It’s a new year, so that means a new you! It’s time to take control of this hot mess you call a life and turn it into something respectable with some New Year’s resolutions, and this year, you’re going to stick to them, right?
Well, come to think of it, you do still have a lot of gift cards to fast food restaurants and the gym is obscenely crowded, smelly and judgmental this time of year, so let’s be honest, New Year’s resolutions are a joke and no one ever sticks to them. Besides, who cares about bettering themselves as a person? Instead, why not do something much more important and better yourself as a gamer?
1. Quit rage-quitting
Games are about solving problems and problem solving can be frustrating. Failing to construct the perfect building in MineCraft, failing to beat a tough boss in Dark Souls 3, and repeatedly failing in online multiplayer can all be rage-inducing. But as humiliating as failure is, especially when you’re being tea-bagged by a fowl-mouthed tween, it’s a valuable learning experience. Next time your blood is boiling, take a second and think critically. What piece of this puzzle are you overlooking? Should you attack this enemy from a different angle? Or, if the game is flat out broken or your adversary is just a cheap bastard, shut the game off and take a few deep breaths. It will save you hundreds of dollars in controllers.
2. Get uncomfortable
Pizza is awesome, but if it was all you ever ate, you’d never know the wonders of tacos. We all have genres we’re comfortable with, but to grow as a gamer, you need to try new things. Considering how many video games are launched every year, odds are, there are loads of games out there you’d love but have never even thought to try. You may even discover an untapped affinity for an entire genre! Now I know that gaming is an expensive hobby and spending your hard earned cash on something you’ve never tried before sounds like lunacy, but that’s exactly what holiday and Steam sales are for!
3. Use the internet for something good
The last thing the internet needs is another hateful, entitled douche bag perpetuating the sophomoric gamer stereotype. There are more than enough idiots online who confuse snarky behavior with wit, and the people who actually have nice things to say, don’t say anything at all. To game makers, this cacophony of negativity and the deafening silence of those with something positive to say, takes its toll. Liking something is not a weakness! If you enjoyed a game, reach out to the creators and tell them! You may feel like you’re shouting into a void, but there are real people on the other end of the internet and even an ounce of positive reinforcement can make someone’s day. Besides, it may even be the encouragement they need to make more things you love.
4. Donate something
If you have a pile of unwanted physical games laying around, it’s tempting to trade them in towards your next game purchase. But, how much money are you really going get for that mountain of old games? Retailers take advantage of the fact that many customers’ primary form of currency is old games, which is why they offer insultingly low trade-in deals. Plus, whereas the individual retailer stands to make 100% of the proceeds from used game sales, they want that profit margin to be as wide as possible. If you don’t believe me, call your local GameStop and ask about trade-in values before going to the store. Instead of making pennies on the dollar, do some good and donate those games to your local library or shelter. If these aren’t viable options, there are great game-related organizations, like Operation Supply Drop, that will take them off your hands. Video games my seem like a luxury, but we all know how much they can make a difference in someone’s life when they need it most.
5. Make new friends without leaving home
Anyone who’s played online games knows that game chat can be hell. To compensate, most people simply don’t bother using chat when playing with strangers. But dotted in that noticeably toxic ocean are islands of genuine people. So, next time you play something online, try donning your headset. Sure, you’ll meet trolls, but most games allow you to quickly mute them with a simple button press. Eventually, you’re bound to meet some decent people and since you’re playing the same game together, you’ll probably have a lot in common.
6. Introduce someone to gaming
As crazy as it sounds, we all have people in our lives who don’t play games. So, next time a non-gamer wants to hang out, avoid the usual awkward silence and put a controller in their hands. If they’re hesitant, lavish guilt upon them until they give it a try. Gaming is no longer a niche hobby, it’s a medium. You don’t often find people who dislike movies entirely, just certain genres, so put aside your own interests and let their taste determine what you play together. Avoid competitive PvP games and look for something you can play cooperatively. Single-player games work too as you can take turns, and pass the controller back and forth. If having fun and working together isn’t something you can bond over, that person is probably lame as hell and should be avoided at all costs anyway.
7. Reduce that shame pile
Everyone’s got one, be it physical or digital. That ever-increasing list of games you purchased on a whim but still haven’t gotten around to playing. Now is the time! Take a break from new releases and knock a few of these games off that list! You’ll feel accomplished and since you won’t be buying new games for a while, you’ll save some coin. Or, if you really don’t have the time to play them right now, just be honest with yourself about what games you actually intend to play, and what games you should just let go.
8. Stop auto-posting
When you accomplish a difficult task or experience something interesting in a game, you want to share it with folks. However, simply playing a game “within the last 24 hours” or unlocking achievements is NOT interesting, so for the love of God, stop auto-posting about it on social media via sites like Exophase! No one cares; it clogs up news feeds and it’s a quick way to get yourself unfollowed by your friends!
9. Come to terms with your fandom
Describing someone as a fanboy/fangirl is generally a negative thing. But let’s stop kidding ourselves, everyone is a fanboy/fangirl for something. If you’ve played games for any amount of time in your life, you’ve become emotionally attached to a game, franchise, or character for one reason or another. It may be because you had a lot of fun with it, it may be because you easily related to the story, or it may be because your mind will forever associate it with a certain time in your life that you fondly look back on. Whatever the reason, it’s OK. We all do it. Plus, it’s admittedly fun to feel like you’re on a team rooting for its success over competitors. The problem isn’t actually having these preferences, it’s when they go unchecked that message boards and comment sections burn with hatred and spew venom on those with dissenting opinions. Identifying your inner fanboy/fangirl is the first step to becoming more aware and a cognizant gamer.
10. Play a bad game
Don’t specifically read the reviews to know why, but find a game widely regarded as terrible. While I don’t advocate stealing and generally feel as though developers should be paid for their creations, in this case, just get the game any way that you can. Maybe borrow it from a friend. Now, you don’t need to beat this hot garbage, just play it for at least a couple of hours. I know your time is precious, but trust me, this seemingly useless activity will be worth it. Think of it like the gaming equivalent of eating your vegetables. One of two things will happen, both of which teach a valuable lesson. There is the slight chance you may actually like the game, which goes to show that even though a game may be widely crapped on by the internet, popular opinion is not always right. Or, the more likely scenario is that without having read the review, you yourself will be able to identify what makes the game bad, and you’ll even begin to notice things absent in the game that you take for granted in otherwise “good” titles. Most importantly, you’ll come out of the ordeal a more informed gamer. Knowing what a truly awful game is grants the ability to appreciate good games and makes you far less likely to call an otherwise decent title complete trash.
So, there are 10 easy ways to better yourself as a gamer, none of which involve expensive gym memberships or eating crappy salads. Bettering yourself as a gamer will, in turn, better the gaming community at large, so why not give these resolutions a try? Even if you only stick to half of them, you’re already doing better than most of those n00bs at the gym!