On September 25th, I plan on making at attempt at obtaining "Realm First 90 - Warlock" on my server in World of Warcraft's newest expansion, Mists of Pandaria. While I'm forming my game-plan for the in-game portion, I know I also have to keep in mind my real life, as it will likely take several hours of non-stop gaming to pull this off. These are the points I'll be hitting.
Pre-Session
- Have a specific goal in mind. Marathon gaming for the sake of marathon gaming is dangerous, namely because you have no real point at which to stop. Form a goal, and stick to it.
- In the days/weeks leading up to the session, get plenty of rest. You'll not be taking a break to nap, so rather than entering the session already operating on a deficit, it's better to get caught up and be well-rested before hand.
- Make sure all of your responsibilities are handled. If you're in school, make sure all of your assignments are done. Pets? Make sure they're fed, or make sure someone will be able to feed them. If you're a bill-payer, make sure those are done as well. Nothing ruins a long gaming session like the sudden remembering that you have something that needs to be done right now.
- Make sure your friends and family know what you're up to. This ties in to the previous one, especially since you don't want any sudden surprise visits, or the announcement that you were supposed to be attending "that thing" with your significant other. When you're telling them about it, though, make sure you don't get defensive when they start to call you crazy, because that will just reinforce their idea.
- Ensure your gaming equipment is up-to-snuff. Try some shorter sessions of whatever game it is before your big day, to make sure your computer or console can handle it. You really don't want to find out that your video card is prone to overheating after three hours of play, when your goal is on the line.
- Stock up on food and water. Water gets a bad rap for being boring, but it's the most efficient way of hydrating yourself, and trust me, you'll want to stay hydrated. If you prefer something other than water, try to steer clear of anything highly sugared, as it will most likely result in a sugar-crash later. Food will help as well, especially more nutritious items, such as cereal bars or trail mix. Stay away from anything you're not used to eating, as you don't want to find out something gives you stomach problems in Hour Three of your session. And for cripe's sake, if you know something does give you problems, don't eat it while you're in session.
- Set up your gaming area. If you game at a desk, make sure everything's clear, the keyboard is at an ergonomically appropriate level, and your chair is comfortable. If it's a console, set up a comfortable chair at a reasonable distance from the television. Make sure everything that needs batteries has fresh batteries or a new charge, and keep spares on-hand. Doing this a few hours, or even days, ahead of time will save you a lot of headache in the long run.
- Arrange for a gopher. Got a younger sibling or roommate who isn't totally opposed to your plan? Who might even think it's kinda neat? See if they'd be willing to make runs for additional food and water, give you back-rubs, etc. while you're in progress. Keep them informed of your plans. Best of all, if something should go wrong, it helps to have another set of eyes and hands there.
Before you scoff at this, insisting that it's way too much work for something as simple as gaming, keep in mind that I'm not talking about prepping for your regular gaming routine here, though a few of the points are probably good to keep in mind then, too. This is meant for a serious gaming endeavour, and I like to think that all those professional gamers out there follow a similar set of guidelines.
There may be a couple of things I've missed, but that's why I'm starting to plan everything now. If you're doing the same, I wish you the best of luck!
No comments:
Post a Comment