Playing Online Games.leui

Gadget of the Day Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition (Stuff via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News)

What's better than playing Halo 3 on an Xbox 360? Playing Halo 3 on a special edition, Spartan green and gold Xbox 360, of course.

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Halo 3 causes Xbox Live problems (Games Radar)

Microsoft has told Next Generation that the sheer amount of gamers attempting to play Halo 3 via Xbox Live resulted in some "minor issues" with the online service.

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'Halo' team leader talks about his 'baby' (San Jose Mercury News)

Harold Ryan, general manager of Microsoft's Bungie Studio in Kirkland, Wash., can take a breather for an interview now that his team has shipped "Halo 3," the highly anticipated, exclusive video game for the Xbox 360.

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Incoming! Fans brace for latest 'Halo' (The Pantagraph)

Can "Halo" hero Master Chief blast his way past "Spider-Man 3" too? We'll soon find out as the third installment in the "Halo" video game franchise debuts Tuesday for the Xbox 360 console.

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Despite The Enormous Hype, 'Halo 3' Is Not The Best Video Game Ever (New London Day)

“Halo 3” (Rated M, $59.99, $69.99 or $129.99) does refine many aspects of the first-person shooter genre on the Xbox 360 console. And new multiplayer features make it the most robust online experience on any console.

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Final Fantasy XI; the Beginning is a Diamond in the Rough

As you may have heard before, it gets lonely at the bottom. Although Final Fantasy XI is considered one of the richest, methodical, and addicting online RPG games available, first beginning your journey in Final Fantasy XI can seem overwhelming, making it hard to keep your head in the game unless you can learn a few basics from the get go. The problem here is that Final Fantasy XI doesn’t start off as a walk-through and unless you’re lucky enough to find one of their many very in depth fan sites or a kind face in the game, chances are you will have a hard time staying motivated to continue in the game.

It’s Worth It

Don’t mistake what you just read and think that the game isn’t worth playing. The different regions, areas, worlds and people you will encounter on your journey through Final Fantasy XI are well worth the learning curve. You will explore many dungeons, caves and monsters as well as have plenty of opportunities to get together with a group of adventurers from around the world to kick some monster butt, and level your preferred job to new heights.

Things to Know

In order to get past level 12 and have some money in the bank for new armor at this point, you’ll have to accomplish a couple of objectives. First of all, learn that when you kill monsters, they drop things. Rabbit skin and tails may not sound very lucrative, but it adds up and is very easy to get from the beginning. Crystals are something else you’ll want to stack up and sell on the auction house of Final Fantasy XI, as the money here can be pretty good. In order to stack the most crystals possible, visit a “T.K” npc (non player character) before leaving your Country’s walls for battle, and ask them to cast Signet on you. Saving the money you make off of this stuff until you’re level 12 will behoove you, as you will need to purchase all new armor at this time.

Talk to the other players around you out there while you’re adventuring and leveling up! Linkshells are the most popular means of communication in the game, and people who have them to give will offer you a link pearl. Equipping the pearl will allow you continuous access to a list of other players in the world who are also a part of the Linkshell.

You’ll get to know players of all levels, which is important because when you need help to complete missions, the higher levels in your linkshell will more than likely be inclined to assist. It’s a valuable resource you won’t want to miss out on, and a great way to get “newbie” questions answered.

Finally, know how to find a party when the time comes. Without joining a party of live players to level with, you won’t get passed level 12. Level 12-13 requires you to venture even further into the area of Valkurm Dunes, the place for low leveling. You’ll be there for about 6 levels and you’ll require the help of others the entire time you’re there. This is also where you’ll get the help from your party to complete the mission needed to have access to advanced jobs and options.

To find a party, you’ll simply use your menu and select “seek party”. This allows anyone in the Final Fantasy XI world that’s looking to invite party members find you. If you’re not sure where Valkurm Dunes is, just go to your starting country and seek a party. They’ll help you find the way! By the time you finish your adventures in the Valkurm Dunes, you’ll be level 20 and ready to travel even further into the game. By following the suggestions here, you’ll definitely have the resources to know that you can accomplish anything in the game of Final Fantasy XI.

