For any gamer like me getting out is a rare opportunity. When this opportunity presents itself some find it necessary to bring every digital leash they own. I was unfortunate enough to discover that simply packing a power converter and every game system I own wasn’t enough to keep my Pokemon addiction running while in foreign territory. To help prevent others from finding the same problem I thought I’d pound out a short guide for gamers leaving the states for an extended period of time.
Rule one : Figure out what voltage the country you’re headed to is running, and check your devices for support. Here is my example: Namibia is running 220 v. power, as is a large portion of Europe. America runs 110, If your device isn’t certified to handle up to 220, or 240 you will blow your AC adapter, and possibly harm your device.
The work around I found was kinda nice and budget friendly. I bought one power adapter for Namibian power, and plugged in my laptop to that was rated up to 240 v, so no problems there. I then charged my phone, mp3 player, and other devices through the USB, that way I only needed one adapter for my devices as opposed to 6 or 7. I wish I would’ve bought a USB cable for my DSI, and checked the voltage, the AC adapter lasted about 15 seconds plugged into the wall, and although my DSI survived my Pokemon playing was brought to an abrupt end.
Rule Two: Call your cell phone provider and add international to your phone for emergencies. I would also verify that your sim card is slated to work internationally. My 500 dollar Nexus One, turned into a really expensive 5 megapixel camera when I discovered that although my device was completely
international the sim card that i’ve had since I was 15 wasn’t internationally compatible.
Rule Three: Don’t rely on the internet where you are staying for anything. London or Germany, or other developed areas is one thing but if you’re in say… Namibia, Africa crashing in a college dorm, take into an account that IT guys hate you no matter what country you’re in, and you may be limited to speeds of 30kb/sec. This guarantees that Skype, Facebook, or anything that uses internet will barely work if at all.
Rule Four: Download some emulators. If you need to unwind at night by playing a game your safest bet is emulators. It will revive old gaming flames, help you calm down, and maybe allow you to catch up on games you haven’t played in years.
These 4 ideas helped me survive a month away from my gaming mecca, I even survived missing the StarCraft 2 launch. (Which was more expensive overseas mind you, and never made it into the store I was near.)
For many of you this is probably a no-brainer and you think I’m an asshole. But this asshole was stuck jamming emulators for a month in an internet free nightmare and wouldn’t wish that upon anyone else with similar digital addictions