Do Icons Really Affect Skill In Geometry Dash?

Have you ever wondered if certain icons in geometry dash actually made you better or even worse at the game? Well today, I decided to put that theory to the test and finally discover the truth...
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Music Used:
Undertale OST: 015 - sans.
Ride of The Valkyries - Richard Wagner
Undertale OST - Stronger Monsters Extended
That Flavour - Chronillogical
Undertale OST: 016 - Nyeh Heh Heh
Main Menu - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe OST
Sunshower - HOME
The Neighbour's Doghouse - Arthur Benson
Double Time (Tumble) - Gareth Coker
Undertale OST: 006 - Uwa!! So Temperate♫
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:15 Best Icon?
1:35 The Plan
2:12 It Begins!
4:19 Plot Twist
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Footage:
me lol
Just A GD Player
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Q&A:
What is Your Username on Geometry Dash?
Risplol
Do you have a Discord Server?
no, I'm not planning on making one right now, but that might change in the future.
What is your Username on Discord?
risp
How long have you played Geometry Dash?
Since 2014. I recently switched to PC in 2021 when I bought my first computer.
What do you use to Edit/make Thumbnails?
Davinci resolve/filmora to edit, Pixlr to make thumbnails (I'm broke💀).
What is your hardest level?
Acu
What other games do you play?
although I mainly play GD, I also play minecraft, roblox, celeste, terraria, and other games I can't remember lol
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#geometrydash #gd

[@RispGD]

Just so everyone knows, I'm not against anyone who uses white icons (totally not because I used to use them 💀). But I was curious to why so many people do, so I made this video in order to see if I could find out if they helped you play better or not.

[@TheFODgaming]

At beginning i used red/black icon set because i like these colors, but when i started death moon, that color setup made gameplay so confusing so i changed to white icons, and these icons works with any level i played till this moment. Also at some moment i started wondering why 180 UC ship is overused, and heard that its very comfortable to play with it, so i tried to grind coins for this ship, confirmed (ofc there's some people that would have different and they would have other icons)

[@NomeOfficial]

(c)o(c)k

[@spacenedgd]

go for bloodbath?

[@Thumpstrer]

your not racist wooo

[@SlavEditor]

i am@@Thumpstrer

[@kiciajanek3261]

I don't think placebo plays the only role here. Anyone who has played CS:GO or any other FPS for a while knows that it is worth changing the crosshair in this game from time to time, because such a sudden change in something we have become accustomed to allows us to focus better on the game. I often practice this both in Gd and Cs2, and it helps in both cases, although in geometry dash I think this effect is felt a little less

[@RispGD]

That's where I was kinda aiming at with the placebo part. Where you think your icons are the reason your doing worse, so you change them to the "better icon" making you more confident and less distracted.

[@squidzo1d]

I change my crosshair on cs2 really often so i can test which ones i like and dislike, and it does certainly help a lot when choosing one but for gd i mostly just stick to the same icons and it works fine

[@RemoveThisTrashLetMeSeeNames]

​​@@RispGDhahahhaha he said "aiming" that is a scgo referencg hhahhahah (💀💀💀💀💀💀💀)

[@SpacePLska]

I think everyone is just ripping off nSwish.

[@Proferk]

@@RemoveThisTrashLetMeSeeNames Imagine connecting a common english word to "reference skull EMOJI haha very funny"

[@davron2675]

I think a huge factor is that no matter what icon you choose, you always get more constistent

[@waveybooo]

yeah, its likely that if he did 30 attempts first w the white icons then did the randomized icons after it he would've gotten better

[@kewbycupine5956]

Absolutely

[@TastelessSandal]

My guess is the default icon and the "white icon" you used in the video most closely resemble the cube's hitbox, the outside being the hazard hitbox and the inner square being the tile hitbox

[@TastelessSandal]

In fact i just checked and the default icon is a perfect match (or at least nearperfect) for the hitboxes

[@admiralensin.]

A lot of cube icons are

[@tnytmytx]

​@@admiralensin.No. The only one that matches up to both the hazard and tile hitbox is the default one

[@choccymilk1474]

@@tnytmytx what about the nswish icon?

[@JustATest01]

In my opnion, it could be something along the lines of your eyes straining after using the same icon set for a couple of months or years. That is, whenever you change your icon set, your eyes are 'refreshed' and you are more aware of everything that is going on, including your inputs.

