Am I To Young?

[cub3]

I want to be the G.O.A.T in Melee. I'm 13. I live in like one of the best areas to live in besides like SoCal (HTX), and I'm alright. I want to be winning locals by the time I'm a sophomore. Am I out of my league, or should I keep it up? It's hard to go to tournaments now, but I'll aim to go to weeklies in the summer. I main Fox, I'll try not to mess up my hands.

 

[FrankTheStud]

Hey man, if it's what you like to do, do it. Just be prepared that competive play takes no prisoners and is incredibly difficult to make a name for yourself in, especially in Melee.
If you're prepared for a long journey of practice and hard work, and have a love for the game, than go to weeklies as much as you can and just play--learn as much as you can and keep your head held high through both the wins and the losses.
Good luck out there!

 

[EPsilon933]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect

Winning competitive gaming tournaments is difficult, really really difficult. You have no idea. Everyone else is trying to win too. You aren't the hero of the story

Let's assume that everyone was truly equal. Being the best would take a 1 in X chance. X = like 10,000 people, probably. But the odds are stacked against you because a lot of players have years of experience, some even have 10+

Go for the fun of it primarily. If you're ultra talented and dedicated, and your tournament results prove it quickly, then you can think about becoming a GOAT

 

[Brash Candihoot]

Yea I've seen a couple of these types of threads.

I wish you good luck, but you have to realize just how intelligent and almost super human players like Mango and Armada are....With Mango its not obvious since he acts like such a cool normal goofy party guy most of the time. But when he plays its nothing short of the same unique genius you see in a smash equivalent of an Einstein or a Newton. The reaction time, the near flawless mindset and tech skill, the innate ability to constantly mix up and choose confusing recoveries and options, the proficiency to learn MU and read players they've never played before within only 1 game...2 at the most. Most of the top players thrive on pressure and their ability isn't affected at all by a myriad of situations. All these attributes are rare, and because there is so much competition now you'd be lucky to be the cream in your local crop even after 5 years of competitive play.

But keep at it, at the very least you will have a ton of fun and make lot of great friends.

 

[necroTaxonomist]

I don't think you can be "too young" to be good, but at least be aware that people will have trouble taking you seriously.
Even if you get good, it is likely that you will have the status of "that fetus who plays Fox."
If you're okay with that, go for it. You'll never know if you don't go. You'll never shine if you don't glow.

 

[pagedMov]

"Too young" isn't a real thing. Best to start now rather than later.

 

[Dolla Pills]

The only issue with being young is it's hard to travel and you have to deal with your parents (and you probably don't have money). It doesn't actually make you worse.

 

[Archelon]

Well, when I started half a year ago I was younger than you, and it's been worth it.

 

[cub3]

Thanks guys! I'll just go to tournaments and have fun, and hopefully one day I can start winning.

 

[Bellum]

I think the above posts have done enough to highlight how difficult becoming the best really is, and I agree that without insane natural talent getting that good is extremely difficult, but I genuinely believe most people can become, if not the absolute best player, at least one of the top 100 with enough perseverance, drive, and above all, a willingness to learn from one's mistakes. I think the last one is probably the most difficult, but if you have the mindset that every defeat is just an opportunity to learn and improve, and if you can observe the mistakes that will cost you games and focus on fixing them, I think you'll keep improving.

It takes a lot of humility, and the #1 thing I notice that keeps people from improving is when they don't try new things after a loss, when they keep making the same mistakes but are hoping for a better outcome. Nothing you do in Melee is sacred, and if it isn't working for you, whether against a particular opponent or just in general, don't be afraid to try something new. If the new stuff works, keep doing it, and if it doesn't, forget about it. It's all about listening to negative feedback and making adjustments as necessary.

tldr; Getting good is hard, learn from your mistakes and you can get pretty good, imo.

 

[Sutekh]

Be realistic about your expectations, but don't get discouraged at the mountain you have to climb. In the end, it comes down to dedication and your ability to recognize your own mistakes and continue improving. Mango has been playing for over 10 years, Leffen has played half that, and if I'm not mistaken, Amsa had only been playing seriously for around a year when he beat M2k at Apex 2014. It's easier to get good now than it ever has been with all of the resources that are available to us, but don't expect it to happen over night. Some people are naturally able to pick out their own mistakes and correct them better than others, but I don't believe that natural ability alone is the determinant factor in where you will peak. Mew2King is adamant that he was not naturally good at the game, but rather got to where he is through hours upon hours of study and practice. At this point, focus on the moon, not the stars. Make your goal to start placing top 8 regularly at your weeklies, then top 3, etc. Keep your goals reasonable and achievable, otherwise you may get discouraged and feel like you aren't making progress. Good luck, man!

