So for one of our latest features, two of FULLSYNC’s founding fathers thought they’d take a little look at the importance of Broadband. Especially at a time such as now, when we can’t see loved ones and rely heavily on the internet to communicate.

First up, we have Chris. Who wanted to take a look at the importance in gaming / professional gaming.

Broadband internet speed importance in gaming / professional gaming

Online multiplayer has become a core part of gaming, so much so that some people make their decision whether to purchase a game or not simply by its multiplayer component. Likewise, gamers are slowly starting to choose their broadband connection depending on what is the fastest rather than what is the cheapest, which is why many people will use comparison sites to find the best Broadband deals.

The reason for picking the better broadband speeds over price is to avoid lag. Also known as latency, lag is probably the one common enemy which all gamers have come to hate ever since the inception of online gaming. The most important thing about an internet connection nowadays is to have as low latency as possible, in order to be able to enjoy the game to the full as well as to play as best you can. Lag will slowly hinder your game, making it almost unplayable at times. In other cases it may also be very frustrating for the players themselves, resulting in being angry for playing your favourite game at times.

Professional gamers are arguably more “at-risk” if they have a faulty or unreliable broadband connection, as just like sportsmen train on the field, gamers will practice their profession online whether that be for games like League of Legends or FIFA. If the connection is not the best, they will not train as hard and as well as someone else with fine internet. This would then ultimately harm their chances to even be picked up by professional teams, as these gamers would not be able to either display their full potential or even be part of the team because of the unreliable broadband they have at their disposal.

Broadband speed is also incredibly important to streamers, gamers who stream themselves playing. Streamers are quite adept at the game, generally speaking, and attract viewers solely based on their high skill. Like professional gamers hoping to be picked up by other teams, streamers need a very stable internet connection to be able to entertain their viewers by actually showing smooth gameplay, as choppy or laggy gameplay will very often turn down potential new viewers.

You can even compare how Internet Service Providers are now putting more importance than ever before on the upload speed they are providing with their internet packages. 

Next, we have the ever so handsome Nil, taking a look at the importance of internet speeds for other reasons.

But family/friends time is important too

It didn’t really dawn on me how important my internet connection was until it was the only method I had of staying in touch with my family throughout the early stages of quarantine. Nightly rituals of Discord, World of Warcraft, or even just dropping in on my partner’s Animal Crossing island every now and then were a chore at the best of times, but it didn’t matter quite as much when we were still guaranteed to see each other every weekend. Then lockdown hit, and those nightly rituals became all the more important, all the more impossible to struggle through with choppy connections and distorted audio. 

When that’s all you have, it’s important to get it right. I could struggle through those laggy Discord calls when I knew I was going to see her in a couple of days, but as the weeks wore on and the separation from my family intensified, it was a real challenge to have the time we did get to spend together hindered as badly as it was by poor speeds and dropped connections.

Playing games was a vital way of staying connected, and if I’d had a better internet connection the quality of that time – not to mention the benefit of not seeing her face displayed in approximately eight pixels – would have been better for both of us. I might have even been able to play a few rounds of Mario Kart with the little one in my life if my internet wasn’t practically made out of rubber bands. That’s why it’s also important to have good internet speeds outside of gaming too.

Why not share what speeds your getting in the comments below. And if they’re terrible and you’re waiting for a photo to upload, maybe you can read some more of our features HERE.