How Not to Get Killed in a First Person Shooter Video Game

Theres no greater joy than running out of a room or a bunker knowing that there's a ton of guns on you - going out Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid... but you would be killed, in real life and in video games.

If your aim is to have fun, go for it. If your aim is to do well on your First Person Shooter (FPS) game, that would probably not be the smartest thing to do. After you build up to a decent skill level, FPS games become thinking games, especially when you're playing on a multi-player online server. You're not playing bots, or computer chips and dips, you're playing against people. People with different skill levels, and different thought processes.

This hub will cover the following topics when it comes to staying alive and not getting killed in a First Person Shooter (FPS) video game.

• 1st Person Shooter
• Multiplayer Online Shooting Games
• Strategic War Games
• Online Video Game Addiction

First Person Shooter or FPS games are incredibly entertaining - add to this the capability of playing with or against people from all over the world and you have something special. The graphics are crisp and clear and nothing like it used to be just a few years ago.

Internet Connection:
With online shooter games, the importance of having a great connection is optimal. Having a fast connection enables you to get a big jump on your fellow on-line players. A faster connection gives you a boost in having a fractional jump ahead of everyone else - it won't make you the best, but it will give you an edge when you need it. Of course if everyone has fast connections this just levels the playing field.

What is Network Address Translation (NAT) :
Next, check that your NAT is in the open position. Network Address Translation or NAT for short can be found on the bottom of your screen in the lobby of your video game. If your NAT is in the moderate or strict position, you'll find that you are very limited to the amount of games available. If your NAT is strict, you'll find that you'll get kicked more often - it's because someone with a moderate or open NAT position has entered the room kicking you out. If your NAT is strict, you need to get this fixed ASAP.

Playlist Preferences:
When you enter into a game, you want to be able to find rooms with the best connections. To do this, you nee to find 'Search Preferences' which directs your system to find any, normal, or best connection types. For most systems, you can find it just before entering a search for games. Depress your 'X' button, and a search preference screen will come up. Select the best connections, this way, you'll be able to fully take advantage of having a great connection, an open NAT and now the best connected rooms. The 'best' connection type is only for high-speed connections.

Multi-player online first person shooter (FPS) games are incredibly entertaining. If you ever had to pass a bunch of time non-productively, well this would definitely be it. But there are a few key things that gamers need to always be aware of when they're playing FPS games on-line:

Breaking Bad Habits:

Bad habits like running straight up the middle - which is always a killing zone - will ensure that you end up killed. If you value success, stay out of the middle, and glean the enemy from the sides flanking by watching the radar when they are firing.

Running:
Running is synonymous with dying. Running is so fun to do in a hi-action FPS game, there is really something about gliding through the maps in a full sprint, but sadly, it's the easiest way to get nailed. Sometimes running at full speed makes you an easy target for land mines, snipers, and ambushes. You can't stop in time, and sometimes don't even see the opposition until the 'kill-cam' plays. The only time you should be running is if you are in pistol and knife gear - this is when you need the most element of surprise because or your limited weaponry.

Jumping:
Jumping is great for a surprise attack. You can jump around corners and get the drop on an opponent. You can jump over someone coming upstairs while you're going down - spin in the air and kill the enemy before you hit the ground. Jumping is also useful when you're in close quarters with an opponent - it's also fun... I don't know why it is, but the first thing everyone does is go around in a circle emptying their clip, reloading, jumping, dropping - it's all very entertaining. If you are facing an opponent, do not jump up and down - you'll still be an easy target - instead, jump suddenly to the side and drop. This presents a number of problems for any opponent that has to re-focus, re-aim and then fire, while you are already firing.

Being Spontaneous:
The element of surprise is accomplished when you do something that is out of the norm. Point and case; say you're trotting down the alley, you take a turn, and spot the enemy enter the alley with your peripheral vision. You know he saw you, and is probably running now to get a bead on your backside. He is expecting to find you still trotting down the path, but instead, you double back and wait for the enemy right behind the doorway. He runs into the path at full speed and presents you with an easy kill.

Bad habits are incredibly hard to break, but when it comes to gaming, if you're not conscious of what you're doing, you'll go on un-checked, and your kill ratio won't be as good as it could be.

Rushing:
Know that there is a time to 'rush' (offensive attack on the enemy), and there is a time to fall back. 'Rushers' normally attack with sub machine guns or SMGs, they are 'perked' for speed, and their sensitivity is up to confuse other gamers. Higher sensitivity means a harder target to hit - the jerkiness and the speed that you move in presents an opportunity to circle around your target in a close quarter attack. If you can play at level12 sensitivity with success, so much the better for you.

Rushing, has benefit - especially when the Rusher has an agenda. Inexperienced gamers will run-a-muck around the map just running into opposition.

Flanking:
But a Rusher should have some kind of goal, normally, it's to 'flank' the enemy. Flanking means to slide through the enemy's radar undetected, and circle back behind them, or to the side of them when they are not suspecting it. Getting behind enemy lines opens up your opportunities for easy pickings. Use 'perks' and weapon attachments to assist you in cloaking your position.

Camping:
Camping is a reality. Camping is a term given to those particular gamers that will hide in one area where they have an advantage to pick off the enemy. The term is hardly endearing, it is more of a branding someone a coward. Yes, it is irritating when you're tagged by a camper, but you know what, it's part of the game. Get over it.

Area Patrol:
A very effective tactic is to hold down an area where you can police two entry-ways that are relatively close by. This strategy requires you to constantly roam from one entry area and back to the other, never staying at one end too long to avoid being flanked. This strategy works well for snipers that can see a large area of map.

Map Knowledge:
Knowing your way around a map is very important, using the map to your advantage could mean the win. Just knowing where everything is in a map is one thing, but using windows, barrels, ladders etc to your advantage opens up a whole new strategy. Every one uses doorways, but not too many gamers will jump out or into windows. Using airtime to cut running on the ground time will increase your ability to flank the enemy.

If you know a particular bottle-neck area where the enemy often digs into, avoid that area, and flank it every once in a while.

Spawn Points:
Camping out where the enemy spawns and shooting them as they materialize is not cool, but covering an area where they will be coming through is fine. The enemy will continue to approach you as they spawn. The spawn will switch sides after awhile, so always check your back.

Video game addiction is on the rise as a modern day dilemma. With easy access to the internet and countless games available at any given time (thanks to smart phones), it's getting harder and harder to get un-plugged.

The problem seems to be prevalent in boys and young men - which primarily make up the online gaming community. The finger seems to be pointed more at the games that involve having to incorporate identities, or more simply, role playing games.

Video game addiction is harmful to the development of our children. If a child doesn't get along with other kids at school, he or she may deviate from developing their social skills interacting with other children, to developing their on-line character into the person that is more socially acceptable. If this continues unchecked, a child may grow into an adult severely lacking skills to interact with other adults.

Warning Signs of Video Game Addiction:

• The person has an increasing appetite for more and more gaming.
• If the person doesn't receive more gaming time, the person becomes irritated and miserable.
• The quality of your work at your job or school suffers due to your increasing game play.

Those are very basic signs of addiction, so if this is you, or if it might be you, unplug and take a break. Take a walk outside, do something that you enjoy doing but never had the time for - it's never too late to re-take your life back. Peace. Kawi.