Online gaming is one of the most popular pastimes around the world these days, thanks mainly to the continuous and rapid development of the Internet and the various gaming platforms that have become available. As web developers have improved, so have the games they are able to create, meaning that online gaming is no longer the relic we used to play in the 1990s with joysticks but the kind of thing you can do anytime, anywhere.
Some players buy specific gaming PCs, created with high-end specifications making it the ultimate gaming experience (a bit like watching an IMAX 3D movie, but on your desk at home). The problem was that they often came with incredible price tags and even though they’re still bought, and used, today fewer people are actively searching for whole gaming PCs or their components.
In today’s online gaming world, players are able to get just as good an experience by playing on their personal laptops that they use for working from home and even on their mobile devices. You can play the same games on your smartphone that you can on your gaming PC or laptop, and when you’ve completed your missions on Call of Duty played across the web with people you’ve never met; you can play euromillions online from the same device meaning that you only need to pay for one piece of high-end tech – bonus!
So if you’ve been put off online gaming because of your previous experiences or perhaps a lack of budget, you can now come back! Things have moved on from the 1990s, significantly, and there are now numerous ways in which you can improve your online gaming experience. Here are five ways to get you started:
Firstly, decide what kind of games you’re interested in. With so many niches out there from role-playing games to online board games, even bingo these days is particularly popular online, it can be difficult to navigate through the many sites until you find something appealing so start out with a target. Searching online for something like ‘online flight simulator game’ for example, will help you to find something interesting and you can then get started.
Second, decide whether you have the money to pay to play. Some specialist gaming sites will require registrations which need some kind of investment before you can play. Quite often this is just to open up ad-free versions of the game but in other cases it is down to the fact that you can win cash prizes by winning and the sites need to get the money somehow!
The third step is to start out by playing free versions of games before you start investing just in case you don’t like the style or the concepts of those particular games or that site. Yes the adverts can get annoying, but if you’ve reached the point where you feel confident enough in your ability and a stage where the adverts are infuriating you because you’re “on a roll” then it might be worth paying to go ad-free. Until then, practice, practice and practice on the free versions. What’s the harm?
Next, be sure to utilise any of the online chat features on your chosen site. While they might annoy some people with players frequently sending useless links rather than providing advice, other people enjoy the social experience that comes from talking with other players and learning new skills from them. The functions can help you to overcome a particularly difficult area of the game and even help you to build online friendships now the game has become far more social than the ‘old days’ of single player gaming.
Finally, you need to know when to quit. Playing for hours on end can be great fun, but it’s not good for your health. Be sure to take plenty of breaks and ensure that you get enough natural light so that you don’t hurt your eyes by staring at a screen all day, you can’t play well when you’re tired! (Oh, and you have work to go to don’t forget!)
