Article The Worst Gaming Advice We've Ever Heard

[Phil]

Gaming advice is everywhere. Some of it is genuinely useful. Some of it comes from years of experience, countless hours of practice and a deep understanding of how games work.

And then there’s the other kind.

The advice that makes you stop, stare at the person who said it and wonder whether they have ever actually played a video game.

We’ve all heard it. From friends, online forums, YouTube comments and that one person who insists they know every secret in every game. Sometimes it’s outdated. Sometimes it’s completely wrong. And sometimes it’s so ridiculous that you almost want to try it just to see what happens.

Here are some of the worst gaming advice we’ve ever heard.

“Just keep pressing the button!”​

Apparently, every difficult boss fight can be defeated through the ancient technique of aggressively hammering the attack button.

Dodging? Blocking? Learning attack patterns? Understanding weaknesses?

Forget all that.

Just keep pressing attack.

This might work against the occasional early-game enemy, but eventually the game politely introduces you to the concept of consequences. Suddenly that strategy that worked perfectly for the first three hours ends with you being launched across an arena.

“You don’t need a tutorial.”​

This one usually comes from someone who has already played the game for 500 hours.

“You don’t need the tutorial. Just figure it out.”

Brilliant.

Except the tutorial might be explaining an entirely new mechanic, control system or gameplay feature that you have never encountered before.

Skipping tutorials can absolutely be fine if you already understand the game. But telling a new player to skip everything and “just play” is a fantastic way to spend the next hour Googling how to perform the most basic action.

“Sell everything you don’t need.”​

One of gaming’s most dangerous sentences.

At the time, that random item looks completely useless. You haven't used it for ten hours, so obviously it must be junk.

You sell it.

Twenty hours later:

“Required item: 1.”

And suddenly you’re reloading an ancient save wondering where your precious item went.

If a game has crafting, quests, upgrades or collectibles, “sell everything you don't need” should probably be replaced with “keep everything until you know what it does.”

“Save whenever you can? Nah, you’ll be fine.”​

Famous last words.

You’ve just completed a massive mission. You’ve collected rare loot. You’ve defeated three difficult enemies and you’re feeling fantastic.

Then someone says:

“You don't need to save. It autosaves.”

Five minutes later the game crashes.

Or you accidentally fall off a cliff.

Or you make a decision you immediately regret.

Or your console decides that tonight is the perfect night to restart itself.

Save your game.

Seriously.

“Turn the difficulty up. You’ll get better.”​

There’s nothing wrong with playing on hard difficulty.

But suggesting that every player should immediately choose the hardest setting because it will “make them better” is nonsense.

Sometimes you want a challenge.

Sometimes you want to relax after work and destroy some enemies while eating snacks.

Gaming is supposed to be fun. There is no prize for suffering through a game you aren't enjoying.

“You have to use the meta.”​

The meta is useful.

The meta can also suck the fun out of a game.

If everyone is telling you that there is only one weapon, character, build or strategy worth using, eventually the game can start feeling less like a game and more like following instructions.

Experiment.

Try the ridiculous weapon.

Use the character nobody recommends.

Build something terrible.

You might discover that having fun is actually more important than having the mathematically optimal loadout.

“Never play with randoms.”​

This one might actually be true sometimes.

But some of the funniest gaming memories come from playing with complete strangers.

You might meet someone who becomes a regular gaming partner.

You might experience the most chaotic match you've ever played.

You might also encounter someone screaming into their microphone because you didn't revive them quickly enough.

That’s gaming.

“You should only play the games everyone says are good.”​

Absolutely not.

Gaming is subjective.

A game can have terrible reviews and still become your favourite game of all time. Another title can score 10/10 everywhere and leave you completely bored after thirty minutes.

Play what interests you.

Not what the internet tells you that you're supposed to enjoy.

The worst advice of all?​

“Gaming is a waste of time.”

Gaming can be competitive, social, creative, challenging, relaxing and incredibly entertaining.

It can bring people together, create friendships and give us memories that stick around for decades.

So yes, ignore the person telling you to sell every item in your inventory.

Ignore the person telling you that you must play on the hardest difficulty.

Ignore the person who says you need the perfect meta build.

And definitely ignore anyone telling you that you shouldn't enjoy gaming your own way.

Because at the end of the day, there's only one piece of gaming advice that really matters: play the games you enjoy, however you enjoy playing them.

Everything else?

Probably worth taking with a pinch of salt.