Gaming
Life Lessons of a Gamer
“My personal history with gaming is a love/hate relationship. I vividly remember the moments leading up to the day I walked away from it. From that point on, my schema was Yu-gi-oh!, a popular trading card game based on the show. I softly turned my back on gaming because of my drive to do Main Course PHL and wondered if gaming was a waste of time or something vital to my life. I would wrestle with this question throughout my twenties, occasionally playing PS3, PS2 and Gamecube titles. Even at those moments, I still didn’t have the true vision I have now. I didn’t see what gaming meant to me in my life.“
It’s one thing to call yourself dumb. It’s another to act on said thoughts. I began noticing a correlation between my thoughts and the gaming world. I began feeling that my intelligence decreased because I didn’t game. During a very bad experience in college, I had the absolute shit beat out of me in my favorite video game of all time – Super Smash Bros. Melee. Weeks ago in years that have come to pass, I prepared for my first video game tournament taking place in Philadelphia. I played my homie Jarrod nonstop on Lincoln University’s campus. It was his Jigglypuff and Ganondorf vs my Samus. I also played my other homie Darren, whom used Falco. Both of these kats were nice and helped me hone my skills to what they are now. Simply put, I had a decent competitive pool to deal with. I trained and trained, preparing myself for this upcoming event.
The day finally comes for the tournament. I enter proudly and lose my first match. I attributed it to not feeling the rumble feature on the controller. I enter the second bout and was beaten by a Luigi player within 1 minute. I could not believe it. I then play a Ganondorf user, which should have been a piece of cake right? Wrong. I was beaten again. My spirit for competitive gaming was broken. I walked away vowing never to play Melee or compete again.
You couldn’t tell me that defeat defeated me. No one could tell me anything. Life was different, vastly. I was hesitant about anything competitive. I unconsciously stopped putting full effort into things. Why should I when I always fell short – the headspace of a person living is self-defeat. Fast-forward to 2020 and here I am again, in the arena. My life experiences showed me that losing was a part of winning. Life showed me that we all have moments where our best is simply not good enough. What carried me here won’t take me further. I failed to understand that in my early twenties. I firmly believed that I was good, that I had trained and put in the time to compete with the best. I was wrong. I was mistaken and I neglected the experiences others had over mine. Returning to the competitive scene forced me to acknowledge where I was with gaming and identify what I needed to do to fall in love with it again.
In my moment of reflection, I learned some things:
- Time does not denote wisdom, intention during the time does
- I played a Pikachu player who mentioned that they started playing Melee competitively for 2-5 months, while I had played this game since its release, totally over 10 years. My level of intensity was clearly different in our playing styles. His reaction speed, combos and adaptability was far greater than my experience and I played the game since 2001. He was a true, competitive gamer, while I was the local hotshot. Our intentions were different and it showed.
- Someone will always be better than you
- Although I played against a Ganondorf user, his level of experience and application was different from the previous player. I had no way of dealing with my expectations being shattered after believing my training should have been sufficient.
- Losing helps you figure out how to win and what you need to do to win
- None of us likes to lose. However, it shows us our weak spots and areas of growth. Mentally, I was not prepared to be a competitive gamer. I was a sore loser and allowed defeat to defeat me. It wasn’t luck or someone else that causes me to lose. I was the reason I lost. Something about my thought process and depth of knowledge prevented me from getting to the win.
This is the life of a gamer. We go through a process of constant reflection, looking at what we did right, what we did wrong and what we should be using to improve our chances of winning. Life calls for us to make sound calls, to see things through and have a level of foresight that reduces risk. Gaming helps to sharpen those skills by placing us in mentally traumatic situations to test our fortitude. We step up, becoming better, step aside becoming a spectator or commentator or finally stepping down, allowing the gaming space to defeat us and in turn defeating everything we ever challenged about ourselves.
Philadelphia, the Tri-State and beyond! Checkout what our locals are hosting, and where to go for video games, trading card games and more. Fighting Games? Sports Games? Board Games?! We have you covered. Email events@maincoursephl.com to have your events featured on our site.
Summer Jam 2023
Date & Time: Friday, September 1st — 3rd, 2023. Tournament start time varies.
Location: 2349 Marlton Pike W, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
Entry: Varies
For more information click here
X3-Impact
Date & Time: Sunday, Sep 15th, 2023. Doors open @4pm
Location: 2101 Marlton Pike W, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
Entry: Venue $10, SF $10, Guilty Gear Strife $5
For more information click here
Carryout Clash
Date & Time: Sep 15th, 2023. Registration Closes September 15 @12pm
Location: Online
Entry: Free
For more information click here
Dungeons N’ Drafts
Date & Time: Monday September 18th, 2023 from 6pm – 10pm
Location: Second District Brewing, 1939 South Bancroft Street, Philadelphia, PA 19145
Entry: $20
For more information click here
Brotherly Love
Date & Time: Saturday September 23rd, 2023. Doors open @ 11am.
Location: 3 S York Rd, Hatboro, PA 19040
Entry: Venue fee: $20, SSBU/Brawl/Splatoon 3 – $5-$10, Smash 4 – $5, Mario Kart 8 DX – Free
For more information click here
Brawlhalla North America Autumn Championship 2023
Date & Time: Sunday September 24th & October 1st 2023 from 12pm-9pm
Location: Online
Entry: Free
For more information click here
SuperGameDay: TakeoverGame Day
Date & Time: Saturday, October 21st from 11am – 6pm
Location: Cherry St Pier, 121 N Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia, PA
Entry: Free. Tournament entry varies
Click here for more information click here
Philadelphia, the Tri-State and beyond! Checkout what our locals are hosting, and where to go for video games, trading card games and more. Madden, NBA 2K, One Piece and Yugioh? We have you covered. Email events@maincoursephl.com to have your event featured on our site.
