Is SBMM harder this season or is it just me?

@Sand_spitterit's for engagement, for some reason people play game longer when they are treated the same way they treat gamblers in casinos

so you lose but occasionaly you win, the aim is to make wins special, make you long for the wins, so you play more until you win, you get dopamine hit

you know, oversimplified addiction cycle

@damsonwhufndthisExactly, perfectly said. That's what it is but people still think anything they do will actually matter. It's a joke. Get better = get better lobbies, unless you are top of the top it won't matter. Even if you are better than say 50% of players it won't be reflected in any of your stats, except if you are one of the whales - but that is a different discussion and a tool of ebmm. Total bs.

@Sand_spitter

I think you just highlighted one of the bigger issues. Let’s say we could magically know exactly where you are in the entire playerbase regarding skill.

Let’s say that number is 5%. You are in the top 5% of players in the entire world regarding skill. You can be in the top 5% and (overall) have the same results as someone who is in the bottom 40%, because those players in the bottom 40% are not exclusively playing the very best players.

Let me highlight my own example (which I often share here on the forums). I tend to float between Diamond and Masters, and have on several occasions hit Masters. Once I hit Masters I hit a brick wall, as no matter how much I practice I can’t perform well against the top 1%. So I typically switch to pubs.

But I’m dropping almost exclusively against Diamond/Master/Preds— probably the same kids I’m playing while grinding towards Masters. Overall (ranked plus pubs) I seeing less success and have a more stressful time than my friends who tend to hover between Gold and Plat. I haven’t won a game this week despite playing every night after work. Meanwhile my buds have won a few games and still aren’t dropping into these high ELO pubs.

Players shouldn’t lose more than average because they are more than average. “Overall success” should be an outcome of a player’s skill vs the median or average skill.

Average players should have average success.
Below average players should have below average success.
Above average players should have above average success.

"Average players should have average success.
Below average players should have below average success.
Above average players should have above average success."

100000000000000000000000000000000000%

That is exactly how it should be.

The game should not hold your hand.

No game or program or algorithm should decide who I face in an online game. If that's the case then it is no longer a game but rater a weird interactive movie.

@Sand_spitteryeah this is some dream world right here

Currently in almost all videogames, you just have to keep your mind straight or else you won't get far,

since, getting slightly better at the game, while it can be noticable if one looks close,

the increase of outcome, rewards and general response of the game that you get better is nonexistant.

You need to be severely better for the game to give in and treat you like better player,

sometimes you need to be so good just for slight increase.