Gamers Everywhere are Enthralled by EverQuest

Ever since video games first entered the market in the 1970s, “gamers” or people who love to play video games, always find a favorite. It all began with Pong, then it was Pac Man, Frogger, and finally the Super Mario Brothers and Sonic the Hedgehog. Now, as video games have advanced even further, EverQuest has become a favorite.


EverQuest: A History


In order for those unfamiliar with video games to properly understand why EverQuest has become so popular, an explanation of how the game works and its development is needed. The process behind how EverQuest became the game that it is now is quite an interesting one.


Simply put, EverQuest is a 3D role playing game that primarily takes place online with many other players. The game made its first appearance on the market on March 16, 1999. The original concept for EverQuest was designed by Bill Trost, Steve Clover, and Brad McQuaid, and the game was distributed by Sony Online Entertainment.


EverQuest takes place in a fantasy world, where gamers assume characters and battle other players for points and treasure. As a player continues on with the game, they gain abilities, accessories, and notoriety. The environment alone is quite comment-worthy, since there are at least 400 zones that a player can travel through while playing the game.


As creative as EverQuest is, the game has also met with a considerable amount of controversy. While it is quite alright to play a game as a means of escape sometimes, there are some people who have taken the playing of EverQuest too far. The game is indeed quite time consuming, and so much so that several players have actually died from lack of nutrition and sleep because they had played the game for such a long time.


Despite the criticism, EverQuest continues to be quite popular, so much so that in 2004 a sequel was released. In order to play this game, one has the option of playing a free trial online. However to continue playing the game, one must pay an initial download fee, and then pay a monthly fee to continue.


If one wishes to start playing EverQuest, one must be prepared to play with patience, and have the sufficient funds available. As with anything else, a gamer should play only in moderation, and if this basic rule is followed, the gamer will no doubt have an enjoyable experience.

A Quick Game Review Of Everquest 2

Everquest 2 is a Sony-owned multiple-player online game, but at first glance of the website, the overload of information and the graphic-heavy interface can be daunting. A new player wanting a quick glance to see whether Everquest 2 is a game they’d want to invest in and play might be put off from the intense, colourful home page. Here’s a review of Everquest 2 that can help you quickly decide whether the role-playing game is one you’d like to try.

Some Pros And Cons

First of all, Everquest 2 is a game that’s widely played. The game started off popular and has remained that way through the test of time and technology. A good player base means that you’ll have plenty of exciting interaction. But that’s not all you need when you’re looking for a perfect game to hook your interest and keep it. A downfall of Everquest 2 is that while you may have plenty of characters to interact with, battle and combat are never player to player, which could make the game eventually seem stale and predictable.

One of the up sides of Everquest 2 is that it’s rich in graphics (once you get past the bombardment of the home page and start actually playing the game) which makes the role-playing far more gratifying than other, cheaper-looking online games out there. A drawback to great graphics is that it’s a resource hog and may end up sapping your computer system and slowing down performance.

Another plus is the generous content involved in the game. You’ll be able to spend hours exploring and that alone can maintain your interest for a long, long time. There are many quests for your characters, and characters themselves come from a grand array of races and classes, which only add to the general interest of Everquest 2. However, the lack of player-to-player battle makes Everquest 2 better for short bursts of a few hours of gaming as opposed to a prolonged marathon of fun.

The Everquest 2 settings offer two worlds, both which are quite diverse and different from each other. Some online games out there tend to offer different settings to explore, but once you get down to it, the cities and landscapes are much the same and only the quests or available battles might be different. Not so with Everquest 2, and you’ll find there’s plenty to attract you to both worlds.

In general, Everquest 2 is a popular choice for online gaming and is usually satisfying enough on the interest and exploration levels. Learning your way around the game will take you about an hour, so there’s no extensive training required, as may be the case with other games. The game does come with a pay-by-month fee, but there is a free option available, if you don’t mind some restrictions or limitations.

RuneScape: An Online Role Playing Game

With people becoming more and more dependent on their computers, it makes sense that more and more people are turning to the internet to find online games to play during their free time. However, the danger of becoming addicted to the myriad of online games out there is a challenge.

