Gaming has quickly become one of the most popular hobbies on the planet. Of course, people have been playing on computers and consoles for several decades, but it is only within the last ten years or so that the activity has been embraced by a much broader selection of society. This has been helped by the fact that gaming companies are pushing hard to reach these new demographics. Online casinos, for example, often run free spin promotions to attract new customers, while many video game publishers have switched to the free-to-play model to remove barriers to entry.
But as more people get involved in gaming, the level of competition has been raised. Professional players are leading the charge, taking part in leagues and tournaments for popular titles like Fortnite, League of Legends, and Dota 2. As their performances get broadcast to fans around the world, they look to replicate their techniques, forcing the more casual players to also up their game if they want to keep up.
Because of this, no matter where you are on this pyramid of gaming talent, you might be looking for ways to level yourself up. There are plenty of sources you can turn to, including streaming platforms like Twitch, video-sharing sites like YouTube, and the myriad of gaming websites that have published walkthroughs, tips, and strategies.
But sometimes you might want something a little more in-depth and considered, and that’s where books come in. Whether they be traditional printed copies or digital ones for your e-reader, you can learn just about anything from a book. If you’d like to use them to boost your gaming skills, then here are some titles you should add to your reading list.
How To Be A Better Gamer: 20 Tips To Improve Your Gaming
Available for Kindle, How To Be A Better Gamer: 20 Tips To Improve Your Gaming by James Niles is written for players that want to go from being average to one of the elites.
As the name suggests, it covers 20 different areas that you can build on to boost your gaming XP, covering everything from brushing up on theory to tweaking a video game’s settings to gain an edge.
It also covers both the physical and psychological aspects of gaming, including hand-eye coordination and focus. Improving either of these can help, but the benefits are compounded when you combine them together.
Ninja: Get Good: My Ultimate Guide to Gaming
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is one of the most famous names in esports and video game streaming. He started out competing in Halo 3 competitions for several teams, including big names like Cloud9, Team Liquid, and Luminosity Gaming. However, his fame exploded after he began streaming his gaming sessions online.
After switching to playing Fortnite in 2017, Ninja became one of the biggest streamers on Twitch, riding the initial wave of the game’s popularity to take his following from 500,000 to more than two million in six months.
You can be sure that Ninja has picked up a few useful techniques in the years at the forefront of professional gaming and esports and if you buy his book, Ninja: Get Good: My Ultimate Guide to Gaming, that’s exactly what you’ll get.
In it, he covers everything from choosing the right equipment to how to structure of practice sessions, enough to help you take your gaming to the next level. It’s available in both hardback and e-book formats, making it great for all types of readers.
Playing To Win: Becoming The Champion
David Sirlin’s Playing To Win: Becoming The Champion is one of the first esports-focused books ever to be published. Sirlin is a former professional player of Street Fighter, and he uses his experience in this to help you improve your gaming.
It’s applicable to just about any game too, rather than just Street Fighter, and focuses mostly on the psychological aspects of winning with video games.
There are some areas that are a little out of date because of the way games have changed in their format in structure in recent years, but much of the advice remains solid. It’s definitely one to include in your library.
Markus lives in San Francisco, California and is the video game and audio expert on Good e-Reader! He has a huge interest in new e-readers and tablets, and gaming.