Like many people who are furry and orange and made mostly of craft fur and foam, I sometimes have a hard time making decisions. What to have for breakfast, what cartoon to watch, which member of the Scooby Gang was coolest, or even more difficult; which online game do I want to play?
There are lots of games out there and choosing one to start playing can be tricky, even overwhelming if you’re new to the online gaming or social gaming scene. There are some big names out there that everyone knows about, like World of Warcraft or Farmville, but just because a game is popular doesn’t mean it’s the game for you. McDonald’s sells millions of burgers a day, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best food out there (or even edible in some cases.) Before you go and jump on the popularity bandwagon you should really think about what it is you want to do online, how you want to interact with other players, what you want to get out of a game, and what you’re going to be expected to put into a game; as most online games, even casual ones, have some component that encourages, or even requires, regular play.
So how do I choose?
[singlepic id=3256 w=272 h=277 float=left]Sometimes I flip a coin, and sometimes I look at the pretty pictures on the websites and get hypnotized into clicking the ‘Play Now!’ button without even realizing it. This method of choosing a game is similar to finding a can in your cupboard with no label, and deciding that’s what you want for dinner. It could be delicious chili, it could be canned peas, or it could be stewed beets. The problem is, once you open it, you’re kind of stuck with it, and most of the time it will leave a really bad taste in your mouth.
So for the purpose of this article, let’s assume there’s a smarter way to pick a new game to play, shall we?
If you already have friends that play a particular game it’s usually easy enough to join them, as the majority of online games make it very easy to connect with other people. Aside from the obvious need to know what game your friends play and how to sign up for it and install it, you’ll probably need to know what your friends’ character names are and what game world or server they play on as well. In some cases, especially in MMOs, you’ll also want to know what ‘faction’ they’re aligned with, as some MMOs won’t let players of opposing factions play together or interact. It wouldn’t be right to have Lex Luthor and Batman on the same team, for example. Unless you’re reading some alternate universe issue where Lex Luthor is… Never mind, Fabricated attention span again…
Choosing a new game for yourself is a different matter and while it certainly has a lot to do with personal preference, it also has a lot to do with what I’ll call resources. By ‘resources’ here I mean a completely made-up concept that I just thought of right now that includes a combination of several things that all go into playing online games, from the kind of computer you need to play the game, to the cost of the game, (either a one-time purchase cost, monthly subscription fee, or micro-transaction costs) to the amount of time you want to play, as well as the amount of time you may need to devote to the game to have a fun and fulfilling experience.
[singlepic id=3257 w=320 h=240 float=right]Computer requirements here are extremely varied, as there are family friendly and casual games that are browser based and can play fine on older computers and netbooks, then there are installed games that require much more disk space and higher computer performance to run effectively. Cost can also vary, though as I said in my first article, my goal is to promote fun, high quality games that don’t cost anything or that may have a small optional cost associated with them, but no required financial component.
Next, think about how do you want to interact with other people? Do you want to talk to friends or maybe make new friends? Do you want to adventure with people? Do you want to battle against other players or would you prefer to avoid PvP combat completely? Maybe you enjoy adventuring in a primarily solo-player mode, but really like talking to other people or meeting up with other random players for the more difficult portions of the game in Pick-Up Groups. Again, finding a game that is more aligned with a play style and social interaction style that mirrors your own preferences makes the game a lot more fun. I know many, many people who have quit games because they were forced to group, or not able to group easily, or found it too difficult to interact with other people in a social way. It’s amazing how much something like being able to sit in a chair can affect people’s play style. Weirdos.
[singlepic id=3258 w=197 h=302 float=left]Our final resource category, play time, is a much bigger factor than many people realize when it comes to online and social gaming. Put simply, how much do you want to play? Are you looking to log in and be swept away with hours-long adventures and immersive story? Do you want to log in and chat with friends in the evenings in a kind of virtual clubhouse without having to slay dragons or fight aliens? Do you want a quick diversion at lunch sometimes, a way to jump into a game for a half hour, have fun, and feel a sense of accomplishment and community without having to worry about logging in every single day? Think about this before you jump feet-first into any online game, especially if you want to play for hours or if you have very limited play time. Take it from an experienced gamer, a fun game can become really tedious or just plan annoying if you can’t play as much as you’d like, or if you’re made to feel like you HAVE to log in every four hours or else something bad will happen to your character or house or radish patch.
So we obviously have a lot to think about, and I’m going to tell you right now that there is probably no ‘perfect’ game out there for your play style. I have pet peeves about every game I play – some are big and cause me to stop playing, some are minor and just make me roll my eyes. Of course with googly eyes like mine, that’s a lot of eye to roll… In any case, it’s clear that jumping into an online game is going to require some kind of commitment; either that financial commitment to buy, or simply a commitment of the many hours it can take to sign up for the game, download and install it and then take that initial time to learn how to play it. Nobody wants to waste time or money, (especially me, my strawberry shampoo needs are expensive and I have blogs to write!) so taking all these factors into account, how do you choose?
Once you know what kind of game you want to play and how you want to play it, one of the simplest things you can do is to research games that look interesting. Between Google and the multitude of gaming sites out there it is very easy to do a little bit of homework (Ooh, the dreaded ‘h’ word!) on a potential game to see how it plays and to see what other people might think about it. Reviews can be really useful, of course, but always remember that enjoyment of any game is very subjective; if a game seems like it’s something you’d really enjoy, don’t let a negative review scare you away. If there are five or ten negative reviews about it, however, that’s probably a different story. You can also easily find games online that are of a particular interest to you by searching for things like ‘steampunk mmo’ (Altus Online looks interesting) or ‘Ben 10 online game’ (The Cartoon Network website has a number of them.)
Finding interesting games is actually very easy and if you go into the search considering the resources I discussed here and do a little bit of homework, you’ll be able to find a fun and exciting game that will fit your play style. Just make sure you play smart and stay safe when signing up for any kind of online game or social service, and NEVER use the same user name and password for multiple games or websites – even a furry orange monster knows that’s just a bad idea!
So how can you tell if a game is OK for kids to play? I mean younger kids, like under 13? What can you look at?
Great post!I will proceed like that! :)
Hi Otto, great question! To be honest, I have a whole article planned on this topic, maybe more than one, as it’s an important topic to me.
The shortest answer, and one that I believe in wholeheartedly, is that parents need to be aware of and take part in everything their kids do online, especially games. If you have a younger child who is interested in a game, you should see it, play it, and know what it’s about. I’d even recommend playing it together with them, it can be a fun and exciting.
What’s appropriate for what age child is very subjective, obviously, but if a parent is involved in researching, signing up for, and playing a game with their child, especially an online game, it’s much safer, and safer is more fun.
I hope this helps!
This is so interesting. I’ve always wondered what would I do when I have a kid, with regard of games.
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