Becoming a Pro Gamer: Clutch versus Choke
Each week on Gamer Tuesday, the folks at
vVv Gaming give us some insight into the make-up of a successful gamer. So far we've had articles on
Rhythm Gaming;
Competing at the World Cyber Games;
Breaking into the Pro Gaming Ranks;
finding the right team;
making your team better; and many others. Today, we learn about the difference between being 'clutch' and 'choking.' Sports fans are familiar with these terms, and they may be surprised to learn that they are not all that different in the world of pro gaming:
Clutch versus Choke: Breaking the Illusion by Jordan "Doomhammer" Kahn and Jerry "LordJerith" Prochazka
In a perfect world, when one team has the advantage, such as being up four
players to three, if both teams make every perfect move, the team with the
advantage wins. Therefore, the question of whether or not someone chokes, or
someone clutches, seems to have a simple answer: if you have the advantage,
and you do not capitalize on it, you have choked. Of course, we don't
live in a perfect world, and it is more likely that one player will make all
the perfect moves than three players making all the perfect moves. The more
players you have, the greater the chance for error. Fortunately, having the
advantage means that even less than perfect decisions can still result in a
victory.
Before we examine gameplay, we need to understand one very important
difference. The difference we need to understand is between being a player
and being a spectator. Spectators watch sports to be entertained. Having
heroes is very entertaining. The way we create heroes is by saying that they
clutched or that they did the impossible. Being a player is very different. As
a player, you are not here to be entertained. You are playing to entertain
others. You have to see through the illusion of heroes and ignore all the hype.
As a player, you have to stop thinking as a spectator. Stop thinking about
heroes. Stop thinking about being a hero. Stop imagining yourself doing the
impossible. The sooner that the illusion is lifted, the sooner that you will be
able to analyze what actually happens.
Read more after the jump!
Let's examine a typical claim that players make about
clutching:
Quote: "I clutched a 1 v 4!"
This one is easy. No, you did not. The other team choked. You did not
clutch. You are not good. The other team is terrible. You are not amazing. The
other team is awful. They choked. You did not clutch. It is important to
understand that the way that the other team blew it was to be so far out of
position that they were unable to work as a team, and they made so many
mistakes that you were handed the opportunity to win. You did not clutch, the
other team choked. To be fair, we understand that it feels good to win. We
understand that in the excitement you feel like a hero. Remember, you are not a
spectator, you are not a hero. You are a player. You are a soldier. And a good
soldier knows that the other team played like warriors (they choked) and handed
you the victory.
Many novice players like to talk about how good someone is because they
clutched a 1v4. These same novice players will then want to team with that
"clutch" player because they believe that this player is good. The
truth of the matter is as we said above. It was not a clutch situation, it was
a choke situation. Do not team with players because they
"clutched" a 1v4. Instead, try and scrim against a better
f**king team!
Now let's look at this from the other perspective: "OMG!
He clutched a 1v4 against us."
All we can say is no, no, no. Every time we hear something like this, we
cringe. Your perspective when you say something like this is that of a
spectator. The truth is that you actually choked. You're avoiding your
own team's failures by making the other team's player a hero. What
you should say, "We had a 4v1 and we blew it. We choked." This is
very important.
It is important for your team to realize and learn from your mistakes. If you
say that the other player "clutched," then you are saying that he
is the hero. In reality, your team made many, many errors. You must identify
these errors and learn from them. Never say that someone clutched a 1v4
against you. They did not clutch, you choked. Always understand that you
choked, and you must learn from it.
This example can be used for 3v1s, 2v1s and basically any situation where a
team has the advantage. As a player, you must understand that when a team has
the advantage and loses, the team choked. Leave it to the spectators to create
the heroes who "clutched." If you want to improve your game, you
must analyze why players choked.
Another novice mistake happens when watching footage of a player winning a 1v4.
Many novice players look at the video trying to figure out what the player did
to "clutch." This is completely pointless. What you should be doing
is watching the video to figure out the how the other team choked so badly. By
learning how a team chokes, how the team breaks down and fails to capitalize on
its advantage, you can ensure your team does not make the same mistakes.
Hopefully, you have realized that "clutching" is an illusion. You
can't win a game, the other team loses it. Armies are not led to victory,
but other armies are led to defeat. Heroes are myth. They are created to
inspire us and to entertain us. You are a player. You must see through the
illusion. You must learn from mistakes and always try to do your best. If you
do this, other teams will lose to you. Remember, there are no clutches, just
chokes.
