4 Online Gaming Tips for Newbies
With many of us being locked inside the (relative) safety of our homes for the past year-and-a-half, finding ways to maintain connections with friends and loved ones and entertain ourselves through endless hours of boredom, as well as distract ourselves from the pain being caused by the pandemic, has been incredibly difficult.
Some chose to while away the time by bingeing films and shows on Netflix whilst munching on snacks; some took up new hobbies or attempted to learn new skills, including learning to bake, sew, or a new language; some tried to catch up on all the things they had put to one side when they were too busy or stressed to focus on it, like a regular exercise routine, reading or painting.
Others, however, took the time to have a go at a form of entertainment that has, over the past year, experienced an explosion in popularity: online gaming. Since this point, thousands of others have picked up the mantle and decided to give the popular form of entertainment a go to see exactly what others enjoyed about it so much! This has been compounded by the release of many new gaming formats and device capabilities – including smartphones.
As such, many ‘newbies’ have entered the gaming scene and found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer choice, complexity, and widespread communities open to them via this entertainment platform. And, as a result of their newbie-status, some have found themselves falling foul of the rules, the hidden fees, or the expectations of intensely dedicated, skilled online players on various online games.
So, to help other online gaming newbies avoid the same pitfalls experienced by others, we’ve compiled a list of tips to help you stay safe, build your skill level, and, above all, have fun!
Shop Around!
If you’ve never even dipped a toe into the expansive world of online gaming, it’s easy to look at the range of choice available, the titles, and the game types, and find yourself unable to choose what to play.
So, first of all, you need to put in a little bit of research and shop around. What type of game do you think you’re going to enjoy: do you want to play on your own and maintain half your attention on another task? Do you want to chance your luck on slots and simple, yet addictive, games with fun themes, such as those that can be found on OnlineCasinos.co.uk? Do you want to immerse yourself in a fantasy world as a fictional character, as in RPGs (Role-Playing Games)? Or do you want to play competitively with other gamers on FPS games (First-Person Shooters)? Before you even get started, it’s important that you establish what types of games you wish to play and then research the best games within that genre.
When you search online, the best way to verify if a game or website is legitimate, and has games that you are safe for you to play, is to establish that is has a little padlock next to the URL and https:// before the rest of the URL. Websites such as OnlineCasinos.co.uk not only hold a fantastic roster of simple, fun-to-play games for the casual user (which may be the best place to start as a new gamer!), but are also safe for you to engage in.
Limit Your Personal Details
This is a fairly simple, often-reiterated statement when it comes to gaming online, but it is still incredibly relevant – particularly with the volume of people falling preying to online scams and attacks. Personal details are named this because they are just that: personal. And they should remain as private as possible.
It should go without saying that you should never reveal your full name, address, card details, workplace, or family information to anyone online, ever. Your username should be chosen to avoid giving away too much information about yourself; your profile picture should not allow you or any other information to be fully identified by others; you should not enter your financial information into any website that doesn’t explicitly state how it will use this information or have the padlock to denote safety.
Remember, it’s your responsibility to keep hold of your personal details.
Research the Community
The vast majority of gaming communities are kind, welcoming, and fun to play with; there are, however, a minor few that can be deemed ‘toxic’. And, by toxic, we mean communities that feature a huge number of nasty, bullying, harassing people who use the anonymity provided by the internet to spew hate. Many of these such communities don’t take kindly to ‘newbies’, accusing them of being ‘n00bs’ (a derogatory term aimed at new players who are inexperienced).
You can usually perform a little research prior to investing in a game to determine what the community is like. Reviews of games tend to highlight what the community is like, as toxic communities will usually engage in pointless, insult-slinging debates when reviewing games. So, if you see reviews featuring overwhelmingly negative reviews with these sorts of attitudes, it’s best to stay clear.
Newbie-Friendly Game Modes
As stated, lots of experienced, loyal gamers become extremely frustrated by the arrival of newbies on their platforms – particularly if the game is a competitive online multiplayer featuring ranks, where anyone can join and skill-level doesn’t determine the formation of teams. Entering such game modes unaware of this might lead to you experiencing lots of unnecessary abuse from other players.
If you want to play competitive games online, look into those that have practice or newbie-friendly game modes first – you might save yourself a lot of earache in the long-run!
Overall, the online gaming community is inclusive and friendly, welcoming newcomers to their beloved games with open arms and willing to give out advice freely, so don’t be put off! Make sure that you follow the above tips and you’re sure to not only find the communities that suit you, but also have an absolute blast playing games that fit your skill-level and interest perfectly.
