My secret statue of a dragon. It makes me luckier in EVERY game I play! Oops, dammit! It's not so secret anymore :P

Either with friends over because i have to prove my worth and I don't want to give them the controller.

Or just wearing my underware...yeah, I'm not going any farther than that.

Constantly mouthing 'Over 9000!' when I'm crushing the CPU in an RPG or an Action game. I have no idea why I do it, good thing I game alone for the most part.

If im engaged in a conversation I seem to do better. Like generally in COD4, I suck. But as soon as I start talking to someone, I just do better. I have no idea why.

If I become "Agressively Nice" towards people. I go out of my way to have intellectual conversations with random jerks and apologize to people I get headshots off of because of lag. I also do my best to refrain from cussing people out (partly because that will make my parents take away my Xbox and partly because it helps me do better).

Another help is when I silence my gun in CoD4, equip UAV jammer, and put on dead silence and run n' gun. It works because no one expects it, and rushing campers with some of those perks really catches snipers or distracted people off guard, and I get more kills than if I used the noobtube or sniper (not that I use the noobtube, because I live by the golden rule).

Also, a popular opinion in here is that when you guys arent trying as hard or are playing casually do better and I agree. most of my friends have been getting Xbox 360s now so I've been dicking around in multiplayer CoD4 with them and the more I focus on just having fun or not playing competitively the better I do.

INF1NIT3 D00M:

Also, a popular opinion in here is that when you guys arent trying as hard or are playing casually do better and I agree. most of my friends have been getting Xbox 360s now so I've been dicking around in multiplayer CoD4 with them and the more I focus on just having fun or not playing competitively the better I do.

Really? I'm the opposite I do better when I try (and use every trick in the book to win).

Listening to 60's music. Also when I am just like, screw this game, then I play amazing in COD4.

General consensus appears to be that not giving a damn about winning makes you better, as for the guy mouthing Over 9000, yeah umm, I'm not playing games in the same room as you, would creep me out :P

Gorillaz, bloody good inspiration.

I constantly swear and taunt underneath my breath when confronting my enemies. It tends to boost my confidence and keep my mind clear. Upon hearing/seeing a Regenerator from RE4 or any other shuffling, lumbering but albeit creepy bastard I usually mutter things on the lines of

"Come on, come and get me..."
-fires shotgun-
"That's right, come on bitch, you like it don't you?"

and lately, "Come on! HIT ME!"

Don't worry, I never do this online and even then, it's with the mic off.

For some random reason, listening to feeder makes me alot better at online games. No other music helps me though.

I agree about alcahol. When ive had about two pints (not quiet drunk) i play much better at first person shooters. Other than that I find I play most games well when Im tired

focusing entirely on what's blasting out of my headphones, and keeping the game in my vertical peripheral vision.

Like others have said I find I play better when I've had some beers
And strangely enough if I'm playing a game but not thinking or paying any real attention to the game I do better..
Most commonly happens with GH and Rock Band. As soon as I think about it I lose my streak =/
Also on SSBB when I play online the games where I'm saying 'God I'm playing awful!' and generally cursing are the ones where it turns out I won XD

I am amazing on rockband/guitar hero when drunk.

Same. I am a very talented gamer but when i've been awake for ages and pop a disk in my PS3 I turn from good to epic.

I have never once, nor will I ever, used anything that boosted my gameplay performance.

If I'm concentrating on exactly what to do I tend to overthink it and mess up. But if I relax and stike up a little conversation with myself(in my head of course...) I have just the right amount of brain power invested in the game. It might not be as weird but it helps if I'm playing as someone(or using the weapon) I like.

Oddly enough, I play better when I am talking with someone. the conversation doesn't have to pertain to the game, just as long as we are chatting. I think that goes along with some people who have posted the "not trying" method.

this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReVw0mxJdoo

I tend to be better at anything (gaming, studying or work) when almost everyone except me seems to be freezing their limbs off.

I only close my window when it's really necessary, and I don't know if the valve on my radiator even works.

I would agree that having a few beers (say... eight?) not only has the odd effect of making me better at games (at least Crash team racing anyway), but also makes the game three times more enjoyable (even if it is a little confusing)

Also I find (not sure if this is relevant) when I used to do Warhammer 40k and the like if I continuously thought "I won't get this dice roll, It will all fail." The dice would almost always be whatever it was i needed.

Also ever since I played pokemon on a gameboy back in way old when, In RPGs I always hold down the attack button (or the button I used to select attack) in the hopes of a critical hit (and it seems to work)

I find that my glorious natural ability helps me play better... :P

Failing that it's a few biffs, a beer, and someone in the room I can annoy by hooting at my own success.

Sex + Game at the same time, It was weird, funny, tiresome, yet elating.

a two-liter of Dr. Pepper and 18 hours without sleep tends to help me. I beat Halo 2 on heroic and five-starred Through the Fire and Flames on Hard.

I'm guessing that this is a difficult task?

Playing any PC game using my drawing tablet instead of a mouse.

For some reason it really works for me.

For Counter-Strike I'm better with no sound, being disturbed, and downing a Red Bull.

Someone else said sleep deprivation, I'm the same way. I'm a chronic insomniac and the worse my insomnia gets the better I play. Also I seem to be better at most games when I play them without people around watching me. It's like when you figure out you can do a trick, but whenever you try to show it to someone you fuck it up...yeah...kinda like that.

Sitting with my legs crossed when playing first person shooters, and doing shitloads of showy kicks when I'm playing Guitar Hero, especially when I have people round.

Things that help me play are, pretending to be the guy im shooting and saying his thoughts in a stupid accent like "Duh, me heavy, me no need to protect head, snipers like me"
Or sitting extremly uncomfortable like upside down on my shoulders.

Not a clue, sometimes you're just... in the zone. (I hate to use said term)

I usually start off trying to be relaxed, after a while of still failing I just break and start really going over the top, swearing at the game, running into rooms full of guards with no concept of subtlety and sometimes even forcibly killing my character a few times. After that I naturally calm myself down instead of trying to be calm and I do a lot better.

I play heavy metal so loud that the downstair's lights start shaking.

Liam Wolfy:
Sex + Game at the same time, It was weird, funny, tiresome, yet elating.

Lucky bastard.

Jumplion:

Or just wearing my underware...yeah, I'm not going any farther than that.

I've gone farther and it made me much better in gaming. I just looked like I have a fetish for COD4 (I don't as far as I know). Luckily no one was around.

If Im playing smash bros and the screen is getting crowded/hectic, I may lose track of myself. When I manage to pick myself out of the crowd 5 secs later, Ill be untouched and will probably have taken out an opponent or two.

Edit: Also, to the games plus sex thing, I never realised it but one time my girl started giving me oral, I played much better for like 30 seconds before I realised how much of a twonk I was being, turned of the game and... you figure it out.