Playing a new game can be pretty daunting some times, especially when it comes to messing things up for other online players. It’s one thing to try out a game and make mistakes in your own home, but it’s an entirely different thing to play a game and make mistakes that can cause failure in the game plays of others. But there’s no reason to let this fear stop you or another gaming newbie from having fun. This article will give you all the knowledge you need to be ready for any online game you are about to play.

The first step anyone new to online gaming should take is to first, learn how to play offline. You should definitely read any manuals available that come with the game for additional information. Or else, someone may say to you to “RTFM”. Do you know what “RTFM” means? It stands for “Read The Fu**ing Manual” and its spewed by serious gamers to vulnerable newbies who interrupt a game with questions like, “What is this place?” or “What am I supposed to do?”

You could search the web for game related discussion groups, FAQ’s, and walkthroughs. And reading forums for your game is definitely a good option. In other words, you could do your homework. Some of the kind of information you want to learn includes how to play, how to create characters, how to gather equipment, and how to implement some smart strategies. The other players will definitely notice, and appreciate any knowledge you bring to the table, even before playing the game.

In addition to reading how to play an online game, you can familiarize yourself with the game’s interface. Having an understanding of where everything is located in the game, will speed things up for you, and generally make you a better player, and much more fun to play with. It can be a hassle waiting for someone to search for a window or an item or option in the game when it is perfectly obvious to everyone else where these things are located, this is the quickest way to spot a newbie.

Once you start with a game, don’t let the pressure of staying in the game prevent you from doing the unthinkable: dying. A character dying in a game is inevitable at certain points, and unless you willingly let go of a lose-lose situation, you’ll run the risk of holding the game up for everyone else. If the game is over, the game is over, there’s no need to prolong losing battles. There always another round to play. Make sure you do your best, but don’t hold out waiting for a miracle to take place, let the game end and start a new round so everyone can continue playing.

Never take dying to seriously, it’s just a game, and everyone will die in it at some point. Dying can be a valuable learning experience, make sure you pick up on what exactly you did wrong, and how to avoid that situation in the future. At the very least, you’ll learn your way around an online game by learning all the things that you aren’t supposed to do!

Above all else, ensure that your computer has what it takes to maintain the current pace of an online game. Having a fast internet connection is the best option, but unfortunately isnt’t one for everyone. If you still have a slow connection, be mindful that your experience will suffer because of it. A slow computer will cause you to lag, skip a lot and generally be very ineffective, take this into account.

Hunt around for a computer that was built for online gaming and get a DSL or ISDN Internet connection. You’ll need a fast processor, a high quality graphics card, and a sound machine to match.

Also something important to take into account is your control setup. If playing a PC game, it’s important to have a good keyboard and a gaming mouse with plenty of buttons that will allow you to keybind all your important abilities or weapons. It would also be best to invest in a pc gamepad that is designed to help in the game of your choice. Wireless PC gamepads are available as well to cut down on the clutter, and there is no substitute for using a pc steering wheel when playing a racing game. There are pc gamepads available with many buttons that are designed to be used with FPS’s, MMO’s and RTS games.

By following these simple suggestions, you will have passed the newbie test and earned respect as a serious gamer much more quickly than if you stumbled your way through what many players take very very seriously; their favorite game.

And finally, always remember to have fun playing, do not take it to serious, it is just a game..