Most people think gaming is just for leisure, but some of us like to take gaming to another level. If you’re looking to game professionally, or you just need to pull a marathon to 100% your newest favorite game, it’s easy to struggle with being able to focus for so long. There are plenty of aspects that can contribute to discomfort and below-average performance in long gaming sessions — but there are also plenty of ways to improve the experience.
In this post, expect to read about the ways you can increase your focus and optimize your chances of a successful long gaming session.
1. Take Breaks
When you’re tackling a multi-hour-long gaming session, you may come across plenty of issues like eye fatigue, muscle cramps, distraction, and tiredness. The easiest way to combat these issues is to simply take breaks every hour or so. Doing anything for hours on end can be exhausting, and intermittent breaks will prevent the negative side effects of this. If you’re 100% locked in on the game for so long, it’s bound to take a toll on you physically and mentally.
It’s recommended to take a break from gaming every 20 minutes to an hour. This break doesn’t have to be long, but if you’re looking to prevent strain and discomfort, the break should include some of these activities.
- Hydrating or taking a sip of water
- Looking away from the screen for a minute or so
- Taking a short walk or stretching
It’s also a good idea to take a break if you start to get frustrated or worked up. When you’re frustrated, you won’t be performing as well as you would be if you were level-headed. If you find yourself getting vocal, take a couple minutes to calm down before you get back to it.
2. Check Your Eyes
When you’re gaming, the part of you taking the most strain is your eyes. This is because digital devices like computers and consoles emit blue light, which can potentially cause eye problems with frequent exposure to it. If you’re doing long gaming sessions, then your risk for conditions like digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome are increased.
But what can you do to minimize your chances of eye strain? Well, as we touched on earlier, it’s important to give your eyes a break from the screen. One method of ensuring too much screen time doesn’t hurt your eyes is called the 20-20-20 rule. This rule says that you should take a break from the screen every 20 minutes and focus your eyes on something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This may seem like a hassle, but doing this will minimize eye strain and increase your gaming focus.
There are also some visual exercises you can do that will help improve your focusing ability and reaction time.
- Overt visual attention - focusing on a specific area with your eyes for an extended period of time without looking away. This conditions your brain to focus for longer.
- Covert visual attention - focusing on one area with your eyes, but processing things in your field of view that are out of focus. This helps improve your peripheral vision.
3. Take Caffeine and Supplements
You’re not going to be able to focus on the game if you’re too groggy to stay awake. When you sit down for an important gaming session, make sure you have the energy to get through it and stay focused.
If you have trouble with your energy levels, then consuming a small amount of caffeine before and during your gaming sessions will help you stay awake and alert. Caffeine consumption actually helps with not only energy levels, but also focusing ability, reaction time, and alertness.
A cup of coffee or tea could work perfectly well for this, but there are also plenty of gamer-specific energy drinks out there like G-fuel and Gamer Supps.
If you’re serious about your gaming performance, there are even supplements you can take that will improve your focus and alertness for gaming. Dr. Emil offers the XP-RX Gaming Capsule which is crafted to reduce fatigue, boost memory, and improve cognitive control. It also contains vitamin D for eye health!
4. Use Music and White Noise
That’s right, certain sounds and music can actually be used to increase your focus! There are a couple of ways you can do this.
First of all, listening to music called binaural beats can release certain chemicals in your brain that help with focus. Binaural beats work by playing a different sound in each ear which calms the racing mind and activates neurochemicals linked to concentration. For the best results, listen to about 5 minutes of binaural beats at 40hz before gaming.
You can also use white and pink noise to enter into a more focused state of mind. These noises can release chemicals in your brain that stimulate your prefrontal cortex, allowing you to more easily stay focused on one thing for long periods of time.
5. Make a Plan
Every gamer has been in a position where you just can’t win or beat a boss, but you don’t want to quit even though it’s getting really late. This leads to staying up late into the night and not getting enough sleep. This can potentially mess up your whole day, which is why it’s important to make a plan to budget your time.
Before you sit down for a long gaming session, plan when you’re going to take breaks and when you’re going to get off for the day. This will make sure that your gaming endeavors don’t hurt your real-world ones.
6. Set Goals
Along with making a plan, it’s also important to set a goal for your gaming sessions. As we already talked about, an unorganized long gaming session can completely upend your schedule and your day if it goes on too long.
These goals can be anything from beating a certain section to gaining a certain amount of XP.
- Finishing a level or a certain amount of levels
- Leveling up a certain amount
- Playing a certain amount of games
- Finishing a pre-planned project
- Unlocking a certain item
7. Do Some Exercises
Sitting still for a long period of time in the same position is not great for anyone. However, gaming sessions require this. Sitting completely still and only using your hands for hours on end can lead to cramps in your body, especially your hands.
To remedy possible cramps, it may be a good idea to walk around a little and stretch your arms and legs. For your hands, try rolling your wrists and flexing your fingers to warm them up. Doing some form of physical activity earlier in the day or right before gaming is also a good idea. Exercise helps increase the blood flow to your brain, improving thinking capacity, memory, and alertness.
8. Control Your Environment
If you’re looking to stay focused and locked in, then one of the best things you can do for yourself is to eliminate the distractions around you.
However, this can be difficult for a lot of us since usually, we game in our rooms where we’re surrounded by all of our stuff. If this is the case for you, then consider designating a separate space just for gaming. Location affects our minds, so if you do all of your hardcore gaming in one spot, then your mind will be conditioned and ready to go when you sit down.
Gaming is just a hobby for some, but those who take the game seriously will need to optimize their gaming experience for long grinding sessions. If you’re looking for ways to stay focused and maximize your skill, then we’ve got you covered. Good luck on the grind!
