How To Spot Direct And Indirect Players
Aug 12, 2021Have you ever played with that one friend that most of the time rushed in, always looking for action, and made a sick fast play or that he rushed in and straight up died. Or that other friend that when you are going in: “where are you when I need you? You are to late!” But sometimes makes the best tactical outplays. There are two different types of players: direct and indirect players. But which one are you and what are your teammates? In this article we go over how these differences develop, how you can tell you or someone else is a direct or indirect Player and how this affects your gameplay.
What does it really mean being a direct or indirect Player?
Due to the asymmetry of the brains, we are not all connected to the purpose of our actions in the same way. You can see differences between direct and indirect players. direct players are directly connected to the intention of their actions. They want to create impact, challenge themselves or move away when necessary. The context is not that important for them, they simply go for their action or idea. Indirect players, on the other hand, first go to the situation and, inspired by logic or feeling, weigh on the basis of that information when and how they go towards their intention. They look for the nuances of the situation and want to naturally influence it by creating a better starting position. They need this as identification for their action. This doesn’t mean that direct players are by default always fast or Indirect players always slow. What it means is that indirect players collect information to make a decision, and direct players just go for the opportunity in the moment. Because the brain is also in control of your body movement and preferences, it is also visible to identify an direct or indirect player by their sitting position. Direct players tend to keep their elbows more close to their body and Indirect players tend to have their elbows more away from their body. This isn’t only noticeable while gaming but also in their day-to-day life.
How do you know if you are or dealing with a direct or indirect player?
Okay great, but how will this improve my gameplay?
When you know your own and team’s preferences, there is room for improvement on a personal, team and tactical level. When you are a direct player, you are at your best when you have a lot of space in front of you so you can move forward. This means that you are more effective in these places than an indirect player is. Think of rushing from the sides of maps and putting pressure from there, frontal engages and long range distances.
Indirect players are at their best when they have a lot of space besides them instead of in front of them. They like to strafe and move more sideways. These players are at their best inside small area’s with lots of obstacles, like buildings. Since they process more information while making a corner, they better scan the room for enemies and can spot them more easily. They then can choose to engage and have a good starting position, or turn back and find a better starting position, while a direct player would straight up engage most of the times, whether or not it was a good starting position.
When playing alone, know your playstyle and set yourself up for success by implementing these tiny details. They will stack up over time and improve you as a player tremendously. When playing with a team, be sure to know what kind of players you have and make a strategy around these natural preferences. Or when at a LAN event, how is the elbow position of the opponent? Are they direct or indirect players? Find their weak spots.
Below you see the difference of direct and indirect players in a visual.
Left: Direct Player, elbows close to the body – Right: Indirect Player, elbows away from the body
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