It’s All about Speed
Over time, any PC can slow down due to a wide range of reasons including problems with malware, insufficient RAM, or because the hard drive needs to be defragmented or cleaned up. The simplest way to tackle the problem is to work through the possible issues raised and see which ones have the biggest impact on your system’s speed. If you are playing online the other aspect you need to consider is your internet connection. If you are living in a compatible area, it might be time to upgrade to fibre broadband.
High Spec PC
You will need a high spec PC if you want to play games at the maximum level of detail and resolution your GPU allows, and with all the graphical effects added. The good news is that you can upgrade your PC over time with more memory, a solid state drive, and a faster CPU as your budget allows.
Graphics Card
Your graphics card will be doing most of the hard work so make this a priority as you upgrade. If you want to fit a new one check there is an available PCI slot, enough room in the case for the model of card you want to buy, and make sure your existing power supply is up to the job as it will be drawing much more power. You can find a walkthrough of the process over at PC Advisor.
Peripherals
You will use them for many hours a week so ensure your mouse, keyboard and gaming wheel are the best you can afford. Specially designed mice for gamers will give you a much faster response time and make you more accurate, particularly if you are an FPS player. The design of the mouse is also important and it should be ergonomic if you don’t want to end up with wrist strain.
Monitor
Your monitor is also going to get a lot of use and needs to be high resolution, so your eyes don’t get tired after lengthy periods online. Your accuracy will depend on the quality of the image so again choose the best model you can afford.
Pick Your Focus
If you want to be amongst the best you need to focus on one genre of gaming, at least initially. So whether you love playing racing games, first-person shooters or MMORPGs choose the one you enjoy the most and dedicate time to becoming the best you can be at it.
Attitude Is Everything
There will be times in your gaming career when you experience setbacks and when you don’t perform as well as you hoped you would. However, the calmer you can remain under pressure, the better you will do. If you are part of a team try to retain good relationships with colleagues. A team which is riven by drama tends not to perform well in competition.
Learn From Others
You can learn from your peers and by watching other gamers at the top of the profession. YouTube makes it easy to find great examples of those who have won tournaments. Watch them play live and tap into interviews where they talk about their craft.
Practice Makes Perfect
The bottom line is that you are going to need to invest a lot of time practicing until the game becomes second nature, and then from there you can expand your skill-set. While you will need to spend a great many hours in front of your monitor, don’t let success come at the expense of your health. Ensure you eat healthily, take regular breaks, exercise and sleep well as this will give you a better chance of longevity as an elite gamer.
Have Fun
Finally, don’t forget to have fun! Playing games is meant to be enjoyable and just like any other sport, if you can have fun while you are practicing and competing, you can guarantee a better level of success. Featured photo credit: Thomas Leuthard via flickr.com