Despite such a challenge, people often find themselves becoming bored with the standard online derivation of a popular video game or puzzle. These people crave the ability to be in the games themselves. For people who want more of an interactive feature in their video games, yet also want the option of playing a game independently, then RuneScape is a good choice.

Is RuneScape Really as Interesting as the Other Games Out There?

Although it is true that RuneScape is an online role playing game that has many independent aspects to it (more so than a game like EverQuest), it can be just as engaging. Indeed, the creative process behind RuneScape is quite an interesting one.

The original version of RuneScape was released in 2001, and a second version was released in 2004. RuneScape was created by Jagex Limited, which is a British developer, and the game runs on a Java platform.

RuneScape takes place in the fantasy realm of Gielinor, which is itself divided into three separate kingdoms. The players have to maneuver themselves through these kingdoms by foot, magical teleportation, or vehicular transportation.

Each region that a player travels through has its own set of challenges (such as monsters to defeat). Players can choose to combat other players in some challenges, while other challenges require the player to solve things on their own.

The great thing about RuneScape is that strategies players learned while playing the game can be used for more that one challenge. This results in a game that is less time-consuming, and more about exercising the mental abilities of the players.

It should also be noted that the secondary characters within RuneScape can sometimes be just as much of a threat as other players. The secondary characters in the game can be anywhere from passive to quite aggressive, so a player should always be aware of them at all times.

A limited version of RuneScape can be played online for free, while the more detailed version can be played for a fee. With more than a million players worldwide, it is clear that the strategies of RuneScape make for a great gaming experience.

Computer Gaming Online Role-Playing

Computer gaming online role-playing is quite a fun spin on the old favorite of role-playing games that have been sold in comic shops for years. In a way, this is consistent with the expanding world of were our leisure activities are going as computers become more and more ingrained in our society and culture.

Role-playing games started in the 1970’s with Dungeons and Dragons and quickly grew to include virtually any type of game or scenario one could imagine including games that revolved around action-adventure, science fiction, espionage, horror, sports and a ton of other genres.

The Computer Version Of Role-Playing Games

Role-playing games eliminated the traditional cause effect method that board games utilized and turned games into an improvisational exercise that proved intriguing. In time, people started to use computer gaming online to expand how role playing games can be conducted. In the computer gaming online variant of role-playing, players will write/type their ‘scenarios’ and submit them via email to the person running the game. The game master then weighs all the emails from the various players to decide how these scenarios play off against each other in order to further the game. Sounds fun, huh?

So How Do The Role Playing Game Producers Feel About This?

Now, while one would assume that the role-playing game companies would love the fact that there are computer gaming online means of playing the games and expanding their customer base, some role-playing game companies have some misgivings about this computer gaming online expansion.

In a way, the computer gaming online role-playing has hurt sales of game packages because people no longer have the need for a role-playing set as they are not playing in a room together and are connected electronically from all over the globe. It would be doubtful that the bottom will fall out on many of these game producing companies as the product that they offer is still very popular, but there have been some dollars lost due to the free competition that the computer gaming online role-playing provides.

Granted, many of these companies offer their own free online role-playing services as a means of promoting their product. They have also offered fee based subscription online role-playing games so the internet provides a solid revenue stream for the companies. There is a paradoxical relationship between the role-playing game companies and the internet, but ultimately, the internet has been good to these companies and will continue to benefit them provided the companies evolve accordingly.

Critics And Those Who Play Online Game Activities

How times have changed. Does anyone remember the old videogame PONG that was released by Atari in 1976? That venerable game simply revolved around rectangles bouncing a small square around the screen to create a multitude of “sports” games. Today, graphics and the sophistication of the games have increased so significantly that people love to play online game activities that provide the same wonder today that they did for people 30 years ago during the PONG days.

