Gaming has all the hallmarks of a great hobby: It is fun, engaging, immersive, and mentally stimulating—all at the same time. It’s no wonder 3 billion people gravitate towards games every day to fill their pastime.
From the outside, getting into gaming and becoming a part of this thriving community can seem a bit overwhelming: which platform you should become a part of and which games you should play might be the questions ringing in your head.
Don’t worry; this article presents a beginner guide to get you up and running with gaming, and it will clear all your doubts in no time. So, let’s begin.
Where to Play Games?
There are many different platforms for playing games, each offering a unique user experience. These platforms all have robust ecosystems centered around them, so choosing one over the other entirely depends on your familiarity and fondness with a particular platform.
Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming, as it sounds, is playing games on your mobile device. It has exploded in popularity mainly because it is easily accessible to everybody.
The growth of the mobile gaming ecosystem has led to many new and interesting ways of gaming, such as using different accessories such as trigger buttons for mobile phones, specialized gaming cases, game controllers with built-in power banks, and many more.
Today, due to mobile devices’ portability, you can have unique and fun gaming anywhere and everywhere, creating memorable experiences that you will cherish for a long time.
Case in point: I was a late bloomer to mobile gaming. However, I still vividly remember the time I played this amazing co-op survival/exploration game with my mate on my mobile phone when I was stuck during my vacation: the thunder of the lightning, rain pelting on the metal roof, and two people on their mobile phones figuring out the next clue to survive in a sparse gaming world – it was something magical that day.
TLDR:
Mobile gaming is a great entry point into gaming if you want the following:
- Being able to play games anywhere on your mobile phone to kill boredom or pass time.
- Not have to fork money on a gaming system and play games on what you have.
- Enjoy a vast library of free-to-play games
PC Gaming
PC gaming is the opposite of mobile gaming. A PC is a gaming system that can be custom-built using hardware parts and bought from large retail brands like Dell, Lenovo, etc.
PC gaming is very involved, and most people who play PC games have a general understanding of the PC system and the technology industry. Due to this, PC gaming has the highest barrier to entry.
However, PC gaming also has unparalleled advantages. For starters, it is the preferred platform for Esports competitive gaming, and the expansive gaming tournaments you see on Twitch or other platforms are held mostly on a PC.
Besides that, a PC is a modular system. Therefore, it allows users to swap out parts for better ones if the existing hardware starts malfunctioning. Having the ability to replace individual parts can save a lot of the cost of repair.
The modular aspect of the PC also allows users to upgrade the system for better performance later down the road. This means that users can extract more life out of their PC gaming system than a comparable mobile or console.
Console Gaming
Consoles are special gaming systems designed to play games. The three main consoles are Sony’s PlayStation, Microsoft’s Xbox, and Nintendo’s Switch. All these consoles are good in their own right, and since this is not a comparison article, I won’t go over their intricate differences.
What I would like to point out is that all these consoles have their exclusive games: games that are only available on a particular platform. For instance, Sony takes the cake with games like The Last of Us, God of War, Grand Turismo, and the Uncharted series. Similarly, has games like Halo, Forza Horizon, and others, while Nintendo’s main exclusive is the Zelda series. When opting for which console you want, decide based on the exclusives.
Consoles are deemed to be a sweet spot between mobile and PC gaming. They are not as much involved as PC gaming but offer better graphics than mobile gaming. Their greatest strength is that they allow relaxed gaming on a large TV screen, and this is the experience that many want when they come home tired after their 9-5.
TLDR:
Console gaming is a great entry point into gaming if you want the following:
- Better in-game graphics than mobile gaming
- Being able to play video games from the comfort of your couch on a big TV screen
- Play games with your family members in split screen
Which Games to Play?
Games can be broadly categorized into the following categories:
- Shooting Games
- Open World Games
- Battle Royal Games
- Real-world trading games
There are many other types of games, too, but these are the most prominent types currently popular among gamers. Let’s go over them one by one.
Shooting Games
These consist of first-person games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield and third-person games such as The Division. This game category will be of interest to you if you like firearms or are a competitive individual who loves a challenge.
Open World Games
Open-world games contain large maps and allow the players the freedom to roam the expansive landscape. Popular games in this category include Grand Theft Auto (GTA), The Witcher, Assassin’s Creed, and other popular games. Open-world games are great for individuals who crave creativity and love exploring new environments.
Battle Royal Games
Battle royal is a new popular gaming genre. It consists of games such as Fortnite, Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Player Unknown Battlegrounds: PUBG. These games are multiplayer games in which 100 or more people are thrown onto an open-world map. The last player standing wins. It is a very fun concept and one that you should definitely check out.
Real-world Trading Games
Real-world trading has been exploding lately because of its unique concept. It allows users to interact with activities that they would otherwise need to do in a particular arena. Games in this genre include mainly casino games, which are primarily popular with mobile gamers. However, casino games can also be accessed using an online gambling site, providing ease of access for all gamers irrespective of the platform.
Gaming can prove to be a great pastime, and you will get the opportunity to meet a lot of people. Some of my greatest friends were made when playing games, so don’t keep missing out. Remember, it does not matter which platform you are playing on or which games you are playing as long as you are having fun and making cherishable memories.
