Gaming: Fun And Then Some
Certainly, video games are fun—but today’s world sees many players making a legitimate career from skilled gaming. Beyond careers, the competitive nature of gaming is absolutely fundamental to such modes of entertainment as a whole. Who wants to play a game where there’s no “contest”? Where’s the pleasure in something like that?
So even if you’re not planning to go “pro”, as it were, in the “e-sports” world, there’s much to be said for enhancing your gaming abilities. In this writing we’ll briefly go over a few tips you may want to think about that will definitely make you a better gamer.
1. Sleep And Nutrition: Get On A Schedule For Your Mind’s Sake
A big mistake of gamers is to get “in the zone” and stay there for hours at a time—sometimes days. This can be exceptionally bad for your health—there are even fringe cases where gamers get in the rut of a marathon and never come out of it. No, if you’re going to game your best, you need to be healthy. That means you’ve got to take breaks.
Your mind needs breaks, and your body does too. Gaming is essentially sedentary. If you remain sedentary too long, it’s bad for the body. As the body goes, so also goes the mind. You’ll notice that those who tend to do the best in e-sports tend to be guys who have some level of physicality to them. That’s not a coincidence.
To be good at anything requires having body and mind in alignment, and that’s no different in the virtual sphere. For your own health overall, your ability to think critically, and your body’s ability to function as it should, you would be well-advised to adopt a recurring exercise routine.
Also, eat non-processed organic meats and vegetables as you can; do coffee rather than energy drinks if possible. This may well be hard at first, but as you get used to it, you’ll be able to game longer with less caffeine, and retain athletic acumen simultaneously.
2. Always Play On The “Hard” Mode; Get Used To It
Some gamers default to “easy” modes of play from the outset. That’s a great way to be a weak gamer. What’s wiser is playing all games on “hard”, and learning them that way from the outset. For one thing, you’ll get more entertainment from your game in terms of replay value. It takes longer to get good, and when you do get good, you’re better than most.
For another, it will make it easier for you to pick up new games, as—especially in tournaments—the likelihood is, they’ll be on “normal” or “medium” settings. Accordingly, you’ll always have an edge on the competition.
3. Explore Alternative Enhancement Options
Gaming may be life, but it isn’t every component of life. People have other things to do, and sometimes it just isn’t worth it to spend eighty hours training yourself in terms of eye-hand coordination for some singular tourney. This isn’t a necessary ethical advisement, but it may actually be the wisest move if you’ve got other things to do: consider using cheats.
There is an ethical application: if you’re playing something on a solo campaign and can’t figure out what to do for days, you may want to use a cheat to push on to the next level. That can help you learn how the game functions better so when you’re in some sort of digital tourney, you’re better equipped even without the cheat. There are places for cheat codes.
4. Play A Variety Of Different Games
Don’t just play shooters, or sports games, or RPGs, or survival-horror games. Race, then get in a little Silent Hill, top it off with some Call of Duty, and maybe let your mind mush out as you grind on the latest Final Fantasy installment. Play different games, and you’ll have greater understanding of gaming in general.
5. Don’t Neglect Old School Options
There’s a reason old-school games were astonishingly difficult: this made it so you got more “play” value out of them. When it was a challenge to beat a game, then the gameplay itself was part of the “reward”.
Today, cinematic scenes and interactivity—especially as regards group play—have “changed the game”, pun-intended. But old-school games were tough on purpose.
Get to know how those old games worked. Play a little Contra, get into some Metroid, learn how to Pac-Man like a “boss”—when you get skilled at the older digital options, you’ll have a greater foundation from which to learn the developments of newer games.
When you understand games like Prince of Persia, suddenly games like those in the Uncharted series are easier.
Gaming Like The “Boss” You Are
If you want to game like a boss, you’ve got to have a well-rounded approach. Understand old-school games, play different genres, explore alternative enhancement, play on hard, sleep right, give yourself the right sort of nutrients, and exercise regularly. Such an approach will help you be the best gamer possible.