Introduction
One major form of entertainment in our modern world now is playing computer games. A study by the European Mobile Game Market reveals that there are roughly 2.5 billion gamers around the globe. And it is predicted that the next few will most likely see a tremendous growth in this industry. As a gamer, I’m sure you’ve thought about various ways you can improve your gaming experience.
The above statistics and data clearly prove that the gaming industry is expanding day by day and will continue in that direction. All this is good news for you if you’re into gaming. This is because you’ll soon have more options in terms of video games plus other tools that will definitely improve your overall gaming experience.
Now, here are my ten easy ways to improve your gaming experience:
1. Improve your focus
One thing most people probably don’t associate with gaming is having focus. Many people, when they’re already glued to the game, are oblivious of things happening around us. Or so we think.
But in truth, things are a bit different. If you’re doing other things while playing a game, you’ll not be able to focus. For instance, most people tend to listen to music while playing games because they enjoy it. But what really happens is that their attention will be split between the music and the game to the point of not being able to fully focus on the game.
Although it’s not a bad thing to listen to music while playing video games, it can drastically reduce your focus, and as such, your gaming experience will not be optimal. When you are multi-tasking, your gaming experience will be reduced, simply because humans are not capable of doing multiple things at once.
There have been lots of scientific research on what multitasking does to the human brain. One of the most popular of the studies is an experiment where someone was asked to drive in a controlled environment while talking over the phone. The driving course had obstacles that the driver had to maneuver while driving. There’s no one who has passed this test so far.
This proves that multitasking splits our attention thereby reducing our focus on what we’re doing. Therefore, one of the ways to improve your gaming experience is to focus on the game. Other things can be done later.
2. Have the right accessories
When you have the right accessories, your gaming experience will be greatly enhanced. It is an open secret and it’s possible you’ve been given this advice before. However, it’s important to reiterate it since these gaming accessories are one of the ways to improve your gaming experience.
Now, what accessories are the right ones? These are some things that can enhance your experience.
Gaming desk: Many people often lose in games because of their desks. Although this seems like an excuse, gaming desks are a huge factor in whether you’ll win a game or not. If your gaming desk is large, comfortable, and uncluttered, there will be a larger area for you to move your hands and mouse.
This freedom of movement can help you in making those fast moves a lot faster, and this can be the difference between your winning and losing.
Apart from winning, your health is another important thing. For those who spend a majority of their time playing games, they need desks that are totally comfortable. This is so you don’t end up having neck and back pains. You should get a good gaming desk as this will give a good body posture, which means that you will have a lesser amount of pain.
Gaming mouse: You must have heard of a computer mouse, but do you know about a gaming mouse?
As the name implies, this mouse is specifically made for your comfort when you’re playing a game for long hours. Actually, a lot of gaming mice are designed by gamers themselves just because they could not find a good one to suit their needs.
To say the truth, a gaming mouse has a high-quality build and lasts long, given the fact that you will be using it a lot of times while playing. An example is when your hands start sweating as you continue playing for a while; this is the reason why a lot of gaming mice are sweat-proof.
Its design is also user-friendly, therefore your hands won’t be in pain as you use it for a long time. When you have this, your focus on the game will be improved as you don’t have to worry about sweating or pain.
Apart from helping you on a personal level, your chances of winning also increase if you have a gaming mouse. One of the primary reasons for you to buy a gaming mouse is the defined macros it gives. These macros let you specify what will happen when you click, move or click a mouse alongside a key on your keyboard.
Furthermore, the sensitivity of the mouse can be adjusted as you play, so it can pick up even slight movements. In this way, you can move wherever you want quickly and without stress, and this is one of the ways to improve your gaming experience.
Most importantly, gaming mice will not turn off as you’re in the middle of a game. You should always remember to use it with a cool mouse pad, and you are one step away from winning your game.
Gaming headset: Do you like playing games without all the sounds associated with them? Sounds boring, right?
This is the reason why a gaming headset is one of the ways to improve your gaming experience, and it will help you to totally enjoy the game. Apart from that, it filters out all the other external noise, therefore, you can focus better on the game. The noise cancelation feature of gaming headsets is possible what makes them so popular.
Also, a gaming headset provides a clear, high-quality sound when compared to regular gaming speakers or Bluetooth speakers, and this also can tremendously improve your experience. Also, given the fact that the recently developed games rely so much on accurate movements based on audio cues, a good gaming headset can help you in reacting quickly to your enemy or achieve your objectives.
Finally, gaming headsets are the perfect accessory if you are playing as a team with other gaming friends. All the headsets have a microphone attached to them, so you can communicate effectively as you play. Actually, this regular communication will be vital to winning games.
Gaming chairs: In truth, a gaming chair goes beyond just the game. When you sit in the same position for a long stretch of hours, it can cause back and neck pains. Therefore, you need a soft and comfortable place you can rest your back from time to time, and that’s why you have to get a good gaming chair.
In fact, the majority of these gaming chairs are built in such a way as to improve blood circulation throughout the body. This means that your hands and legs won’t feel numb after long hours of playing. It also leads to better heart function and lesser pains.
The best part of it all is that the chairs are simple to maintain. When compared to a regular office chair, they are way easier to clean. And since most of them have a faux leather covering, you can just wipe off all the dust and dirt on them with a wet cloth. Therefore, they can also last for many years.
