How I survived first-person shooter games

These are only games and that whoever we play with, we shouldn’t let the game come between us

If you had asked me a year ago to play any type of first-person shooter (FPS) game, I would have tried to chicken out before the second round. My younger brother would always tell me stories about how, when I played games like Resident Evil as a kid, I would move away or dodge even in real life. FPS games basically scared me.

My friends who loved games would always tell me, “Hey, let’s play Valorant/CSGO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)/CODM (Call of Duty: Mobile)!” And my answer to their offers would be no. Up until a few months ago, I would always choose not to play FPS games.

But my younger brother loved them, so I decided to try one that he hadn’t played yet himself.

The FPS game Valorant has multiple agents with different abilities and roles.

However, even with their supposedly set roles, depending on a player, they can do better than the main attacker types (Duelists). The main game mode runs for around 24 rounds, with each game needing 13 rounds to win. The main objective is to either diffuse the spike or plant the spike. The spike, as said by agent Viper in the lore: “It’s stealing radianite from the environment.”

There are a total of seven game modes with three of those rotating every now and then. The main game modes are Unrated, Competitive, Spike Rush and Deathmatch. Honestly this is a lot of information to take in … I felt this when I first tried the game. My friends tried to give me a crash course on the game and tried helping me utilize my agent’s abilities. It was fun but in the end, it only made me a bit more nervous as all my friends were all way too good at this game.

More games

The first agent I tried was the Duelist, Jett … Believe me when I say that this agent isn’t a good starter unless you really want to shock yourself or if you’ve already played FPS games before.

As time went on, however, I started playing more games with my friends, even going as far to receive a “boot camp”style training in the game from my friend. That boot camp was filled with laughs and actual learning experiences.

Then there was also my group of friends who jump-started my entry into the competitive game mode. They all told me about how they wouldn’t be mad or as mad if I messed up every now and then as how else would I learn if I didn’t try? So a big thank you to these friends who have witnessed my Valorant improvement.

Eventually Valorant became a bonding game for my brother, my cousins and I. Just recently my brother and I started playing more games with our cousins, which was rather fun. This game proved to me that FPS games can be fun, although rather stressful at times, but I believe that this is part of the experience. I no longer dodge in real life (or so I think) and I also am able to use more agents and their abilities in the game.

That being said, we should always remember that these are only games and that whoever we play with, we shouldn’t let the game come between us. After all, why lose a friend and a game buddy in the few moments of stress in a game?

If you haven’t tried FPS games, I believe that Valorant is an OK entry to this whole new territory. Hope you have fun in these games!