How do I start playing video games?

A beginner's guide
Heard a lot about Grand Theft Auto or Uncharted? Want to give games a go but not sure where
to start? Here’s a quick introduction

Video games are being played by a growing number of people as an alternative to slumping in
front of the TV. But how do you start? Photograph: Wavebreak Media ltd/Alamy

Recently, several non-techy friends have sidled up to me and asked, in hushed conspiratorial
tones: “Keith, should I be playing video games?”
It’s an interesting question for two reasons. First, I write about video games for a living; that’s
my job. So what did they think I was going to say? “No, they’re a massive waste of time”?
Secondly, a few years ago, people my age were feeling guilty about playing video games, now
there are people feeling guilty that they’re not. This is progress.
So for all the potential gamers out there who are thinking about taking up a joypad but don’t
know where to start, or which games to try, or what a joypad looks like, here is a quick guide:
So should you play video games?
Yes! The medium has matured hugely over the last five years, and there is a vast range of
experiences available, from big blockbusting open-world adventures about marauding
gangsters, to teeny, highly personal indie games about coming out. Games are respected
enough for Bafta to accept them into its remit, enough for Moma to put a range of titles into its
permanent collection, and enough for major art spaces like the Barbican and the Grand Palais
museum in Paris to run exhibitions.
Games have been shown to improve hand-eye coordination, cognitive flexibility, decision
making, even vision. Despite popular stereotypes, games are sociable and inclusive, with large,
supportive communities and some brilliant events. Basically, if you’re happy to watch TV for
three hours a day or continually peruse celebrity gossip websites and social media streams, you
cannot – with any degree of self-awareness – call video games a waste of time.

Not wasting his life … Avid gamer Snoop Dogg. Photograph: UPI / Landov / Barcroft Media
What you need to play video games
Smartphone/tablet
If you already have a smartphone or tablet, then great, you’ve got a games machine. The latest
Apple, Android and Windows handsets feature powerful processors, large displays and vast app
stores crammed with games (you’ll have more choice if your phone is the latest model and your
operating system is up to date). If you’re looking for a new handset, the latest iPhone
and Android models are the best (Windows is not so well supported by game developers): the
Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Sony Xperia Z3 and LG G3 are all great options for gaming. Budget
models like the Motorola Moto G and older iPhone models are fine for less demanding ‘casual’
titles.
PC
If you’re looking for the most advanced gaming experience with the best visuals, you’ll need to
buy a PC (you can play games on Apple Macs too, but there are fewer titles available – unless
you dual-boot, but we are not going there). Running the latest big budget action games at the
absolute peak of their abilities – and ensuring you can do so for two or three more years – will
require something in the region of an Intel i7 4790 processor, an Nvidia GTX 980 graphics card
and perhaps 16GB of system memory (though 8GB is currently fine for games). It would be best
to have a newish Windows install too, although plenty of games support the open source
alternative, Linux.
However, you don’t have to spend big on a top-of-the-range mega beast: if you’re happy to
turn some of the graphics settings down, £500-600 will get you a decent machine with an Intel
i5 processor, AMD R9 280 graphics card and 8GB of memory. Even an old laptop with Windows
XP and 512MB of ram will let you play a variety of smaller indie games and older titles. Classic
point-and-click adventures, strategy titles and vintage shooters are cheap and easily available
online (Good Old Games has hundreds of them), and don’t require state-of-the-art hardware.
If your eyes glazed over at all that talk of processors and graphics cards, that’s fine: go to a good
PC seller like PCSpecialist, Overclockers or Chillblast, give them your budget and let them build
a system that fits it. You will need to develop some knowledge of computers and operating
systems, though, especially if you plan to upgrade your graphics card or memory at some point.
We have an article on building a gaming PC – it’s a little dated on the specifics but still sound on
the types of things you have to think about.
Console

Just about edging it … Playstation 4. Photograph: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

For most people, a console is a good alternative to the PC. They’re cheaper, they’re ready to
play right out of the box, and you don’t have to worry about lots of hardware compatibility
issues and graphics settings. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are the latest models (both
retailing at around £350), and technically they’re extremely similar. At the moment, the PS4 is
selling better and developers seem to be getting more out of it in terms of graphics
performance, but it’s close – and you should check which one your friends have, just in case
you want to play online with them.
Alternatively, you could buy a Wii U (cheap and interesting with three or four amazing titles
that are great for families) or step a generation back with a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. They
both have hundreds of games available and at around £150 each are a cheaper starting point.
Even picking up an old PlayStation 1 or Dreamcast and a bunch of games at your local car boot
sale will give you an idea or whether you like gaming or not.