness – When you only have a small amount of time to do something you can often feel that you want to make the best possible use of that time. This can be a great motivation to you do the best you can do in that particular area. Using myself as an example, I believe that because of how busy I currently am with university work, although sometimes I can feel shattered and would probably benefit from a break I know that in order for me to be ready for the draft I must make efficient use of the limited time I do have to make sure that my practice is as constructive as possible. Because that’s always in my mind when I practice my session may be a good deal more constructive than a player who has no pressures in life. Such a player wouldn’t feel pressurised to practice so rigorously at this early stage as they feel they could put in 40 hrs a week any time they want.

Be the best – As gamers we have the natural desire to be the best we can be. We like the idea of being the best our street, town, country or world even, and just the idea of being a stronger more powerful player is a sure source of motivation for many players. Players who want to better themselves may also be driven my past mistakes.

Negative motivation (reverse psychology) – When someone says you are not capable of doing something, most of the time you say that as they are scared you will. It can be an excellent source of motivation to have someone try and put you down just so you can prove them wrong.

Different types of Support

Opinionative – Sometimes just an encouraging word from girlfriends, parents, friends or colleagues are a great source of support. People naturally base their opinions of themselves and the things they do a lot from the opinions of ones they love and trust. If others take an interest in what you are doing it’s certainly a good form of support. I know my Team mate Nick ‘NT 101’ Townsend’s dad shows a great deal of interest of Nick’s progress in CGS through conversation and through checking the website frequently. A similar father figure helped encourage Lewis Hamilton into becoming such a talented and motivated F1 driver already despite being relatively new to the sport. That kind of support can be really encouraging when preparing for high pressure events regardless of what sport or event.

Active – It’s always nice when people go out of their way to do something to help you. In gaming this could be something as simple as being online to play someone at a certain time. Recently and Nick myself have been challenging other teams from around the world to 2v2 matches of Forza 2 and despite various time differences we have already had many good sessions. Of course they want to learn things from the session themselves, but the fact that they are willing to make the effort to come online and play us is great and shows we are obviously worth playing. Another example of someone actively supporting me is my girlfriend who recently took a tip up to London with me to watch play in Xleague’s PGR4 tournament final. It was nice she wanted to spend her own free time to be with me at the event.

Team based – Last year many PGR players had to get used to the idea of racing as a team of two rather than an individual. The success of the team depends largely on each player’s ability to support each other both in the race with communication and in practice sessions through exchanging vital skills. The same most likely goes for Counterskrike Source players. Obviously skill plays a huge part in the game, but teamwork and communication makes a tremendous difference to what can be achieved. CS players need to know that they can rely on their team-mates to hold a particular strategy.

Have you ever wondered what motivates you? And what support you give and receive in what you do?