SuperGameDay: TakeoverGame Day
Date & Time: Saturday, 11 AM – 6 PM
Location: Cherry St Pier, 121 N Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia, PA
Entry: Free
Click here for more information click here
PG April Playstation 5 Tournament
Date & Time: Saturday, April 22. Doors open at 10 am, tournaments starts at 12pm.
Location: 100 N. White Horse Pike, Lindenwold, NJ, United States, New Jersey
Entry: $25 to enter. All entrants will receive your 5 OTS packs WHEN YOU TURN IN YOUR DECKLIST SHEET. All attendees will turn in their decklist the day of the event.
For more information click here
Waffles and Enthusiasm’s Yu-Gi-Oh! 3 vs 3 Tournament
Date & Time: Sunday, April 23rd at 5pm
Location: 500 W Germantown Pike Ste 2270, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462
Entry: $75 per team ($25 per player), each player will receive six booster packs for participation.
For more information click here
OKND’s L.I.P. Center NBA 2K23 Tournament
Date & Time: April 22nd, 2023 at 12pm
Location: North 59th Street
Entry: click here
Who Run Phill 2K – What’s the Bet Meetup Pt.3
Date & Time: April 22, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Location: 4101 B Island Ave, Philadelphia, Pa 19153
Entry: $5-$20
For more information click here
One Piece Card Game 1K Tournament – at AU Wilmington
Date & time: Saturday, May 6th. Registration opens at 11 am, tournament starts at Noon
Location: Alternate Universes 3617 Silverside Road Wilmington, Wilmington, Delaware 19810 in Talleyville Shopping Center
Entry: $30
For more information click here
Thy Geekdom Con 2023
Date & time: MAY 26 AT 4 PM – MAY 28 AT 7 PM
Location: The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, 100 Station Ave, Oaks, PA 19456
Entry: $20-$40
For more information click here
Born and raised in New York, LeoN currently resides in New Jersey as the #3 ranked player in the state, following Tweek and Jakal respectively. Spending most of his childhood life living in New York, LeoN moved to Jersey when I was around 17 years old, remaining here ever since.
“When I started, I would lose a lot. I started to get a little bit better, but there were players I couldn’t beat. There’s a gentleman in my region I couldn’t beat. I’d look up and he’d just win. It was a steady climb, but slowly and gradually I got to where I am now.” – LeoN
- What are your thoughts on the Smash Community?
I think for the most part, the smash community is a wholesome one, although not without its flaws. It’s not perfect and probably never will be, although I think the community as a whole are generally nice and accepting people. I’ve met some of my closest friends from attending events, so I can confidently say that overall, the good outweighs the bad.
- Do you see room to enhance or make things better in the Smash Community?
There’s always room to improve when it comes to this. I think people learning to be more respectful/understanding of each other can go a long way. Not just in the community but outside of it as well. I also think that when it comes to minors, parents should take a more proactive role in understanding their kids’ Smash Bros endeavors. This way, younger people can be more protected and supported as they attend these events.
- Back in November at Smash World Tour, I had the chance to watch your explosive match against Rivers using Chrom and Diddy Kong. Were you at a disadvantage during the match? How did you manage to come out with the W?
Rivers and I go back and forth. I believe the match highlighted our history. At certain points I was at a disadvantage, even him catching me with a zero to death. During this match I caught myself talking out loud, and caught up in the moment to win. I rolled with the punches, even though I’m behind. I looked at Bowser’s advantage: his weight and ability to live. Mentality wise, I believe I can win when I’m behind. In this match he got me to 200 percent. But, with a well placed move, I won.
- Describe the feeling of using Bowser against nimble characters? How do you deal with the disadvantages?
You have to accept that when you play against small and fast characters, they’re going to combo you early game. Once your damage climbs, they’re combos fall apart and that’s when you can take advantage. These kinds of characters struggle to K.O. super heavies.
- What about your main? Why Bowser?
I started playing him in Smash 4 after seeing someone else use him. To use characters in Smash, I have to really like them. I like the Mario games and Bowser was around all my life, so it just clicked with me.
- Being a competitive gamer is about introspection, control of your emotions and mental state. What have you learned about yourself from gaming?
I find that in the game when I begin to get impatient and rush things, I fall apart. Gaming taught me that patience goes a long way. If you pick your spots instead of randomly swinging, you’ll go a long way. In Smash, the better player is the one who waits.
- Have you applied any of what you learned in-game to outside experiences?
The game has taught me patience. I find that I’m more patient with ppl in the world. It’s made me more confident, being able to say that I’m the best at something. Patience and confidence are the two things this game has given me the most.
- Were you able to gain anything from the forced year off from in person gaming?
I would say my biggest gain from the forced year off was the start of my Twitch channel. Streaming on Twitch has given me more confidence, introduced me to some great people, and opened up a new source of income I had never previously even considered.
- What are you up to now? What are you doing when you’re not gaming?
When I’m not gaming, I’m in the gym, spending time with friends, working on videos, or helping around the house. I feel good when I stay busy, so I try to make sure everyday is productive in some way.
- What’s in store for 2022? Any improvements or projects?
Yes, I’m working on a couple things. I’ve been going to the gym lately and I think integrating health and gaming would be cool. Growing my brand and presence would be super sick. My YouTube channel, health and pushing Bowser to be the best are my moves for 2022.
- Any shout outs?
Shout outs to Spacestation Gaming for being an incredible sponsor! Outside of that, I would like to plug my Twitch and YouTube channels. I make content on these consistently so it would be great to get my name out there a bit more.
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