Something about Guilty Gear Strive I've been dwelling on lately: while the game provides spaces to match you with people on your level, realistically speaking (at least in Oceania—I dunno about other regions) the only way to get a match promptly is to go to an open room and just fight anyone who will humour you for a few rounds, regardless of skill.
It's not ideal, especially if you can't handle being mercilessly dunked into the toilet over and over, but it's remarkable for granting you a sense of perspective. You think you're stuck firmly at rock-bottom, not getting anywhere, then someone slightly newer comes along, and you realise you've actually made... enormous progress?
It's a remarkable feeling, to have a view of how far up the ceiling is, and—more so, maybe—how the floor isn't as close as you'd believed. And as much as I'd prefer to play against people on my level, I can't help but wonder if it'd feel more like running on a treadmill. How do you tell if you're moving? Does a number go up? Would it feel significant if you were always evenly matched?
Maybe a bit of perspective is good, once in a while.