Who Says Gameplay Says Attitude

> Disclaimer: > > This thread will not be giving you tips on how to improve your mechanics. By writing this, I am targeting those who are already confident enough in their mechanics but still can't reach their desired tier. Improving your mechanics will not get you to that master tier alone. You will need to be open-minded by welcoming introspection in your life. There will be no TL;DR. If you're serious about it, I'm sure you won't mind. :-)

Good morning/evening everybody!

I am Bunny Pompom (in game username) and I have been playing League of Legends since season 1, taking monthly breaks from time to time due to personal reasons including rage quitting. I have focused most of my attention on personal developement, throughout my life, and I find that it has had a huge impact on my daily life and particularily, on my gameplay. Understanding your own personal developement and working on it is your number 1 key to reaching great results in life and consequently in League of Legends. As you know, LoL is not only a game but a discipline. Like any other sport, it requires self management in different spheres. To improve your performances, you need to understand how to control your emotions and therefore how to improve your concentration.

A lot of people are impatient to get better, but getting better doesn't just happen over night (well... it can, if you have the right mindset!). What I'm trying to say is that realistically, improving takes time. Some people get better faster than others, that is true, but why focus on other people when you clearly know that your goal is first and foremost to improve yourself? Usually, people who are overly impatient have not yet realised or accepted that some things in life are simply out of their control and it_ frustrates_ them. If you think you can control everything, you need to let go of this belief. You may feel attacked by what I am telling you right now, but know that it is not my intention. My intention is to help you. I will be teaching you how to differenciate what you can control from what you can't and from there, you will be able to work on the things that you can influence, such as your concentration, which is fundamental, since LoL is a live action game that requires you to take quick decisions.

> Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.

This is extremely important to comprehend, because the quality of the process will determine the quality of the results you seek. The way you do things have more impact than the time you put into it.

For example, you've probably been in a situation where you had to study for an exam. How many people have put endless hours in reading their notes only to realise that they can't remember anything? People who succeed are those who pay attention to the_ process_. If you know that reading over and over is not helping you, find new and personalised techniques that will help you memorize more easily.

So far, I have mentioned the process and the result a lot. However, you need to understand that improving is an endless process that can be measured through observation = results. The results you see are always relative to the previous ones, meaning sometimes, you will have to face the sad reality of getting the same results over and over or even getting worst results. Your reaction towards it will define the way you play. It is easy to get angry, frustrated or to even abandon. What will happen if you follow this path? There will be less or no improvement at all, since all of your attention will be focused on thinking negatively which will bring you to blame external factors such as your teammates. Your teammates do not need that, but most importantly, you do not want that. What you want is to improve, to focus on the right things, on what could help you get better. Ultimately, only YOU have an impact on YOU. Isn't it just so logical?

To be honest, I find that it is easier to play the game if you pretend that your teammates are bots. Not punching bags, bots. They are there to win, they would do anything to win, and sometimes "anything" is not the right thing to do, but there is only so much you can control, so you keep playing the game anyhow by choosing whether to help them or whether to go on your own. But since real people are not bots, you can actually communicate with them. A good communication leads to a better team decision making.

First step: you want to express your desired decisions, through the chat and through pings, in a way that will not be offensive to anyone. Try to keep a neutral tone and do not get affected if someone demonstrates anger/impatience, because you can't expect everyone to 100% agree with everything you say at all times. By now, you understand that it is useless to focus on negativity, so find ways to avoid it, by muting toxic players, for instance.

The second step to a good communication is to listen. Listen to what the others have to say about your decisions: take their pings into account, read the chat to extract as much information as possible concerning the game and its strategy.

Third step: after gathering enough information, evaluate the risks associated to each option. After reaching your own conclusions, express your choice as clearly and concisely as possible.

Your last step will be to take action. Beware, sometimes your judgement will be relatively poor without you even knowing and your ego will make you die for no reason or even lose the game. You will learn through your own experience and through others' when to attend your teammates and when to trust them enough that you can be on your own, as you will start noticing a pattern in your relationship with the game itself.

For instance:

> > After playing 100 games in bronze V, you realise that 99% of the time, backdooring leads you to victory. > > You have now backdoored your way up to bronze I and are now in your first promotion game. > > You win your first game using the same technique as before : backdooring. > > However, the enemy team has caught up on your little trick and decides to use it against you. > > You lose 3 games in a row. > > You are back at square 1. > > You repeat the first steps over and over until... > > You notice that backdooring is easy when you don't have to worry about your own defense. > > You now have to defend your base more carefully. > > You can't backdoor as much as before, you need to pick a time. > > You decide to create a distraction, breaking a team fight. > > While everyone is busy fighting, you backdoor their base, bringing you to victory.

What has changed? What have you learned? How can you adapt? How can you outsmart? These are the questions you should be asking yourself after every game. Evidently, once you get used to questioning yourself and once you get deeper into the strategy of the game, you will be able to answer these questions on the spot, after a teamfight, a dragon or a death, for example, which will improve your gameplay significantly. Make sure to get the most out of your time-outs by reviewing your previous plays and thinking about your next steps.

Another in-game mentality you should embrace consists in being happy with what you have. Being happy with what you have does not mean you should be stagnant in the way you play. On the contrary, it means you should focus on seeking new opportunities and adapt your gameplay and strategy based on what you already have (items, creep score, buffs, and so on). I find that it really helps to cope with trolly, under-leveled teammates or even teammates who are just having a bad game and who are missing opportunities that could have made you win instantly, because it forces you to adapt your playstyle accordingly. Of course, you should not be putting all of your focus on your teammates, but being able to aknowledge a higher challenge will make you think more thoroughly about your options. This also and mainly applies for when you are having trouble, yourself, keeping up in levels/items/minion kills, etc.

Here is an example:

> > You are top lane and having trouble getting cs without getting poked by the enemy. > > Moreover, the enemy is freezing the lane at his turret and is leading by 50 cs. > > You know that if you stay around, there is a chance that you will get ganked by the enemy jungler. > > Plus, you know that if you try to get minion gold, you will lose health, forcing you to go back to base. > > Unfortunately, your jungler is not doing too well either. > > You decide to plan a mega-gank elsewhere with the help of the mid-laner who currently has the advantage. > > You get a kill/assist or two, giving you enough gold to get defensive items, a perfect counter against your top-lane enemy's attacks. > > By the time you get back to your lane, the enemy is pushing your turret. > > When you arrive in lane, you can finally safely get minions under your tower.

Now, what would have happened if you had not taken the opportunity to change your playstyle? Most likely, you would have lost more XP/gold = levels/stats/items. Of course, this is just an example. There are many other possibilities, but you get the point.

I just want to conclude this by giving you advice on how to keep a good mental and emotional health starting by making sure you sleep well, by doing regular exercise, by having good eating habits, and by responding to all of your primary needs. League of Legends should not be a priority over your own health. Staying healthy will make it easier for you to concentrate and deal with your emotions which is fundamental if you want to improve. However, know that concentration requires a lot of effort and energy. This is why you should regularly take breaks in order to let your brain rest. If you are not satisfied with your current ability to concentrate, remember that everything can be improved over time, in a gradual way. You should not be forcing yourself to focus too much when you are tired. Some days, you won't be able to concentrate as well and you will feel inhibited by your own body. It's okay to feel that way (even I have been through it), but you just need to be patient and exercise your daily activities in moderation. As we say in French, "La modération a bien meilleur goût" (moderating tastes better than abusing)!

Thank you and congratulations for taking the time to read me. :-) Sending you love and positive vibes! <3