Sunday, November 10, 2013

Analyzing what happened

The ability to see what went wrong is one of the central skills to have in life. It is what allows us to analyze, and to improve so that we won't make the same mistakes over and over again. The problem is that while we are in the middle of doing something (playing Starcraft 2 for example) we don't have the time to analyze at the same time as we are playing. We have to spend all of our available brainpower on the task at hand. I don't know about you, but after I play a game of Starcraft my memories of what exactly I did wrong are not quite perfect. Often times I'll have forgotten some key element, like 'Oh yeah, I did end up supply-blocking myself right before getting attacked'.

Professionals have known this for decades. That is why, no matter the sport, the pros record their games and sometimes even their practice sessions so that they can review what they did, and then they can truly analyze the results without having to worry about faulty memories getting in the way.

The analyzing part is a skill, it has to be practiced to become perfect. I practice my analytical skill by playing and reviewing my StarCraft 2 games. This game is perfect for me since Blizzard included a game recorder by default. In it you can see not only your own side, but also what your opponent was doing. This way it is possible to analyze what went wrong 'Attacking a Terran opponent's main entrance with zerglings is very bad in the late game.' But also to analyze what went well 'Sending zerglings to the main as well as roaches to the second and third base completely killed his economy!'

The key is to remember that it is always possible to improve. Being successful at something doesn't mean that it can't be done better.

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