Practical Application of the Growth Mindset in Dota 2

In my last actual article I wrote about the mentality that I believe players need when approaching Dota 2 (or really any ranked ladder). I also discussed having a growth mindset and what that meant. I have the wonderful opportunity to coach new and low MMR players on a discord server called Dota University, and after my original article came out I had a few players ask how they could apply this mindset more practically. Over the last month-and-a-half I have spent a good deal of time trying my best to apply what I have learned from Carol Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success into developing and improving as a Dota 2 player (I can’t recommend the book enough, as I learned a great deal from it). After a few revisions I think I have an easy to follow system that will help you cultivate a growth mindset when it comes to learning and improving in Dota 2. 

“This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in every which way in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments, everyone can change and grow through application and experience.”

Carol Dweck – Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

First I want to go over key points from Dweck’s book I will be implementing in my self-improvement system, and exactly how we are going to achieve each of these. If you want to skip over what basically boils down to development notes, and just want that juicy guide scroll down.

Different and malleable learning tactics are the key to an individual’s success:

No two Dota 2 players are exactly the same, or will experience the same problems at any given rank. Rather than create one-size-fits-all guides for improvement (I’m staring at you mugiguideto3k.doc in my trash right now), I tried to create a flexible system of guidelines to help players identify their specific problems and fix them. 

Imperfections should be acknowledged and embraced:

I see players I am coaching try to ignore imperfections in their games or play styles all the time; whether they notice it or not. This leads to thought processes like: ‘If I can just do x-actions better, then y-actions will no longer matter.’ Players and students need to look at all their imperfections holistically and tackle them one by one.

Replace “failing” with “learning:”

When a player attempts to correct a bad habit they often get discouraged when they make the mistake they are trying to eliminate from their play. To encourage a positive mindset this system does not punish or negatively focus on bad habits.

Emphasize growth over speed and have a realistic mindset about time and effort:

So this one is actually a few points in one. It is fairly easy to gain a reasonable amount of MMR very quickly, but it will not last. To gain and keep MMR you must focus on improvement first. For some great insight into time and effort going into gaining MMR I recommend you watch this video about climbing by Arch3r. This system will focus on small improvements in gameplay over time, instead of focusing on hitting lofty MMR milestones. 

Reflect Regularly:

Regular reflection on any task (in this case Dota 2) will help accelerate the learning process. Players will do this by reflecting on each game played, and starting each session with reflection.  

Make small and clear goals for yourself that are easy to attain:

Instead of saying things like ‘I want to reach immortal,’ or ‘I want to farm better,’ set simple and easy goals for yourself. You can always set more. This system asks players for new goals every single day, or couple of days, to better track or progress. Reaching smaller goals drives enthusiasm and promotes a positive learning mindset. 

Okay, so you have humored me and my thoughts going into this guide, but here is the actual stuff you want to see. You will need to physically or digitally track your progress (I use a physical notepad because it is easier for me than tabbing in-and-out of Dota 2), so keep this in mind and set something up for yourself. This is my system to promote a growth mindset when it comes to Dota 2.

Set up a main page as follows:

Date: 

Goals:

Set no more than three easily attainable goals here

Remember, easily definable goals with a simple path to success. No ‘die less,’ more ‘stop overstaying on side lanes when pushing so I get caught out less often.’ Set no more than three goals at a time. Having a long list of to-do’s or goals actually makes you much less apt to work toward any one goal in a focused manner. 

How:

As concisely as possible find a fix to this problem (through a coach, YouTube content, wherever).

eg. ‘As soon as enemies are no longer showing on the minimap, stop pushing immediately.’

Why:

Why is this goal (or goals) set, what do you gain from achieving it.

eg. ‘Dying less leads to more net worth and more map pressure, allowing me to hit better item timings.‘

This ‘Home’ page will be an easy to track list of goals and the achievement of them. This page will be set up every day (assuming you play every day) or every session if you play irregularly. 

Next set something up to track your games. You can do this however you want as long it contains relevant information, but I will show you how I have mine set up. 

• Game 1:
• Hero: Your Hero Choice
• Lane: What do you think your lane matchup is and how should it play out?
• Actual: What was the actual lane matchup and how did it play out?
• Role: What is your role in the game? What do you need to accomplish to win?
• Actual: What did you actually accomplish in the game, did you do what you needed to in order to win?
• Goals:
• Learn: What do you need to do to improve upon what you did this game?
• Celebrate: What did you do correctly that you should continue to do?

Please do not try to type or write all of this in the pick screen, focus on your game. Think about these things, it will promote actively thinking about the game you are playing. Come back and write this stuff down at the end of the game.

After the game is over reflect. Think about the game, fill out the information about the game, and don’t forget the match ID (especially if you are going to look at it at a later point).

Okay so it is Day 2 of the patented (not really) Mugi training regimen. How do I start the day? Well, set up your home page first off. Copy all of your unachieved goals from the prior session (there is a good chance you will have to rewrite the same goals for a few days). Cross through any you have achieved (you will no longer move these completed goals forward). 

After having set up your new home page, it is time to reflect. Either by yourself (or with a coach), choose one game from the day prior (or previous session), and watch it through. Make mental notes of things you can improve on, or that you need to learn about. Add a section to the bottom of your new home page called ‘reflection.’ Add your thoughts here. 

Rinse and repeat. Continue to set small goals for yourself and achieve them. Improve and learn. The MMR will come with progress in your gameplay. Focus less on the number and more on yourself. 

I am sitting here formatting this for my website and giving it a final read through. Some of this really feels like common-sense. This article may be completely pointless. I really hope it helps somebody achieve what they want from Dota. I may, or may not be, taking students to help test this system out with more people. I want to revisit this system and its potential flaws in a future article. Until then, I hope you improve. I hope you grow. I hope you learn. 

Also thanks everyone at Dota University for the encouragement.