{"id":147334,"date":"2019-08-22T14:55:24","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T14:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=147334"},"modified":"2025-07-01T21:33:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T04:33:11","slug":"10-tips-to-become-a-better-gamer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/10-tips-to-become-a-better-gamer\/","title":{"rendered":"10 tips to become a better gamer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Games are hard. That’s the not-so-secret reason a YouTube channel like LetsPlay<\/a> has 3 million subscribers, or why Fortnite tournament champions can bring home millions of dollars<\/a>. Sure some games are easier than others, but you can usually tell the difference between a novice and a veteran gamer no matter what title they boot up or what controller is in their hands.<\/p>\n

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Even if you can win every Fortnite<\/a> match, dominate the Mortal Kombat<\/a> leaderboards, or build Minecraft<\/a> castles in the sky, you still might not be the greatest when it comes to beating Riddler in Arkham Knight<\/a>, winning races in Forza<\/a>, or leading a nation in Civilization 6<\/a>. Gaming has grown into a huge umbrella, and it covers a lot of ground. No matter what game you pick up, though, there are some universal tips that will always start you off on the right foot<\/strong>. Here’s our list:<\/p>\n

1. Save often, use different slots<\/h3>\n

Mostly gone are the days of classic Sierra-style point-and-click adventure games like Quest for Glory<\/a> or Gabriel Knight<\/a>. You know, games that punish the crap out of you<\/em> for forgetting to save your progress. Most games use auto-saves or checkpoints nowadays, but take it from a guy who grew up with the classics: If there’s an option to manual save, do it often<\/strong>. It can save you hours of having to replay the same territory.<\/p>\n

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Use multiple save slots to set up a safety net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saving in different slots is also smart. You may make a decision that you regret, like overspending your resources, killing a character, entering a place before you were ready, choosing a poor team for the job – the list goes on. We recommend having at least three saves that you go between. That way you have a safety net<\/strong> in case you royally screw something up.<\/p>\n

2. Everything is rock, paper, scissors<\/h3>\n

Rock, paper, scissors is the most basic game of all time (besides maybe Pong<\/a>) and yet it permeates everything<\/em>. Hilariously enough, it’s usually even praised for making games complex. The idea is that for everything there is a counter<\/strong>. We can’t stress how important it is to take that into consideration no matter what\u00a0<\/i>game you’re playing. It’s the foundation for RTS titles like Total War<\/a> or Battle for Middle Earth<\/a> (spearmen –> horses –> archers –> swordsmen –> spearmen), but rock-paper-scissors can apply to practically any genre.<\/p>\n

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Total War: Three Kingdoms \u2013 Complete beginner\u2019s guide<\/p>\r\n Rock, paper, scissors at its finest<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

Look at fighting games (who’s the best match for Braniac in Injustice 2<\/a>?), RPGs (when should you use ice spells instead of fire in Skyrim<\/a>?), and even shooters (when will an SMG beat a shotgun?). If you find that your usual tactic, your favorite character, or your best weapon isn’t getting the job done like you expected, it’s time to consider a new tactic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

3. Read the manual<\/h3>\n

We know what you’re thinking. ‘I don’t need to read a manual! That’s for wimps!’ Well then it’s time for a personal story: One of the first games I ever played was Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II<\/a>. In the sixth level (ugh, I still remember every detail of this game) there’s a room with a bridge that has to be manually extended in order to progress through the room. The catch is that the extension controls are quite far from the bridge itself, and the bridge doesn’t stay extended long. Bottom line: You have to run across the bridge really quickly before it pulls back in again. It went something like this:<\/p>\n

I was stuck at this part of the game for seven months<\/em> because I kept trying to walk across it as fast as possible. Because I didn’t know there was a ‘run’ button<\/strong>. Call me dumb, but since this was one of my first games I didn’t know that was standard practice. If I’d read the manual I would have known this right off the bat and saved myself months\u00a0<\/i>of frustration. It pays to know the tools in your toolkit. Read the manual. Don’t be like me.<\/p>\n

4. Hotkeys are your friends<\/h3>\n

If you’re a console player this tip isn’t quite as important, but for all you PC players looking to up your game this is huge. Any level where you’re on the clock (and we’re not just talking about racing games like\u00a0Need for Speed<\/a>. If you’re playing a shooter you need to react quickly.) you need to be able to do a lot of things in a short amount of time. Hotkeys might take some extra memorization, but trust us; it’s worth it. You’ll be able to do so much more, so much faster.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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With a bit of practice and the right hotkeys set, you can operate as fast as you can think.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some games let you set the hotkeys yourself, which means your experience will play as intuitively as you choose<\/strong>. You can even look at a new console game like Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3<\/a>. If you’re having trouble adjusting to the gameplay (like we did) you can change the control scheme<\/strong> right in the Options menu. You can also re-assign powers to different buttons<\/strong> if you don’t think it makes sense where they are. If the controls don’t make sense to you, look to see if you can change them.<\/p>\n

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10 beginner tips for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3<\/p>\r\n Stop grinding, start winning<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

5. Re-position, reacquire<\/h3>\n

If it feels like you’re running into a brick wall, it might be because you are. How could the game designers be so cruel? Why would they make a level unwinnable?? Odds are, that isn’t the case; you’re just not approaching it the right way<\/strong>. Attacking from a different angle can make all the difference. A melee brawl with a tough opponent might spell death, but a sniper shot to the back of the head? Can’t argue with that! Sometimes it’s like Sam Fisher instructs, you’ve got to “re-position and reacquire:”<\/p>\n