Thrilling New Beginnings: Embracing the Growth Mindset Through Gaming
When I lost my stable internet connection, I also lost access to one of my favorite hobbies – playing Apex Legends. I was very proud of my status as a multi-time Diamond player, and I wanted to continue improving and pushing for being better at the sport. This meant getting to Masters. I’m always embracing the growth in my gaming skill, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. I was relocated due to work, and with the move went my stable ping. Being an indoors man and a gamer, moving to a mountain resort was quite a struggle.
But in struggle, you can find growth. One of the big things about eSports is embracing growth through gaming. Then translate that mindset into real life, just check out this thrilling video of me snowboarding and this other one of where I live. I also had the opportunity to expand my gaming experience. Instead of grinding Apex Legends, I switched to Warframe. There is a very different skill involved when it comes to Warframe. I also expanded my gaming library to playing board games, card games, and finally, Legends of Runeterra.
Where I lost one thing – the ability to play League of Legends and Apex Legends – I had the opportunity to put what I preach into practice. Could I take the skills that I had learned from other games and apply them to a new game I was learning? You almost forget that it’s fun to learn new things and mess up and it’s OK to still develop and be having fun. When I do play Apex Legends or League of Legends in the future, I can apply what I’ve learned from Legends of Runeterra to those titles.
Starting from Scratch
So I’m starting from scratch – absolutely zero. And I felt like it’d be a good opportunity to document my experience. Not only could I provide content from a laid-back gaming channel that hasn’t had a new video in a while, but I could also show that growth can happen one small step at a time. I also plan to share this content on LinkedIn. My hope is to show that esports can teach delayed gratification skills as well as physical sports can.
Laidback Luck
The only card game experience I have comes from a week or two ago. I had the opportunity to play Null Signal with my friend Victor. Perhaps in the future, I’d like to develop a game similar to Null Signal with animations and everything because I had a blast. But I’m lucky because Victor is also a Masters Runeterra player. My friend Jables, who lives in the states, was just shy of the top 32 in the US tournament. Now that doesn’t mean I’ll reach these heights, but it’s always good to have a common interest with friends. And the nice thing about meeting friends who are better than you is that they can teach you stuff if you have an open mind.
Of course, I’ll try to develop my own style and play decks I like. That’s the fun of the deck-building game, after all.
Getting Familiar With Game Flow
When I first started, like most players, I played the tutorial. After finishing the tutorial, I played a couple of storyline missions. Finally, I graduated to playing the PVP mode against AI. But eventually, you just have to jump in the water and get eaten by the sharks. It’s the way you learn – playing against real players.
The nice thing about Legends of Runeterra is that there are no other factors to blame than yourself. Unlike League of Legends, Apex Legends, Valiant, and most other Esports, the only person you can blame is yourself. It’s similar to a fighting game, just really slowed down. When you lose, it’s a humbling experience.
I’ve learned that the way you react to a loss will judge if you improve or not at the rate of improvement. It’s ok to take the L so before much longer I’m just going to jump in and start playing against real players. Playing against AI can teach you bad habits, for now at least AI is developing rapidly.
Building Decks for Me
The deck I’m using right now is the Jinx Zed deck. Zed is one of my favorite champions in League of Legends, so I’m trying to utilize him in Legends of Runeterra. Although I’d like to use Zed when I get better, my friend explained there are four types of decks
Deck Archetypes
- Control
- Combo
- Midrange
- Aggro
Because I told my friend how I wanted to play, My kind friend Jables suggested some decks for me.
- Samira/Fizz
- Gwen Quinn
- Ekko/someone
- Aatrox/Kayn
Useful Websites
My friend also suggested some useful resources.
Playing on My Own
Using Different Decks
So, I didn’t want to get used to one deck because I’m new to the game. Although I was enjoying the Jinx Zed deck, I tried the Lucian Misfortune deck. I couldn’t get the hang of that one, but it was fun nonetheless. Next, I unlocked the Yasuo Leona deck combo, and that one seemed to flowed with my play style. I played two AI games with it, and as soon as I unlocked PvP, I jumped in. The player I was facing was playing a mage deck, and it was a pretty evenly matched game. I edged out of victory with only five health remaining. It was way more fun than playing against a computer because I knew at the other end was a real person.
There were a bunch of cards that I didn’t know played, but I spent my time reading the cards in my hand and played them to the best of my ability and won. But it’s not about winning or losing at this early stage; it’s more about learning to deal with new situations with the cards you have.
A Fun New Hobby
I’m still new to the game, but I can see myself continuing to play Runeterra in the future. Even if it’s just a short game on the bus or a train, it’s a game that I find fun, and simple, and the cards have great art. It was fun bringing my new mindset into a new game. Games are a good place to practice the growth mindset, thinking of the white belt like in Zen Guitar or the laidback lifestyle. In what areas can you apply the laidback lifestyle to your life?
Wrapping UP
In conclusion, embracing a growth mindset through gaming has opened up thrilling new beginnings for me. Losing my stable internet connection could have been a devastating setback, but instead, it provided an opportunity to expand my gaming experience and try new things. I started from scratch and documented my experience, showing that growth can happen one small step at a time.
Gaming has taught me important lessons about delayed gratification, learning from losses, and being open to new experiences. Gaming is both fun and challenging, and I’m excited to continue exploring its depths. Through gaming, I’ve been able to practice and reinforce a growth mindset, which is an essential tool for success in all areas of life. So whether you’re a seasoned gamer or a complete newbie, I encourage you to step into thrilling new beginnings. I think that embracing growth through gaming can allow you to bring what you learn in games to the real world. Have fun living that laidback lifestyle.
Much love,
LaidbackMarco
Hindsight
I really should have recorded my first PVP game ever. That’s a moment I’ll never get back, but moving forward, I’ll record all of my games and upload them to YouTube.
