The course of playing video games has changed over the past five decades. What was once an innocent form of entertainment against a computer or among friends confined to one place, and a luxury at that point, has become a household item driven by competitiveness.
Gaming has grown so much from the early days of Pong that some titles include unique elements, such as the FIFA World Cup 2022 schedule when these events occur every four years. It shows how far gaming has come from passing a little ball back and forth in a tennis-like style.
As technology has emerged, different generations have approached video games in different ways. Generation X was fortunate to have gaming devices at all during their formative years, while millennials have been a part of the experimental emergence of technology, seeing better graphics, gameplay engines, and more over time.
Generation Z has had the best of the best, including handheld devices to take gaming wherever they go. It’s reached the point where gaming computers, gaming laptops, and gaming monitors have been created to enhance the gaming experience, whether with faster processing speeds, sharper graphics, or better colors.
Competitive development
Nowadays, there are professional tournaments with thousands of dollars on the line. The best pros toe the line between millennials and Gen Z with years of practice in the finest technology. Professionalism, whether in tournaments or actual leagues such as Call of Duty or NBA 2K of Esports, is changing schooling as well.
There has been a college boom of programs building arenas and opportunities to earn scholarships to study and game. It’s not always at the top Division I colleges people would think of, either; instead, it is oftentimes smaller colleges getting ahead of the game. They often play games like League of Legends, Overwatch, Call of Duty, and some sports titles.
The beauty of it is while they can travel to compete, internet speeds are so strong and fast that many competitions can be held with each team in their home arena against another team in their home arena.
That’s especially true in high schools where there are LAN clubs like in the olden days of gaming. But some states have recognized Esports as an emerging sport and are even offering state tournaments of their own.
A place to start
It’s been two years since the next-gen consoles were released. The Xbox One and PlayStation 5 have seen more production but can still be difficult for consumers to find, especially around the holidays. But upgrading to the best of the best is optimal. Other options are a prebuilt gaming computer, someone to build their own, or, alternatively, a gaming laptop.
Of course, these are a little more expensive, but there are also multiple uses and would compete with buying a regular laptop and a console, whether for school or work.
If upgrading to gaming monitors, be sure the hertz rate and other elements are compatible, whether purchasing a console or computer for an optimal gaming experience.
Adding gadgets
There are other ways to improve gaming. Instead of using the typical audio of a television or monitor, upgrading to a gaming headset with noise canceling allows gamers to focus more. It can also increase the audio quality they need to communicate with teammates or talk trash with opponents.
Computer gamers may use a separate microphone, especially if they’re podcasting or doing other things, with a microphone stand and then a different pair of headphones that would plug in.
Cheating is frowned upon in the gaming community but using a VPN is popular among content creators to, well, create content against easier competition. Other options are buying cheats, though we don’t recommend that, or using a Chronus, which modifies controllers and helps aim and other gaming techniques.
Other elements that are accepted in gaming communities are Kontrolfreeks, which help with the grip of joysticks on controllers; blue ray glasses, which help with vision by eliminating excess blues and creating less strain on the eyes; and some different drinks and powders help with focusing.
There is a whole world of streaming that opens up to many more gadgets that help content creators engage audiences, too.
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