4 REASONS WHY GAMERS MAKE BETTER TRADERS

Now, I don’t know what your childhood was like, and I can’t say for sure what thoughts occupied your little mind for the most part of the day some X number of years ago…

But I will tell you one thing for sure.

I was a GAME ADDICT.

Yes, I actively played all sort of video games which ranged from the left and right games which were popular back then, to the Tetris game which came with over 100 games in 1.

Then I later progressed to Nintendo Game Boy, Super Nintendo and now I am hooked on to my Play Station.

Growing up, I secretly wished there was a way I could carve a professional gaming career for myself instead of going to a stupid school and learning stuff dead men discovered eons ago.

Now that I am older, I look back at those my early addictive gaming days and am sort of happy that that was a phase in my life.

You know why?

There were some things that gaming thought me back then, and I know there would have been no other way I would have gotten that experience first hand.

In my few years of engaging with other traders and also assisting as a trading mentor, I have come to notice that those traders who have a gaming background tend to fare better than those who were never into playing games

This may sound strange but if you stick around till the end, you may agree with me that gamers are more advantaged than non-gamers when it comes to learning the art of trading.

Some of the gamer’s traits I have found useful in this profession are:

1. The kill or be killed mentality 

As I transitioned into multiplayer gaming over the years, I became a much more aggressive player in games I love, simply because I knew that my loss meant my opponent was better than me in some form.

Because of this fact, I rarely play games for just leisure. Most times I play games when I know I am psychologically fit to play. This is different from when you are playing games to just pass time and losing or winning doesn’t really matter.

This attribute helped me In trading by becoming more aware of my opponents in the market.

These opponents are:

1. The Brokers
2. The Banks
3. The Hedge funds
4. The Trading robots, and finally
5. Other Traders

If I lose any trade, any of these parties would benefit one way or the other, if I also win, apart from the feeling of awesomeness I experience, I also know that one or more of the parties above lost money to me.

This mentality keeps me sharp when planning and monitoring my trades, knowing fully well that my opponents are doing the same thing.

Its a dog eat dog world out there.

2. A high ranking does not define proficiency

In the gaming world, each player is ranked based on his performance online. When playing against a higher ranking opponent, it is easy to get intimidated.

If you are a non-gamer and you are finding it hard to digest this part, I will explain.

One of the multiplayer games I love playing is:  Pro Evolution Soccer on my Play Station 4 console.

When you are online, you get to play with different players around the world, however, when players are picked randomly by whatever algorithm the game uses, you find out that in most cases ranks are mismatched.

Meaning you could be playing against another player with a far higher ranking than yourself.

If you experience such as a non-gamer who is playing for leisure, the first natural thing you will experience is FEAR.

Defeat is subconsciously accepted even before the game begins.

On the flip side,

If you are a seasoned gamer, there is every likelihood that you would ignore that feeling of intimidation or fear and the game may even end up in a draw or a victory for you in some cases

So, how can we relate this to trading?

In trading, you have so many traders with different skill level. Some traders are good trend followers, some are masters of breakouts, some are reversals gurus, I mean the list goes on and on.

But, I will tell you something…

When an experienced gamer trades, he cares less about other skilled traders or other market forces acting against him.

The one thing he depends on is his edge, and he ensures he plays the market to his advantage.

3. You can’t win them all

I am yet to see any gamer who would tell me that he wins every single player he plays online.

That’s preposterous

You could be a badass player in the career mode of any game, breezing past all the stages without getting killed, simply because you have mastered each stage’s gameplay.

However, if you go online, I kid you not, there are a ton of players who could make your life miserable, to the point where you start believing you are a novice gamer

It’s the same thing with trading…

No matter how good you become as a trader, trust me, you will have those days/weeks where you literally get your ass handed over to you.

The only difference in trading, when compared to gaming, is:

You can actually soften the blows during a losing streak by capitalizing on a good money management technique.

When as a gamer you fully understand that being good at any game and having an edge does not make you immune to some bad days of serious whooping, you tend to be more forgiving with yourself when you are trading.

4. Time heals wounds

As an avid online gamer, I tend to know when I am playing my best game and when I am just sloppy.

This has nothing to do with my skill level and also has nothing to do with the way the online gaming algorithm selects your ranked opponents.

It just so happens that on some days, the “god of games” just wants to sit somewhere and have a good laugh at you while you relentlessly try to prove yourself online.

In such days I have one remedy that works like magic.

Do you want to know what my strategy is?

I take a walk…

Oh yes, I put off my gaming console and get myself busy with other things of interest.

The amazing thing is, when I come back, later on, to play online, goodness gracious, there is almost an unbelievable improvement in my skills.

My gaming prowess goes over the roof and if you were to ask me what happened, I would sincerely struggle to give any correct answer to my gaming awesomeness.

It’s the same thing with trading.

You have to know when to take a walk. It’s impossible to trade at optimal capacity every single day/week.

If you are not a gamer, you may never discover this little trick.

In most cases, this is the reason why most traders never graduate into becoming profitable traders.

In Conclusion

Though there is a huge advantage transitioning from being a gamer to a trader, the mindset of a gamer can always be learned by those who never gamed.

In trading, there is nothing cast on stone, traders who make a huge difference in this career, are traders who are willing to learn and have a growth mindset. 

To wrap it up, I have a question for you.

Are you a gamer?

If you are, how has gaming improved your trading?

If you are not a gamer, do you apply any of these gaming techniques in your trading career?

Comment below.