As a gamer, I'm the first to admit that I'm below average. No matter the game, whether it be FPS, RTS, RPG, racing, you name it, I suck at it. FPS's are probably my weakest point, since the others you can learn simple tricks for improving your chances of success very quickly (for example, in RTS maps you learn where the enemy will attack from, and then know where to focus your defences).
In particular reference to FPS, I played Unreal Tournament 3 yesterday, for the first time in a long while. When choosing difficulty, I tried "casual" but the game encouraged me to try Hard. Being easily manipulated, I thought I'd teach that game who's boss and played hard. And got my ass handed to me in every single game I played. Whether against one opponent, or against a team, I lost. I was usually 3rd or 4th on the scoreboard (out of the 4 players on my team, usually 6th or 7th overall.)
So here's my question for people who have been playing for longer than I have. Does practice make perfect, or are there limits on learning in games? Since so much of a game depends on reflexes, hand-eye co-ordination, reflexes, quick thinking, and so on, can they be learned? Can one become an expert if one plays long and hard enough?
In particular reference to FPS, I played Unreal Tournament 3 yesterday, for the first time in a long while. When choosing difficulty, I tried "casual" but the game encouraged me to try Hard. Being easily manipulated, I thought I'd teach that game who's boss and played hard. And got my ass handed to me in every single game I played. Whether against one opponent, or against a team, I lost. I was usually 3rd or 4th on the scoreboard (out of the 4 players on my team, usually 6th or 7th overall.)
So here's my question for people who have been playing for longer than I have. Does practice make perfect, or are there limits on learning in games? Since so much of a game depends on reflexes, hand-eye co-ordination, reflexes, quick thinking, and so on, can they be learned? Can one become an expert if one plays long and hard enough?