With the advent of the technological revolution, most daily activities have become digitalised, and everything is available a click away. Everything pertinent to people’s privacy is stored in their computers and mobile phones. And with the pandemic in place, most people have become too comfortable with online classes and work-from-home employment patterns.
But what about hobbies turned into professions that have always been associated with computers? Like, gaming! Gamers have existed since time immemorial; since Mario Kart! 68% of the Australian population game and 78% of this comprises teenage and young adult pro-gamers who play games that require video cards.
Meanwhile, with the second wave of COVID-19, a study by the PwC recorded that the Australian gaming industry brought in a revenue of $3.4 million. And the revenue is predicted to increase in 2021, with the impending doom of the third wave. Furthermore, since more people will be entering the gaming industry, you must know what devices one needs to optimise the gaming experience.
So, an ideal gaming setup should have:
1. Personal Computer/Laptop
This is a prerequisite for gaming. And even though mobile-based interactive games are available, the experience of gaming lies in playing the game on a large screen. There are specialised gaming laptops in the market now, and these are different from the average laptops/PCs in that they offer more disc space, high-performing components, and have a faster running system. Such devices also come with increased battery life as constantly charging a device may make its system weak. Moreover, an added advantage is that these devices also come with a better cooling system. This is important since gamers usually play for over 8+ hours, meaning the laptop can quickly heat up and cause damage.
2. Video Cards
Also called graphics cards, this refers to computer hardware that produces the images you see on the computer screen. Most laptops and PCs have an integrated graphics card that automatically renders images onto the screen. However, these don’t provide high-quality images and cannot be upgraded.
Gamers, on the other hand, prefer a discrete graphics card, and it needs to be installed onto the motherboard separately and can be updated according to the required resolution. Discrete video cards are a must for pro-gamers because of the speed of image processing, while with an integrated card, the game might become glitchy or stop midway due to the overload on the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). However, a discrete graphics card is quick in processing HQ images.
Graphics cards come in two models: RX and RTX. While the former is used for a 4K gaming experience, the latter is used for 1440p gaming. Although, there is not much difference in the VRAM when it comes to the two models.
3. Mouse
This is one device that people undermine. Many RPG gamers fail to buy a gaming mouse before they begin their adventure. But, this must not be overlooked since while a normal mouse has only three control buttons, a gaming mouse has 10-13 buttons for optimum gaming. Moreover, the major difference lies in the fact that a gaming mouse utilises laser and optical sensors, which a normal mouse does not. And what this does is provide greater DPI (dots per inch), which means that you can manually increase the sensitivity of the mouse and therefore acquire faster gameplay.
4. Gaming Chair
Gaming chairs are also very important to complete the gaming experience. Gamers usually spend hours sitting in a single position in complete tension. In the meantime, a gaming chair has a higher backrest than the usual chairs, and this provides lumbar support and promotes correct spine alignment.