There are no two gamers alike. Each gamer has their own unique playing style and their own unique tendencies. However, there are a few things that every PC gamer needs if they want to call themselves ‘hardcore.’
In this post, I will cover five things you will need if you want to become the best of the best. And, while these five things aren’t the end-all-be-all of becoming the greatest gamer ever, they sure will get you off to a good start!
1. The Ability to Forego Sleep:
It is said that certain monks in the Orthodox church do not sleep at all. This is to show their devotion to a higher being. If you want to be the best gamer you can be, then you need to take a page out of these monk’s notebook and devote yourself to a higher cause as well…
The cause of becoming the greatest gamer ever!
And in order to do that, you need to seriously cut back on the amount of time you are sleeping. No excuses.
Yes, I realize that what I’m saying is a difficult concept to grasp, but this gaming world we live in is a tough place… and only the strong survive. So, if you want to compete with the big boys, you better think about knocking off 4-5 hours of sleep each night.
That should give you a pretty good advantage over the competition.
*WARNING* I am not a doctor or an Orthodox monk and any advice I give on either subject should be taken with extreme caution.
2. A Ridiculous Video Card (or Two):
There’s no way that you will ever be any kind of a decent PC gamer if you can’t even get decent frame rates on the lowest graphics settings.
So, if you’re still playing today’s games on an old and outdated computer, you better get your act together. (And, if your computer really sucks then you should consider building your own gaming computer.)
Whether you upgrade your current system, or you get a whole new one, you will need to make sure that you are getting as much video processing power as humanly possible. The difference in details on the highest graphics settings could potentially give you the advantage over the competition. And, if you want to be the best, you have to take every advantage you can get.
Besides, it’s a whole new world when you get to game on the highest settings…
3. Quick Access to a Towel for Removal of Excess Food From Fingers:
In some weird paradox, the food that most gamers rely on to get them through their intense gaming sessions is also the food that is the least compatible with the keyboards and mouses that they must use.
And, while there’s nothing wrong with eating 2 LBS. of potato chips, a gallon bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and a large $5 Hot-N-Ready pizza from Little Caesars there is something wrong with the massive amounts of grease that gets transferred from your fingers to your keyboard and mouse.
At first, the buildup of grease gives you a little extra traction… but after awhile, your buttons become unclickable and your most important tools of destruction become unusable.
So, in order to combat the accumulation of grease build up, it’s always a good idea to have some hand sanitizer and a towel nearby. That way you can eat and game without going through three keyboards a month!
4. A Big Mean-Looking Computer Case:
Some people game on laptops. Others like those mini-tower cases that they can pick up and carry around with them. Personally, I like my computer tower to stay put. And, when I say I want it to stay put, I mean that I want to have to use a crane to be able to move it.
In some ways I feel like a big, mean-looking case makes me a better gamer. And you should think the same way, too.
Why?
Because in gaming, bigger is better. A bigger sword means more damage. A bigger rocket launcher means bigger rockets get launched. A bigger level means more cool stuff to do.
It’s just better to be bigger!
(If you’re looking for a good full tower case, check out my review of the Cooler Master HAF X. It’s one monstrously awesome case!)
5. A Solid State Drive
Finally, one other thing you will want to get to if you are planning on becoming the ultimate PC gamer is a solid state drive. Now, solid state drives don’t have a huge impact on games themselves. However, they do cut down a huge portion of the time it will take you to get into your games.
You know what I’m talking about…
We’ve all had that one computer that takes at least 5 minutes to boot into our operating system and then at least another 5 more minutes to where the little loading icon goes away and we can actually use our computer. All that slowness stems from the limited technology of a mechanical hard drive.
Fortunately, if we as gamers hate something about technology, all we really have to do is wait a couple of years for something better to come out. In the case of mechanical hard drives, we have solid state drives.
If you hate waiting 10 minutes just to start gaming, then you might enjoy the tenfold increase in read times that solid state drives have. Most systems that have SSDs in them are able to boot up and be ready to go in under 20 seconds.
Not only that, but with a solid state drive, you can access large files and programs without fear of your computer locking up. And, you can access them instantly!
In the end, all of this speed adds up to you spending less time on stuff you shouldn’t be doing (waiting) and more time on what your should be doing (gaming.)
