No matter how engaging a game is, it can be easy to become complacent with my own performance. As long as I’m doing well and the stat screens prove it, I feel pretty good. However, sometimes you come across a player that is so much better, it makes you take note.

This happened to me this past week.

I ended up playing online with someone we will call “Baggins.” I was sent a message from a player I didn’t know (“Skittles”) who asked if I’d like to play the Vault of Glass with him. I said sure, and joined up. They were at the penultimate checkpoint, and while we encountered every glitch possible (no joke) and weren’t able to complete the raid, I did get to “meet” another random player in our group: Baggins.

Since we couldn’t complete the Vault, we decided to play some Crucible. Not my strong suit. But they were a neat group of people and I thought it would be fun. What I didn’t know was just how amazingly good Baggins would be.

I believe in our first round, he had over 30 kills. This guy was so good people actually sent hate messages to him accusing him of cheating. As someone who has been on his team (a few times now), I can attest that he isn’t cheating, he just gets it.

So I started asking his advice on how to play better, and he basically said, “Rush in and go straight for whoever you see.”

Now this is something I love about people who are good at whatever they do. To them, it’s very simple. It reminds me that not everything has to be complicated. Sometimes, it’s as straightforward as running towards something and just going for it.

So I tried his strategy and you know what? I may not have made it happen every time, but I did considerably better.

Not so long ago in my life, I probably would have been obstinate and not wanted to take someone’s advice for “fear” of appearing incapable. It felt good to really listen to someone, and to put that advice to work.

I also learned Baggins doesn’t take any of it too seriously; something I could often use to remind myself of. How frustrated have I gotten when I haven’t done well in Crucible? Very. Did it help my performance? Nope. Sometimes it helps to remind myself that games are (gasp!) for fun!

So while I haven’t known Baggins that long, I already look forward to playing more with him. Our play styles are similar (though his is far more effective than mine in the Crucible), and I love to learn how to get better.

Typically it is a particular game that drives me to improve my skills, but this is the first time another player has been the impetus to improve. I suppose I chalk that up to Destiny being my first online multiplayer game, thus the first time someone else’s play style was visibly present for me to dissect and inquire of. This is yet another surprise in a game I hadn’t been excited for, but now spend most of my time playing.

Thank you Destiny. Thank you Baggins. I hope to learn more and continue to improve.

Has this happened for anyone else out there? If so, I’d love to hear about it. Let’s all improve, together!