[@Electricat-15]

Im using white icons only because its easy to see them in dark levels or smth like that. But i think if u get used to it, u get better. I just think if ur used to a specific icon set, youll be more focused on the level than the icon. But anyways, that was a great video :D

[@Regoshi]

The real reason why many top players are using basic icons is really because its size matches the hitbox perfectly so you don't have to second guess where and when you will die. the colors are just preferences and it doesn't really matter much with the majority of top levels as long as it isn't blending with the background

[@yuantron3K]

You are an insanely underrated KZbinr. Your editing is phenomenal and the overall quality is something that you would think would come from a KZbinr with 400k+ subs. Keep up the good work

[@Idyvist]

some icons make it genuinely easier to see or tell where your hitbox is imo

[@Adam46221]

Wait until they make a square ball that matches the hitboxes

[@arthur_agatapa9418]

the only icon that actually makes a difference is the big wave. because some people struggle too see fast moving small object and start too blut out their vision. but with the big wave its slightly easier too see

[@nebnoobgeometrydash1524]

White on white helps a lot with keeping track of your icon in flashy kevels such as circles levels imo

[@Nx042]

I sometimes change between set of icons (Yes, I strictly only ever use a specific color pair for a specific UFO and Ball) because the way my brain works is that every time I exit a level to swap icons then return to it, it feels as if I had just started playing the level that day. Simply put, it's completely subjective.

[@PokeyYapper1991]

I recently changed my Icon set and it boosted my confidence. I have been so much more confident in my playing skill and I think that it really changed my outlook on playing GD.

[@Latyoki]

3:39 THIS SONG IS GOATED

[@Kahridk]

if ur wondering what song is it , its one of the songs of minecraft legacy edition (xb360 , ps3) spleef multiplayer gamemode

[@Latyoki]

@@Kahridk, yes I know, it's Double Time (Tumble)

[@Kahridk]

@@Latyoki nice

[@Matt-tb1os]

This is just a very hard thing to prove lol. Nice video! Like the editing

[@axp707]

Im surprised to see you have only 1k, your videos are so fucking good, eyecatching and well produced. Keep it up

[@ohiyant]

awesome video! i mean it's not like im gonna change my icons cus i've been using the same ones for like a year now lol but it was still really entertaining, you deserve more subs

[@RispGD]

thanks! I mainly made this video to see if icons affected your gameplay or not. But I still think whatever icon you like the most is what you should use.

[@ReeseHosgood]

I use the icons I do because I like those ones the most and my cube has rotational symmetry. It’s a coincidence that I use the same cube as Liqualizer. The only time I’ve changed my icon colors is when I played flea by Subwoofer and that was only a temporary change. I changed my primary color to black temporarily so I could easily see my wave trail because in the 1st wave section it’s hard to tell where your wave is on the screen if you don’t use a dark color due to the background being a bright white color.

[@ItsTi0]

Yo you finally got 1k subs let's go! Good luck on your youtube career, and please don't forget the OGs like some people do when they grow

[@phm04]

For me its mainly about color, Ill def use the new 2.2 icons but ill stick to white w/ no glow.

[@GDTril]

I use white icons around once a month because I like how they look but I never thought they made me better unless my standard colors give me limited visibility

[@InfernalAvr0ra]

This video is hands down one of the best gd vids I’ve seen. And it’s pretty original. Maybe try to zoink icons. The texture pack is Ssoh v3. Also go beat bloodbath now.

[@PriMsWaRlorD]

Another thing to point out is changing things your used to helps players take there mind of the action and helps with staying calm under pressure by distracting you

[@shoesminecraft1119]

the best part was the summoning salt part with that music

[@Rafix]

cool! great video edition! :D

[@Sevant]

I played with my original icon set and my new white on white icon set with the most practical gamemode shapes and what I realized is that color doesn't provide any real advantage. It is very likely to provide a disadvantage if it repeats the level's colors (e. g. black icons on Sonic Wave). The shape is what matters more. If the ball looks like a circle it is easier to keep track of. And just like that, if the ship looks like it's made for maneuvering (e. g. regular ship), it will be easier to do maneuvering with. If the ship looks like it's made for straight flying (seahorse ship) you will feel that flying straight is easier. I would say shape plays the biggest role in cube, ship and ball parts, maybe wave too (but I don't think there's a single wave icon that gives you any advantage, although some most likely will be disadvantageous). You can play with the icons you got used to or icons that are designed to be as much visible in the specific level you're playing as possible. I don't even think white icons are the best option. I find it much better to focus on my icons when they have the RGB effect and both player colors cycle through the same colors. Especially if dual icons have opposite colors. The colors being animated catches your attention more than just a single outstanding color. Doesn't really work nicely on levels like Chroma Finale though. In short, don't obsess with optimizing your icons. Just make sure you have glow and trail off and the colors don't give you a literal disadvantage (even that is optional though cause Galaxy beat Sonic Wave on 60fps with black wave trail). Or even better, get good

