Re:This begs the question... (Score 1)

Anyway, if games weren't tough to play well, there would not be gaming professionals, simple as that.

Exactly. Sure, you can pick up a controller and figure out how to play a game in a few minutes, but that doesn't mean you can compete at anywhere near a professional level.

Lots of people take lessons to become better at their hobbies. It's not just for rich people and it's not cheating. The point of any instruction is to bring the student up to a level where he can continue to become better on his own.

With enough determination, anyone can become an expert at anything, that's true. But when so many people have a head start and are already better than you, the practice becomes frustrating. Without a professional analyzing your faults it's often hard to know how to get better or discover what you're doing wrong.

It can't be said that professional instruction doesn't help, either. There have been relatively unknown players who have performed amazingly well and beaten some of the best in MLG after taking these lessons. Obviously, they practiced on their own, but if you don't know what to work on, the practice is meaningless. Also, it's usually hard to get into games with the better players because they're very selective about who they'll play with. Part of the gaming-lessons program is getting the student into games with the pros.