In my previous column, I went over the scientific effects of practice on the brain. To follow up on that idea, the negative side of practice should also be examined.

The simple fact of practice is, that it is not an achievement. You can be the biggest idiot, jackass, dipshit loser on Earth, and still practice. When a game rewards practice more than personal character, it invites talentless fags (South Park biker type fags), to run rampant and harass unpracticed players. More specifically, it promotes the unhealthy, antisocial, 'no-life' lifestyle. Obviously, unless you are a professional player, the only way to practice excessively, is to have no fucking life whatsoever.

Clearly, if we are to bring in more players, we need to put a cap on how much a practice-gap can affect the outcome or enjoyment of a game. Most people do not have the time to practice excessively, nor do they want to quit their jobs, drop out of school, or otherwise be one of those 'no-lifers' in order to do so. Precisely how to solve the practice-gap, I do not know, but the 'skill-matching' system is not working. The solution needs to be a hard solution, not something that anyone can easily work around or subvert (such as by making new accounts or intentionally losing games). And certainly, I do not agree with the concept of limiting aliases. Contrary to what communists and fascists would have you believe, aliasing is not about hiding your identity to commit crimes. It is, in fact, about self-expression, creativity and originality. And I can assure you, in terms of mental fitness, the person who comes up with 1,000 aliases is exercising more brainpower than someone who only develops 1.

In conclusion, when devising a solution, it should not involve destroying the healthy practice of aliasing. It should also not involve dysfunctional 'skill-matching' systems. A hard solution is something like disabling strafe-jumping and some of the weapons, and that is precisely the type of solution needed.