Contributed Post
BY LAURA STEPHENSON: Gaming is easily one of the most common and popular pastimes in the world, and it is not too hard to understand why. With gaming, you can find yourself immersed in a wonderful different world every day, and there are truly unlimited options for you to choose between in that respect. You will also find that you are going to be able to always have a new console or a new game to explore, and so you can always look into that whenever you feel you might be getting towards the end of the gaming life.
But what are some of the elements that you might consider essential to the gaming life? As it happens, there are several things that you might want to consider here, and in this article we are going to take a look at a number of them. As long as you have thought of these, and you make sure that you are looking after them yourself, you should find that you can live the gaming life much more easily indeed.
A Gaming Den
If you have the space in your home, then one of the best things that you might want to think about doing is making sure that you have a gaming den of some kind or another. Don’t let the name fool you – this could merely be your bedroom, or any other room, but it is much better if you can manage to find somewhere in the home that is specifically to be used for gaming alone. If you can do that, you will get much more out of it, and be able to make gaming much more a part of your everyday life. So what are the qualities of a good gaming den, and how can you make sure that you are making your den that way?
In particular, you want the space to not be used for anything else, or at least not anything else at the same time. For that reason, it is ideal if your gaming den is a small room on its own, or it could even be something like a shed if you prefer. You will also want to make sure that it is soundproofed, so that you can’t disturb people in the home outside of the room. And if it is away from the rest of the home somewhat, then you won’t be disturbed, either. This kind of gaming den is absolutely going to mean that you can make much more of your gaming life, so that is something that you will want to consider. You could even have fun putting together the room and decorating it however you like in preparation for using it.
A Comfortable Chair
If you are going to be spending long periods of time gaming, then you need to make sure you are going to be comfortable. This is not just a matter of your body feeling better as you game, but also a case of ensuring that you are not going to cause any long-term damage to your body, which could easily happen from sitting in the same position for many hours each day if you are not careful. The most important thing in this respect is that you have a comfortable chair which you can sit in. That might be a gaming chair, which is of course the best option, or it might just be any other comfortable chair – whether in the style of a computer chair or even something like a plush armchair. Again, this is an important part of the gaming den and the whole lifestyle, so make sure that you are going to put the necessary effort and thought into it, and you will get much more out of it.
Webcam
For many games now, you are going to need a webcam. This will be particularly important when it comes to playing virtual reality games, as they require that you have a webcam so that your movements can be tracked. Of course, the better quality the webcam, the better, but actually you will find that you can do with a cheaper, more basic one much of the time these days. Often, a VR set will come with a webcam, so you won’t have to worry about getting it as a separate item. Nonetheless, it’s something to think about just in case you might need to later on, and you might want to start shopping around for it as soon as possible.
Controller
Different consoles obviously have their different controllers. However, if you are looking for a controller to use instead of WADS when you are playing computer games, then you will want to look into finding one that you can really get on board with, and which you are going to love using. This is an opportunity to look for both style and ergonomics. In fact, it is best not to buy such an item online, but instead to go in-store and try out a few and see which fits your hand best. That is going to make for a more enjoyable experience, and it will also mean that it is going to feel much more like your own, as though it were a tailored item almost. The right controller might really make a world of difference to your gaming life, so this is something that you will want to think about.
Headset
If you are planning on gaming with others online, then you are going to want a headset, as this is going to form a basic part of the communication side of things. With a good quality headset, you can feel much more a part of the action, and in particular you will find that you are going to feel much more immersed. If you like to play with your friends in this way, then you will want a headset that is not going to cause you any trouble, which means something that will last and which will be of high quality, so the voice and sound are both as audible and clear as possible.
Internet Connection
Not all games require an internet connection of course, but many do, and you are probably going to want to think about this. In any case, you will be able to download many upgrades and patches using the internet, so you will want a connection for that purpose. Of course, you probably already have an internet connection in your home – but you need to make sure that it is going to be good enough. Is it as fast as you need it to be? Generally, if you are going to do a lot of gaming while other people do other things in the house on the same line, you are going to need a wide bandwidth and a fast connection.
So make sure that you have this – and be sure to consider what you are going to do when you are gaming away from home too, or if you are setting up a gaming den that is outside the range of the wifi. It could be as simple as getting a SMARTY contract and then hotspotting for your console, or you might want to think about getting a router booster instead. In any case, be sure to think about it, as without the internet, your gaming experience is likely going to be much less overall.
Large Mousepad
For computer games where you will need to make all of those sudden movements, you need to make sure that you have the necessary space to do so without too much trouble. That means that you are going to need to find a large mousepad to use, as otherwise you are going to struggle with this much more than you might think. This is nothing like the old desktop mouse pads that you might be thinking of – these are specific gaming ones which are designed for such a purpose. Having one is absolutely going to make many things about your gaming experience a lot easier, and yet it is such a simple item which you can easily pick up for cheap.
Desk Fan
With all that gaming, you are going to have to find a way to keep your computer cool, and some of your older consoles might need help here too. Fortunately, there are many ways to do so, but the most effective is simply to get a small desk fan which you can use for this purpose. These come cheap enough, but they are an elegant solution to overheating, and you will find that you can much more easily keep your consoles and your computer running for long periods of time – perfect for when you want to have one of those really long gaming sessions that last into the wee hours.
As you can see, there is plenty that you might want to consider here. As long as you have all this, you should find that your gaming life is just about to get a lot more exciting.
