For video game enthusiasts who are on a tight schedule because of several commitments, they engage in daily, playing video games without the correct sense of time can turn out to be a tremendous waste of time. In other words, you might end up blowing many hours on a video game instead of spending that time doing something constructive.
Of course, all work with no play makes Jack a dull boy, but the reverse is also true. For that reason, it is important to know the best time to grab your pads and play through to your thrilling adventures. Some games need at least half an hour for a round of play, while for games like free no download slots, five to ten minutes could be enough to quench your thirst before your next gaming session.
The Best Time Depends on Some Factors
So, how can you successfully set up a time to catch up on your favourite games? Before you decide when is the best time to play, you have to take a couple of factors into consideration. They include:
- Daily Routines
Different people have different routines because of the different activities they engage in. Some people go to work in the morning others in the evening, while others go to work just about any time. So, it is important to note all your routines before deciding the best time for you to engage in video games. By looking at your schedule, you’ll at least know when you are free to get into that game you love playing. It can be dead in the night when everybody is asleep or during the weekends when you don’t have any work shifts to worry about. Better yet you can squeeze in some time during your tea and lunch breaks to spend a couple of minutes relishing some riveting action.
- Games You Enjoy
The next thing to take into account is the type of game you enjoy playing. Some players like to take on the single-player games, others enjoy playing multiplayer games like RPG (Role Player Games). Players who enjoy the company of friends will probably have to be more deliberate about setting their gaming time as they’ll have to wait for teammates to go online as well. Gamers who ride solo, on the other hand, can just get into action whenever they see fit.
Let’s say, for instance, you are into RPG games where you play with your friends online, and you are located in England. In that case, 11 pm will be your best time to engage in RPG online games because most RPG players in America are also logged on at that same time. That way, finding a teammate in the random mode becomes easy.
For Massive Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs), however, the situation can get a bit complicated. MMOs tend to have peak times for gamers, especially on Thursday and Friday. But then, due to conflicting time zones, you’ll find that sleep time for one player is noontime for another. Additionally, if you are playing from the local server, you will also notice different age groups are logged on at different times.
- Seasons
For some gamers, it depends on what time of the year it is. Some players always enjoy games during winter times because it is always quiet, and there is very little to do because most people stay indoors. Other players get into gaming mode during the summers because all kinds of activities are going on, and most people are on vacation.
Why Are You Playing the Games?
The reason why you start playing video games also dictates how long you’ll stay in the game, and perhaps even the type of game that you will be playing. For example, if you are playing the game to socialize with friends through the multiplayer interfaces, then you are likely to spend more time in the game in the range of an hour plus. On the other hand, if you are just looking for a quick breather before moving on to something else, anything from 10 minutes to half an hour could be enough.
Then there’s a different category of players, the pro gamers who do it competitively. For those players, bragging rights on the leaderboards are more important. Such players often spend several hours a day to sharpen their skills in the game so that they can then take part in competitive action. A lot of pro gamers have won millions of dollars in prize money after participating in global video game tournaments.
Sometimes, pro gamers double up as content creators in the sense that they stream their gaming activities in real-time through platforms such as Twitch or even via live channels on YouTube and Facebook. Pro gamers who double up as content creators also send hours in a day playing, to broadcast live to fans!
What about New Games?
The number of hours aside, let us look at the question of when to play a game, based on the date of the game release. In that case, if you choose to play a new game that’s fresh out of the oven, there is a possibility that you will be too early in the arena. Then, as a result, you are left dealing with bugs and glitches that will make your gameplay wonky! It is also possible to be too early to the arena, especially in online multiplayer games before most players embrace it. As a result, you could end up playing against or teaming up with bots that water down your experience at the end of the day.
Thus, don’t dash to buy a new release on the first day. Wait around and listen if the developers are scheduling some changes before committing to the game. Better yet, just hang around and wait for a sale. It doesn’t normally take long, and as an added advantage, you will most probably start playing the game after at least one major update that’s already fixed errors, and better yet, there will be plenty of gamers online.
Old Is Gold, or Is It?
Even now, if you visit the discussion forums of any major online video game, you will see numerous threads whining about the latest changes, exenterating the newest release notes; longing for a long-gone era of when the game was just fine and didn’t need the new update in the first place. Those arguments stand head to head with other gamers appealing to the other developers to change the game in some other way. As it turns out, we the audience no longer only consume but also participates in the remodelling of the game.
But then again, if you join a game that’s too old, you also risk participating in a game that feels outdated and sluggish, and of course, you’ll also have a bot problem. Unless you are a collector, the experience of some older games will be eons behind what we’re already used to today. Playing video games in this era means making peace with yourself to the idea that you will seldom play a game at the best time. You will sometimes be too late or be too early, the only thing you can do is ride the wave as best as it comes.
Benefits of Playing Video Games
Spending some time with your console or on your PC or mobile device comes with plenty of benefits. For the average consumer, i.e. if you aren’t a pro gamer or content creator, you should participate in video games mindfully so that it doesn’t seize your attention from more important aspects of your life. According to research, taking part in some video game action at a rate of between 30 minutes and 1 hour every day comes with a range of benefits such as:
- Improving your memory
- Boosting your spatial visualization
- Gives you a better decision-making capacity
- Put you into a better mood because they help you relax and unwind
- Playing strategic games and challenges makes you better at problem-solving
- They can help with our social skills
- Fitness video games help us burn calories to stay healthy and active
- They help our brains grow as we continue learning during our gameplay
Parting Shot
Gone are the days when the average video gamer was thought to be a loner in a dark basement playing video games all day long. It’s a booming industry because of the many benefits that they come with, and of course, the joy that they bring in our lives. No matter your age, if you’ve never tried taking part in video games, then you should start today. The video game market today presents countless options that fit players of different tastes. And as you might have already deduced by now, there is no definitive time for playing your favourite video game. You can play at night, at noon, or any time of your liking, as long as you do it responsibly.
