DIG Jensen on Keeping a Strong Mentality in a Competitive Environment
Jensen highlights the traits that have made him one of the most consistent LoL players to date!
Dignitas’ All-Star Mid Laner, Nicolaj ‘Jensen’ Jensen took a moment to discuss what it’s like in a competitive environment like professional League of Legends, and how important mental fortitude is to individual and team success!
What do you do to maintain a positive mindset and deal with the pressure of playing League of Legends at a professional level?
Jensen: I’m just a very competitive person. I love competing, so I’ll choose winning over anything. That’s what gives me a good mindset when it comes to playing professional League of Legends. I can’t say my mind is as good when it comes to Solo Queue… My mental gets toyed with a bit there.
I love competing and doing whatever I can to win. That’s what drives me!
Can you comment on any strategies you use to stay motivated and focused when you’re winning, and how that might change when you’re losing, if at all?
Jensen: When I’m in the game, I don’t think too much about whether I’m winning or losing. Everything kind of just falls into place and feels natural to me. I think about what the game plan is and what I should be doing next. Usually, it’s just adapting to whatever situation I’m in. I don’t think my mindset really changes much when I’m in a winning or losing state, honestly. I just think about what I should be doing next.
How do you approach practice and your commitment to improving on a day-to-day basis?
Jensen: After playing pro for so long, you develop a habit or style of play. You have your own pattern in how you approach the game and what you do. I feel like I kind of figured out how the game works and how I want to play macro, and how I want to play micro. I focus on what champions I want to pick, what I think is best, keeping up with the meta, and if there is anything I am unsure of, I try to watch how other pro players play those scenarios. When you have played this long, it’s really hard to break out of your own style. It’s hard to break that habit unless you’re forced to. I think I have developed a style that is really hard to change unless I’m being forced to. I see the game in my own way, and focus on the things that I feel like I need to work on in the meta and team I’m with.
In terms of your style that you’ve just touched on, can you point to any specific point in your career where you settled on the style that is ‘Jensen’?
Jensen: In the beginning of my career, I was more reckless. I wanted things to be around me and be my way. As I grew older, I learned more about the game and saw more of the bigger picture. The game doesn’t always have to be around me. It was kind of my character development. Especially playing games internationally, you learn it doesn’t always have to be about mid lane. Playing internationally is where I have learned the most and have tried to adapt more.
Can you explain how important communication is in that conversation of working in a team environment. With such a high turnover in rosters every year, how do you find yourself figuring out where you have to settle on the team culture?
Jensen: It varies depending on the personalities and styles of the teammates you have. I feel like I’m very good at adapting to what and how other people want to play. I think that’s a big strength of mine. I can pretty much work with any player and try to integrate my own style into theirs. It can definitely be difficult because people view the game differently. You try to get on the same page because, in League of Legends, there are so many choices and there is never always a right or wrong choice because there are multiple things you can do. If you create certain patterns and a style of play, when certain situations happen, everyone knows how to respond to it in a similar way.
That does seem like an ideal way to approach that environment, but it does seem like a prime opportunity for disagreements and conflict because there are so many options available. How do you approach those disagreements?
Jensen: Yeah, exactly. I think that’s why sometimes those star-studded rosters just fail. They all disagree about certain things. It’s important to have a good mindset and to see things from their perspective without getting emotional. There are so many different options you have when playing the game, so you will always have different opinions. You have to try to get on the same page as much as possible and hope things will work out. You can’t always see the games the same way, but you should always try, that makes the most sense. Sometimes you will have disagreements and will learn to meet somewhere in the middle. Other times you have to think how important it really is to get the point across. If it’s not that important you can just give up the point and move on. There are so many scenarios that can happen so you will almost never repeat the exact same situation that caused the argument.
What advice would you give to aspiring pro players regarding maintaining a healthy work-life balance while pursuing a career in esports?
Jensen: That’s a tough one. I think if you’re passionate about the game, try really hard to make it work but, don’t be delusional. It’s not for everyone. It’s tough on you mentally. Especially when you play a team game like League of Legends. So, if you’re a very big ego player and have a hard time working with others, maybe try going pro in another game because it will not be easy!
We’d like to thank Jensen for taking the time to sit down with us halfway through the split to discuss the importance of having a strong mentality in professional League of Legends!
If you’d like to hear and see more of Jensen, check him out on:
