Modern video games are often complex and can take many hours to complete. Some modern games are simple to understand and play but require a great deal of skill to master. When video games were released in the late 1990s, official guides were also made available, and the guides followed the game exactly for those who wanted to progress through the game and complete it quickly. Does the same apply today, and do strategy guides remain useful for modern games?
Print Strategy Guides
For many video game enthusiasts, buying the official printed strategy guide for a game was just as exciting as picking up the game itself. In the late 1990s, video games were released on a disc or cartridge and were not connected to the internet. As the games never changed, the guides remained true to the game and were an excellent resource.
However, with most games today being connected to the internet, the games are often updated with new content, and any printed guide would soon become out of date. So, in terms of the classic printed strategy guides, these are not as useful as they once were, although they can still make nice collectors’ items. That is not to say there are no good guides out there, and games like Zelda and Minecraft still have useful printed strategy guides.
Online Game Guides
Today, strategy guides for games are mostly online, and by being published online, they are easy to edit when games are updated. In addition, the internet allows individuals to create game guides, and video walkthroughs are a good example. There are many video tutorials available online for video games, ranging from first-person shooters and sports games to adventure and casino games.
Taking online casino games, where there is real money on the line, having an expert to guide you through the best ways to win a game is extremely useful, with this guide on keno being a fine example. Some people have made a lot of money from offering their own strategies for modern games, and it has become a lucrative market. The people who create the strategy guides are often given a new game to play before the general public.
Competitive Gaming
When printed guides were the only major resource for video games, the competitive element of gaming we see today did not exist. For those playing a sports simulator, you played against the computer or a friend who was sitting next to you in the room.
However, today, there is a hugely competitive element to gaming, and it is difficult to become a great player thanks to the number of people wanting to get to the top. There is a lot of money to be made from being exceptional at a game, and staying at the top requires hours and hours of practice. A strategy guide is not going to be enough for an average player to compete at the major eSports events, and that is the goal of many who start playing modern games.
