Mentality and Mental Approach: The overlooked aspect of succeeding in fighting games. 

Keeping a positive mentality towards fighting games is tough for sure. The thing that has helped me the most is taking my focus away from winning and focusing more on how I did some smaller interactions or just appreciating something nutty that happened in the match. Being willing to laugh at some of your own mistakes is also very freeing mentally.

im convinced that you will never make a bad guilty gear video at this point

Thank you so much for this video and discussing this topic with empathy. I’m currently rehabilitating myself from the self-deprecating grind mentality I’ve had after playing this game for two years. I’m not necessarily the type of player who blames others; I take the blame, but to a much larger degree. “Everything” was my fault, and because I lost a match, it means I did “everything” wrong even if it was a close match. I thought there was something wrong with me because I couldn’t find the positivity and joy in my losses. I even took it literally to mean that I absolutely have to lose and have to suck and enjoy sucking before I get good. I think this community relies on a lot of hyperbole for the sake of motivation, but for me, it just never felt right. I also relied on other players to guide me, especially if they were good. But not all of them were good communicators, and though they were well-meaning, some were dismissive. “Git gud, just focus on neutral”, etc. Again, because I didn’t immediately understand what they were saying, and I didn’t want to blame others, I told myself there was something wrong with me. I’m slowly retraining myself to practice with a structure that works best for me and my non-game related skills. I have faith that it will work out this time. Again, thank you for this video and being honest with your personal journey.❤

I gotta say this is my favorite video from the fgc. Ive played strive since launch, and it was my first deep dive into fighting games. I always avoided them cuz i knew how competitive i was, but i really liked this one. I decided to try steaming it just cuz it seemed fun. About a uear later i started plateau ing and it started eating away at my mental t9 the point i almost gave up streaming entirely. After another year i realized i have been severely burned out and decided to pull back from fighting games cuz it was miserable just booting the game. Now ive been only streaming fighting games on fridays and saturdays which kind of helped. But this video really encapsulates where im at with them right now. I love fighting games but ive never been able to shake the extreme pressures i put on myself and its just ruined the fun for me. I really appreciate this video as no one for me really understood what i was going through and just really ate away at me cuz i couldnt talk about it. Even now i feel wierd typing it 😅. But thank you for this and i will be taking a break and trying to come back with a healthier mindset!

I've really noticed that sometimes I just get into the "there's literally nothing I can do with anji against this" mindset and the best thing is definitely just shutting off the game and doing something else/distracting myself, if I keep playing it just gets exponentially worse for me. This is definitely an important topic especially with strive getting more people into competitive games so I think this video is great especially by acknowledging that everyones headspace is gonna be different.

Real talk about mentality and mental health in FGs? More of this please

Hey man I play GG kind of casually and want to compete. I don't really comment on videos alot but lemme say that listening to this really made me want to comment. Thank you for saying all this and making a video on it. I'm not the type to get frustrated with games and matches and stuff, if I'm being honest I could probably stand to care a little more if I really wanna compete but I like playing the game how I already do so whatever. But for people who do take games like this seriously and find themselves in the downward spiral of not getting results and gaining a negative outlook, I think that its important for them to hear things like this. I like how transparent you are about your own struggles with it to this day, but you still took the time to tell others what you've learned and try to help them with their struggles. I think this is something more people should hear and I think you should be the person to say it. I found your channel cause I'm an Anji main too but I think it would be wonderful if your channel had broader appeal and more people could hear some of your wisdom. Thanks for making this and I hope your channel grows and you can touch more people.

I'm happy you're uploading so often nowadays. We love your videos!!

I'm trying to learn fighting games via GGST - after having gotten bodied 2 days ago for so, so many sets I put the game down for a couple of days then this popped up in my feed. I found this really motivating, thanks!

18:48-19:11 I’m so guilty of this. I’ve been playing this genre for years and I never properly had a break. In the back of my mind I knew that I was burnt out and I wanted to take a break from fgs but I would always brush this off. I have to thank you for making me come to this realization. Now is the time for a mental refresh

Great video. I'm not an Anji main, I don't even play Strive. But this kind of takes do resonate with many people, they are interesting and important, never hesitate to talk about your experience making yourself better.

Perhaps your best video yet. The importance of focusing on well-paced, incremental goals cannot be stressed enough. Also very much not a fan of the "This matchup is bad so there's not much I can do." mindset. Keep up the good work.

nice stuff, Klaige. i actually think as a community we don’t get deep enough into the topic of mentality in fighting games as we should so hearing your take on it is real refreshing. and i agree a lot with what you’re saying because your experiences sound a lot like my own. anyway, keep up the good work, man.

This was an extremely helpful video for me. I struggle with nearly, if not all of the things you mentioned you struggle with when it comes to fighting games. I haven't seen a video on youtube that really touches upon these aspects of mentality when playing fighting games like yours does i.e. using fighting games and things like it as a measurement of worth, etc. I tend not to have a goal oriented mentality going into playing online and I'm never sure what to really work on considering the vast amount information one has to practice. This usually causes me to feel overwhelmed when things don't go my way in matches, and it can sour my mood for hours after I'm done playing for the day. Especially if I think the opponent is taunting / trolling me in the matches. The tips you gave definitely helped me get a better idea what I should focus on each session to ensure a more positive and productive time. Thanks!

thank you for this. I totally agree that your mindset is super important to improving and staying healthy while playing fighting games. Still, I admit that some days I just want to win, and I don't care about having a good mindset.