[@AndreiAndreevBfdi]

Yay I was worried i had to change everything to the white default icon

[@Jay-xl3ln]

@@AndreiAndreevBfdiY’all are slow they’re just icons

[@FabioGeometryDash]

4k subs congrats :)

[@Sh4dowsn4il]

I did the test and my icons were way better and helped me focus than double white ones so it's not one icon set is "better" for skill it's just whatever you find better.

[@Thenoname348]

More than placebo is more of like "which icon has a more accurate icon hitbox" or "which one is the simplest", for example the default icon and spaceuk icons are really good since theyre both the hazard hitbox and friendly death hitbox, applies for most of the icons until we get to the wave which best scenario uses either the second shop 2000 orbs wave or the 4000 diamonds wave since theyre the most accurate to their icon

[@TheRealMASH]

Underrated channel I subbed

[@seavista]

I think the reason white icons work well with good players is more about the ability to learn the level, white contrast with most levels especially on the top 150 while other colors can easily make it harder to see your icon and such, as you mentioned a lot of good gd players can use any icon even solid black ones, and still be able to play I think the icons are more about learning a level rather then playing it from 0

[@ruff1e]

Ship, wave, and ufo icons differ from the hitboxes the most so theres a lot that are bad

[@GSMoffer]

Good video!

[@VVB_Prime]

This gentlemen didn't adresse how the phat wave naturally infuses you with skill

[@lavatrex]

subbed this vid is great

[@AlexAnderGD223]

Yes because to me different icons feel heavier and slower, so i go withthe phantom and shark ship because theyre more aero dynamic idk why but the imaginary aero dynamics and qeoght affects my skill

[@Lunarcreeper]

i will always be the companion cube.

[@Sevoniumm747]

W

[@ReaIYoBlue]

Yup. Placebo is the whole definition. This guy def gets a thumbs up and a sub. 👍

[@lemonbeast42]

maybe with white/contrasting colors you can more clearly distinguish where you need to jump. then after a break you can transfer those skills to alternate icon colors because you are less likely to forget information that you are more certain of.

[@devilfm8490]

I feel like with my icon it’s a psychological feeling. When I use some it feels like they’re not jumping on time or something. With ship it definitely makes a difference because of size and stuff

[@Pizzapartiesover]

I remember changing my icons to fully white back when nswish had his white icons and I havent been able to change them since

[@brianj7204]

I only think the plane icon actually has an effect on the gameplay because some planes have pointy ends and others have a round end. It makes it easier to navigate in certain circumstances.

[@GodtierGD]

Nice, you got into my recommended 👍

[@silvernull]

I thought that icons that are brighter might reduce pixel response times on average and lead to less ghosting when using them, meaning you can tell your exact on screen position better while using them but, but it would be pretty variable i think

[@Zhenmoron]

What an interesting way of making a Bloodbath Progress video

[@Noodl379_gaming]

Dude, you deserve more subs

[@ygfrt21]

very good video :)

[@hsmreu]

icons don't improve skill but they do help with visual clarity. Specially the colors you pick for your icons, and if you use glow or not. white "basic" icons will help you because they're easy to keep track of, no special patterns, no shadows, just white. combine this with dark backgrounds. this is why I think it's good to use "demon slayer" icons. some icons match better than others with the hitbox too, and that also applies with ships, waves, ufos, anything. I have noticed specially a big difference with my ship control when using different ships. I generally use the 180 user coins ship and edited it to just be plain white and not have eyes or shadows. I have used some other ships, but I cannot control them as good. This may happen because I got used to the shape of the ship and the angles, or something lol at the end it's just something about getting used to the icons. I can confirm that the color thing is true. Using bright red icons, specially bright yellow, will possibly distract you, or you will place most of your attention on the icon. White is neutral, even if it's bright. You can also pick bright gray. I have also used plain red icons to place most of my attention in the icons, and it helps a bit. But it's true. Changing the icons alone will make you feel refreshed and you'll have more confidence, and therefore, more concentration. That's what I think

[@anotherxd5384]

yeah i notice that when I change icons, I become instrumentally more consistent, but I haven't been able to keep an icon kit even so idk

[@oleksander575]

oh, you are using the same icon that I have. very cool

[@FireBall1881]

this was a really great video

[@Nick12_45]

as someone who always has used white icons, i can confirm icons do not matter

[@Rivenium]

Really good video you are underrated

[@leo937we1]

Hey where did you get that texture pack from. That when you die you just pause?

