Actions Per Minute (APM)

Today I want to post something about pro gamers. Here's a short video excerpt from a Razer documentary about two Korean players, NaDa and Moon. Here, they will demonstrate how they play StarCraft and WarCraft III. It's a definitely must-see for those who aspire in becoming competitive gamers. See the end of the post for this complete documentary.



APM stands for actions per minute and it is the number of actions completed within a minute of gameplay. High APM is often associated with skill. Newbies usually have a low APM count, say around 50. Professional e-athletes in South Korea have APM of about 300 and some occasionally exceed 500 when in the heat of a battle.

Do note that high APM does not make you a great player. It's about the efficiency and accuracy of your actions! Mindless clicking everywhere and spamming your hotkeys won't make you top tier. However, this "spamming" can be used to warm up your fingers in the beginning of the match. With StarCraft II, it is possible to save replays of your games and then view them. By pressing M, you can view all players' APM counts. Once you become better and better, you should (slowly) see a rise in your APM.

I will consider some tips and tricks on how to improve your gaming skills in StarCraft II in future posts. In essence, practice makes perfect and learn from your mistakes.

Here's the link to all 4 parts of the original Razer: The Hax Life documentary on one page. On a side note, Razer makes delicious equipment targeted for gamers. I myself have the Razer Mamba and Razer Lycosa Mirror; gotta love the shiny black! What's your gaming equipment?