Why We Play Games, Part 1
There exists some ephemeral quality that separates gamers from the rest of humanity, some thing that makes us, us and them, not us. I've never been able to quite put my finger on it, but it is inescapably there. Today, in hopes of moving closer to that essential quality of gamerosity, we examine part of what makes us tick. In particular, we take a look at what draws different types of gamers to the hobby. Every gamer plays for different reasons, but there are common threads that tie the experience together. Many gamers are motivated by the challenge a game can present. Success in a game may be governed by any of a wide variety of abilities. A First Person Shooter requires twitch reflexes, a steady hand and the ability to remain calm under pressure. A word puzzle game may require an extensive vocabulary and the ability to rethink the uses of old words, but no measure of speed. A sports simulation might well require an in-depth knowledge of the topic, in addition to arcade skill, but is unlikely to have terribly much concern for linguistic acumen. The common thread is that all of the games challenge some subset of a player's abilities. This challenge can be a powerful motivator. The Challenge Motivated gamer is drawn to a game that tests their skills, preferably one that tests them to their limits. The gamer may also be motivated by the natural improvement that comes from working at peak. They are driven then, not only to excel, but to improve. Challenge Motivated Gamers thrive whenever a game pushes their skill set of choice, but may be disinterested in games that fall too far away from the target. Competition is a close cousin of challenge. Many gamers are driven by the need to prove they are the best, to be pitted against their fellows and come out on top. Competition minded gamers range from those looking for a challenge in a fair fight to the sort of win-at-all cost leet speaking infants that give us all a bad name. Competition can be easy to take too far. There is nothing inherently wrong with being driven by competition. To some extent, competition is merely challenge taken to the extreme. It is only when it leads to mistreating your fellow player that it begins to become less a motivation and more an unfortunate personality quirk. Competition Motivated players thrive on those games where they are pitted against one another with the outcome dictated by skill at playing the game. They will often wane in those environments that either require cooperation, such as many MMORPGs, or in games where skill plays a much smaller role, such as in less sophisticated card or dice games. Next week we will take a look at some other common gamer motivations, including Creativity and Escapism. Steve is a member of the GrandMatrix team. They provide a broad range of games articles and reviews. Read more articles, download and play the latest PC games for free plus enjoy thousands of user submitted puzzles, quizzes and word games at GrandMatrix Free Game Downloads
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Once you reach a certain point the added performance of the new technology is noticeable. For example, the Athlon 64 chip has been out for more than a year, yet there are very few applications that require a 64 bit processor. If you check out benchmarks on the new PCI Express graphics cards you will see that they are running games at 300+ frames per second. When you watch a movie it runs at roughly 60 frames per second. A game will still run relatively smoothly at 20 frames per second. Basically anything over 60 frames per second likely will not be perceived while playing the game. You will only see the difference in your benchmark programs.
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It doesn't matter if you are new to online roleplaying games. The road to becoming elite isn't easily traveled. Some will never reach the top of the hill, but you don't have to remain a newbie forever.
Learn everything there is to learn about your chosen game - Head to google or your favorite search engine and type "mymmorpg tips" or "mymmorpg strategies" (substitute mymmorpg for the mmorpg you are currently playing). Surf the various websites and look for the best characters
to start with, the best way to make money/gain equipment, and the best pvp/pk tactics.
As soon as you load the game for the first time, find out all there is to know about the user Interface and the controls.
Don't be afraid to ask people in the general area how to do something in game.
Speak to people and create a network of friends - Don't spend too much time with people who don't know anything about the game. The best case scenario would be to find an "elite mentor" that can show you all the ropes. Once you have a large enough network of friends, you can join any game you please and have the best of the best as soon as you start.
Don't be afraid to die in player versus player combat or player versus environment- Fear will only halt your progress. Find out if you will drop items or not in your chosen game if you die. If you don't, make sure you embrace every pvp encounter you can.
Make sure you have a fast computer and internet connection- If you truly want to compete, you simply can't allow your machine to get in the way. If you constantly lag from a slow internet connection or poor hardware, your just asking to be killed. 56k isn't an option. It's 2005... Don't make excuses! - If there is something you don't know, ask someone. If there is something you are not good at, practice until you master it. Are the controls getting in the way? Customize your controls if you can or buy new hardware that will help(4 button optical mice and various peripherals is a start). Make sure you find out the fastest, most efficient way to make currency in your MMORPG. Making money makes all MMORPGs easier; some more than others.
Using powerleveling services or buying currency is just a shortcut. It's the equivalent of going to college and paying someone to take all of your classes for you. You may have a degree, but you don't know anything. Some people may use this to play a game that they don't have time to play, which is understandable...but don't expect ANY respect for your actions. Don't bother trying to claim to be an elite veteran either. It will only make you look ignorant.
In the mean time, keep grinding, keep killing, and do whatever it takes to remove your "newb" status.
Make sure you read more articles like these at: http://www.karashur.net/lineage-2-articles/articles.php
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