FPS

Some people play games to compete, and some play just for the fun of it. If you mention frames per second or “fps” for short, the more competitive people will tell you that it matters. The casual gamer would probably think you’re talking about cameras and film.

But what does it mean for gaming?

The basic understanding of fps is that the higher the number; the smoother a moving image looks. Then, the lower the number; the more choppy it looks.

Competitive Play

At least 60 fps, has been a growing expectation in the gaming community for some time now. Anything below that, there will be cries of injustice and the call for salvation. This usually happens for competitive play. Games such as CS:GO and Dota 2 have a player-base that is constantly in demand for 60 fps. Anything below 24 fps is well… welcome to hell.

There is reason for gamers being particular about this though. This is because the higher the fps, the more information you receive, and the faster you can make decisions. In competitive play, it boils down to who sees who first, and who makes the killing blow first. This is especially important in reaction-dependent games such as Overwatch or Call of Duty. One frame behind probably wouldn’t make much difference but twenty frames behind, could shift the game towards a win or a loss.

Casual Play

For those who play games for the story or as a hobby, they’re more forgiving when it comes to frame rates. 30 fps is pretty good and enough to have an enjoyable experience. 60 fps would obviously increase the immersion effect. However, some casual players might actually prioritize graphics over frame rate.

That being said, anything below 24 fps would kill immersion as well as gameplay. The game on the screen will be choppy, and if you’re unlucky enough; freezes for several seconds. And then when it returns to normal, your character actually died. Alt + F4 + Uninstall. Not even the casuals are alright with losing due to frame rate issues.

Improving Frame Rate

There are several things that affect your fps such as your graphics card, motherboard, CPU and memory. You can upgrade any or all of them to see an increase in frame rate.

If you are unwilling to purchase new hardware, the other option would be to lower the graphics settings in your game. This will affect how the game looks but it does wonders for preference of smooth gameplay. You could also adjust to a lower resolution. Most games can now detect the installed hardware, and it will usually set the game’s graphics automatically for optimal performance. But if it’s not to your liking, you can lower or increase each setting until you’re happy with the flow.

Beauty or Performance

Quite the tricky issue, eh? If you could have only one of the two, which would you stick with? Beauty at 24fps maximum or Unlimited Framerates but ugly as all heck? Let us know below in the comments!

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