[@Pupupwa]

Dude by the end I don’t even think it was the icons, you are just getting better at bloodbath

[@Marramix]

Phoenix wright soundtrack... i love you

[@givikap120]

White icons are literally Rafis skin analog from osu

[@Baldman736]

I use the good ol generic icon and I honestly feel better using it then most of my other icons

[@hermanoff7520]

i use nexus colors and ship... i use the default cube (the one with the smaller cube inside the big cube) im mostly playing demons now and i could probably beat an easy demon with under 100 attempts (i play on phone so my thumb limits my vision slightly)

[@MonochromeAlex]

Colors actually do affect the way I play, which is the reason I use contrasting colors against the level. Electrodynamix is a good example, because of the way the background changes to player colors which makes you hard to see.

[@talentless1516]

In Osu!, there's a term called mindblock, which means to play a map so much that you get worse at it, and the way to fix mindblock is to change skins. Maybe changing icons in GD fixes mindblock in the same way changing skins in Osu! does.

[@SoloBat32akaZJG]

Ok so I have a theory on why you did better with the white icons. It might be that you did them last, if you did them in a different order the icons you used last might be the best.

[@Cor_de-lius]

To answer it,use Scissors or "Tapeworm" Rocket (or Ship).

[@CRDK714]

i think that using darker icons would be better even though it is hard to see them in the dark atmosphere of a lot of levels. this thought is based on my knowledge of my eyes adjusting to the rest of the level if the icon isnt in strong contrast to it a lot.

[@raptorx7519]

The shape of the icons throw me off a lot. Ship icons that look bigger feel heavier and harder to control somehow. Also glow makes your cube look very big

[@itamarowak]

Pro players are using bland icons so they wont stand out that much but at the same tine wont blend in to much Or they just dont want to be unique

[@RispGD]

unless I asked them all directly it's hard to tell exactly why so many people used it. But I just think it;s funny how so many people use it now. (I may have also used the icons a lot about a year ago lol)

[@itamarowak]

@@RispGD i just use the aeon icons but a bit change in color and a different spider

[@beethebee8]

I wonder if its because the fresh change in icon makes your eyes drawn to it more so you focus on it better?

[@sock1]

The seahorse ship LITERALLY instantly makes me better at ship. It might be because i'm a huge doggie fan but just the way it is designed feels so in control. My brain turns up a gear the moment theres ship

[@11_44AR]

Nice video

[@GDTxbyss]

It might be a placebo but if it works and you are better with it, then why not

[@bartnodal]

I was making a level on phone and then your notification popped up but i was editing RIGHT WHERE THE NOTIFICATION WAS and it led me to this video ;_; i saved and then watched anyway

[@RispGD]

lmao

[@foxxgodd]

1000 subs!!

[@bonehunter9766]

Nobody gonna talk about how he just casually makes good progress on bloodbath? Btw cool video, the algorithm send me here

[@RispGD]

I'm still so surprised I got so far on it lmao. I'll probably make a video on it if I beat it 👀

[@bonehunter9766]

@@RispGD Me who is struggling to Beat Crazy, I got 79% x4, do you have any tips on how to keep myself motivated? (I know different topic but you seem to be a good player)

[@nobody8739]

no because he's playing on a pc at 360 fps bloodbath is really not that hard anymore with everyone using fps bypass

[@jack---]

@@nobody8739its really not that hard on native 165hz either. i beat it pretty fast on that

[@fulllythrottledturtle]

the default cube's center is the exact same size as the hitbox that kills you when you die to a block

[@PedroSimmesmo]

It really depends on the level you're playing, because if the level is too white, you won't be able to see the icon very well, so you use a black icon, and so on👍

[@mr.kremufka8368]

i started playing this game when clutterfunk/toe (i dont remember lol) was the last level in gd lite and now im using black and white icons mainly. Like yesterday i wanted to see if white icons would make me better and i couldnt even beat easy demon with all white icons lol