The Critics

While there are those who vehemently criticize people’s addiction to the desire to play online game activities, the number of people who are active participants totally dwarfs the critics. The question remains, why do people criticize the ability to play online game activities? Part of the reason lay in that fact that playing video and computer games all day is isolationist. That is, it limits human interactions. Also, the feeling is that playing online games encourages lethargy and denies kids and teens valuable exercise time. Granted, there is some merit to these arguments, but the ‘danger’ of playing online games, as espoused by critics, is pretty much overly exaggerated.

The Critics Debunked

If there ever were a huge benefit to a person opting to play online game activities, it would be the fact that the games provide a sense of wonder that can be built upon as inspiration for future endeavors. Many times, things that have their origins in popular culture are seemingly dropped down an Orwellian black hole when it comes to mentioning the educational and inspirational sources of success. If one decides to play online game activities and these online game activities lead to the person becoming inspired to start a career in the computer field, then how could playing online games be such a bad thing?

Therein lies the problem of illogical thought present in many critics of online games. Knowledge and inspiration and value can come from any source. If one decides to decry a certain source of knowledge as having no value (a dubious claim. A third party can not tell someone what is or isn’t of value to their education), then one has simply placed a limitation on someone else’s ability to learn. (Provide the person allows the other individual from impeding the pursuit)

So, it is best not to deride one wish to play online game activities as the criticism of this “art form” is generally not warranted nor based in any serious issue requiring concern.

The Psychology Behind Playing Online Video Games

Video games can be found everywhere, and they’re available in formats ranging from handheld Gameboys to playing online video games over the internet with people from all over the world. We know that spending long hours playing video games is bad for us, and we’ve gotten the message about finding something else to do with our time loud and clear. Still, the gaming industry only gets bigger and companies are constantly coming up with new games and equipment.
It’s a love affair. People can’t stop themselves from ‘just trying this game for fun’, and they’ll find themselves hooked to the newest fad, game or trend faster than snapping their fingers. There are different niches of games to satisfy everyone, from hard-core combat to fairylike fantasy. It’s easy to find one that suits your preference, and soon enough, you’re registered, logged on and playing online video games with all your heart.

So Why Do Video Games Suck Us In?

One reason playing online video games may have become so popular is because our fast-paced, real-life world has conditioned people to have short attention spans for situations that move too slowly. We’ve become victims of our own creation, becoming bored easily and turning away from cards or tabletop games to an exciting, easy, quick fix for our entertainment. Playing online video games gives a real boost to our nervous system - our attention level spikes sharply, we sit up and feel the tingle of excitement, anticipating the barrage of mental stimuli and instant gratification playing online video games offers.

Another reason we might cleave to playing online video games is because gaming takes up a good chunk of our concentration and focus. While we’re trying to plan our next move, or running through our options in lightening-fast decision making, there is one thing we tend not to do: Pay attention to the world around us. Take note of people’s behaviour while they are playing online video games – they seem to be phased out, and speaking to them most often gets no response. It’s as if they need to be woken up from their games and brought out of their trance-like yet extremely complex mental state.
What does a trance have to do with the possible psychology of playing online video games? Simply, the person is using the game as a form of escapism. While playing online video games, no one has to deal with work issues, home problems, doing laundry or feeding the cat. Nothing but themselves and the computer screen matters, and for a period of time, they can phase out and forget the world, and their problems, exists.

Tracking Down The Best Online Strategy Games

With the virtual world providing more and more of our news and entertainment, and computers becoming a standard in households, online strategy games have taken off in a big way. It’s been proven that mental exercises keep our brains sharp and ready to perform, and online strategy games can help do just that. For those who own computers (and who doesn’t these days!), ease of access and a wide variety of choice make online strategy games a popular choice for some quick fun.
Finding a global-coverage review site for online strategy games can help you narrow down your choices of what’s out there, as well as provide you with information about which games are the best, and which sites host them. Your preference will determine a lot about which online strategy games you’ll enjoy – do you prefer a tactical game with a winner-take-all purpose, like Risk? Or maybe you’re happier with a game where you have to think to solve the puzzle or find your way out of a maze. Think of some board games that were childhood favourites and track down their online equivalent.