 

[Melansjf]

I'll think of this in a different way.
Yes, you are too young. You are thirteen and will more than likely be playing late teen to early twenty year-olds, your brain isn't as developed as theirs. This is the same reason why you can't drive/marry/live alone or drink until you're older, you don't have the mental capacity right now to be able to be the G.O.A.T. ( this is in no way a shot at intelligence towards you, I'm just stating reasons why). There is a small portion of younger people with advanced enough capabilities, you may be one of them. But right now, yes, you are too young.

That being said. In a few years if you have worked hard towards your goals then you will be a great smashed. G.O.A.T. is always hazy, but you could be a top player.

Another thing that should be noted is that you need to be naturally good at it. Some people can try as hard as they can and never be anywhere near as good as people who picked up a controller in the past month.

Something similar happened when I was playing highschool football, I was a captain along with my best friend, he trained with university teams in the weight room, in the classroom and studied the sport to try and better himself. I never lifted weights, studied the game during designated practice time, and never took it as seriously as I should have. I was MVP of the league and the #1 prospect in the province, while my friend scraped by with no scholarships and landed on the practice squad.

 

[Jink8]

I am 16 in 3 days. The posts above do a good job of telling you, especially the one above me. Just go to tournies to learn and have fun, not to win. Keep doing that for the next 5 years and when you can start traveling, put your skills to the test and start trying to win.

 

[EPsilon933]

I'll think of this in a different way.
Yes, you are too young. You are thirteen and will more than likely be playing late teen to early twenty year-olds, your brain isn't as developed as theirs. This is the same reason why you can't drive/marry/live alone or drink until you're older, you don't have the mental capacity right now to be able to be the G.O.A.T. ( this is in no way a shot at intelligence towards you, I'm just stating reasons why). There is a small portion of younger people with advanced enough capabilities, you may be one of them. But right now, yes, you are too young.

You've never heard of Lil Poison. He's pretty famous for being good at Halo starting at the age of 5. He was never a top level tournament player, but only GOATs are a matter of it you aint 1st, you're last. Also, there are some serious prodigies out there who have god tier talent. Melee might not be as different as you think https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omuYi2Vhgjo

 

[Melansjf]

You've never heard of Lil Poison. He's pretty famous for being good at Halo starting at the age of 5. He was never a top level tournament player, but only GOATs are a matter of it you aint 1st, you're last. Also, there are some serious prodigies out there who have god tier talent. Melee might not be as different as you think https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omuYi2Vhgjo

The definition of prodigy is a young up and comer with unusual characteristics. I did mention that there are some (albeit very few) cases of younger players, but it's a negligible amount when taken into perspective.
So the answer is yes, he's too young right now to realistically be the G.O.A.T., if the question was, "Is it too late to become a great smash player?" then the answer would be different. But right now he's more than likely too young/inexperienced to be considered a top player.
Obviously if he works hard then in a few years he could be a top smasher.

 

[gibb0n]

I know for Smash it's completely different to almost every other game but in terms of starting to compete young, there's a CSGO player called n0thing who started going to lans and winning money when he was about 10 or 11 i believe. I personally believe it's not too young to start if you have the right mentality and are mature enough
EDIT: The n0thing guy still plays till this day and is a great player.

 

[Melansjf]

I know for Smash it's completely different to almost every other game but in terms of starting to compete young, there's a CSGO player called n0thing who started going to lans and winning money when he was about 10 or 11 i believe. I personally believe it's not too young to start if you have the right mentality and are mature enough
EDIT: The n0thing guy still plays till this day and is a great player.

I've heard of him, he's pretty good. He certainly was one of those special minds for his age (from a gaming perspective).

 

[Sutekh]

I'll think of this in a different way.
Yes, you are too young. You are thirteen and will more than likely be playing late teen to early twenty year-olds, your brain isn't as developed as theirs. This is the same reason why you can't drive/marry/live alone or drink until you're older, you don't have the mental capacity right now to be able to be the G.O.A.T. ( this is in no way a shot at intelligence towards you, I'm just stating reasons why). There is a small portion of younger people with advanced enough capabilities, you may be one of them. But right now, yes, you are too young.