[@Spacehero5000]

In levels that turn the icon invisible but give the player trail, white icons are almost necessary, that's how I beat Serpents Wrath

[@zj_incxs]

the thumbnail got me 💀

[@chickennuggetgaming-kf4qf]

0:01 erm actually it's not possible to be "close to infinite" because regardless of how large a number is infinity will always be infinity more 🤓🤓🤓

[@nivdy]

seeing others talk about how they apply their game knowledge from other games, I'd like to bring up something from my own game of choice, Terraria. you'd think that it wouldn't matter much what color your cursor is, (or what your terrarian is, though I don't mess with my terrarian's look, because to be honest after playing the game for long enough, I just know where the Terrarian is and I don't need to look at them to dodge) but for me, I believe that the optimal cursor setup is having a dark color for the main part of the cursor, and a light color for the highlight color. this is because in Terraria, the environments have a wide variety of colors, light levels, and projectiles, which can all lead to you losing your cursor if you're not careful, and so, having the main color be dark while the outline be light means that regardless of your environment, your cursor should be for the most part, easy to see. This is why in both Geometry Dash and Terraria, I personally use navy and teal as my color combination. it looks good, and is visible in nearly every situation. Geometry Dash currently has a lot of levels which have a lot of either bright colors, or dark/black with a single highlight color. I believe that if it started to have a lot of levels with white being their primary color, we'd see players use black or darker colored icons in order to counteract it.

[@RispGD]

When I used to play terraria, I used to use a white and red colored cursor since they contrasted well. But I think one part about geometry dash that makes it different from other games, is the fact your icon stays in the same part of the screen. So it's alot easier to follow compared to other games, where everything is constantly moving.

[@nivdy]

this is fair. I compared it to the terrarian with the same thought. I still think contrast plays some part, especially for players who are still learning, as you said in the video.@@RispGD

[@linkkeeper2]

I've been using the same icon set for over 7 years and whenever I change icon sets, I see no change in skill. My only extreme I've beaten was beaten with random icon hack, so I do believe that icons do not affect skill that much, but that might just be me.

[@SawBSketch]

i thought the full white profiles meant they use texture packs. I drew and colored my own icon pack, so the colors ingame had to be full white.

[@bananalegend194]

idk why but the phoenix ship feels so much smoother than most other ships

[@user-kl5gx5bs9h]

I think it’s the symmetry, when an icon that has a face turns down it really distracts me a lot

[@domi-no1826]

lesson: randomize your set every once in a while

[@HDHDominoBuilder]

You could still use bright colors. I use white and black so it’s easier to see

[@charlesoliviersdufaux6943]

I would love to see you us my incon set for bloodbath

[@v4n1ty92]

The only gamemode where icons actually effect my performance is ship. I have to use one that's pointy at the front or else my performance will take a nose dive. Its really unfortunate too cause my favorite one is the shark from the community shop but i cant use it cause the front isn't pointy

[@xx_lightning_xx5781]

Suprised to hear minecraft legacy mini game soundtrack nice 👍

[@Carlosofine]

I thought not many people used the basic icon that I used (Like the one in the thumbnail, it's my favorite) because everyone is better than me and has more difficult to unlock icons.

[@ondrejniesner3584]

0:12 and 0:17 what is the level in the background pls?

[@MALC0RYGD]

i use a shade of red and purple it looks really good

[@lool8421]

well, fat ship and fat wave icons are also being used, probably because the hitbox feels different

[@mefbezos8650]

Yes they do. My skill level gets x2 better when i use white default icons

[@1eny]

yes it is, im comparing my icon with the default icon, idk why the default icon looks so heavy than my icon

[@ZesilinaNewborn]

The fact that my gd icons have been white and purple for like 4 years now after being red and white for a few years doesn't say much imo, i mean i never gained skill from switching icons to a kit that wasn't mine, but yeah im so used to my white and purple kit now that i wouldn't wanna change it

[@BootyHarvest]

The placebo effect is strong with skins in almost every game

[@Sydney_Angelyt]

personally I have to choose symmetrical icons or I'm always going to be off put if it's not the right way around and will keep jumping to get it upright, which isn't good in a precise rhythm game.

[@AbsolutDasher]

That's why i use icons with tons of contrast: so i can see them better. (not really i just liked the icons)

[@BoppyPenguins]

I think the shape of the icons also plays a role