I was visiting my brother’s house a few months back while he was playing Call of Duty on the Xbox. For years I’ve heard him and his friends talk about Call of Duty and never really understood the fascination until that night. He was shooting enemies through his gaming console over the internet.
For a month and a half I pondered the idea of purchasing a gaming console. I had thought about the Wii, the PlayStation and finally settled on the Xbox. I went all out; purchasing the premium Xbox 360, surround sound headphones and better controller. At the same time I bought a game and a one year membership to Microsoft’s Xbox Live community.
Unboxing and connecting the system to my entertainment system was a breeze. One HDMI cable from the Xbox to the TV and I was good to go. It took me almost a half hour to completely setup the system, including connecting to my wireless internet. Once connected to the internet, Microsoft has an online registration process that is pretty straightforward.
Gaming to me has always seemed like a waste of time and money. The last system I purchased twelve years ago was a Sony PlayStation. Admittedly, the system was used just about every night; however, I have the excuse that my daughters enjoyed it just as much as I did. At that point the graphics were pretty grainy and the sound was either really basic stereo or mono.
The draw of modern games to me is the ability to connect to real players throughout the world. During the game players can talk amongst each other through headsets. Most of the time the people talking are kids chatting about their day or babbling to each other about the game.
This type of game is referred to as a Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO). Call of Duty is not the only game like this. If running around with a machine gun isn’t your style, perhaps creating spells and special powers is closer. World of Warcraft is considered a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). World of Warcraft is played on a PC and still connects to other players.
Gaming has come a long way since the days of Atari and Intellevision. Computer gaming consoles are basically dedicated computers with amazing processors and video cards. The particular model I purchased has a built in 250GB hard drive which is a pretty standard size for current PC’s. Games have evolved from beeps and pings to following a plot.
Understand, I’m a forty year old guy who has always shied away from gaming. For years I could never understand the draw to video games and fantasy play. The idea of becoming part of a gaming community has never had any interest. Now that I have the system I’m hooked.
When I put on the headphones and power up my controller I feel like I’m in another world – and a realistic world at that. Real people from around the globe are talking to me (mostly to tell me that I really stink). At the same time I can hear the sounds of others around me in full surround. During an air attack I can hear the bombs and helicopters as they fly over.
If you have thought about playing and aren’t sure what to purchase you should talk to a gaming specialist. The young man who helped me said he spends four to six hours a night playing Call of Duty. He understood exactly what I needed to start playing. I’ve noticed that gaming is no longer for young kids; adults are starting to play more frequently. Gaming can be a great alternative to watching TV; however, it can also be a great substitute to cleaning the house.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can text him at (978) 413-2840 or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)