I know that 2020 hasn’t been really good to us and at this time it’s really difficult to look forward to the next year with all this uncertainty.
Many of us have spent the quarantine playing video games and finding new favorites. If someone you know is a gamer, help them look forward to every month of 2021 by gifting them one of these gaming calendars witht twelve months of beloved characters and scenes from their favorite games.
Or you can purchase one for yourself!
A few years back, not many believed that playing video games as a sport could help them earn billions. Yet, that’s what actually happened, the esports industry is booming!
So, the question is, how do esports teams make money? It is through sponsorships, prize money, merchandise and content creation.
Right now you’re like: “Dana, what are you doing, it’s barely September and you’re already posting Christmas stuff?”
I know it’s early but we have to think ahead before everything is gone for the holidays! Plus you’ll beat any Christmas queues and that’s a win in my book. You don’t want to miss out these great gaming ugly Christmas sweaters and feel like the odd one out on any Christmas parties this year!
Christmas sweaters have recently made quite a comeback, adding more and more cool designs to the collection. Thanks to that we can now get sweaters (or even jumpers and t-shirts!) with various topics, from Star Wars to comic books and, of course, video game related ones.
Here are some of the top gaming ugly Christmas sweaters you need to get this season! Whether you’ve been roped to another family get-together or an office Christmas party or you just simply want to hang out at your place and play video games, these are for you!
Make sure to check the sizing to avoid any problems.
The history of video games is very interesting, starting back in the 1950s, at first used only for training and research programs. But as time passed, and this technology progressed, it became more common and its uses varied.
If you’re a gamer you might be wondering whether you can game on MacBook Air. Well, the simple answer is that you can game on your Mac but the experience won’t be as good. The truth is that there are great functionalities you can enjoy from your MacBook Air, but powerful gaming is definitely not one of them. It’s just not designed for it.
I know the question you might be asking yourself is: how come it’s difficult to game on such an expensive device while it’s possible to game on other PCs, which are way cheaper?
For many people, fishing is really boring, so they don’t understand how someone can enjoy a fishing game.
If you’re not one of those people, you might be looking for the best fishing video games currently on the market. I’ve chosen a few titles to review, including the best VR fishing games and best fishing games you can play for free.
Anyone who spends a lot of time web surfing, working, or gaming on a PC is at risk of developing wrist pain from computer use. Is there any way to prevent this, or is there no way out other than giving up gaming? Thankfully, it’s usually possible to avoid wrist pain without massively cutting down on computer use.
You can prevent wrist pain from computer use by frequent breaks, stretching and exercise, changing your posture, and also by using a wrist brace, ergonomic mouse and keyboard.
Minimalists focus on the essentials in life to reach a happier and more fulfilling state of mind. In general, this means a minimalist only spends money and time on things that hold true value for them.
So what is minimalist gaming? Minimalist gaming means that you only spend time and money on games and devices you truly love and value.
When you are part of a gaming community or have a lot of friends who love to play video games as well, the social pressure to buy and play more games and posses more gaming devices increases. There are so many video games available in the market nowadays that it is hard to decide which video games are true gems to you.
You’ve certainly heard the phrase, “You really have to play this!” or “That game is the most amazing game ever!”. The problem is that almost everyone has a different “most amazing game ever” you really need to play. And many people change their “most amazing game ever” once in a while too.
Gamers can feel overwhelmed with the games they feel they have to play. You just jump from game to game without really enjoying a video game anymore. You try to keep up with the crowd, fear of missing out and social pressure.
Certainly, this is not the reason why you fell in love with video games in the first place. Besides the mental stress gamers can feel, it also costs you a lot of extra money.
What can you do about this problem?
Although the definition of minimalist gaming is quite clear, what you deem essential, non-excessive, and fulfilling can take many different forms. To use minimalist gaming to boost your feelings of happiness and fulfillment it’s important to understand what minimalist gaming means to you.
I will give you some examples of different interpretations of minimalist gaming to fully understand this concept.
Story-driven gamers love to play games with interesting storylines. They usually want to get immersed in the story through great storytelling and unique elements. The gaming industry has become a mature industry and many story-driven video games can fulfill this love and passion to experience amazing, well-written stories.