What To Look For When Visiting Websites

Do a search for ‘online strategy games’ and visit a few of the websites offering them. Look for sites that are low on pop-ups and bling-bling, because these sites really aren’t trying to attract you to play a game – usually they have an ulterior motive, such as selling another company’s products, of which they take a cut of profits. Sites that are serious about entertaining you won’t shove ads and banners in your face, and the main gist of the site will be focused on the online strategy games, not the extras.
Also, be careful of sites that ask you to pay to play. While some online strategy game sites do offer quality services and an exclusive opportunity for your money, other sites are just out to make a fast buck, and you may find yourself paying cash only to be disappointed with the product. Some sites are free to play, but if you want to have bonus equipment or skills to get ahead in the game, you might need to pay extra. Other sites may be completely free, but the graphics and technology leaves much to be desired. Better online strategy game sites offer free trials and let you explore what they’ve got to offer. If you can’t try, then don’t buy.

Play an Online Video Game

In this new world of 3D video games, many people who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s find themselves feeling nostalgic. They miss the days when video games were just as simple as Mario and Luigi running across a screen, or Pac Man gobbling up little coins in a maze. Those people yearning for the glorious past of vintage video games can relive it again via various online video games.

The End of an Era

The 1980s saw the rise and fall in popularity of the video game system known as Atari, and the 1990s saw the same trend via various Nintendo game systems. Video game setups such as Playstation have fared better throughout the years, but with more and more people buying computers, it is only inevitable that online video games would become popular too.

Online Video Games: Something for Everyone

Perhaps the most enticing thing about online video games is that there are so many different types. Whether one is more into classic arcade games such as Pac Man, or more into Nintendo games like Super Mario Brothers, one is sure to find an online video game that one would enjoy playing.
For those that still crave the rush that can be gotten from playing classic arcade games, a fun online video game is that of Breakout Classic. This game derives from the Atari game of the same name.
Breakout first became popular in 1976, and involves playing ping pong (much like another classic arcade game by the name of Pong) against a brick wall. The object of the game is to break as many bricks as possible to increase one’s score. If the ball drops off the screen, that is the equivalent of losing a life, and one can play until all the lives have been used up.
A great online video game for Nintendo fans is one called Mario is Missing. In this game, Mario has been kidnapped by his arch nemesis Bowser, and the goal of the game is to get Mario back and defeat Bowser permanently.
Online video games are not just restricted to ones based on traditional video games. There are also ones that are based on board games like Connect 4 or Monopoly. However, regardless of the type, online video games can be found throughout the internet, and are oftentimes free. Thus, if one wishes to capture a bit of video game nostalgia, online video games are a fun and affordable option.

Playing an Online Role Playing Game

Whether one is a student or is working in some sort of profession, everyone can use a break from the everyday stresses of life. As such, more and more people are looking for ways to engage their minds in something other than just the normal escapes, like television.

In this age of technology, computers are now a crucial part of millions of people’s lives. However, computers can be used for so much more than just typing papers or checking e-mail. Indeed, computers are now great hobbies within themselves, and many people are now discovering how much fun it is to play an online role playing games.

The Online Role Playing Game and “Guild Wars”

Online role playing games are becoming more and more common among the computer savvy. However, there are still many people who regularly use computers, yet have no idea what exactly an online role playing game is.

Simply put, an online role playing game is much like games from childhood, in that players become a certain character, and work with other players to create scenarios within the game itself. The amount of creative freedom that players can have within these types of games is what makes online role playing games so popular in the first place.

One of the more popular online role playing games is one by the name of “Guild Wars.” In this game, a player can choose to play against other players, or play against the environment itself. There are four unique characters that a player can choose to become, and once that is established, the player can choose from the classes of Mesmer, Ranger, Monk, Elementalist, Necromancer, or Warrior.

Online role playing games can certainly be a lot of fun, but they have also been met with some criticism. Much of the criticism centers around the fact that it takes time to learn how to adequately play this genre of game, since the possibilities are quite numerous. Thus, these types of games are generally not recommended for people who do not have much patience.

Online role playing games can be found on many different websites via free or paid download. It should be noted that free games generally are not as advanced as the paid games, so free games are a good idea for novices. For those who have patience and are intrigued by the idea of creating alternative realities, online role playing games are indeed an interesting hobby.

