Playing-skill decay in games. - Games

One thing I noticed when playing games, generally shooters: If im new to the game, ill catch onto the mechanics and and learn things about the game. Then as the days go by ill start topping scoreboards. This will continue for weeks, easily. I'll be at the top of my game doing killstreaks and performing some cool feats. However, as I start playing more and more, and I get used to things, i'll become worse. Gradually, ill make more mistakes, do terrible in matches, and generally enjoy the game less and less. Then it comes to the point where im completely burnt out, and ill play horrendously. Take Call of Duty 4 for example. Within days of playing, I had a perfect loadout and would play nonstop daily. I would perform amazingly. Then as the weeks rolled by, I would start decaying. My points would drop, my KDR in Free for All would drop, and my team play would suck. Then I would perform worse than I have ever done before. Does this happen to you guys?

Happened all the time with Mario Kart for me. Stop playing for awhile and you might find that you are better when you come back.

yeah, I think you've made yourself too comfortable with it. Should take a break or radically change your playstyle for a bit, so you're actually thinking as opposed to playing from habit.

Perhaps the other players are getting better?

When I first started playing World in Conflict I was always the best amour player on the server and kinda won my matches thanks to my micro. I've long since lost that ability.

I feel like I'm constantly battling this. Sometimes I have the potential to be really good sometimes, yet most of the time I just do moderately good to terrible.

When i first played MW2, I was tterrible, then average, then good, then great, then average. Try making a radical play-style change, or take a break and play another game for a while.

Well I think sometimes it seems that way because once you get good, you notice your mistakes more and they become more frustrating.

I personally dont give a shit over my playing skill, as long as I'm having fun.

Happened to me in Halo 3 when I first got my 360. It was still fun as hell, though. Even though I couldn't play multiplayer for shit custom games with friends were always fun.

Grief in every game and make fun of everyone no matter if you win or not.

It happens to everyone, just like in sports some players can be amazing during one stretch of time but then improvements among other players and just time can make their skill less pronounced. Or like in proscene BW where some players are literally unbeatable and then a few years down the line their skill level becomes the average among all players and they aren't guaranteed win like they were before

It's called battle fatigue. Happens when you play any type of game for prolonged periods of time. It doesn't help that you developed one particular strategy that works well over and over. I used to have this sort of feeling, but then began challenging myself to adapt radically different styles of play. For example: I consider myself to be an above average mid range/defensive player in shooters. I've changed this by intentionally being more aggressive, or passive, and watching other players while in the game. I also choose to use more niche weapons rather than the more obvious mid, short, and long range staples. Works well for a while. Jumping genre helps as well.

Actually, as days go by, I always get better at games. Back in the day when I was a kid, I couldn't beat my dad for shit in CTR. Now I can do a cup on hard with him and he'd always get 2nd place. Or in CoD4, I sucked for two years when I played the game, but afterwards I got a lot better. Hell, even after abandoning it for two years and playing it at a friends house a couple weeks ago prooves that my shooting skills definetly didn't stagnate.

On a bizarre note, when I was in middle school, I always found I did better in Halo 2 after I played runescape.

[QUOTE=DinoJesus;28442682]I personally dont give a shit over my playing skill, as long as I'm having fun.[/QUOTE] I don't give much of a shit neither, but let me tell you, I have a lot more fun when I'm topping the scoreboard and beating the enemies' asses.

I rapidly get worse at a game the longer I don't play. Only takes 2 days of not playing to be back at square one. :(

Actually, you don't suck. It's just a feature in matchmaking, they pair you up with different players depending on your skill level. If you are winning frequently, then they place you with players that are winning frequently, if you've lost frequently, then it will team you up with good players and it will make you play against people who lose frequently too. I know that MW2 does this.

I'm this way in DoD:S. It got to the point where I would play days on end and dominate, but eventually my skill level started to wane. If I play now I'll start doing fine again until I reach my peak.

I'm like this with Black Ops, except it's the game that is shit because i can do just fine in any other shooter. (Crysis 2 MP Demo (Newer one) Bad Company 2, Modern Warfare 1 and 2 and others)

[QUOTE=CaMpEr_GuRL;28445963]I'm like this with Black Ops, except it's the game that is shit because i can do just fine in any other shooter. (Crysis 2 MP Demo (Newer one) Bad Company 2, Modern Warfare 1 and 2 and others)[/QUOTE] Well that doesn't make any sense

[QUOTE=CaMpEr_GuRL;28445963]I'm like this with Black Ops, except it's the game that is shit because i can do just fine in any other shooter. (Crysis 2 MP Demo (Newer one) Bad Company 2, Modern Warfare 1 and 2 and others)[/QUOTE] spas-12 + silencer = 4.0 k/d :eng101:

[QUOTE=Ender_Wiggin;28446242]spas-12 + silencer = 4.0 k/d :eng101:[/QUOTE] I like the Stakeout. I paint it red. More dakka.

[QUOTE=Framperton;28446253]I like the Stakeout. I paint it red. More dakka.[/QUOTE] warhammer 40k reference? anyway, I did use the stakeout for a while until I unlocked the SPAS. I might go back to it, since im getting bored with the SPAS.

With black ops I felt I was doing alright for a while, then my friend who plays PS3 was telling me that there were a ridiculous amount of noobs on, as if it were christmas, I went on xbox and it was the same, I was topping scoreboards, after a while it died down, now I do alright.

This happens in Tf2 for me. I play TOTALLY FUCKING KICKASS AWESOME ...for the first map or round or so. Then after that I start slowly sliding down the player-list until I'm near the bottom, and I just can't figure out why.

[QUOTE=Ender_Wiggin;28446397]warhammer 40k reference? [/QUOTE] Most definitely.

[QUOTE=Chickens!;28442575]Perhaps the other players are getting better?[/QUOTE] This happened with TF2 and spy. Big time. Game first came out and spies were top dog because no one was really all that use to a game where your teammate was a potential enemy. Now everyone is too paranoid for spies to survive on disguises alone.