The Daily Dare: A Guide to Success

1. Do not expect to get a high score right away. This has been a problem for me since I started my first Daily Dare challenge. A high score will be achieved by practicing the game a couple of times and learning how the game works. If you start the game with the mindset that it will take you only a couple of minutes to beat the mighty AAA, then you will get discouraged quickly and you may even give up! I believe that anyone can become skilled at a game if they take enough time to practice to get there. A new game may come as a challenge and might possibly frustrate you, but constantly remind yourself that you are new at playing the game and that your scores will gradually improve after practicing. Once you get a hang of the game, all you will need is luck and focus!

2. Develop a strategy for each game. Think of each game as a complicated math problem. You cannot start at a random place and expect to get the correct answer; there is a formulated way to go about solving the problem. The same rule applies to any Daily Dare game. If you work towards a strategy on how to properly boost your score in every game, you will find that over time the game will seem simpler even though nothing about the game has changed! Except for the way you play it, of course. ;) Diving into a game unprepared usually causes me to create a negative atmosphere that leads me to do worse at the game. Taking mental notes of how you are playing each time will help you create your strategy. After a bad game, compare how you played it the game you played fairly well. Jot down the things you feel made you do worse that time and avoid doing those mistakes or habits in future games.

3. Relax. Feeling calm during an intense Daily Dare challenge is extremely difficult, especially when you are getting close to beating the notorious AAA. Getting nervous and tense will only cause you to make mistakes! The key to staying calm is to ignore your score! I usually start making mistakes when I glance at my score and notice that it is starting to get high. Ignoring the growing score will keep your mind occupied on the game itself rather than how well you do in it. This is the key to staying relaxed. It may be slightly difficult to keep your eyes from wandering to that portion of the screen. That is perfectly understandable! If you cannot help but peeking from time to time and it is causing you to do poorly in the game, then try covering the section of the screen that tells you your score. I used to cover that part of the screen with a piece of paper taped to my monitor. If you feel like that would help you as well, do it! Please get your parent's permission before you go taping anything on your screen, though. :)

4. Turn on some music. Nothing is worse for me than sitting in pure silence while getting aggravated at my constant losses. I would highly suggest turning on your favorite radio station, putting in your favorite CD, or even listening to the game music if you like it as well! For some psychological reason unknown to me, the music really does keep me from getting too antsy while I constantly replay the same game over and over again.

5. Take a break! I had the hardest time learning how to take a break when I was getting too heated over a simple game. I felt like I was giving up, or that if I stop then I will lose all skill that I had in the game. Both of these thoughts that I had are completely wrong! Eat a snack, watch your favorite television show, hang out with a friend -- just do something! Taking your mind off of the game that you are struggling on will definitely calm you down a bit and keep you relaxed. More often than not, after I take a break from a game and then come back later I am usually better at it than I was before!

6. Never give up! Feeling discouraged after getting the lowest score you have ever gotten in a game? If that's the case, look at one of the other tips up above! The key to success is to not give up!! As hard as many of the scores may be, giving up will only cause you to regret the decision. Passing up a gold trophy just because you gave up on one game is definitely haunting, trust me. Even if it takes you multiple days to beat AAA's score (or Chadley's score for that matter), remember that you will be rewarded for doing it.

Hopefully you will see a spike in your gaming skills after utilizing the tips that I have given you. Remember that any possibly game score can be achieved through hard work and determination. There may be times when giving up may be an option that you are considering, but it feels much better pushing through those feelings and beating the odds that you have placed upon yourself! Who knows, you might even get a gold Daily Dare trophy that you will be able to gloat to all of your friends about. ;) Good luck in this year's Daily Dare, and remember to play hard and to have fun!