When you turn to minimalist gaming this means you should do research on the games with the best stories of the industry. Focus on the games that present the type of stories you love in particular.
There are many types of stories you can indulge yourself in. Fantasy, thriller, detective, horror, and science-fiction stories are all available to enjoy but you can find gems in your favorite genre.
Competitive online gamers just want to become the best of the best. But you will never become the best of the best if you switch games often. The only way to master an online video game and become one of the best is to practice a lot. To get to the top of the rankings requires a lot of time and grinding anyway.
As a minimalist gamer of this type make sure you choose the very best competitive game in its respective genre and put all your gaming time in this video game until you mastered it and proudly became part of the top players. By the time you feel it is time to move on to a new game, you will feel pride and fulfillment about your achievements.
If you’d like to learn how to become a professional gamer, I’ve written about it on my blog post here.
The completionist loves to discover every little aspect of the game they play. Every achievement in the game has to be unlocked, any secret cave explored, every race has to be won, and all cars have to be part of your collection.
A completionist feels fulfillment when they know the game has no secrets or collectibles left for them to acquire. This gaming style costs a lot of time per game just like the competitive online gamer.
If you feel the pressure to buy and play all games and complete them for 100% you will always feel time pressure and it becomes more of a chore you have to finish quickly. Don’t play more than one or two games at once, otherwise you will not enjoy any game.
For some people minimalist gaming isn’t about the number of games they own. These gamers enjoy minimalist games. They can be minimalist in a few different ways – from graphics to objective and controls.
First minimalist games that come to mind are of course timeless classics like Pac-Man, Tetris and Pong. However, there are many modern games that fit a few minimalist criteria. A minimalist game doesn’t mean it’s an easy game! Here are a few examples of modern minimalist games:
It’s not only the games that you buy but also all the different devices that are out there – phones, consoles, handheld consoles, PCs, etc.
Minimalist gamers only own devices that they truly use often if not daily. If you reach for a console once in a blue moon, isn’t it better to pass it onto someone who would appreciate it more and actually use it rather than let it stay and collect dust?
Ask yourself if you really need the Xbox One X if your Xbox One is in a perfectly fine condition? Isn’t it better to wait for the next-gen console? Xbox Series X is scheduled for the holiday season of 2020, why not save the money until then?
It’s clear a minimalist gaming lifestyle means something different for every gamer. What does it mean to you?
The starting point is to figure out which aspect of gaming you always enjoyed the most.
If you’ve heard the name Marie Kondo before, then you know might be aware of her tidying technique “Does it spark joy?”. And while the KonMari method is not minimalist, it’s very useful when you’re trying to decide what to keep and what to let go.
If you have a physical copy of the game, hold it in your hand. Does it spark an excitement in you? Are you excited at the thought of playing it again? Or is it a game you simply enjoyed once or didn’t enjoy at all? If you’re happy with it and would love to play again, keep it, otherwise let it go.
Sometimes it can be hard for people to let go of material posessions but the KonMari method teaches that it’s okay. Thanking the physical copy for hours of entertainment might look crazy but it might be easier to let go of it afterwards. All the games that didn’t make the cut can be sold or given away to people who will value it more than the dust on your shelf.
You can sell Xbox and Playstation games quite easily, or even give them away. Unfortunately you can’t really sell PC games that are tied to one account. You can still make space on your hard drive by uninstalling the games you haven’t played for years.
I’ve recently gone through my Steam library and uninstalled about 8 games. One of them was last played 7 years ago! My hard drive definitely thanked me that day. I need to do the same for my Xbox One.
If you’re not a passionate collector of consoles and they had piled up in your house over the years, you might as well use the KonMari method with your devices.
If you haven’t touched a console for a year or more, give it a thanks for its service and let go of it by either passing it on to a friend or a relative or selling it.
I’ve recently gave away my Xbox 360 to my little niece after the schools have closed but before the lockdown. It used to sit next to my Xbox One collecting dust and I haven’t played it in a couple of years. I felt guilty for not using it. Now I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and somebody can enjoy the console.
Be careful about purchasing new games right after this “purge”. Getting rid of old games doesn’t mean that you have to buy the same amount of new games or even more.
