The Rise of Gaming Accessories
Emma FoxGaming has become more prevalent in our culture than ever before. With more ways to connect with friends worldwide, staying in with your console can be the new and sometimes safest way to socialise. Whatever kind of gaming you are into, the environment where you spend your time is vital to your experience. Gaming can be immersive and necessary escapism for our brains, so being comfortable and content in your gaming space is critical. In the same way movie theatres have specific light and sound settings for the best experience, treat your gaming time with the same attention to detail.
There are so many ways to personalise your gaming experience. With the rise of live streaming, people are now turning their gaming zones into one of their homes' most lovingly crafted areas. These areas need to be places free from distraction and also represent your gaming style. Accessories used to be something that we would typically associate with PC gaming but are now a booming industry across all consoles and gaming platforms. With the rise of more child-friendly consoles such as the Nintendo Switch, the need for accessories such as travel cases and console design packs is holding more significant floor space in gaming retail stores. It's not just children looking for these cute ways to personalise their experiences; plenty of adults create their themed accessories.
PC gaming has been the long-standing choice for the true customisation of every element of your experience. When gaming with a PC, you can choose every building aspect to allow for your desired gameplay experience, such as visuals and audio. While thinking about the more technical side of this console, it's now also easy to find PC peripherals and accessories that look great to complete your setup. You can create your gaming haven with everything from limited edition chair covers/cushions for new big releases such as Elder Scrolls to the vast array of mice and keyboards. Gaming keyboards can up your technique in a number of ways. With their backlit keys, you can make sure you do not have to adjust your lighting settings in order to navigate your way around your equipment, meaning you can hit the sweet spot of your immersive experience. Gaming keyboards also have features necessary for your play, such as N-Key Rollover (NKRO), meaning your commands are adhered to correctly.
As mentioned above, handheld devices such as the Nintendo Switch have all kinds of accessories available. From functional items such as controllers for specific games, carry cases, and screen protectors to the fun and quirky charms and fan-made thumb grips featuring your favourite characters. Other gaming accessories may not be as technical as PC gaming accessories and can be much more about aesthetics than technology.
Other consoles such as the X-Box and PlayStation have also realised that there is money to be made in accessories, with limited edition consoles, pads, and more. Microsoft has released over 20 limited edition X-Box consoles with collaborations from games themselves to drinks companies and music artists. PlayStation has also launched several limited edition consoles, which have either been rare colours or in partnership with a new game release such as Spiderman or God of War. These limited edition releases make the consoles a style choice in themselves.
The amount of accessories available for all consoles means that there are always great gift options for the gamer in your life or the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to something to make your setup even more personalised. Always make sure to research your purchases, especially if the item is functional rather than for style, and leave helpful reviews online about what you like/don't like about your equipment. Leaving detailed reviews will help other gamers know what to look for and help give feedback to the sellers/creators of the products.
While we want gaming to be immersive, we don't want that to be detrimental to our physical health. However you choose to game, make sure you always have a good posture, good back support, plenty of hydration and take regular breaks from the screen. Always be respectful when speaking to people online, and make sure to raise any concerns over anything you see or hear to the relevant people. You can do your bit to make sure that gaming is a great hobby and community.