I relate to this a lot. Fixing my mentality during the process of playing fighting games is probably the most frustrating things I struggle with. Unfortunately, having played fighting games in some shape or another for about 20 years now, I doubt it's something I'll be able to fix in any kind of meaningful way lol

This was an amazing video, mental health is so important and you really hit everything home with this. Ill remember these things next time and focus on them when I play so I dont fall into those traps. Also hi its me again, sorry for so many comments haha😅

good talk! mentality is the key factor in so many things. fighting games are kind of a mental training ground for competitive people and it's a good thing to point these things out so we can all improve and enjoy the game more. i certainly have fun playing strive and other fighting games and i've gotten used to the mental pitfalls and i see an element of fun in overcoming that and seeing how i surprise myself to get there

Man. I was just trying to find a way to explain this to the guys and this video drops. Wonderful timing!

I played this game 2 months but can’t get myself kept calm down from people constantly make me block a lot pressures that’d I mash to cost loss.Like when hop on online strive i pick last floor see what’s high level match’s like all to make me feel weak losing temper that I say mean things myself I suck and can’t take losing to learn.I’m happy this video it is help my influenced mental to this game take losses as study understanding keep trying not give up early. Thanks :3

This is the good stuff The other day I stayed up until 2 am playing Strive and being sour, but over the weekend I took a short break, reviewed some match footage, and came back the next day refreshed and decisively overcoming a matchup I struggle with. I find fighters to be therapeutic when I'm in the zone, but it's still easy to feel salty now and then. Finding a good schedule and mindset to enjoy games on is key, and I appreciate seeing a video that discusses that. Shine on, you crazy diamond.

This was an excellent topic to discuss and is very important. I definitely tend to struggle with the mental aspect and tilting from ego. I almost dropped Anji but realized that I can't complain when there are so many things I could be doing better. Love all the videos, keep them up!

Thank you for speaking about this because it’s so true about fighting games, I can relate to this. The whole reason I enjoy playing these games in the first place is because of combos, the satisfaction of pulling them off in a match is what makes it fun for me and in a way, yes I do kinda like to show off what I can do and what my skill level is (I know combos aren’t everything though) so when I lose to a person who manages to beat me in a scrubby way it really can tilt me. Also when people like to be disrespectful and taunt and do all those things it can trigger me to but as you said it’s fine to take a break and that these things are simply out of our control and those things are in the game for a reason, not everyone is gonna be nice when competitive. This is a great reminder, so thank you they are just video games after all.

this all resonates a few years ago, maybe 4 years ago, I was putting in the work to get better in SF5. I queued for an online game and got double-perfected by a R. Mika using corner 50/50 shenanigans, and just because I chose incorrect in both rounds, I got perfected both rounds. I got so angry that I have not played an online fighting game ever since. Only now am I thinking of coming back, giving it another try, see if I can have a better mental state about it.

I decided to give Anji a shot, and even if I do end up moving to other characters, I'm glad I did for the moment just because it brought me to this video. Very informative and encouraging to myself as someone suffering from anxieties and depressive tendencies. I already had in my head the idea of setting small goals (for me since I'm at the most basic of basics it's stuff like 'learn neutral' and 'learn to respect/use your normals more, especially those Ps and Ks!' etc etc), but the rest of your suggestions and just knowing the idea puts me on the right track helps a lot. I made myself a list of some Anji guide videos starting from basic things to advanced, but I'm gonna have this video at the top, and I think I'll keep this video at the top of any guide list I collect for any character I might try to learn. Thank you! As an aside, I liked how it seemed that in some ways the action in the replays felt connected to what you were talking about at the time, up to repeating the first replay at the end when you were reiterating what you said at the start of the video.

Impresionante relato, muy honesto y con buenos mensajes para entender lo que pasa por la mente de un jugador

Ngl I was in the abyss and feeling like I simply am not going to be even 'decent' at the game as I'm floor stuck atm and feeling like I've plateaued. And while I still feel that way this reminded me that I need to remove myself from this mind space before doing anything else. So I appreciate this very much

Strive was the first game I've properly played online against other people. It was really fun at first, but at this point I have to try so hard in every single match, and even if I get weaker opponents, I don't wanna play against them cause that might bump me to floor 10 where I get completely stomped. I haven't played for over a week because I've been sleeping pretty badly and trying to play such a demanding game while tired just doesn't go well, I'll miss even more inputs than normally, can barely react to stuff, and on top of that I get easily frustrated when tired. It's just not worth it. Also yeah I do have that general frustration of being Anji against some characters. Sometimes I do wish I had taken a liking to some other character.