Be deliberate in picking the games you want to play. Buying the games you researched and look forward to will be much more exciting than buying a new mediocre game that you just play for a bit. This system will also give you the time and peace to fully enjoy the few games that you buy.
I believe in waiting for games, rather than blindly pre-ordering it without knowing what it’s gonna be like. There are certain franchises that I’d consider pre-ordering (like Battlefield for example) but I feel like this is unnecessary and it will only leave you with a bunch of mediocre games.
In this day and age, the fear of missing out (FOMO) is really prevalent across the board and it’s no different with video games. I think it’s better to wait and see what the game is like by watching Twitch, Mixer or Youtube and see the reviews. You’re not going to miss out on anything if you buy the game a few months later. Maybe just bugs.
Plus you can enjoy lower prices.
It’s important to note that you don’t have to use a certain system or restrict yourself severely. It’s the goal that counts. And the goal is to only spend your time and money on the games that are mesmerizing, magical, or outright challenging.
Whatever it is that you personally love so much about gaming and the games you possess. Minimalist gaming can help you get back to your personal values and essentials when it comes to video games.
What is your stance on minimalist gaming lifestyle? Let me know down below in the comments!
If you’re a gamer, I’m sure you’ve seen a ‘Seizure warning’ or ‘Epilepsy warning’ just as the game is starting. I was surprised by how many people actually don’t know a lot about this illness or are very misinformed.
That’s why I’ve decided to write up this post, mainly to educate and explain what epilepsy is, what types there are, how to help a person with a seizure and the history of seizures and video games in easy to understand way. I’ve also gathered some questions from my friends and I’m going to answer them here.
As I’ve been first diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 15, I’ve asked my doctors all there is to know. I’d also like to share what my life is like living with this illness.
The Legend of Zelda has been around since 1986 and there has been much merch made in honor of the game. Today I’d like to look at some Figma and Nendoroid action figures (plus a couple of statues). If you’re not familiar with these types of figures, then read on and check how awesome they are!
There have been thousands of games that were released in recent decades, and a lot of them were loved by many gamers. There are games that reached a great milestone in terms of sales and ratings, and there are some that were considered a failure because not many gamers liked them.
AAA or Triple-A games are video games produced or developed by a major publisher, which allocated a huge budget for both development and marketing. The term is by no means an official classification but generally, a ‘triple-A game’ is equivalent to the term ‘blockbuster movie’. The term came into existence in the 90s and since then it has been incorporated into the gamer slang.
Want to read more about gamer language? Check out this helpful post I wrote!
Workout session just got more interesting and fun! Excessive sedentary gaming can have an effect on your weight but that’s not the case with VR games. No need to hit the gym every day. You can now stay fit and healthy at home with the help of VR games. They can help you burn calories and perform your regular exercise at home in a fun way with more determination.
In the past, I wrote an article about the best consoles for exercise and today I decided to check out some fun VR games for exercise!
So what are the best VR games for exercise? The most popular are Audioshield, The Thrill of the Fight, Holopoint, Sprint Vector, Beat Saber, BoxVR and many more! This time we’ll look at the 6 previously mentioned VR games in more detail.
Please be aware that this post may contain spoilers!
Many game developers try their best to bring the best of experience a player could have when playing games. With this, the innovation of games has continued to grow over the years. We now have new features that arise; Ray Tracing, VR, Ultra High Definition Games, and many more that have never been experienced before by the old generation.
The saddest moments in video games include games like Gears of War, Mass Effect, The Last of Us (and The Last of Us 2), Halo, The Walking Dead, Life is Strange, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid and many more. We’ll look at some of these moments in more detail.
I enjoy playing every protagonist regardless of gender but as a female gamer I find it important to be represented well.
The most popular playable female protagonists are Lara Croft, Commander Shepard, Amanda Ripley, Max Caulfield, Aloy, Faith Connors and many more. Let’s look at them and their backstories!
There are a lot of things I want to share with you; knowledge about gaming rigs and hardware, some game guides, buyer’s guides, game reviews, and many more. This time though, I will be focusing on sharing some real ways on how to be a professional eSports gamer, and why someone could start dreaming of becoming one.
