One way to share your love for gaming with your friends is to spend time actually playing each other and challenging one another to various games. While these events can be a lot of fun, they also stir up emotions of excitement and nervousness.
What you need are practical ways to help you prepare for such an occasion that will leave you feeling ready to go and looking forward to all the action that’s to come. Jumping right into a day of gaming without having any previous experience may leave you feeling frustrated and upset if you’re not prepared ahead of time.
Educate yourself
What you can do to plan ahead is educate yourself on all the different gaming systems and games you could be playing. Learn about the hottest games on the market and the various characters and their abilities using a resource such as the Gamerprompt Raynor guide. This way you’ll experience fewer surprises when you go to sit down and play with your friends. You’ll be more knowledgeable about your options and the different scenes and scenarios that could be thrown at you. There’s no reason to leave what to expect up to chance when there are plenty of blogs, publications and experts out there who are readily sharing gaming information on a regular basis.
Practice
You should spend time practicing like you would for any other big event or activity. Get a gaming system of your own or go to a store that allows you to test out different gaming machines. Spend your time ahead of your big day of gaming wisely by getting accustomed to the various systems and games out there. Make sure you leave plenty of time to experiment ahead of time and improve your skills. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re in a challenging situation the day you’re gaming with your friends and are able to come out victorious. Arrive ready to play and show off all your hard work by practicing and getting acquainted with the equipment and games well in advance.
Get some Physical Activity
You’re not going to be moving much physically when the day of gaming with your friends finally arrives. Do yourself a favor and blow off steam and release any tension ahead of time by exercising. Go for a long walk, hit the gym or head out for a long run with your dog. Do whatever it takes to get yourself physically prepared to sit for a long period of time. You’ll have more natural energy and won’t feel as restless or cooped up if you make it a goal to work out before the gaming marathon. Your muscles will feel better, and you won’t be as distracted when you’re good about exercising daily.
Manage your Stress
Although gaming is fun, it can also be a very stressful activity. There’s a lot to maneuver and knowledge to understand when you’re trying to do a good job and not look silly in front of your friends. Manage your stress before the big day of gaming by meditating, getting a good night’s sleep and listening to your favorite music. If you don’t get in front of your worries and racing thoughts ahead of time you risk performing poorly on the actual gaming day. You want to walk into the room feeling calm and collected without a care in the world. You need a clear head if you’re going to be able to put forth your best effort and relax and enjoy your time playing.
Visualize your Success
Spend time before the actual gaming day to sit and be with your thoughts. Visualize your success of pulling through and doing a great job in front of everyone. Picture what success is going to look like on the day you game with your friends and the skills and knowledge you plan on showing off. Get comfortable sitting in silence and going through the motions in your mind before you actually have to play in front of people. Prepare for obstacles or mistakes you may make and how you’ll work yourself through them in the moment. Mentally rehearse how the day is going to play out and it’s likely you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how well the event goes in the end. Doing so will allow you to go into each game with more confidence because you’ll truly believe in yourself and your abilities.
Practice Positive Thinking
What you need to do most importantly ahead of time is practice positive thinking skills. Avoid putting yourself down and thinking that you’re a lousy player without even giving yourself a chance to succeed. Follow gamers online who are optimistic and read publications that encourage you to do a good job instead of focus on the impossible and negative. Be mindful of your self-talk during the days leading up to the day of gaming with your friends and turn it around before it’s too late. Take note of your thoughts and how you’re acting when you’re busy practicing and make adjustments that are going to help you when the time comes to actually play against people. It’s a good idea to take a few deep breaths and even meditate a bit right before you’re about to play so you can collect yourself and your thoughts.
Conclusion
Gaming is no joke and many people take the activity very seriously. If you want to become better at it you need to know how to prepare for the days when you’re going to be exhibiting your skills to others. It’s going to take an extra effort on your part, but your hard work will be well worth it once you see what a difference these preparations make in your performance. What’s most important is that you have fun and enjoy the process and time with your friends. Remember to do your best, but that there’s always next time if it doesn’t go as well as you had hoped or planned for.