Although we live in an increasingly digital world, there are still some people who are a little wary of online gaming sites. Whether it’s feeling a little apprehensive about handing out your bank details for a pay-to-play game, not being sure about the sort of games your computer can handle, or simply not being sure where to start looking for games that you’d like to play, there’s help here.
Won’t it turn my brain to mush?
One of the biggest worries that people have about online gaming, is that its making us all into ‘zombies’. Whilst this mental image was perpetrated by the media for some time, it’s been proven time and time again to have no basis in reality. On the contrary in fact, online gaming (and gaming in general) can have some real benefits! If you prefer fast paced games, perhaps car racing for example, all the time that you’re playing these, you’re sharpening your reflexes. If you prefer tactical games, such as Call of Duty, then you’re increasing your ability to perform well under pressure. That’s all without mentioning games that are designed with learning in mind, such as online chess sites, or games that encourage you to learn a new language. With all of that in mind, if you’re still a little concerned then restrict your game time. It’s simple to do; simply set yourself a half an hour timer and when it’s up, that’s it, game off. If you’re not sure about that even, then many game providers will do exactly that for you, so it’s all completely automated.
What if I spend all my money?
We’ve all heard the horror stories, about kids who are left to play on their mother’s phone and accidentally rack up thousand dollar bills on a farming game. It is absolutely enough to send shivers up your spine and vow never to play a mobile game again. However, it’s important to remember that there are preventative measures in place to stop this kind of thing from happening. The first hurdle is that, for mobile transactions, you’ll need a password (or your thumbprint) to accept pay-to-play games. This means that if you accidentally click a ‘pay for’ button, you’ll be prompted that you need to accept beforehand.
If you’re not worried about spending a little money here and there, but want to make sure it’s money well spent, then there are plenty of online gaming sites that can provide you with exactly that. A great way of making sure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to online gaming websites is to look out for free bet offers. This means that, whilst you’ll have to deposit a little money, you’ll receive a free bet back – more fun for you!
The final option, of course, is to only opt for free to play games. With the internet being the enormous playground that it is, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to free-to-play games. Top lists of the best ones are compiled year after year, so you can cut out the time wasting and get right to the good stuff.
How to find the games you’ll love
As mentioned above, plenty of websites compile lists of the top downloads of that year, which means that if you’re a fairly non specific gamer you’ll find everything you could possibly need for hours of fun on the most popular downloads list. If you’re a more specific gamer, then a quick Google search will generally bring up everything you need. If you fancy building and tending to a farm and are keen to not spend any money, then type in ‘free farming games’. If you love your chequers, but fancy branching out, then try something like ‘board games online’. There’ll be plenty of options to choose from and it’ll save you the hassle of scrolling endlessly looking for something that takes your fancy!
Photographs by SK / Timothy Eberly