If you’ve only recently discovered the joys of gaming or want to introduce a friend or family member to this arena, you’ll likely be chomping at the bit to get started.
However, it also pays to slow down a little and understand some of the most common mistakes that people new to this area make, which are best avoided where possible.
Forgetting Goals
You might be like many other people when new to gaming and not set any goals for your new passion. This is fine, but if you really want to progress more quickly and notice how far you move along in your skills and knowledge, goals will help significantly. Try to make them more concrete than vague, though. For example, something like “I want to improve my technique” is too broad to be of much use and certainly isn’t very measurable.
Instead, narrow down to one specific thing you want to and can track. You might give yourself a time limit, too. Focus on one goal at a time and tick them off, and before long, you’ll be miles ahead of where you are right now.
When it comes to goals, don’t make the error of forgetting to keep in mind the objectives of the games you play, too. You’ll keep losing and not making much progress if you get distracted by things like killing your enemies or creating the coolest avatar possible. Remember that each game has main objectives that you should prioritize, such as getting through all the levels and eventually finishing the whole thing, making it to a particular site within the game, or getting some sort of cargo safely to the final destination.
Not Taking Care of Their Health
Gaming can be a very addictive activity, and because it’s also sedentary, it often ends up affecting people’s health negatively. As such, try to avoid the common mistake of not taking care of your health and wellbeing once you get into gaming. To steer clear of getting lousy posture, sore and tight muscles, repetitive strain injuries, tired eyes, headaches, and more, make yourself take regular breaks to move about and stretch.
Don’t forget to eat well and stay hydrated, too. You need focus and concentration to achieve well in games, and this comes in part from quality, healthy foods and plenty of water, rather than from junk food and sodas, beers, and the like. It helps to take some quality gaming supplements to help keep you alert without being overloaded with sugar that will make you crash later. Plus, stay healthy by using an ergonomic gaming setup, such as a proper chair and a screen set at the right height. Make sure you get plenty of decent sleep for your overall health, too.
Investing Too Much in Gear
When you’re a new gamer and excited about joining this world, it’s easy to go overboard with your purchase of gaming gear. However, this is a mistake. You don’t need the highest quality devices or programs when you’re just setting out, and you really won’t know at the start what you will and won’t use.
Start small with the essential equipment and build up from there over time as needed. It pays to see if you can buy some items secondhand from other gamers, too, when you’re starting out, so you can test different equipment, see what you like, and save some dollars.
Always Gaming Alone
It’s natural to want to pick up some skills when you’re a beginner gamer and thus spend your time gaming alone. However, this isn’t the optimal way to improve. At some point, you need to start going up against other gamers to challenge yourself and test what you do and don’t know and how quickly you can achieve different outcomes within various games.
Also, gaming with other people allows you to pick up many helpful tips. Watch how other people move, the shortcuts they use, how they fight or collect treasures, and more. This kind of study is invaluable.
Some other mistakes that new gamers should try to avoid include comparing themselves to very experienced gamers, not claiming free bonuses when they become available, trying to do too much at once, and picking the wrong games that don’t suit one’s interests or skillset enough. Also, be wary of listening to loud music while you game as many programs have sound effects that provide clues and prompts in them, and you could miss them.
Avoid as many of these newbie errors as possible and you should get better at gaming much quicker and enjoy the process more, too.