There’s no better feeling than smashing your competition and basking in the glory of winning. But, if you’re not quite onto that winning streak yet, we’ve got some top tips for you to get on a roll like Mario and release your inner gaming champion.
Spend more time gaming
First of all, let’s get back to basics. There’s no shortcut for practice and to become a master of your craft, you need to put in the hours.
If you haven’t already settled into your favourite gaming genre, here’s a list of some of the most popular styles to start learning about and investing your time into:
- Real-Time Strategy (RTS)
- Shooters (FPS and TPS)
- Role-Playing Games (RPG, ARPG)
- Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA)
- Simulation
- Sports
- Puzzles
- Action-adventure.
Regardless of your game preference, scheduling some solid time for practice will be your first step to shooting towards becoming a better player.
Know Your Competition
Who are you competing against? There are specialist eSports athletes out there who get paid to game. Gaming is their full-time gig and for a novice gamer, being pitted up against an athlete is going to like losing a sprint to Usain Bolt.
If that’s your goal, then you’re going to need to train hard, for hours each day. If that’s not feasible for your lifestyle, try scheduling your gaming time around your work, family or study commitments and start putting in the hard yards.
Join a League or Team
Get out of your bedroom and join a team! Covid and online gaming¹ has made it easier than ever to stay home and game, however joining a club or team IRL and meeting up with like-minded gamers will be a game changer.
Come out of isolation and discover something new, like joining a tournament team, or even just buddying up with another player of similar skill level can help you learn and grow together.
Check out the Australian Esports League (AEL) for information on leagues and tournaments near you.
Learn by Observing
How do athletes continually learn and improve their game play? They watch other players.
There are myriad opportunities to watch eSports live streams, or there are plenty of local events, such as Oz Comic-Con, that hold championships where you can wander and observe to your own delight. You may even find a new game, or even better, gaming friend.
Play Retro Games
Get into some of the OGs of computer games like Duke Nukem, Commander Keen, or Liesure Suit Larry and get back to the roots of learning gameplay, before graphics and sound were as high-tech as being immersed in the real thing.
Treat Your Body as Your Temple
Yes, you’re going to need to invest time in playing, but you also need to invest in your body and mind. You may be the greatest gamer on earth, but coming down with a serious case of gamer’s thumb, or getting back pain from poor gaming desk setup will see your dream of defeating your competition sneak up on you like your feathered friend from Untitled Goose Game.
Get your gaming setup right. Investing in an ergonomic gaming desk and chair will save you a lifetime of pain, suffering and physiotherapy bills if you sit up correctly and respect your spine.
Goosing around with not getting enough sleep, eating foods with no nutritional content and consuming too much alcohol will all keep you from playing your best, and are some simple life improvements you can make now and reap the benefits as fast as tomorrow.
Summary
Using this blog post as a guide, you can get started on your journey to better gaming right now, starting with practice! Soon you’ll be flexing your gaming prowess and gobbling up your competition faster than a Yoshi gulping down an apple.