Adrenaline / Nerves / Shakes

RopeDrink

I put it down to my lack of competative nature but anytime I put SF4 on the side for a few days then return to it, I often find myself getting very nervous and often pretty shaky when I'm playing my first few Championship matches, anyone else have any quirks? (Im posting this as a means to calm down due to logging in and going 2nd, Semi, Final and still feeling a bit lightheaded).

I dont get this in Player Matches as you've the freedom to warm up and adapt to players quite freely, however I'm known online to get very shaky and often in any form of game there is a high chance I'll get what I call "Mind Block" where things could be totally in my favour then I just sit there like a vegetable and lose as if my brain just can't make me press buttons to do anything, happens quite a lot in matches I've had with Azza and just happened again in a Semi-Final vs a 8k Chun-Li, HP on Chun down to 20% to my 80% then I end up turtling and being stupified while Chun quite casually walks up and throws me 3 times, quite embarassing.

So, what type are you? Are you that adrenaline junky who gets all self-hyped or angry at the monitor, or are you that nervous type or, heck, there's many different things each player may 'suffer' from during a match.

Name yours :P

At the very least I'm expecting some 'sweaty palms!'

K.O.Kiki

I'm the guy cursing at lag, or missed inputs, or JUMPING INTO AA-SRK -> ULTRA.

Too many damn Ryus on PSN.

Dreddybajs

Get a bit nervous before live tournament matches, online matches/casuals IRL doesn't happen at all.

Ken B

I get nervous before championship matches. Tournament matches, online tourney matches and if I get to a G1 final I become a quivering wreck!!

A-Trak

Playing online = nothing even close to nerves.

Playing with a crowd watching when money is on the line, 1st match is pure twitch nerves. Further matches after that are an adrenaline fuelled blur.

Retr0gamer

I'm the guy swearing at the screen because the only person I could get for the final in championship mode is a laggy bastard and I lose due to lag.

I also have a habit of zoning out and losing matches from not concentrating. Even against good players I can give a good match when I concentrate but sometimes it just goes and I know I'm going to lose within the first 2 seconds of a round. It's most annoying when it happens against scrub kens.

L31mr0d

I seem to hit my "zone" after about 10 minutes of playing SFIV online, keep it for 20 minutes, then lose it. Anything after that and it's like my adrenaline reserves are used up, I start playing on auto-pilot, not bothering to find holes in my opponents strategy...

I don't get nervous at all, but I do get mad, sometimes. It's like the mentality of a gambler I think, I always have it in mind "one more game and you'll get back in the zone, just one more game".. but I never do, and little things my opponent does will start to just itch at that twitchy feeling you get after an adrenaline high, like frequent throws, cheese tactics, being baited and falling for it... etc.

Yesterday I played for an hour more than I should of in championship mode and got my ass handed to me. The game lagged, I whiffed an air fireball, and this scrub Ken got me with a HP srk ftw. I just let out a guttural roar at the screen. 10 seconds later I get a knock on the door, it's my neighbour, white as a sheet, thinking something horrible had happened

Funny thing was (and I was actually talking about this with a fellow gamer in work today) that I had to make up some story as to why I shouted so loud (think I said "my PC crashed while I was working on something" :rolleyes:). I knew saying "I got angry at a computer game" would just look lame.

But I was thinking about it, it's accepted that guys can shout and scream at a screen when they are watching sports and their team is losing. Now they are only spectating this. When you are playing a game, you are actually involved, yet it is viewed as lame to get annoyed to the point of shouting at a game, but not when watching a sport

Kirby

Don't get nervous playing street fighter. Its very relaxed for me. Occasionally, I'll let a huge roar at the Tv if I get robbed..... Like teleporting behind somebody and their fireball hits me from a full screen away.....stuff like that. Then I have to apologise to the people in the house .

As I said tho, generally I just sit there muttering to myself and trying to win .

I'm usually relaxed at our live tourneys at XGC, although I have gotten nervous one or two times. I was quite nervous playing Mike at the last tourney. I really noticed it when I stood up after it was over and wobbled a bit Proper adrenaline come down.

