A Beginners Guide to Tilting and Mindset

A players mindset has always been one of the most important concepts in gaming, and we don't always understand why. One would think that the most critical idea would be individual skill, or even just in game knowledge, but that simply is not the case. In games like League of Legends, a players mindset is everything, and often spells the difference between victory and defeat. Most often underestimate the importance of their mindset when playing League, spelling almost immediate doom for them. Here's how to spot positive and negative mindsets, and some tips to improving your own before it get's out of hand.

What is tilt?

Tilt is the most common cause for negative mindsets. Tilt is the internal battle that takes place when you start to lose a competition (tilt is not unique to gaming, but rather to any competitive activity.) When threatened, your brain knows how to do two things; fight the source of the threat, or run away from it, also known as your fight-or-flight instinct. When you're loosing a competition, your brain doesn't know what to do; it can't run away, and it can't fight. It does the only thing it can in this scenario, which is get angry and frustrated. Because you're frustrated, you loose focus and play worse. Because you play worse, you loose harder, which makes you tilt harder, and there begins the cycle. Odds are if you've played more than a couple games in a row, you've experienced this feeling. You don't want to stop playing because now you've got something to prove, now you HAVE to win to show yourself that you can.

Tryndamere may be able to survive on rage alone, but all of us summoners most certainly can't.

Tilt is difficult to spot if you're not paying attention. Most of the time, when you're tilting, you aren't exactly rational, and your anger makes it hard to see that you're playing worse. Tilt CAN be combated though, with just a little bit of caution. If you know you have issues tilting, keep an eye on how many losses in a row you have. If it's more than a couple, you're probably tilting. Another thing to watch is how much you're talking in game. Communication is key, but only if it's positive communication. Calling out other players mistakes is the best way that I know to throw a game. The only thing that it does is help put your teammates on tilt with you, because now, they have something to prove to YOU. They have to show this jerk that they really are good, that they're better than you. It's quite possibly the worst thing you can do in a game.

Signs of a Positive Mindset

The biggest tell that you have a positive mindset is how you act when faced with a loss. If your first thought is "GG, surrender at 20" then your mindset is bad. However, if you step back and assess the situation, think about team comps, think about where the power is place on your team in comparison to where it's placed on the enemy team, and assess how bad the situation really is, you've got a great mindset. Thinking things like "They're ten kills up, but we have better pushing power and a better late game team, so we're still in this" or "we can try to get picks or stall for five dragons, we just have to play like a team" are great things to think.

Signs of a Negative Mindset

It is far harder to spot your own negative mindset, due to the aforementioned tilt. You typically aren't thinking strait when you have a bad mindset, but thats not to say it's impossible to see. Pay attention to what you're saying in chat, and what you're thinking when you loose. If your thoughts are full of blind, seething rage at your team, or even dead silence, it's probably time to step back and reassess your state of mind. If you're talking crap in all chat, saying things like "This Ashe is the worst player I have ever seen" or "team sucks, can't carry this trash" you've got a dreadful mindset, and you're probably tilting.

Want to know why Emumu's so sad? It's because he's got the wrong mindset!

How to Improve Your Mindset and Combat Tilt

Staying calm is the key here. The calmer you are, the harder it is to tilt you, and the easier it will be to spot when you start. Even when playing with trolls or intentional feeders, stay as calm as you can. Victory is always possible, even when faced with seemingly impossible odds. Who knows what is happening on the enemy team? Perhaps their Vayne is tilting, saying extremely toxic things in chat, and the enemy team is loosing focus. Maybe one of their players is going to AFK in five minutes, and if you can just hold out for a little longer the game would be a bit more even. League is a game full of incredible comebacks and insane victories. If you can stay calm, and always keep your hope, you can accomplish amazing things.

If you know you are put on tilt easily, being extra careful is a must. Try to find something that helps you stay calm. For me, it's music. If I start tilting, I just go browse Spotify or Pandora and find some good music, and I calm down right away. Keep an eye on how many games you've played in a row and how many of them have been losses. An easy way to keep calm is just to stop playing. The game isn't worth getting yourself all stressed out about. Take a break, walk away, watch a movie or get some food. League of Legends is a fun game, but in the end it is just a game, and letting it or the people that play it make you mad or frustrated would be foolish.