I first played TF2 in May 2018 because I wanted to see how it would run on my laptop, but I didn't get into it until February 2023,
when three of my Internet friends opened the game at the same time and I decided it would be a fun idea to join them
and put them in the same Discord call (one of them had never met the other two). I had a blast that night, so I had to
keep playing the game on my own, to get a better idea of what it was all about. Eventually, I developed a strong interest in it.
I also felt like it was filling a CS:GO-shaped hole in me, since most of the friends I made in that game moved on from it
or started playing with other people.
Fast-forward a few months and I've now made new friends in the game, dedicated several hundred hours to it and even joined a
highlander team.
At the time, I wasn't very skilled (and to be fair, my current skill level is still nothing to brag about), but I was curious to give
competitive TF2 a go, so after some digging, I found ETF2L. I could've participated in the Autumn 2023 cup, but I ended up being a sub
for a team whose Sniper player was always available, so I wasn't really needed. The good thing is I got to watch lots of gameplay from
a team that ended up in 2nd place in Open. As well as that, I now had more people to play, practice or find other teams with.
Of course, being competent wasn't my main goal. I still wanted to have fun, but I didn't always feel like I was enjoying myself. At some point,
I started to feel pessimistic and unhelpful. It seems like I focused too much on comp and "being good" when it's "just a game".
Remember what I said about CS:GO? Well, I dedicated way too much time to that game. I claim that I used to be quite good at it, but late 2022 or
early 2023 was my downfall. To be fair, I was no longer that involved in the game. Long gone were the days where I lived and breathed CS:GO.
Still, I had the false idea that, after spending a few hundred hours in a game that I had falsely perceived as being quite similar to CS,
I should be picking up some steam. But I wasn't. Disappointment ensued. This was the beginning of the
"keyboard smashing" arc.
I didn't know what to do other than just keep going and hope I would start improving gradually, but without pushing myself too far.
The only time I felt truly comfortable was when I wasn't dedicating myself to the game too much. I've been recommended to take breaks,
all of which helped temporarily and made me realise the game isn't fun if your life "depends" on it. Despite all of this, I still played
the game for fun most of the time, except when I had comp in my mind. For example, I played many casual matches
with one of my mates from summer camp, always as a way for us to socialise and enjoy the moment.
Even with this problem, I'd say I succeeded in a way. I was referred to Knights of the Order by someone from Caky's European Opossums
because they needed a Sniper. At the time, I had started maining Scout, but I saw myself able to adapt. A few weeks after I got in the team,
it was time for the Summer 2024 season. Because of summer camp and holidays with my family, I could only play
3 out of 5 officials. I wasn't known for being a particularly good Sniper player and I was still struggling with some of the
same things as a few months ago, but it felt right to finally participate in a season (I was a sub for the two previous ones)
and have a friendly team that felt more like a group of friends, or even a family. Feeling attached to other gamers on the Internet is
a nice feeling when you don't know many people in real life who the play the same games as you, but seeing them move on from the game
(or from gaming altogether)
is saddening.
Well, I talked about comp too much. Let's get to the point now. On October 3rd, 2024, I hit the 1000-hour mark.
I was on a 4v4 PASS Time
pug
while that happened. Some people can't fathom the idea of dedicating 1000 hours to a single videogame, but here I am,
having played at least 3 games for that long or more. In TF2, every match is different. The possibilities are virtually endless.
So what did I learn from all of this? I'm talking about general advice, not skills specific to the game.