subject: Guide To Becoming A Pro Online Gamer [print this page] Playing a brand new game is often pretty scary at times, mainly in terms of messing things up for other players. It's one thing to try out a video game and make blunders in your own home, but it's an entirely different thing to play a game and make mistakes that can cause failure in the game plays of others. But there's no reason to let this concern to stop you or another gaming newbie from having fun. This article will give you the in's and out's of online gaming so that you can start with the confidence you need to continue on.
The first step anyone new to online gaming should take is to first, learn how to play offline. You can read the game's manual and save yourself from seeing the infamous acronym, "RTFM" scroll across your screen. Do you know what "RTFM" means? It stands for "Read The Fu**ing Manual" and its spewed by serious gamers to vulnerable newbies who interrupt a game with questions like, "What is this place?" or "What am I supposed to do?"
It wouldn't hurt to look up some game walkthroughs or online guides pertaining to you game of choice, prior to jumping into it. Spending even 20 mins reading a guide can differentiate you from a complete newbie to a player that appears to be experienced. And reading forums for your game is definitely a good option. Basically, you need to do a little reading. Some of the kind of information you want to learn includes how to play, how to create characters, how to gather equipment, and how to implement some smart strategies. Trust us when we say your gaming comrades will appreciate it!
Learning the games interface and where everything is and how to find everything in it will definitely help. Having an understanding of where everything is located in the game, will speed things up for you, and generally make you a better player, and much more fun to play with. It can be a hassle waiting for someone to search for a window or an item or option in the game when it is perfectly obvious to everyone else where these things are located, this is the quickest way to spot a newbie.
Dying in a game is something that will happen to every game, don't let it get you down, and also do not avoid it at any cost. Sometimes a player can hold up a game, because they are afraid of dying, doing your best and not giving up is one thing, but making a game last extended periods of time when it is clearly over, just takes away from everyone enjoyment. If the game is over, the game is over, there's no need to prolong losing battles. There always another round to play. Make sure you do your best, but don't hold out waiting for a miracle to take place, let the game end and start a new round so everyone can continue playing.
Never take dying to seriously, it's just a game, and everyone will die in it at some point. Whenever you do die, make sure you learn something from it, even if it's something as simple as taking into account how your opponent killed you. In the end, you will learn many things that will get you killed in the game very easily, learn to avoid these.
Above all else, ensure that your computer has what it takes to maintain the current pace of an online game. Having a fast internet connection is the best option, but unfortunately isnt't one for everyone. If you still have a slow connection, be mindful that your experience will suffer because of it. A slow computer will cause you to lag, skip a lot and generally be very ineffective, take this into account.
Hunt around for a computer that was built for online gaming and get a DSL or ISDN Internet connection. You'll need a fast processor, a high quality graphics card, and a sound machine to match.
Also something important to take into account is your control setup. If playing a PC game, it's important to have a good keyboard and a gaming mouse with plenty of buttons that will allow you to keybind all your important abilities or weapons. It would also be best to invest in a pc gamepad that is designed to help in the game of your choice. Wireless PC gamepads are available as well to cut down on the clutter, and there is no substitute for using a pc steering wheel when playing a racing game. There are pc gamepads available with many buttons that are designed to be used with FPS's, MMO's and RTS games.
Make sure to take these suggestions into account, as they will help you go from being a complete newbie to expert status very quickly. And remember to go easy on the newbies that you encounter when you've "made" it yourself.
At the end of the day no matter what you do, make sure you have fun playing, and don't think of it as a chore. Remember it's just a game...
