Chapter I: Navigating Cognitive Pitfalls

Intro

In my journey of teaching and personal growth within the game of Apex Legends, an eye-opening observation was made—a realisation that there exists an often-overlooked gap in the core comprehension of the game and the existence of a culture, which spreads a very narrowed perspective on progression from a holistic point of view.

This gap is rooted in the absence of a comprehensive understanding and sufficient emphasis on the game’s entire skillset. Shockingly enough, this observation was made from average up to high levels of competition. As I share these insights, my aim is not merely to critique but to initiate a discourse that collectively elevates our understanding of the intricacies that govern mastery in an FPS game such as Apex Legends. Let us delve into the nuances of this challenge and explore ways to collectively bridge this knowledge gap and look at different reasons for plateaus.

Beyond our Stats: How We Misinterpret Improvement And Our Skillset

The Illusion of Success: Confirmation Bias and Locus of Control

In a landscape dominated by trial and error, where players usually find themselves improving, observations reveal a noticeable lack in proper conceptualization. Success is often measured solely by wins, kills and deaths, reinforcing a culture that oversimplifies or outright disregards certain knowledge within the community. The absence of a robust behavioural concept to base post-match analysis on, leaves players reliant on intuition and immediate results. The lack of emphasis and collective effort in proper display of mistakes lead to a common belief system, which caters to a shallow perspective towards skill and skill improvement.

Confirmation Bias & Operant Conditioning

Due to the absence of structured guidance and the way we are “forced” to learn the game, our victories can often trigger confirmation bias, leading us to mistakenly believe that our actions will ensure future success, even if those actions were fundamentally incorrect. This cycle contributes to inconsistent results, creating a perception of plateauing due to our flawed perception and understanding. Operant Conditioning comes into play as our successes become reinforcing stimuli, conditioning our focus to replicate past achievements rather than identifying the essential factors needed for ongoing success.

The identification of biassed behaviours is rooted in the context of the selection, retention, and evaluation of information. Subconsciously, we all have a tendency to selectively seek information that aligns with our existing beliefs. Perceptual filters are applied to each piece of information, accentuating aspects that resonate with individual beliefs. Confirmation bias not only influences a player’s judgement of the correctness of play but also tends to distort the recall of past events, potentially overshadowing mistakes with successes. This cognitive process aligns with the principles of Operant Conditioning, where reinforcement (success) influences future behaviour.

Locus of Control

Self-Serving Bias can significantly influence players’ perception of success and failure. This bias emerges when players credit their victories to internal factors like skill and effort, but attribute defeats to external elements such as luck or unfavourable conditions. This bias aligns with the “Locus of Control” concept, indicating how much control players believe they have over their performance outcomes.

If a player leans towards internal control, they firmly believe their performance is within their grasp, crediting factors like effort, skill, and decision-making. Conversely, those with an external Locus of Control feel outcomes are beyond their influence, often attributing performance to factors like luck, teammates, or external circumstances.

In the context of Apex Legends, players exhibiting a Self-Serving Bias might protect their self-esteem by connecting successes to internal prowess while externalising failures. However, it hampers personal growth by impeding the identification of areas for improvement. Recognizing and mitigating this bias is crucial for players aiming not just for victories in the game but also personal development and mastery.

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Damage Output vs. Damage Intake: A Pivotal Discernment

In the realm of traditional sports coaching (or any long-established competitive environment), a structured holistic development is key - nurturing not only physical skills but also mental and strategic acumen. In many popular competitive games, the main emphasis lies on the ability to deliver damage and obtain kills, mostly because it is the most “visual” stat which leads to the interpretation that it is the most essential stat observable.

From a data analytics perspective, the way stats and results are currently recorded and displayed fails to account for intangibles. This may stem from technical limitations related to the collection, storage, and interpretation of the vast amount of data required to capture these nuanced aspects of player performance. As a result, key non-quantifiable factors often go unrecognised in statistical evaluations, limiting the accuracy of insights and overlooking critical elements that contribute to overall skill and success.