Written by Jordan "Doomhammer" Kahn and
Co-Authored by Jerry "LordJerith" Prochazka.
****************************************************
Wow, so by that rationale, the Yankees aren't 'clutch', it's just the Phillies that choked! I can buy into that. :)
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34 Comments
roxsick said:
Another groundbreaking article. Absolutely love reading these, keep it up.
vVv JereBear said:
This.
These articles are amazing and players can learn from this, keep up the great work!
:]
vVv Volcom said:
Great Article, yet again.
I love getting to read these. :)
Thanks Geek to Me for posting this.
vVvMayday said:
As Roxsick said, I love reading these. It's a great way or learning something new just by reading. I'll def keep this in the back of my head for future references. Great write up!
MiMiC said:
Great Article Jerry, I Love Reading Stuff Like This.
vVvFearJin said:
Ah one of my favorite articles. Glad to see that geek to me decided to put this up.
Exohdus said:
One of the best eSports articles I've read. Great work!
vVvMrsViolence said:
Choke choke choke choke choke! :) No Clutches here people :) Love this one
vVv ShadowsCrush said:
Sometimes it scares me how profound Jerry and Doom can be sometimes lol
Great article, and great angle to take
vVv Forsaken said:
Good article. I think its very important for teams to have the correct mindset when reviewing situations where a team with the advantage screwed up and lost it. As you said, examining this situation from the point of view of the winning team is pointless as all the mistakes were made by the team with the advantage. That said, I dont think there is call to completely abolish the term "clutch". To play well individually and as a team, players need confidence. This usually comes in the form of big round wins were a particular player overcame the odds. These situations are not always lost at the fault of the other team. Consider a 2 v 1. In most games, players can disengage one of the opponents. In CSS a flashbang works nicely. For a brief time players can create a 1v1 situation by disengaging one of the opponents. If the disadvantaged player can capitalize on this and win I would still consider that a clutch. Did the other team do anything wrong? Possibly not.
Clutching is overstated however, and heros are a myth. Great article guys.
Oreo is iLL said:
This has changed my view towards Gears 2. I have been learning a lot with these articles/blogs. Thank you for this, I really appreciate it!
Niko said:
This is a great article nonetheless but Clutch and Choke are views.
vVv Brock said:
Great article, guys. A lot of truth there, especially the last paragraph.
vVv RaideR said:
Great article Jordan/Jerry...
vVv JoLLy said:
I love reading these articles and then we all laugh in game when we see an example of exactly what was said in them.
iCasperz said:
This is a Great article. It something that all gamers should realize before getting into competitive gaming. This is really helpful thanks Jerry.
Force II said:
I Agree totally, there is no CLUTCH JUST CHOKE....
Veaga said:
I love reading these. I learn so much. Thanks Jerry and Doom!
vVv Paradise said:
This is another amazing article that applies to many different aspects of both gaming AND life. Great read for everyone :)
Always was my favorite article.
-vVv Memorable
vVvEve said:
This absolutely true and every gamer should try to change their views on this concept
vVv Prerogative said:
This is my favorite article so far. It really makes think a little differently. If you win a 1v2 did you really do something great or did the other team just fail at teamwork? Love it great article. I really can't wait for the next one.
Campbell said:
I loved reading this! Nice work
pistol said:
good write up
vVv CuhRazy said:
This is one of my favorite articles of all time. You can also you this as a life example. This article is incredible.
FyasKo said:
Great article, i love reading and seeing th community show there support too these articles
MiMiC said:
Great Article :)
Doctor said:
Makes sense after you read it through a couple times. Nice write-up.
Niko said:
I love this article because it shows the different views you can have on a situation.
Abso said:
I kinda agree with forsaken wht if the other team is not as good as you and they dont know all the strats but you do in isnt always choken in 1v2 or 1v3 you can out play them but in a 1v4 i can say its mostly choking. You can clutch if you out play them with strats
Infliction said:
Well, if it's good players, then it's a clutch. Just saying. ;)
Other than that, very true.
Ishmail P said:
It depends really, I think there are some moments where a player gets an adrenaline rush and just starts to own the living shit out of the other team and get be clutch, but then there are other moments when the team SHOULD'VE had said person, but choked doing so.
Trivial said:
This article gave me a new perspective on how to look at things and how people react towards them in a choke situation. It amazes me on how much people need to change the way they look at things in competitive gaming.
FIowSicK said:
Lol, this article really made me laugh.
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