Wireless keyboards: There are wonderful wireless keyboards that are built only for gaming. They will allow you to move them around to anywhere you like and place them in whatever position that you’re most comfortable with while you’re playing. You can equally connect this keyboard to multiple devices for the highest levels of convenience.
These wireless keyboards can be connected through Bluetooth for optimal performance. And their response time is fast—a 1ms for high-speed response. Also, its keys are silent and have a precise mechanical performance, which provides you with the speed you require for playing. Most importantly, the keys are of high quality, so the keyboards can last for a long time.
Some keyboards even have programmable keys, which you can program with custom macros and app-specific commands.
In all, gaming accessories are necessary as one of the ways to improve your gaming experience. When you invest in top-quality products, you will get the most fun out of the games you love playing.
3. Brighten the screen
The majority of people prefer to lower the brightness of their screens because the games tend to have dark interfaces. Most games have muddled colors and their colors are not bright. The reason for the games having such an interface is that the dark background will help in making the colors stand out.
Unfortunately, your eyes have a hard time adjusting to the dark background. It means that you will strain your eyes, and this can eventually be dangerous to your eyes and health over time. With time, you’ll realize that you cannot play for long hours and this can even lead to other issues like headaches.
If you want to avoid these problems, you should brighten your screen. Raise it to the maximum brightness for the optimal gaming experience. The benefit is that you can play better when the game’s graphics are bright and clear. As for the interface, this won’t be a problem as you will still see the colors well.
Therefore, having a bright screen is one of the ways to improve your gaming experience.
4. Have custom controls
We all have our own likes and choices when we are selecting the different controls for our game. Factoring in these personal choices into your keyboard and mouse selection is one of the ways to improve your gaming experience.
Lots of games can be customized too, and you should really utilize them. If you prefer some colors or like your characters to wear a type of dress or just about anything else, just go ahead and customize them as it is one of the ways to improve your gaming experience.
Moreover, everyone has their own special likes and dislikes and it’s really cool when our actions reflect these likes and dislikes.
5. Learn from others
There’s no one who’s good at everything, and what this means is that you can always learn from others and be better. There is always something that your opponent is doing better than you, therefore you should learn from him. It doesn’t make you a lesser gamer. Actually the more you learn, the better it will be for you since you’ll know more strategies and tricks on how to tackle a particular situation in a game.
This learning process is one of the ways to improve your gaming experience and it will also increase your chances of winning.
The Internet is an excellent place to learn about these strategies and tricks. You can go through many blog posts, stream videos, and listen to podcasts to understand how others are playing a game and what strategies they employ in winning. This will be useful in the long run in making you better at playing these games.
6. Focus on strengthening your hand muscles
As you play games for extended periods of time, the hand muscles tend to get weak. The strain will bear down on you, and over time, your fingers will become numb. All this will impact your ability to play well and win.
A good method of handling this issue is by strengthening your hand muscles by performing the correct hand exercises. Squeezing a tennis ball and thumb opposition are two excellent exercises that can strengthen the muscles in your fingers, and this is one of the ways to improve your gaming experience.
Therefore, you should regularly perform these exercises when you’re not playing any game, so that you can be able to play for extended periods of time and in the process, enhance your gaming experience.
7. Check your computer configuration
Since you’ll mostly be playing games on your computer, it’s essential that you update your graphics driver regularly like once every few years. This makes your computer able to cope with the graphics used in the latest games, and it’s also one of the ways to improve your gaming experience.
You should also configure your computer very well. This makes it possible for it to support your games and give you a great experience. I’m sure you don’t want your computer to lag when you’re at a crucial point in the game. To avoid such problems, it is wise you spend money and effort in upgrading your computer, so it can be able to play the latest graphic-intensive games.
8. Consider higher network speed
The performance of a game is largely dependent on essential factors like hardware, software drivers, and the overall configuration. Despite this, if you are playing games online, you need to have an excellent network speed. Network lags or slow connections between the router and computer can be problematic as you play the game.
A simple Windows update can be useful in check if your wireless network card has the latest drivers. But, if after you update your Windows, your network speed is still poor, you should try to connect to the Internet using the router. Additionally, you can make use of an effective gaming router to reduce the network lag during an online gaming session. Many who have done this certify that it is one of the best ways to improve your gaming experience.
9. Switch to an SSD
Loading screens usually take a long time while you’re playing games. While this is inevitable, there are some tricks you can use in reducing the loading time. One of the most efficient ways of doing this is by upgrading your hard drive to an SSD that has more than 250 GB.
SSDs are more reliable and faster than regular disk drives and can be installed on personal computers, the PS4 including the Xbox One. However, if you are not sure about opening your console, you can plug the drive into a USB 3.0 enclosure. This upgrade will give you more storage space and is one of the best ways to improve your gaming experience.
10. Work on your composure
The top gamers all over the world all have perfect composure. They will always keep their cool during extreme pressure, a skill that makes them able to consistently perform at the highest level of their individual games.
Now, I understand that it’s not easy to have a calm composure, but it is a vital part of taking your abilities to the next level. So if you’re looking for ways to improve your gaming experience, you have to work on your composure.
Maintaining your composure is easier for some people than others, however, you can naturally boost your composure by listening to calm and soothing music as you play a game, or by meditating during your free time.
Conclusion
The above tips are simple suggestions on the ways to improve your gaming experience. However, if you are serious about playing games, then you should remember to get the important updates and upgrades regularly. Therefore, you should ensure that you are always ready for improvements and changes that will make your gaming experience much more enjoyable.