New Year`s resolutions for the gamer

The New Year is upon us and once again it’s time to look at our lives and see how we can make changes for the better. Yes, it’s time, once again, to make resolutions – some of which we’ll break fairly quickly (hello gym membership), while others might prove more successful. Here are a couple of resolutions for gamers in search of some inspiration.Stop focusing on graphicsIt’s great when something new and shiny comes along and blows our minds, but the impact from a graphical punch fades much quicker than that of a meaningful story, a shocking twist, or a gameplay moment that simply had to be seen to be believed. As we have seen from the early days of the new generation there is a focus on the number of frames per second being delivered and the density of pixels being shot at our retinas. But these elements are not the be-all-and-end-all. Games such as The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead from Telltale Games, Papers Please, The Last of Us and Spelunky have shown that games are more than just their graphical prowess. So, in 2014, let’s look at more than just polygons; while important, there is much more to gaming than a visual spectacle.Walk awayPlaying videogames can be a frustrating pastime; there are some segments that seem impossible and there are players online who are better than us (or the game hates us which, let’s face it, is usually not the case but we like to tell ourselves that it is). And, as we saw in 2013, there are patch changes that we may not agree with. But rather than spewing bile on keypads and keyboards, let’s all take a breath and simply walk away from the game or social media for a while and realise that this is a pastime that’s supposed to bring us enjoyment. Remember, there’s another person on the other end of the screen; constructive criticism is fine, outright hatred and threats are not.Appreciate what you haveThe world loves Thanksgiving. Why? Because the following day we sit back and make snide remarks about people giving thanks and then running each other over with shopping trolleys so that they can get great deals. And yet, how many gamers around the world have a backlog of games staring at them from a shelf or sitting greyed out in their Steam library? While it’s great to get excited about the prospect of new games or a steal of a bargain picked up during a Steam sale, we should be thankful for what we have.Kickstart with cautionWe’re another year older and another year wiser, so it’s time to start learning from mistakes. Backing a successful Kickstarter campaign does not guarantee quality or a timely delivered product; it is simply an investment into the vision of the company or person who launched the Kickstarter. Hopefully at the end of it, the product will be what you hoped that it would be. We like the idea of Kickstarter and when used well it can be a great resource, but backers need to keep their expectations in check, which in turn may make project starters a little more realistic or particular.Once bitten, twice shyOn a related note, we as gamers need to take lessons from what has gone before. If a franchise has been bothering us, it’s time to take a break or wait for reviews to see if issues has been fixed. Time and time again after another instalment of a yearly franchise is released, people pop up on Twitter to complain that once again such-and-such a developer hasn’t changed anything or has broken a feature. We can’t get involved in the creative process, but you can be sure that if sales were to slide things would be rectified. Not every game needs to be a day one purchase, especially if you’ve had issues with recent releases.In Short: With 2014 upon us, it's time to reflect upon our lives as gamers and figure out where we can improve them. Here are some resolution suggestions for gamers.

New Year`s resolutions for the gamer on ClickOnline.com