So, basically only nervous when it matters. Like at our tourneys or a Fifa league match against my main rival.

chopperbyrne

I'm far too laid back to get nervous about matches. My hands sweat a ridiculous amount whenever I'm playing any game though.

Jim

Every tourny my hands are shaking like crazy for the first match, but i usually calm down after that. I've never gotten very far in our tournaments but I imagine if I did the nerves would shoot up again.

Its funny. Although my hands are always going crazy for the first match its usually the match I do my best in.

Sabre0001

L31mr0d wrote: »

I seem to hit my "zone" after about 10 minutes of playing SFIV online, keep it for 20 minutes, then lose it. Anything after that and it's like my adrenaline reserves are used up, I start playing on auto-pilot, not bothering to find holes in my opponents strategy...

I don't get nervous at all, but I do get mad, sometimes. It's like the mentality of a gambler I think, I always have it in mind "one more game and you'll get back in the zone, just one more game".. but I never do, and little things my opponent does will start to just itch at that twitchy feeling you get after an adrenaline high, like frequent throws, cheese tactics, being baited and falling for it... etc.

Yesterday I played for an hour more than I should of in championship mode and got my ass handed to me. The game lagged, I whiffed an air fireball, and this scrub Ken got me with a HP srk ftw. I just let out a guttural roar at the screen. 10 seconds later I get a knock on the door, it's my neighbour, white as a sheet, thinking something horrible had happened

Funny thing was (and I was actually talking about this with a fellow gamer in work today) that I had to make up some story as to why I shouted so loud (think I said "my PC crashed while I was working on something" :rolleyes:). I knew saying "I got angry at a computer game" would just look lame.

But I was thinking about it, it's accepted that guys can shout and scream at a screen when they are watching sports and their team is losing. Now they are only spectating this. When you are playing a game, you are actually involved, yet it is viewed as lame to get annoyed to the point of shouting at a game, but not when watching a sport

a) Great story
b) I wholeheartedly agree with the bolded statement - it's a matter of perception and perspective at the moment. Times will change

As for me - I get very nervous before games...Moreso against strangers or "faceless" matches (i.e. Not on LAN). Just don't have that competitive edge. Can throw away a good position with silly errors (outside of SF - never get off to a good lead )

Vyze

I normally don't get nervous during online matches or even offline ranking battles or whatever. Sadly, though, during Super VS Battle I choked real bad (especially in the top 16 playoff) in the BlazBlue tourney because I just wasn't used to that kind of pressure. Out of 2 matches I only got one round.

Creature

L31mr0d wrote: »

I seem to hit my "zone" after about 10 minutes of playing SFIV online, keep it for 20 minutes, then lose it. Anything after that and it's like my adrenaline reserves are used up, I start playing on auto-pilot, not bothering to find holes in my opponents strategy...

The same sort of thing seems to happen to me. I can play well for half an hour or so but after that my concentration goes way down my brian shuts off and I get my ass kicked.

Anyway I don't really get nervous, except when playing top players in a tournament but I do get very excited from adrenaline when fighting most players, except for crappy online shotos.

Dreddybajs

RopeDrink wrote: »

Nice responses folks - Had a long session with Cunny-Funt and unlike usual my combos weren't working at all, I was being continuously thrown around like a rag-doll and half way I had a mind-block for 15 games straight where I just thought "Whats the point?" and just decided to sit back and block / wait to be beaten.

Gotta say I really hate this attitude when I run into it online man. If you're not having fun or whatever just send a message saying GGs, gotta run or whatever and quit the game imo, don't waste the other player's time by just standing there doing nothing. Also makes it very awkward on us because you feel like a dick for quitting even when someone does this.

Nothing wrong with taking a break if you aren't into it/have gotten frustrated, but I find stuff like this very passive-aggressive and really bothers me when players do it to me online, especially if I've been having good games with them before that!

Dreddybajs

Ah right, yeah I misinterpreted, thought you were saying you just stood there doing nothing intentionally which is a move I neither understand nor like. :pac: