The greatest nightmare of all gamers is lag. Lag not only causes the game play to slow down but can also cost you your position in multiplayer games. There are a number of ways that gamers look to eradicate lag from their games. Of course, lag is not the only problem that gamers face when looking at their broadband but it is a key one. Certain consoles and games require players to be connected to the internet. The next Xbox may well depend ona constant broadband connection Broadband providers, like Sky, offers a range of packages which can help you get the most out of your gaming.
Why the internet is needed for gaming
There are many different types of gamers. They are differentiated through the games they play and the medium used to play them. The two major gaming platforms are computer and gaming consoles. Not all console or computer games actually require internet connection but there are many that do.
Computer games such as World of Warcraft are known as MMORPG. This stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Play Games and the internet is used as a medium to connect with other players. With these games they are not played on the internet but the game software will link through the broadband to allow connections with other players. The basis of these games is the fact that you are not playing by yourself.
Console games like Call of Duty run on the same principle as the computer MMORPG. The attraction to these games is not only the plot and game play but the fact that you are playing with other people, often on the other side of the world.
Broadband is not only used to connect multiple players to a game. There are a lot of free items out there for games which you can only get with a decent internet connection. Additionally if there are any bug patches or upgrades for your game you will not be able to download them without broadband.
Why bad broadband is bad for gaming
Knowing why broadband is needed for gaming is essential if you are going to be playing these games. However, you must also understand why you need to have very good broadband. The two main reasons are lag and connectivity.
Lag is when the game moves slowly or doesnt move at all. When playing MMORPGs this can be a disaster. If you are playing Call of Duty and your game lags you stand the very high chance of being killed by another player. Lag has caused many players to lose vast amounts of progress in their game.
Being able to stay connected is important when playing games which require a broadband connection. If you are disconnected you may lose all the progress you have made. It also seems that connectivity problems always come at the most crucial time in a game. When you reconnect you will have to start from the beginning if your progress has not been saved.
How Sky offers can help
Many broadband providers, like Sky, offers broadband packages geared toward the gamer. There offers will have all the broadband aspects you should look for when gaming. Of course, before you take any contract you need to ensure that what they say you are going to get is actually what you are getting.
Having unlimited downloads
If you compare playing games with a broadband connection to other internet activities it does not use that much. If all you were going to be doing is play games with your broadband then you could look at a cheap option. When dealing with gaming the actual usage is not in the game play itself but in other aspects. Updates for the game and the system as well as patches for bugs and other issues are what can really eat into your download usage. You also have to consider the usage for the digital stores and the DLC.
Buying physical copies of anything has become a rather outdated method of procurement. Digital downloads are the way that most people go about purchasing entertainment products and games are no different. Computer download services, like the popular Steam service, host most of the major releases and you are able to download from there. This means that your download usage limit need be to very high, or unlimited, as these downloads can be quite hefty.
It is best to find a service provider who can give you unlimited broadband, or as close to unlimited as possible. Some of the providers who do offer truly unlimited broadband include Sky, BT and Virgin Media.
Having super fast broadband
Broadband speeds are one of the attractions to any package, but what speeds do you really need for gaming? Obviously the faster your speeds are the better for all round internet use. Fast speeds allow games to be downloaded faster and you will not have to wait as long for an upgrade to finish. 5+ Mb is normally plenty of speed until you starting getting more than one person on a connection.
For the best speeds it is recommended that you look at fibre optic packages. Fibre optics is faster than ADSL because of the wiring used. However, the infrastructure needed for fibre optics is not available everywhere whereas ADSL works off the phone line which everyone is able to get. Fibre optics is offered by a number of providers including Virgin Media. Many service providers offer ADSL, some offer both ADSL and Fibre. For example, Sky offers ADSL in a range of forms and fibre. Bare in mind that Fibre can have bad latency times, particularly with Virgin Offerings.
Should it be wireless?
Almost all of the service providers will include a wireless router with their broadband package. Having wireless broadband allows you to connect a range of devices to the internet without having to use bulky cables. When gaming you should connect your console or computer to the router via cables for the best service. By doing this you ensure connectivity is not lost and there are no compromises in speed. If a wireless signal is weak then the connection to the internet will also be weak.
Online gaming is not only the playing of games hosted on websites. Gaming consoles and computer games often require a broadband connection for the player to receive certain features. Sky offers a number of packages which work well for gamers as they have unlimited downloads and fast speeds.
Sam Jones found that many of the advertised Sky offers proved to be great value for money. However, before he signed his contract he made sure he shopped around on sites like uSwitch to make sure he was getting the best value for money.
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