Actually chess is a pretty good counterexample, speaking as a guy who 'did the real thing' and just started playing chess. I ended up with a ranking of about 1

Actually chess is a pretty good counterexample, speaking as a guy who 'did the real thing' and just started playing chess. I ended up with a ranking of about 1600, give or take a hundred points. The thing was, that was my ceiling: I wasn't going to advance beyond that. Whatever I could've figured out on the fly was built into my ranking. So, to advance, I would've needed to, flatly, learn: put down the pieces and pick up a book. Eventually, I think you reach a point where you have to do that, if you want to get better. "Doing the thing" is great for getting you out of the 'rank amateur' stage, but it can be a hindrance further down the line.