Do you almost always lose in competitive video games?

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While I can get really into a competition at times, I'm generally much less competitive than your average person. I play video games a ton, but mostly for the single-player experience. I enjoy cooperative play, but in competitions, I'm bored because I pretty much know I'm going to lose. Mario Kart is the only game I really have a chance in. Shooters, fighters, whatever... I'm always going to lose. I used to think that it was because the people who play online just play online all the time so they've really honed their skills. I'm not so sure, though. Thinking back to GoldenEye and Smash Bros. on N64, I always lost on those to friends too. And I'm starting to realize there's some average level of skill that most people just simply have, that lets them do significantly better in online matches than I do. Because I play games so much, people expect that I'm a force to be reckoned with, but I'm really not. Maybe Mario Kart works for me because it's linear. I just simply don't understand why I can't do well in other genres. I shoot someone when I see them, I feel like I got the jump on them, and then I just end up dead anyway. It pretty much never works out for me. It seems like it comes naturally to everyone but me.

And for all the talk about how gaming improves hand-eye coordination, it's sure never helped my fumbling clumsiness.

I am too uncoordinated to win.

It depends what type of game. I am terrible at competitive RTS games, because instead of building up my army and hounding the enemy, I just concentrate on building technology buildings, and as many walls and auto defenses as I can. I try to make my base impregnable until I can research the most elite unit, and only then do I make an army, consisting entirely of that unit. I leave my enemy to do whatever they want, and they always destroy me before I can make my expensive elite army.

I'm OK at FPS games, especially ones where it's possible to outsmart the enemy by flanking and hiding, etc. I'm not the best twitch gamer, and I can't always headshot like some people, but I use my intellect instead to put myself in superior positioning.

Not always... but I know my focus is a bit hampered when playing with others so I certainly don't feel I'm doing as well as when I play solo.

I did ok with first person shooters (PC based), but only after the controls became so familiar that I didn't have to think about how to do a specific action. Basically when I thought jump and automatically hit the button instead of:

1. Thinking: I need to jump
2. What button do I need to press to jump?
3. Press button [whatever]

I play MMORPG games these days, but many of my key bindings are very similar to what I used in FPS games. For example: I always use the same key for [oh crud I'm in trouble] abilities; the same key for my biggest attack; and the same key for my most common attack.

I always had a problem with console based games when I tried them. It seemed like everyone else was able to train themselves what button does what much faster than I could. I would be trying to figure out what to press while the other person was doing it without much thought.

So, I think the reason I had problems was my brain wasn't as capable of mapping a desired action to the button responsible for the action. This was much worse with new games or if we tried playing multiple different games in a short time period. If I played a game long enough to make this stick, I usually did pretty good.

I'm not very competitive. I hate competition and the way it makes me feel anxious... like if I don't win something is terribly wrong with me.

Yes, I do tend to lose competitive games.

Same here. I dont even bother with MMORPGs, never really had an interest. With the GTA series, i download a 100% savegame, i suck at the missions, i just wanna get a tank and run stuff over, or operate a bus line.

I'm highly competitive, and am okay with video games as long as they're not driving based. I've gotten better with FPS over the years, but I still have trouble with them...all in all, regardless of my natural competitive nature, I tend to do better playing alone. When I'm playing an MMORPG with a friend, for instance, I get highly anxious and usually do the wrong thing which would have never happened if I were solo.

Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I've never won, and I never will. There are SO many freaking buttons and it's fast paced and I get confused and then I lose and get angry
Mario Kart? I don't lose very often
I usually win when I play in the multiplayer division of New Super Mario Bros. for Wii/DS
I really hate trying new games, because I'm not good at them. I need time to memorize and analyze what is necessary, but whenever I go to my boyfriend's house he has a new game that I totally fail at Such as every single Kirby game..argh...

I find it interesting that many here find game controllers to be confusing, and are more comfortable with keyboards. I'm just the opposite. I see the keyboard as a work tool, and can't see it as a legitimate gaming device, except for typing in an online game. I absolutely love game controllers. The only thing that can bug me is when an action is mapped to a button that is different from games I am used to, but it doesn't stop me from playing the game.

I'm a pretty good gamer when it comes to single player. My determination gets me to the end more than my skills, as well as my familiarity with game tropes. But pit me against someone else, and I just can't win.

It's rare when I am able to concentrate on a competitive game well enough to learn sequence of buttons to push for certain actions. More often than not, I just smash buttons or find an action that works reasonably well that requires no more than two buttons.

Don't really like competition but I do like doing a good performance, the competition is just to force me to rethink how I play, has to give a better performance, AI has it limit in most game (only game where AI cause me real trouble is Super Mario Kart, damn you 150cc Special Cup, where I am stuck at the game since childhood =p)

Only game that ever was really a competition to win was Goldeneye because I had the title of been unbeatable in multiplayer amoung family and friends (actually had friends back then), only ever lost 1 match, still don't know why I lost it, but hey friends was happy.

Also won 2 local SNES tournament.

i know i'll never be the best at them.
But i have won over experienced players before, so i know my gaming skills do improve, even if not a whole lot.
But my skills just aren't that consistent. Sometimes i'll have a great game and get a good score or ranking.
and some games i just won't feel that competitive and just sorta go "lone wolf" and have fun with it . Usually resulting in a worse score