How To become a Geek

Picture this scene you’re hanging out with your mates and they are wittering on about Master chief  the merits of Starwars the force unleashed and Lara Croft’s impact on pop culture. Then one of them turns and asks for your opinion. Everyone falls quiet as they await your choice words of wisdom. You have two options: you can either say “I need new friends” and leave, or try to hit back with some searing insights into gaming

Because here at Geek Trinity we are those guys that Witter on about games for hours even when we aren’t supposed to, we’d naturally go for the second option. Honest. And if you’re reading this hardcore gamer blog, I must suspect you might want to as well. The trouble is that becoming truly knowledgeable about all things to do with gaming takes a lot of effort-hours hunched over books (lol) and the internet, playing software endlessly and developing dark rings under your eyes from looking at monitors for too    long. To help you jump the queue to enlightenment though, I’ve put together some handy tips, info and advice on how to stand head and shoulders (and possibly navel) above your gaming comrades when it comes to games buffery (not sure if this is a real word)

1.     How big is big enough?

Relax! I’m talking about the size of your game library. Although it’s not a necessity to have all the games in the world it never hurts to wow friends and foe alike with your mother lode of games. And don’t worry am sure people won’t think your compensating XD.

Game stores can offer great offers on games allowing for gamers to pick up pre-owned games at low prices. If you are decent and would forego the clutter of Game cases there online stores not only for Pc but also the consoles and they offer way lower prices.

2.     News, reviews, playthroughs and everything in between

If you want to know what a developer is planning for your next game or you want to see if a game is worth buying then you should check out sites like IGN and Sourc3 Machin3.Early on I would have sent you over to Cheat desk or Cheat cc after this for those lazy bums but unfortunately with the rise of the Online multiplayer use of cheats have been on a steady decline. Compared to GTA V San Andreas was Cheat-a-palozza.

Although you won’t be buying cheat books you will spend a lot of time checking up Console commands for games like Minecraft and Skyrim

3. Attend Every-Con

This has to be the ultimate Kudos-grabber for any wannabe games buff-a visit to some of the biggest game shows on earth. While other talk about their trip to some sub-par event, you can bang on about Nai-con or how you destroyed people at a tournament.

Such shows let you learn about upcoming games and provide you with a chance to talk to game devs to learn more about your favorite game. For those lucky enough to be able to globe-trot there millions of shows worldwide including the infamous E3, PAX, RTAx and many more. And on that note I would like to remind you lovely people that this year’s Nai-con has been announced check event section for details and links.    

4. Keep your eye on Reddit

The reddit is an entertainment, social networking service and news website where community members can submit content such as text post or direct links. Not known too many probably since it require a membership fee www.reddit.com has for years claimed to be ‘the front page of the internet” and they might not be wrong.

Reddit has some of the most dedicated fans in their “subreddits’ and they update latest news and information and have very geeky forums. An example of how obsessed redditors are: when BmVagabond’s gamer tag was changed it took less than 5 minutes for the Rooster teeth sub-reddit to blow up. Redditors aren’t exactly the nicest people around but it’s not like you can’t meet a few mates worth going to the pub with there.

5. Know your retro gaming

Ah bless! You really miss playing Mario and Contra or you just want to sound like you have been playing games since you were shaped like something resembling a fetus. Either way it’s always nice to have a little history to show your devotion.

Since I’m such a good guy here are some good retro games to start you off:

• ·         Starwars: Knights of the old republic I & II
• ·         Deus ex  
• ·         The Sims
• ·         Half-life
• ·         Duke nukem
• ·         Delta force
• ·         Resident evil IV

6. Youtubers and streamers

Twitch.tv is the next level in entertainment. Formerly Justin.tv twitch has thousands of Streamers from all over the world playing every game possible on all consoles and pc each with his or her own personalized style. Twitch has a chat for each streamer that allows for a seamless conversation allowing one to interact and be able to help them and feel part of the experience. Twitch especially comes in handy for launch titles you can’t get personally. A few good streamers that could interest you include the young Nigerian Prince Master Zedx for a complete comedic approach at gaming, you could join Official COD streamer TfCarbon as he plays with his fans and bets his virtual currency dubbed “cookies” with his chat. If you prefer a jolly laugh mixed in with some of the amazing GTA gameplay join Lm8Gaming or Ladymiss80’s for the time of your life.

The major disadvantage with Twitch is that it is live so you can’t really use it to look up something particular but luckily the Youtubers have our backs covered with Gatman providing you with the greatest gameplay a geek could ask for. For your entire comic needs be sure to check out Justanerd at IWatchStuff. There also a lot of channels without verification but bring amazing indie games like Nerd³.

7. Read up on some trivia

So you know your games – the cheats, the secrets, the best strategies – but to really impress, it’s best to go along to any gaming conversation armed with some nice juicy but fundamentally useless trivia to dazzle your mates with. Here are a few choice facts plucked from the world of gaming…

• ·         The first game to cause controversy wasn’t a gore fest like Carmageddon – in fact, it was the humble arcade machine Space Invaders which raised heckles on its arrival in the UK many moons ago. A bunch of hysterical MPs decided to call for a blanket ban on the arcade machine, claiming that it would cause youngsters to become addicted to the game, make them skive off from school and, of course, go on a crime spree. Naturally.
• ·         GTA V broke sales record on 17^th September 2013 becoming the fastest-selling entertainment product in history, earning US$800 million in its first day and US$1 billion in its first three days.
• ·         Back in 1996, a psychologist claimed that having a quick game on Doom could boost resistance to infection because the number of antibodies found in the player’s saliva rose for up to half an hour after having a blast on the top title. While gamers all over imagined playing games all night and being super-healthy because of it, it was pointed out that levels of antibodies quickly returned to normal after playing…
• ·         Sony’s PlayStation was originally planned as a CD-ROM add-on for Super Nintendo.
• ·         Before Leon fought for his life in the European villages of Resident Evil 4, Capcom created four different versions of the title. One of the scrapped versions eventually found life as another popular Capcom franchise – Devil May Cry
• ·         Remember the PlayStation 2’s startup screen? The one with the uneven white towers? Those towers actually represent games – the ps2 reads the memory cards and based on the save data, populates the screen accordingly.
• ·         The Name Noob Saibot from Mortal Kombat is actually the names Tobias and Boon spelled backwards

So Young Padawan may the force be with you on your journey to becoming the ultimate geek