As passionate gamers, we know how important it is to keep up your skills and keep practicing as much as possible – and stay connected to your various gaming communities, come to that. Any little dip in your time spent gaming is fine because we all have lives to lead outside of the game, after all, but if you have to be away from gaming for a long time, that’s different, and it can really have a negative impact on the way you play and the skills you’ve worked so hard to achieve over time.
There are loads of reasons why you might not by able to play your games for a while – you might be traveling for work, for example, or perhaps you’re on vacation, visiting family, or anything else, and as much as it might be fun to do whatever it is you’re doing, it can also be stressful and challenging to try to set up a full gaming system wherever you’ve gone to, just as it can be stressful and challenging if you have to leave everything at home.
Now of course, taking a break from gaming is important, and you really shouldn’t be gaming all the time, especially when you’re meant to be spending time with friends and family, for example, but if you’ve got a competition coming up or it’s the gaming itself you find relaxing, then finding a way to practice when you’re away from home, even if it’s only a little, is a good idea. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more so you can put some measures in place to ensure you get the practice you need even when you’re not at home.
Portable Gaming Solutions
One of the easiest, and therefore one of the solutions you might think of first, ideas to help you keep up with your gaming practice even while you’re away from home is to use portable gaming options – you can literally take your gaming with you, and although it might not be exactly the gaming setup you’re used to, you may well feel it’s better than nothing.
Think of a high-quality laptop, for example. The fact is that in the past, playing games on a laptop was something you did if you had to, but it probably wouldn’t have been your first choice (if you’re a professional or very invested gamer, that is) because a proper gaming PC would give you more power, better graphics, better sound quality, and more memory to boot. So a laptop would probably have been seen as a last resort. However, these days laptops aren’t the desperate gaming measure they used to be, and you can find plenty that have all the powerful performance packages you could ask for – some laptops have been specifically designed for gaming, so you don’t even have to worry about using your work laptop or the laptop you watch videos on and so on. It’s true these pieces of equipment aren’t cheap, but when you think about the fact that you can use the laptop at home as well, you might even think it’s a worthwhile investment that can become your permanent way of gaming.
Of course, laptops aren’t the only way to take your gaming with you wherever you go because you could also use handheld consoles, and there are a few to choose from, which is great – you can find one that allows you to play your favorite games on the go. The whole point of these devices is that they’re designed for portability and they can give you hours of entertainment without the need for the standard full setup, making it so much easier to game no matter where you go and to do it without having to pack a load of equipment too.
And don’t forget you’ll also generally have your smartphone with you on your trip, and even if you’ve got no other equipment to hand, that can be an excellent way to play games, whether you like online puzzles like Minesweeper, community games like Roblox, or your own favorite game that just happens to have a mobile version. The only thing you’ll really need to think about is the battery because gaming can drain it quite quickly, especially if your smartphone (or tablet, come to that) is relatively old, but that issue can be solved by having portable chargers with you to top up the battery life when you need to. Of course, those chargers also need charging, so don’t forget to do that or you might not have the juice you need to play your games!
Manage Your Gaming Time
If you’re not at home there’s going to be a reason – you’re not going to pack up and go away for a few days or weeks without there being something to go to and do once you’re there, are you? It could be a vacation, as we’ve said, in which case the aim is to relax and recharge and explore your destination. It could be a work trip, in which case the aim is to, well, work. It could be that you’re visiting friends and family, and once again, you probably know what the reason is – it’s not gaming, we can say that for sure.
As hard as it might be, the fact is that if you’re going to be gaming all day every day while you’re away, you’re going to miss out on the reason for going – you might as well be at home. So if you don’t want to waste your time away and you want to do the fun things you’ve got lined up, then it’s wise to manage your gaming time properly and come up with a schedule. If you can do that, you’ll find you’ve got time to do everything and you’ll be able to keep up your gaming practice while you’re away from home.
The best thing to do is to plan your gaming sessions around your travel itinerary and not the other way around, otherwise you’ll probably allocate too much time to gaming and miss out, so that by the time you get home, you’ll regret not seeing and doing as much as you could; you might even start to resent gaming, and that’s not the kind of situation you want to find yourself in. You can allocate specific times for gaming so that you don’t clash with anything else you’re doing and really get the best of both worlds without hurting your gaming scores or ability either.
And don’t make your gaming sessions too long either – short and to the point is the answer otherwise you might feel guilty about spending too long playing, not to mention the fact that anyone you’re traveling with is going to get pretty bored waiting for you to finally finish and spend some time with them.
Staying Connected With The Community
There might be times when you really can’t play your usual games when you’re away from home (one good example is if you’re sick or injured and you have to go to hospital – it’s not a pleasant thought, but it’s going to be the best place for you to recover, only you may not get to do too much gaming while you’re there! Of course, there are other examples as well, and you might find yourself in one) but that doesn’t mean you have to disconnect altogether – you can still connect with the gaming community you more than likely play a part in.
You might choose to use social media, for example, and make comments on people’s feeds and profiles, send them messages, or hold discussions in various groups (Facebook is an excellent place to do exactly that) – just don’t get into any arguments or get too stressed, which is a problem that can often occur on social media, because you won’t enjoy your time away as much if you’re upset about something someone said or you’re searching for a witty comeback days later.
Another option is to use messaging apps, but again, don’t spend all your time on your phone when you’re meant to be enjoying new places and trying new things – there does need to be a balance in place, and when you’re scheduling your gaming time, you can schedule these chats in too.
Staying Healthy While On The Go Gaming
It’s all very well making sure you balance things out and have all the equipment you might need, but you also need to stay healthy while you’re away from home and gaming on the go (or that hospital problem might raise its ugly head!) as well.
Make sure you take regular breaks when you’re gaming, especially if you’re playing for a long time, and always stay hydrated. Plus, never skip meals just so you can fit everything in. Instead, make your meals (and maybe even snack time) a part of your schedule and make them a priority too – only once you’ve eaten should you do your gaming, your sightseeing, your work, or anything else you’re away from home to do. If you do that, you’ll have a lot more energy and stay healthier too.
