What You Can and Can't Learn from Games

Competitive games can be one of the best areas for training certain types of skills. However, they also have some limitations and distinct weaknesses that are worth noting. This sequence will aim to demonstrate some of those strengths and weaknesses, using both theoretical arguments and practical examples/case studies.

I have been world #1 by official or unofficial Elo rating in multiple games, won or placed highly in major tournaments both online and in person, organized competitive events myself, written articles that have significantly advanced the community's understanding of some of the games I played, etc. That said, I have never made a full-time living as a pro gamer (nor as a professional poker player or similar), nor have I ever been the best in the world at a really big game like Magic: the Gathering or StarCraft; while I may have some experience in high level competitive games, there are definitely levels above mine.

Most of the games that I am best at are turn-based strategy games of one sort or another (generally card or miniatures games), though I dabble a bit in other genres and have been highly rated in a few digital games.

In general, I think games can be a great way to train certain aspects of one's mental skills, especially in the realm of strategy and practice. However, I also feel that they have some distinct weaknesses that can limit them as a training ground. This sequence will go into more detail on how I think that shakes out in actual practice, as well as describing some recommendations as to how one might use this.