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[Shifty]

This is a subject that's crossed my mind a few times before, but is only just now getting around to coalescing into a thread.
I'm talking about those situations in which you've been playing a game to death, take a short or long break, then return to it to find that your skills have increased by an order of magnitude.

The game that got me thinking about this again was Polybius, a trippy-as-balls arcade shooter by Llamasoft.

Like any good arcade shooter it emphasises skill and scoring (it's dope and you should play it), however I've not touched it in upwards of a fortnight.
I ended up showing it off to a friend the other day, hopped back in for a session and lo and behold I'm smashing through my old high scores without even having warmed up.

To give another example, I've had this in the past with Devil May Cry 3- practicing like a madman and feeling like my skills have plateaued, then taking a break from it for a week or so only to come back and find that all the knowledge has sunk in and I'm now kicking ass effortlessly.

I get the idea of letting muscle memory sink in, but always assumed that it would take roughly one sleep for my unconscious mind to soak up that knowledge and be ready to go the next day. Leaving it any longer would surely cause rust to start accumulating.
Evidently though, that's not the case if my DMC3 anecdote has any credence to it.

So, talk to me GAF. What's your experience with this? Do you find yourselves possessed with unexpected leaps in proficiency when returning to a game?
Plateau my skills and call me a crazy person if old.

 

[LordKasual]

So, talk to me GAF. What's your experience with this? Do you find yourselves possessed with unexpected leaps in proficiency when returning to a game?
Plateau my skills and call me a crazy person if old.

Yes, absolutely. Which is why when i practice in things like fighting games these days, I never go too hard on the practice session. The subconscious part of learning is probably the most important part.

I'll never forget the day I booted up a fighting game days after being frustrated failing to do special moves, and could magically just do the Shoryuken motion with 100% accuracy.

 

[ViolentP]

This is basically how I work my way through any Souls game I get stuck in.

 

[Yohane]

Yes you need some time to build new neuron connections

 

[UpUpDownDown]

This is how I basically work my way through life.

Pretty sure that's how learning works.

 

[Andrefpvs]

This happens to me all the time with rhythm games.

I spend months without playing, then when I go back to the game I naturally think I'm going to be terrib--*NEW RECORD!*

I'm always fascinated when this happens.

 

[psyfi]

Yeah, definitely. I've always just figured that my brain needs time to metabolize all the game learning I just shoved into it. Social and intellectual stimulation and exercise gets our brains working better too, so it makes sense.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

In some games, I think there's merit in taking a break to "flush out" bad habits or muscle memory.

 

[xuchu]

I've definitely found this to be the case when playing puzzle games like the Witness or Talos principle. Hell even when I'm struggling on a boss in souls, if I take a break I often end up beating it in a couple of tries.

 

[blugbox]

I remember physically feeling this with Rock Band/Guitar Hero

Taking a break, then coming back so much better always surprised me

 

[dripdripsplash]

FIFA requires this I feel sometimes lol

 

[Spinky]

I wish I could remember this while practicing for hours on end on a fighting game.

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

Happens with Rocket League when I take a few days off. It's like my mind starts seeing and processing things a little differently for some reason. I find it to be pretty odd.

 

[petran79]

In my case it depends more whether I am tired or nervous, have not slept or eaten well, didnt do any exercise etc

Sometimes I may play at an inappropriate hour. Body clock has to be adjusted for video games.

 

[Sephzilla]

I tend to do this with fighters. If I play too much I almost get to a point where I'm over thinking the game. So taking a break lets my brain reset a little.

 

[Tarextherex]

If it's not a combo/execution heavy game where muscle memory is vital yes, taking a break is very useful to get better. Basically you rest from mental exhaustion

 

[Huge Succeeded]

The WipEout effect

 

[Shifty]

Yes, absolutely. Which is why when i practice in things like fighting games these days, I never go too hard on the practice session. The subconscious part of learning is probably the most important part.

I'll never forget the day I booted up a fighting game days after being frustrated failing to do special moves, and could magically just do the Shoryuken motion with 100% accuracy.

I wish I could remember this while practicing for hours on end on a fighting game.

I tend to do this with fighters. If I play too much I almost get to a point where I'm over thinking the game. So taking a break lets my brain reset a little.

My people.

I used to spend a ton of time in KOFXIII's execution-heavy combo challenges, pushing too hard and getting nowhere until the next session. I guess I need to learn when I'm mentally done.
Still got bodied up and down the street by the two remaining PC online players, mind.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I find that it really depends on the game, mainly because I end up forgetting controls for some things. So like, Counter-Strike, which I've been playing forever... I can take a break for a month or two and come back and still top a server, because I'm not going to forget that spacebar is jump. But I booted up Red Dead Redemption a couple nights ago, forgot which button to press to slow my horse down, and ended up jumping into some guy, then accidentally whipping out my gun and shooting the horse I was currently riding in the back of the head while the buddies of the guy I mowed down opened fire on me. It did not instill confidence in my ability to jump back into that game and still be proficient. Similar thing happened in Witcher 3; thank goodness "you can't attack this target" is a thing.

 

[Damaniel]

It's the only way I managed to beat Castlevania III back in the day. I spent nearly 6 hours playing the last stage and only made it to Dracula's final form once. My mom made me walk down to the store to buy something she forgot for dinner (and I was really annoyed by it!), but when I came back, I beat Dracula the very first time I tried. I had only walked away from the game for 30 minutes, but that was enough to reset my brain.

 

[Sesuadra]

muscle memory and shit needs time.

same with playing the guitar. I can practice a song and can't get it right. the next day I can suddenly play it >>

 

[Icyflamez96]

Happens with Rocket League when I take a few days off. It's like my mind starts seeing and processing things a little differently for some reason. I find it to be pretty odd.