That being said. In a few years if you have worked hard towards your goals then you will be a great smashed. G.O.A.T. is always hazy, but you could be a top player.

Another thing that should be noted is that you need to be naturally good at it. Some people can try as hard as they can and never be anywhere near as good as people who picked up a controller in the past month.

Something similar happened when I was playing highschool football, I was a captain along with my best friend, he trained with university teams in the weight room, in the classroom and studied the sport to try and better himself. I never lifted weights, studied the game during designated practice time, and never took it as seriously as I should have. I was MVP of the league and the #1 prospect in the province, while my friend scraped by with no scholarships and landed on the practice squad.

I don't think the sports analogy fits very well. Sports are much more determined by natural physical ability than esports. Wizzrobe was 15-16 years old, kicking the asses of players that had been playing far longer than him. Youth has minor disadvantages from an intellectual development standpoint, but it's not nearly as big of a gap as you make it out to be. You weren't breathing exclusively out of your mouth and running into walls right up until your 18th birthday. There's a kid that attends our locals periodically that is 12, and performs better than 80% of those with the same amount of experience as him. As you age, your reaction time slows, so if being a top player is really something you strive for, there's no better to time to start than immediately.

 

[Melansjf]

I don't think the sports analogy fits very well. Sports are much more determined by natural physical ability than esports. Wizzrobe was 15-16 years old, kicking the ***** of players that had been playing far longer than him. Youth has minor disadvantages from an intellectual development standpoint, but it's not nearly as big of a gap as you make it out to be. You weren't breathing exclusively out of your mouth and running into walls right up until your 18th birthday. There's a kid that attends our locals periodically that is 12, and performs better than 80% of those with the same amount of experience as him. As you age, your reaction time slows, so if being a top player is really something you strive for, there's no better to time to start than immediately.

Your reaction time actually peaks at 24, so that's the age you'll be your best if you keep training.

 

[BlueX]

As a young player who is 15 years old, there is nothing wrong of playing Melee in a competitive level at a young age and as others said before it is often best to start when you are young as your reaction time will be very good when you are at a young age. I have been playing Melee for almost a year now (My first time playing Melee was at March 2nd from what i remember) and i have learned so much about Melee and i would say that i have improved quite a lot over the years, you can also possibly learn very fast when you are young so that's why i will also say that it is best to start Melee at ether 12 or 13. I am personally not the best, i would say that i am OK at the game and i am tempted to sign up for a Melee tournament that is happening on Sunday.

 

[Melansjf]

As a young player who is 15 years old, there is nothing wrong of playing Melee in a competitive level at a young age and as others said before it is often best to start when you are young as your reaction time will be very good when you are at a young age. I have been playing Melee for almost a year now (My first time playing Melee was at March 2nd from what i remember) and i have learned so much about Melee and i would say that i have improved quite a lot over the years, you can also possibly learn very fast when you are young so that's why i will also say that it is best to start Melee at ether 12 or 13. I am personally not the best, i would say that i am OK at the game and i am tempted to sign up for a Melee tournament that is happening on Sunday.

Actually, simple reaction times peak at around 19 years old. They plateau for around 5 years too. Simple reaction times (SRT) is just raw reaction times though, so like being able to move out of the way of things or seeing things quickly.
Choice reaction time (CRT) is what we should talk about. This is the ability to react both mentally and physically together, which would translate to video games more so than SRT.
Your CRT peaks around your early 30's, which is why most NFL QB's peak around 30.
Now, the reason why we don't usually see these peak times is because of one thing in particular....... (Drumroll)


Free time!
Most 30 year old people have jobs (at least that's what I'm told).
This prevents them from the rigorous training that they were able to do earlier in their life.
And that's the definitive reaction time answer!

By Jacob Melanson,
Written but not dictated.

 

[Massive]

Regardless of how old you are, arguably the largest factor in getting better at smash is the need to travel to tournaments.

Even if you won the lottery by happening to live in a good smash region, the need to travel out of region is still there. Playing varied players outside of your local meta is an important part of it, but another part is dealing with the pressure of larger tournaments and being willing to throw your ego aside to play, learn from, and very possibly lose to people you may have never even heard of.

Travel like this is actually harder for players still in K-12 education than it is for college players or adults, simply due to the lack of ability to travel freely and by your own volition.