DCEmu Homebrew, Hacking, Emulation, Gaming and Theme Park News.

Online gaming has become a dominant force in the entertainment industry, and it continues to grow faster than all other media and entertainment, such as movies, TV, and even music. Most people that play online games have likely been involved in it in some way for many years now, but that doesn't mean that it's inaccessible to newcomers, not by a long shot. Something you do have to remember, though, is that playing online games, or games in general, will require practice and the first game you play and try to get to grips with is going to take far longer to learn than your next. This is because you'll be getting used to playing with a controller or learning the game's general rules that are shared by other types of games in that genre. For example, playing an online shooter game like Call of Duty requires good reflexes and a good grasp of the movement and aiming mechanics. However, you can then transfer those skills to other shooters, adapting them slightly to suit the other games' potentially more nuanced mechanics. So just how can you get involved in online gaming today? This article aims to help you with exactly that.
Understand The Benefits Of Gaming
Many people that aren't involved in gaming in any way don't consider that there are, in fact, many benefits of gaming, whether occasionally or on a regular basis. They are a great tool for developing your reactions and decision-making skills, and online games provide you with the chance to develop social skills. This is why online gaming can be really beneficial to kids, too. As well as the development of these skills, gaming ultimately provides a satisfying and enjoyable experience along with the psychological benefits that come with success when you do well in a game. Many games can also provide players with a level of escapism as well, helping them to destress and forget about their worries for a period of time.
The Types Of Online Gaming
Online gaming is not exactly a genre in itself. Of course, a lot of games can fall under this umbrella term, encompassing any games that are played and require an internet connection. For example, an online shooter and an online poker room are both online gaming but vastly different. Getting into online gaming could see you trying all different types of genres, but you may way to instead focus on one or two that really catch your attention. To help you with this decision, here are a few of the different types of online gaming you could try out.

MMORPGs

This is one of the common origins of many gamers today when it comes to online gaming. Many people out there started with online gaming via an MMORPG or massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. A few examples of these include World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, Runescape, and Ultima Online, among many others. MMORPGs are still incredibly popular; however, they often require a significant amount of time investment, which is often why some avoid playing them. However, many gamers today have fond memories of getting invested in these online worlds and building real-life friendships with those they meet online. MMOs are regularly hailed as a great way to build a social life, especially for those who live remotely or struggle with social anxiety and prefer to speak to people over voice chat.

Online Gambling
Online casinos are a very popular form of online gaming, and this has been popular for many years. The attraction to casinos in general throughout the past century has ebbed and flowed, with gambling being banned in certain countries as well as specific states across the USA. In the UK, private casinos were legalised in 1960, allowing for the construction of proper gambling establishments across the country. Of course, with the advent of the internet and online gaming, casinos naturally found their way to this medium very quickly. In South Africa, gambling wasn't made legal until 1996, making it relatively newer compared to a number of other countries. There are countless slot games available online today, as well as live table games, too, such as blackjack and baccarat. Just be cautious when visiting these sites, however. Only gamble money you're willing to lose, as there is a strong chance you'll come away with less money than you started with. The house always wins, after all.
Competitive Online Games
There are quite a few different types of competitive online games, but instead of going into every genre, we've lumped them together as they generally appeal to a fairly wide audience, regardless of how niche that particular genre is. As mentioned above, you have shooter games like Call of Duty, which has always presented itself as a competitive game. With the advent of battle royale games like Player Unknown's Battle Grounds (PUBG), in which players drop into a game with around a hundred others, scavenging for weapons and supplies as they are slowly forced together by an ever-shrinking play-zone, Call of Duty released their own iteration of this. This was called Warzone and became an instant hit, bringing in over one hundred million players at its peak.
MOBAs

You may or may not have heard this term before, but MOBA stands for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, and while it would fall under the competitive online games category, we felt like it needed its own section due to how impactful this genre has been on the world of online games. MOBAs such as League of Legends and Dota 2 involve players taking control of a specific character with their own unique abilities, strengths and weaknesses. As a team, you face off against an opposing team pushing towards the enemy base and, in turn, defending against their own advances. The goal is to destroy towers along the way, ultimately giving you an opening to attack their headquarters and subsequently win the game. MOBAs were some of the first games to have genuine tournaments created for them. Today, we now see MOBAs and many other competitive online games hosting tournaments with prize pots of hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in them.
Play With Friends
The most important thing to consider when getting into online gaming is to try to get into it with some friends, too. Ideally, if you have friends that already play, then joining them and getting them to show you the ropes will be great. There's also a chance that you've had friends asking you to join them for a while now, so take them up on the offer, and you might find they're elated that you're interested in trying something they already enjoy. The social aspects of online gaming shouldn't be downplayed, as it's a fantastic way to hang out with your friends, especially those who may live too far away from you.
Get Practicing But Have Fun
Getting to grips with a particular game can be frustrating at times, but practice makes perfect, and you shouldn't be too hard on yourself, especially when playing against or alongside others who have years of experience compared to you. Try to remember that it's just going to take some time to get used to the game and focus on having fun instead of beating yourself up about lower reaction times and forgetting certain controls. If things get too frustrating for you, take a break and return to it with a fresh mindset. At the end of the day, gaming should be fun, not stressful, so keep this in mind when playing.