Facts all around, great video man

I'm the type that takes my losses to heart and see them as a reflection of my self worth. I also always blame myself for being incompetent for losing regardless of what my opponent is doing or using or whatever. These games have caused me so much stress and I don't know how to improve at them despite playing for years. I don't even play Guilty Gear either.

I used to get really frustrated playing fighting games and it was causing me to drop them and not play them after a while which really bugged me because I love them so much. I think I have grown a lot since then as I learned how to really go about getting better at playing and learning to just hold my Ls. It takes time for sure and while I get frustrated sometimes, I’ve learned to just put the game down as soon as I feel like that and I try to reflect on what was going on. Nothing wrong with getting salty but know when to hold your Ls and try to have fun and step away for a bit and come back if you need to. Hope everyone can enjoy these games to fullest even with the salt that piles up from time to time

The frustration I get form fighting games is bad, but... trying to fix it made me better. Understanding how to not frustrate myself when playing made me clearer outside of it.

Mad respect for making this video

Appreciate the candour

Hey man thank you. Even though i don't play low tier i can relate a little too much to all the situations you've talked about.

Really good video. Could you go over what are your general training routines? I mainly play smash but I want to play decent guilty gears too

So true. I’m a very level headed calm person but fighting games make me so mad sometimes. It’s not anger that stays with me. As soon as the game is over I’m fine. But there’s something about the tension and the split second reactions Also I just turned 40. I can relate so much here. I yell more when my wife is around lol. Like she gives a shot. But in my mind it’s like no. I’m good at this. This guy is just cheap. Lmao.

Yea I just ran a set with a level 9 dude with my goldlewis vs his millia to 100 and he lost every game. I was trying to see if he would adapt but he just couldn't figure out how to deal with goldlewis corner pressure. I really was trying to help him by playing differently every match and show him different situations but he didn't seem to catch on. It sucked more for me because I wanted him to learn and beat me.

The humility is great but don't downplay your ideas and content before you even get feedback! You called your own subject or video potentially boring or uninteresting a good amount of times throughout it's duration and honestly i thought it was fascinating and you're very well spoken, not a fancy subject but fundamental to success no doubt

Having confidence is important but MAN is it hard to have after getting beaten down so much. *sigh*

Im honestly just playing for fun, i just got rekt by a pot in a ft15, ive won a single one wich felt amazing, after some time almost all matches became an even, so im getting some progress understanding the matchup, even though not winning, slowly improving, thats how my development as a player works i guess

Lost 3 in a row against a co-worker as Geralt to a Nightmare, left the lobby upset, and haven't spoke since. I had hoped I'd handle it better but salt happens. Co-worker refuses to understand after I explained. Oh well.

lmao 14:30, I played the same ino for 3 hours because we both kept denying each other promotion to the coveted 10F, I don't think I learnt a damn thing and they ascended

I constanty lose in SFV and I rank down and up from bronze to super bronze. Sometimes I feel like they give me CPU's to beat at such a low level so it won't feel like I lose to everyone online

Super helpful video! Getting married opened my eyes so much to my negativity, especially around competition. I was kind of shitty early on and I really appreciate the patience my wife showed over our first year together. I've grown a lot, still a long way to go, but the stuff in this video is all extremely helpful, some of it still feels targeted to me after all this time but it's hard stuff! I'm 35, and while relatively new to the FGC I've been playing competitive games as a pretty intense hobby since starcraft 2 launched in 2010 (was a lifetime gamer before that just never thought to take things that seriously. I of course love it)... Anyway to stop from rambling, if you're having mental issues with playing watch this video, accept that this may take some time, and even though I know it's incredibly incredibly hard you absolutely need to walk away sometimes. It's the only way. Even if you come back an hour or two later, that breather is very important.

Good vid i like anji he became main and lol i dont want patches fam but wall bounce i wish was a lil bit slower Pain Of Sorrow

Bro, you’re like the FrameWisperer of Guilty Gear. Neat.

The phrase "it's just a game" is such a weak mindset. You are ok with what happened, losing, imperfection of a craft. When you stop getting angry after losing, you've lost twice. There's always something to learn, and always room for improvement, never settle. ...Sorry, it was such a low-hanging fruit, I had to. Really great video as always. Mental wellness is great for all sorts of games, even non-competitive games. I'm still trying to improve in DDR and beatmania IIDX and it feels great to shoot for incremental goals, accomplish them, and then see my growth over the months.

Best anger management therapy I've ever gotten. Feel like I should pay you something...hopefully a sub and like will be sufficient.

Please keep YouTubing, Dr. Klaige.

Guilty gear in general has be the only game that I’m fine with losing.

Yeah, idk how you all do it but losing is so tilting it actually pisses me off Saw the video and was like "Yeah i think i can control my emotions and not get pissed when I lose" NOPE

when i play my gameplan is generally to annoy and frustrate my opponnent has much as possible, and sometime i feel guilty to have fun doing that.

Who else here is not even a gg player

69th like 😈

The problem with the FGC is that they take fighting games too seriously. Achieve things in your real life and once you are succesful you will see fighting games as they are… just videogames to have fun

12:32 lol it happened again