The fact that something as simple as a “damage taken” metric is missing completely, further enforces this idea that it is negligible if the same damage/more damage is done in return. The outcome of such assumption leads to an overall “damage & kill seeking philosophy” which can cripple the players fundamental understanding in the long run if pursuing improvement through these metrics alone. This is not to say that damage intake must be given more focus than damage output to obtain overall success. By using the thought experiment below, we can better visualise how valuing damage efficiency (damage output/damage intake) alone is not enough.

The Damage Experiment:

Imagine two fully equipped teams engaging in a fair 3v3 encounter within a symmetrical environment. For the sake of argument, let us assume that both teams possess the same theoretical probability (excluding individual skill proficiencies) of killing the opposing team and the option to mitigate damage (cover and healing items). The common misconception lies in the statement made by most players, that “the team which outdamages the other, will eventually win.” The proof lies in the fact that the only amount of damage needed is the damage necessary to knock all opponents. So in short, a team could still lose even if their collective damage were higher than their opponents’.

Also, the distribution of damage dealt amongst the teammates can also vary. Any of one’s actions and behaviour can influence the progression and outcome of combat. Against common belief, these actions are not exclusively related to damage proficiency. This is where the missing link is created, since a player’s contribution to an engagement is usually only assessed through the displayed, overly emphasised metric - damage dealt & obtained kills.

This leads to the conclusion that the deciding factor of winnability lies in the conditions that are met when the damage is dealt. The context of damage is crucial for the overall evaluation of gameplay. The plateauing progression experienced by many in Apex Legends is not solely due to mechanical limitations. The prevailing culture, driven by the game’s metrics and display of achievements, tends to oversimplify knowledge and disproportionately values the ability to output damage. The required abilities of damage mitigation and strategic decision-making during combat, which in truth enables damage output usually goes unnoticed. There is a lack of clear conceptualization of what perfect gameplay entails. It is, in part, a consequence of the absence of structured guidance regarding the mental and strategic intricacies of high-level play.

Progression Beyond Mechanics: The Gap in Understanding

Mechanical skill such as aiming is undeniably a powerful and universal skill. This leads many platforms such as Voltaic to develop a structured approach, which offers a meticulously designed regime for the enhancement of aiming skills with the help of third party aim trainers. The advantages of isolation, repetition, customization, and feedback create an environment akin to what is called “deliberate practice”, defined by Ericson (elaborated in chapter II).

However, aiming, while vital, is just one piece of the intricate puzzle of our gaming proficiency. The methods applied by the Voltaic regime attempt to provide a roadmap for players to navigate from novice to expert, supporting players in their development of aiming skills to align those with the complexities of in-game scenarios. However, the same structured regime/guidance cannot be expected from anything outside of mechanical skills. The void of a systematic approach to progression in non-mechanics-related areas creates discrepancies and uneven distribution to understanding the game from a fundamental aspect.

How “Game-Sense” is learnt:

Players typically begin learning a game through an “exploratory or experimental phase” where they engage in casual play, experimenting with various strategies and getting a feel for the in-game mechanics and boundaries. However, many players get stuck in this exploratory state due to a lack of focus on deliberate practice. Deliberate practice involves targeted efforts to improve specific aspects of performance, guided by a clear understanding of one’s weaknesses.

The challenge arises when players, including professionals, believe that the exploratory approach is the only way forward. This misconception often stems from the absence of a standardised framework for deliberate practice in gaming. Unlike traditional sports where training methodologies are well-established, esports, including games like Apex Legends, lack a universally recognized system for focused skill development.

As a result, even seasoned players may struggle to transition from casual exploration to intentional, structured practice. The absence of a defined path hinders the ability to identify and address specific weaknesses systematically. It’s vital to emphasise the significance of deliberate practice and advocate for the creation of a standardised framework, considering the concept of diminishing returns. As players progress, the returns from casual exploration diminish, highlighting the need for purposeful skill enhancement across all facets of the game for continued growth and success.

Continue to Chapter II: Skill Acquisition and Development