Came in to say this.

 

[8bit]

Sometimes your subconscious needs to work on strategies and then next time it will execute it perfectly. If you don't manage to do it first time, your fingers go back to button mashing though.

 

[Captain Fun]

Yeah. Generally when I get stuck on something in a game, I need a bit of a break.

For example,

Spoiler

Orphan of Kos

in Bloodborne took me a while because I was on tilt for so long, but after taking a break, everything just clicked.

 

[QuantumZebra]

Yes you need some time to build new neuron connections

I always wondered why this happens, maybe this ^ could be somewhat true?

As a musician the same thing happens - when you can't nail a cover of a song (Too difficult) or can't write a riff/melody just right... give it a week or a few and come back, and tada! it works itself out.

Strange.

Edit: agreed with above poster - Bloodborne/Souls games have this effect big time. I damn near busted up my PS4 controller fighting Father Gascoigne... came back a day later and walked all over him.

 

[Anarion07]

I experienced this all the time in driveclub.

 

[Khalifa Jayy]

Came in to say this.

Literally came to third this exact sentiment. ALWAYS happens with RL.

 

[Baleoce]

I was watching an Overwatch video by Skyline related to this very subject. You might find it interesting OP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLloQvOv1W4

 

[FX-GMC]

Literally came to third this exact sentiment. ALWAYS happens with RL.

Rocket League was the first game I thought of when I saw this thread.

 

[BHK3]

You can accerlate it by complaining on the internet. Can't beat a boss? Rage in the games OT, try again later and you won't even get hit

 

[Shifty]

I was watching an Overwatch video by Skyline related to this very subject. You might find it interesting OP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLloQvOv1W4

Oh nice, I'll give that a watch. Cheers!

Edit: That was really good, his points about making sure to lock in good habits while your brain is fresh are bang-on.

You can accerlate it by complaining on the internet. Can't beat a boss? Rage in the games OT, try again later and you won't even get hit

Hrmm stage 27 of Polybius is a real bitch tho

 

[Llefty]

In my experience this works with most games, but for some (like Super Hexagon) long breaks can be pretty detrimental. I definitely think breaking for a couple of days after getting frustrated at something helps, though.

 

[Shifty]

In my experience this works with most games, but for some (like Super Hexagon) long breaks can be pretty detrimental. I definitely think breaking for a couple of days after getting frustrated at something helps, though.

This is one of the things I've puzzled over; how long it takes for the rust to set in and actually make you worse. The video Baleoce posted suggests two weeks, but I guess it probably varies game by game.

 

[FirewalkR]

This works for pretty much all kinds of learning I guess. I've been experiencing it with piano playing too.

 

[killdatninja]

It's not just you, it's happened to every single game I've ever played. I go back to a game maybe rusty for a game or two, then play out of my mind for a few hours. Essentially it only lasts like a week max, then I'm back to my basic ass self.

 

[NullPointer]

The Witness.

It continually blew my mind how stumped I could be by a puzzle only to completely breeze through it the next day. Happened all the time.

The subconscious is a wonderful thing. I'm damn sure it was busy working through the possibilities while I slept.

 

[ScribbleD]

Sometimes you need to step away to release yourself from tunnel vision or functional fixedness and approach something at a later date with a refreshed perspective. It's a helpful problem solving technique in general.

 

[Sora the Cat]

This happens SO much to me in Rocket League.

 

[gelf]

I'm very habitual and unfortunately that includes​ bad habits. If I'm unconsciously making the same terrible error over and over when say I'm say fighting a difficult boss then a good long break often does me good and I'll often beat it in just a couple of tries next time.

 

[Human Resources]

*comes back to a WipeOut trial he couldn't beat after a week*
"oh shit this is my song"

 

[shira]

I get the idea of letting muscle memory sink in, but always assumed that it would take roughly one sleep for my unconscious mind to soak up that knowledge and be ready to go the next day. Leaving it any longer would surely cause rust to start accumulating.
Evidently though, that's not the case if my DMC3 anecdote has any credence to it.

It's all your brain's performance.

IDK why you think "soaking" or "rusting" has anything to do with it

 

[Iced]

I remember physically feeling this with Rock Band/Guitar Hero

Taking a break, then coming back so much better always surprised me

Same.

 

[Fix-It Felix. Jr.]

This seems to happen to me with Overwatch a lot. I'll get frustrated and stop playing for a while, then return and get constant gold medals for the entire week.

but then I start sucking again, and the cycle continues.

 

[Fug Slanderson]

I find that with anything in life that requires a great deal of skill, if I take a break from it now and then, I'm often a lot better when I return to it. I think your brain just needs time to process things, and its unable to do this while your actively engaged in an activity...maybe? I don't know. All I know is that when I take a break it makes me better.

 

[SigSig]

I took a multiple months break from Trackmania Turbo and now I'm just flying through the campaign.
Had this experience with the Trackmania franchise a lot before.

Same with Dark Souls.

 

[Thud]

A fresh mind and relaxed muscles can make a lot of difference.

 

[Lemonte]

Happened to me in Trackmania 2 canyon. When it came out I played it daily for the first 6 months. Then it got boring and took few months break from it. When I started playing it again I was a lot better at it.

 

[Mercador]

Yes you need some time to build new neuron connections

This. And it's not just games.

 

[Umbooki]

That's my relationship with rhythm games in a nutshell. I go hard for a couple of hours, plateau, then come back to it at a later time.

I do anything to increase the accuracy rating.

 

[Hesh]

I frequently came back to a Guitar Hero or Rock Band game and could complete songs I couldn't before. Not sure why. It's one thing to get that "like riding a bike" familiarity with a video game, to become better at it after not playing it for an extended period of time is an interesting phenomena.