Online games on your computer: a five-step workbook for adults in Australia who are new to them
Each step takes about twenty to thirty minutes to read, and the whole course can be finished across a few evenings. There is nothing to sign up for here, so you can stop after any step and pick it up again whenever you like.
The five steps
- Step 1: What an online multiplayer game asks of you — the basic ideas, the words you will meet, and what a game needs from you.
- Step 2: Checking your computer and connection — finding your computer's details and comparing them with a game's requirements.
- Step 3: Accounts, terms, ratings and privacy — setting up an account carefully and reading the parts of the terms that matter.
- Step 4: Your first sessions and other players — settings, controls, team play, chat, and how to block or report.
- Step 5: Spending, time, scams and updates — keeping money, time and your account in good order over months.
Who this course suits, and who it does not
This course is written for adults who have used a computer for email, browsing and documents, but have never set up an online game. You might be curious after watching someone else play, or a friend may have suggested a team game you could enjoy together.
It will also help a parent or carer who wants to understand what a teenager is asking to install, even if the parent never plays. Step 3 covers Australian classifications, and Step 5 covers spending and time, which are usually the two questions households argue about.
It is not a guide to winning, to competitive play or to building a gaming computer. If you already play online games every week, most of it will feel familiar, although the checklists may still be useful as a tidy-up.
What you will be able to do after each step
| After | You will be able to |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | Explain in your own words what "online multiplayer" means and decide how much time and money you are willing to give a game. |
| Step 2 | Find your computer's processor, memory, graphics and storage, and tell whether a game's stated requirements fit them. |
| Step 3 | Create an account with a unique password and two-step sign-in, and know where to look up a game's classification. |
| Step 4 | Adjust the settings that matter most, learn controls without frustration, and use block, mute and report tools. |
| Step 5 | Set a spending limit, keep an eye on playtime, recognise common account scams and close an account if you decide to stop. |
The one checklist to do before anything else
Before you read about any particular game, spend five minutes on these three questions. They make every later decision easier, because you will be comparing options against your own answers rather than against advertising.
Before you start
- I know which computer I would use, and whether anyone else shares it.
- I have written down roughly how many hours a week I would like to spend playing.
- I have decided on an amount of money, which may be zero, that I am comfortable spending in the first three months.
A worked example: one hypothetical household
Hypothetical example — not a real household
Picture a household of two adults and a fifteen-year-old who share a single laptop. One adult would like a team game to play for an hour on weeknights. In Step 1 they decide that one hour, three nights a week, is the limit, and that they will spend nothing for the first month.
In Step 2 they find that the laptop has 8 GB of memory and built-in graphics, so they make a note to compare that with any game's minimum requirements before installing. In Step 3 they set up a separate computer user account for the teenager and look up the classification of anything the teenager asks about, rather than assuming a game is suitable because it is popular.
In Step 4 the adult turns off voice chat for the first week and practises in training modes. In Step 5 they put the agreed spending limit in writing and keep the account's recovery email up to date. The example says nothing about how any game turned out, because that depends on the person playing.
What you can do without spending anything
All of this course, including the printable checklists, costs nothing to read. Several of the most useful tasks it suggests also cost nothing: checking your computer's specifications, testing your internet connection, turning on two-step sign-in and looking up a classification.
Whether a particular game costs money to start, or sells items once you are playing, is something you should confirm on the game's own website. We do not state prices for any game, because they change and differ between regions.
Where World of Tanks appears in the course, and why
World of Tanks is a team-based online game for desktop computers. We use it as an occasional example because it shows several ideas the course explains: matches against other people, team play, regular updates and an account you sign in to. It is also the one product on this site we are paid to link to, which is why we tell you so each time.
It appears in Steps 1, 3 and 4. Everything those steps teach applies equally to other online games, and you can skip the example paragraphs entirely without missing a lesson.
Visit the World of Tanks website
Paid affiliate link: MARIN stav s.r.o. earns a commission if you create and activate an account after following it. The offer is for desktop computers. How this site is funded.
Official Australian help
Several government bodies publish plain-language material that complements this course. The Australian Classification Board site lets you look up the classification of games released in Australia. The eSafety Commissioner is the national regulator for online safety and publishes guidance about online games for adults and families.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre gives advice on securing accounts and devices. Scamwatch, run by the ACCC, collects and explains current scams. The ACCC explains your consumer rights, and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner explains your privacy rights. Each step links to whichever of these is relevant.
How the course is written and kept current
The course is written by the MARIN stav s.r.o. editorial team. It relies on Australian government guidance for safety, consumer and privacy points, and on each vendor's own published information for product details. Where a vendor does not state something, we say so instead of guessing.
We review every step at least twice a year and whenever a source we rely on changes. The date of the last review appears at the bottom of every page. If you spot something out of date, the contact page explains how to tell us. More detail is on the About page.
Short questions and answers
Do I have to finish all five steps?
No. Each step stands on its own, and you can stop at any point. The order simply follows the sequence most people go through when trying a first online game.
Do I need to sign up for anything here?
No. This site has no accounts, forms or mailing list, and it does not remember which steps you have read.
Can I print the checklists?
Yes. Every step ends with one, and the Checklists page gathers all of them in a print-friendly layout.