I think there is truth to what both of you are saying.
What it comes down to, I think, isn't so much raw talent or how "good a gamer" you are but more the efficiency of the learning process that you employ and to what degree you avail yourself of the modern tools and information at your disposal. But that's more "meta game."
I am progressing quickly for two reasons:
First, MAME. MAME is huge if you take full advantage of it. I save-stated like crazy the springboard and the chains, isolating it down to specific spots, doing it over and over until I got it. (Same for the hideout, which requires some tight execution to pop the "danger spark.")
Second, I am playing within a community that includes literally all of the best players in the world. I've been watching Ben almost every night, I downloaded Brian Allen's MARP game to dissect his pace, etc., then there was the video where you (George) spell everything out.
There's so much help out there when you go looking for it and are resourceful about finding it. Significantly more help than even a few years ago. It massively cuts down on the time needed to learn the game.
And back in the day, when there was no MAME and not much if any help, killscreening was a different proposition entirely. If you could reach a killscreen then within a few weeks/months, THAT would suggest a lot more in the way of raw talent because you had to do it on your own.
