Participating in a global tournament such as the WCG naturally brings with it a lot of excitement. As someone who is part of one of the many teams vying for the ultimate
prize, being just a part of the tournament and getting the chance to prove your mettle against the best out there is an experience of its own. However, when you are participating in big tournaments, your aim is not just to be out there. Instead, you want to win the tournament. And to win the tournament, you have to keep learning (even during the
tournament!)
As a professional counter strike player with years of experience, I can honestly tell you that the learning curve of game play is continuous. With each passing game and every hour of practice put in, you improve your game. Whether it is getting to learn the maps better, devising better strategies or improving your shooting game, you always learn something new. After all, if you don’t learn, your game stagnates and your chances of winning diminish significantly. However, what’s more important than analyzing your mistakes during the tournament is identifying errors of your current team and understanding your competitors’ strategies.
<pSo how do you learn?
Well, learning is a continuous process. While the major part of what you learn happens before the tournament through practice, there is always something vital to learn as the tournament progresses as well. As you motor through the tournament, what you learn has to do more with finally getting to prove yourself against the teams and adjusting to the pressure of the tournament. Playing practice matches is different and playing in the
actual tournament is different. When you are playing in a major tournament, the pressure can easily get to even the most seasoned of pros.
With hundreds of thousands of people watching you live all over the globe, nerves are bound to play a huge role. Hence, a significant portion of learning involves getting to
deal with the pressure and playing well under it. When you have played one or two matches, you are naturally going to be able to deal with the pressure better and get used to the huge number of people watching your every move. Not only that, but playing in the
tournament can also tell you how to change your strategies accordingly. As each team is different, your strategy must be different as well and this can only be done once you have played a couple of matches of the tournament.
Moreover, with the progression of the tournament, you can also analyze your mistakes and make adjustments if necessary. For example, if you think that the other team has a good sniper on it, you can make changes to your lineup and bring in a player who specializes in sniping to counter the threat. In the end, whatever the changes you make and whatever you do, it is integral that you keep learning and adjusting. For if you don’t learn, chances are that you are going to come against a team which is better prepared.