Valorant versus an FPS gaming newbie

First-person shooter (FPS) games have always seemed too hard for me to play. So, I just never played them. Having to talk to strangers while strategizing and figuring out the game, especially with social anxiety, is just not the stress that I would want. Yet, with the ongoing pandemic and the constant boredom, Valorant gained traction among my friends. So, I thought, why not give it a try?

Valorant versus an FPS gaming newbie

As a newbie, here are a few things I learned while playing Valorant:

The setup matters

A good internet connection, PC, and accessories make a huge difference in your gameplay. In FPS games, framerate matters since it can spell the difference between your character dying or living. As How-To Geek puts it:

“A higher framerate per second is associated with a smoother, more responsive gaming experience, while a low framerate per second can make a game seem slow and choppy.”

Right-handed gaming vs. Left-handed gaming

Photo Credits | Reimeline Jasil Sayson (made in Canva)

Apparently, there is a difference. However, it remains subtle. When playing Valorant, my left hand is on the WASD keys for movement while my right hand is for shooting. Typically, players use their dominant hand for shooting so this puts me at a slight disadvantage as my right hand’s response time is not as good as my left. However, there are not that many gaming products (or products in general) made for left-handed people. Hence, most of the time we have to game the right-handed way.

Misogynists

I find that there are types of male gamers that I want to avoid, especially misogynists. I have experienced it and they make gaming for me very awkward and more nerve-wracking than usual. Hence, I tend to avoid speaking in team comms unless it is to talk about enemy positions whenever possible to avoid those types. In a game where communication matters, noncommunication can sometimes spell disaster for your team. As a woman, can you blame me though?

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Not for the weak-hearted and easily startled

There will be shooting sounds and bombs going off. Surprise attacks that can catch you off guard and approaching footsteps from either friend or foe. There are also gamers that can scream, shout, and bang things in a team or party comms. It took a long while for me not to jump too much due to the loud sounds that I hear from my headphones. I still do. And, they still make me anxious. Yet, some of these sounds are also sources of information. So, muting or lowering the volume might do more harm to your gameplay than good. As they say, you get used to it eventually.

A simple way to make friends

This has become of the main reasons why I played Valorant aside from wanting to have fun. With Valorant, I am able to hang out with friends during a time when meeting them is impossible. By a stroke of good luck, I even made friends while solo queuing in Unrated. Through gaming, there is already one thing in common to talk about. Just need to figure out the rest about the other person by yourselves.