Online Golf Game: Above Par

For all you know, an online golf game, can satiate your craving for golf when you desperately feel like playing it but cannot because of home, work, or logistics pressures. An online golf game is usually played by a yuppie-aged person, mostly using a computer, or in some cases a video console. These games feature a replica of a famous, real golf course with the sand traps and the small water ponds placed at the exact places. Majority of these games are browser-based and free to play. Online golf is a skill kind of game where you have to select the right club, set the correct angle, and then apply the right amount of force using either the mouse or the keyboard, to hit the ball at the target.

Online Golf Game: Technology

As mentioned earlier, majority of these games are browser-based, in the sense that you do not have to install software on your computer. All you have to do is open the game site and install a small plug-in and play the game. An online golf game is made using Java or Shockwave technology, and chances are that you already have both these plug-ins installed on your system. The upside of these technologies is that they allow the game to be “cached” on your computer and thus place no load on the server hosting the game. These games can range from the very basic types to the highly sophisticated ones with complex graphics; but no matter what, they are fun and great time-killers. Of course, there are CD/DVDs available for both PCs and Video Consoles too, but browser games rule the roost.

Online Golf Game: Gameplay

There are many varieties of online golf games: (i) Single-player game, which an Internet surfer, feeling bored at work or at home, normally plays to kill time. (ii) Multiplayer game, where the player has other Internet players pitted against him. (iii) Some golf games may feature less than the required 18 holes, a feature which golf purists may criticize. But then these games are ideal if you do not have too much time to spare. (iv) There are many golf-variant games such as mini golf games; these are quite popular too. (vi) Many gaming websites add a gambling twist to golf games by making an Internet user pay a fee to play the game, and then if he logs in a good score and is ranked high, he stands to win a prize which is most likely to be cash. These games are big time hookers too.
Playing an online golf game is a great way to kill time. Just take care to remember that your golf score can stay below par – but not your productive work hours.

Online Multiplayer Games: Newbie Concept, Pro-Creation

An online multiplayer game is one that a gamer plays while staying connected to the Internet, against or with other Internet players. While playing you can also interact with thousands of other players on the server where the game is hosted. Since these games involve thousands of gamers playing simultaneously with each other in a giant virtual world, they are also called Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs). These were made possible only with the growth of broadband Internet access. [Examples: World of Warcraft, Guild Wars]. In some online multiplayer games you can interact with only a few members with whom you can team up [Examples: America’s Army, Counter Strike Source].

Evolution Of Online Multiplayer Games

MMOGs are very big business nowadays though they are a relatively new phenomenon. Their popularity started climbing in the late 1990s when two games – Everquest and Ultima Online – caught on in a big way. First-person shooters such as Quake, Unreal Tournament, Counter Strike and Warcraft 3 are also immensely popular online multiplayer games, but they are not MMOGs. Up to recently, these games were played only on the computer. However, they are catching up fast on consoles too. Final Fantasy XI and Everquest Online Adventures are games that are big hits on video console circuit. Online gaming on mobile phones has begun too, but it has yet to make a mark because there are many technological restrictions as of now.

Variations Of Massively Multiplayer Online Games

Today many different styles of massively multiplayer games are available, such as:
(i) MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing games).
(ii) MMORTS (Massively multiplayer online real-time strategy games).
(iii) MMOFPS (Massively multiplayer online first-person shooter games)
As things stand, it is the massively multiplayer games that are driving the online multiplayer game market crazy. Can you imagine that Lineage – a Korean MMORPG – has four million registered users? World of Warcraft, a relatively new entrant, has over six and a half million registered users! And all of these registered users are paying a monthly fee playing these games. Now take into account the fact that an MMOG is played for several months or years together and you can imagine the money power that online multiplayer games have started commanding! This trend is new, but the creators of these games are hardcore professionals who know where the moolah lies in this next-generation game module – the online multiplayer game module.

Kids Online Games: Get Phat!

