Video games aren’t the niche, nerdy hobby that they used to be. Over 3.5 billion people play video games. Of them, plenty make their living playing video games professionally or streaming games.
But of that large number of gamers, how many people truly understand what makes a good gamer and are working to improve gaming skills?
Competitive gaming isn’t for everyone. Indeed, most people play to relax and have fun rather than to become the best gamer in the world.
But if you want to know how to be a good gamer, you’ve come to the right place. This article will walk you through everything you need to know about improving your game as a gamer.
1. Pick a Game That Fascinates You
There’s a reason why some games are competitive and others aren’t. The more that players are able to eliminate random factors and exploit fractional advantages, the more likely the game is to become competitive.
However, you can’t become competitive at a game that doesn’t fascinate you. The best professional games require hours upon hours of diligent practice and study to master. You’re simply not going to have the motivation to do this unless you pick a game that’s both fun and engaging: fun makes the gameplay rewarding, engaging means that you like to learn about the game, not just play it.
Do you like practicing your aim and teamwork like an in-person athlete? Then you might be better for first-person war games like CS2 and Call of Duty. These games focus largely on reaction time and cooperation.
Do you consider yourself more strategic and analytical? Then you might want to focus on a strategy-based game such as League of Legends or DOTA 2.
2. Optimize Your Controls
Virtually every game that promotes highly competitive play has options for setting your own controls. While the manufacturers need you to know how to perform certain sets of actions, they understand by now that people will come up with their own ways to interface with the gaming experience that works for them.
In some games, like Halo and Call of Duty, it’s best to turn up your sensitivity as high as possible. This means you can whip around at a moment’s notice to face any threat that comes your way. On other games, accuracy is valued, and you’re going to want to settle on a lower sensitivity.
The game of your choice might have a particular button layout that the competitive community uses. While the standard button layout may be easier for beginners, these button layouts usually help advanced gamers make the best use of the tools they have available to them.
In some extreme cases, control optimization goes out of the world of software and into hardware. Super Smash Bros Melee is a game that’s maintained a competitive community for close to twenty years, so they’ve needed to optimize the game as much as they could.
Professional players are expected to cut hyperspecific notches into their joystick so that they can ensure that they angle certain movements right. If your gaming community is this dedicated, you might have to invest in some modified hardware. However, Melee is often criticized as a competitive game for how seriously people take it, so it might be best to avoid these experiences as much as possible.
3. Optimize Your Experience
The best gamers out there understand that much of what makes someone a great gamer is how comfortable they are in their environment. If your gaming space isn’t optimized, you might not perform as well as you could.
4. Gaming Chairs
First off, invest in a great gaming chair. Gaming chairs will allow you to remain comfortable, focused, and free of pain. The last thing you want is for a pesky backache to nag you as you’re trying to improve your game.
Check out this site which will help you find a great gaming chair cost that will work for you. The best gaming chairs are capable of being wheeled around, have rests for your shoulders and neck, and recline to your specifications.
5. Headphones
You should also invest in some high-quality headphones. Though your monitor might have nice speakers, it’s quite a different matter to experience all of the audio cues you need to take in to perform at your best. If you’re playing a fast-paced war game like CS2, you don’t have time to contemplate whether or not you heard something — you need the complete surround-sound experience.
6. Monitors
Your monitor also means a lot. While it may feel impressive to cast your gaming on a large TV, framerate matters a lot more than size. Invest in a high-quality computer monitor, so you’re not experiencing any dreaded lag.
If you want, you can even go with one of the new curved gaming monitors, to give yourself a more immersive experience. There are varying opinions out there on how well they work, however.
7. Internet Connection
Speaking of lag, make sure that your internet connection is up to speed. Not only will lag from poor connection hinder your performance, it might also get you kicked out of your gaming group. Gaming speed is based on the ping of every player involved, and one person with a bad connection can bring the whole experience toppling down.
We highly recommend using a wired internet connection. Wireless works for casual gamers, and it’s generally considered more “21st century”. However, nothing can beat the consistency you get from a wired connection.
Learn How To Be a Good Gamer
As you can see, it takes more than just passion to learn how to be a good gamer. You need to make sure you pick a game that interests you and feels rewarding to play. You also need to optimize your controls for your own game and style and make sure that your physical space is up to par in the worlds of your chair, headphones, monitor, and internet connection.
Take all of these things into account and you’re well on your way to becoming a great gamer.
For more articles like this, check out our “Gaming” section.