Kids online games are games that kids can play when they are connected to the Internet using either a computer or a video console [Examples: Playstation 2, Xbox]. Kids love games, and with kids getting net-savvier by the day they have latched on big-time to online games. If you compare today’s kids online games to how kids used to assemble together to play board games, you will be surprised to see how fast kids are growing and how rapidly they are maturing.

Kids Online Games: Devices And Games

Kids can play online games using – (i) A computer: In this case the games are most likely to be browser-based, simple, fun or educational type, involving sports (racing, baseball), knowledge (Hangman, Scrabble), arcades (Space Invaders, Mario), etc. Many kids cannot play massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) because there is a monthly subscription involved. However, companies such as Disney have started developing MMOGs for kids. (ii) A video console: Kids really freak out on a video console. They just love video console gaming because the learning curve is easy and there are not too many buttons to push (as in PC online games).

Pros And Cons Of Kids Online Games

Online games can keep kids entertained, and apart from that, improve their knowledge too if they play educational games. In fact, the University of Victoria is developing a game called “Let’s Face It” that teaches autistic kids to recognize faces. While playing MMOGs kids can learn real-world skill concepts such as commerce, barter, mining, chemistry, all of which can be useful in real life. Kids online games also teach them interactivity, and also how to talk to strangers and how to make friends.
The flipside is that if playing these games is not controlled then kids might get addicted to them and this addiction is dangerous – almost as dangerous as taking a banned substance or even as dangerous as smoking. If kids squat for a long time playing these games, they might get obese. Some browser-based games can be graphically violent and leave a deep impression on their psyche (e.g. some browser games may involve shooting a politician). While playing multiplayer games online, a kid might get in contact with a stranger who might be up to no good. Many video console games feature too much graphic violence and that is not nice for a kid at an impressionable age.

Conclusion

There is a silver lining to this dark image depending on how you look at kids online games: statistics show that 62% of the video console and 66% of the PC game market customers are over the age of 18 years. Also, stricter laws related to kids and online games are slowly being passed across the major game-playing nations. And sooner or later, the entire hullabaloo is likely to settle down.

Online Games: Fragging On The Net

Online games – spoken casually or formally – normally refer to video games that are played on a computer using an Internet connection. There are video games that are played online using devices such as video consoles (Playstation, X-Box) and mobile phones, but online games generally mean PC games that can be played only when you are connected to the Internet. These games kicked off in the 1980s even as Internet connectivity was slow and expensive. The earliest versions of these games were simple multiplayer text-based games. In the 1990s these games started getting popular, and today they feature high-end graphics, virtual communities, and lots more.

Types Of Online Games

Online games can be of the following types – (i) First-person shooters: Here the players battle with each other head-to-head. In most first-person shooters games, there are online components that allow deathmatch/arena style play. In these games the view you see in the gameplay is the one seen from your character’s eyes. (ii) Real-time strategy games: These are games where you have to develop a combat strategy or gameplan by building resources and making a strong army so that you are able to fight with other Internet players. (iii) Browser games: These are simple, small, and quick pastime games that can be played on your browser. They are developed using the popular Shockwave or Java technologies. (iv) Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG): These are online games that can support thousands of players from all over the world simultaneously, playing with or against each other in a giant virtual world and also interacting with each other. Here a person has to keep leveling up till he reaches the maximum possible level written for the game. These games can keep a gamer engaged for months or even years!

How Online Games Make Money

Today, every game is playable online. The question before the company that is making these games is how to make money. Most companies make single-player games that can be played at home. In these games the player has to overcome the artificially intelligent enemies. These games feature an online multiplayer gameplay model, using which a user can play with or against other Internet players. These companies make their money by selling their game CDs/DVDs [Examples: Warcraft 3, Counter Strike]. The browser game companies survive by revenues generated from advertising and promotions. Many MMORPG companies keep adding content by developing new patches in their games and they charge a monthly fee from the players [Example: Everquest 2, World of Warcraft]. Some of them do not, and survive because of their CD/DVD sales [Example: Guild Wars].
One last thing about the title: “Fragging” in game jargon stands for finishing off a player or an artificially intelligent enemy.