Bown Smith asked:


Gaming industry was already popular among the fun loving masses of the world but introduction of iPhone has put up an extra gear to speed up game development for smart phones in the industry. There are millions who take pleasure in playing games on mobile phones but with the introduction of iPhone, mobile gaming has augmented rapidly in diminutive time.

In one year iPhone has developed its market at great extent; iPhone has created large masses and users of all age group. iPhone provides 3G/Mac games for its fun loving users as well as allows to use additional game applications for customized games. For iPhone games development, iPhone developers use Mac OS X operating system, as it is developed and marketed by Apple mobile company. iPhone has boosted the mobile gaming and playing significant role for the popularity of games on the mobile and other communicative devices.

Development of mobile games is the process of various technical and non technical activities which brings quality to any mobile game. Use of technology to games development should bring high performance of graphics, game sounds should be matching and overall visualization of the game should be catchy. Big factor in mobile games development is cost, arranging all the things together sometimes increase the cost of game which needs to be in high consideration by the mobile game developers. Technologies used by the mobile developers are in large variety and they are based on the nature and intensity of the games such as for the development of 2d mobile games iPhone developers use Cocos2d-iphone framework, it’s a cost-effective framework as it is open source product and reduces timeline in the game development. Oolong Game Engine is productive for the development of new games and able to port existing games to iPhone & iPod and this game engine is written in C++ & Objective-C. Commonly mobile game developers use many programming languages, frameworks and technological systems such as MAC platform, Cocoa ? Objective C, AppleScript and many more.

Millions of users are using iPhone for the games instead of using their pc for the fun, as mobile gaming is easy and portable service for the users anywhere they want. For the custom iPhone game development users can hire iPhone developers very easily from any MAC game development company. iPhone 3G game development has become very common with the increasing passion of the game lovers in industry and has provided an extra mile to gaming industry.



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Stig Kristoffersen asked:


OnLive was presented at the game developers conference GDC in San Francisco on March 24th 2009. This service enable you to stream the content of the game as you play it. Simply explained you will see live a HD-Video of the ongoing gaming performed on a server miles away from you. This means you can play big and powerful games that you usually need a monster PC with the best graphic performance available to you. Even a small laptop PC, Mac or even through a small gadget connected to your TV, you can play any game on your TV. The need for very expensive gaming PC’s is gone with the wind. You will not need to upgrade your PC just because the game demands more graphic power or CPU performance. All you need is internet connection and a normal computer. The news about this service can mean a revolution to how games are distributed and were received with enthusiasm at the conference. How is it possible to perform streaming of highly interactive games, when YouTube service is struggling with their performance of online videos? The question was raised and answers given through demonstration of this service. OnLive has been developed over 7 year’s time now, and for the first time shown to the public on March 24th on heir pres conference in San Fransisco. It gives us a chance to revolutionize the way we do gaming, how developers pulish games, and how the consumer will use the games. It will change things says Steve Perlman, the man behind OnLive service concept. Perlman developed the streaming solution for QuickTime when he worked at Apple, and has with him the former Eidos CEO Mike McGarvey on the OnLive service. You will have immediate access to all the latest high technological games available to any consol or PC, just by your fingertips. They will make the games accessible immediately and you only need to press on the game button you want to play, and there you go. There will not be need for any downloading or need to patch anything. There will be no physical media at all. You will have access to the games through your web browser or TV and you will no longer need a special machine for the purpose of playing your favorite game. Whether you use OnLive on a cheap PC without any graphic card, or on a cheap Mac, does not matter as long as you have a web browser and a plug-in on your browser on under a Megabyte, you are gaming. If you have a TV, all you need is a cheap box attached to the TV and you are gaming here as well. In theory all this sounds great and potentially easy to do, but how is it working in practical terms? The only that is needed of your computer or box at home is the power to decompress the video that arrives home at your place from the game server where the OnLive service is located. These servers are special made for the purpose of computing the highly advanced graphic games presented to you at home. The video will reach home to without any experience of latency and to be experienced as if you played it on your local machine. OnLive has developed a special streaming technology for interactive media different from the linear streaming technology which is used in ordinary video transfers. This new technology has according to Perlman minimized the latency to a level not recognizable to a human. The latency will be around one millisecond, and you really have to see it before you believe it. The demand to the broadband you have will depend upon what kind of screen you have on your equipment at home. For an ordinary screen you will need 1,5 Mbps, while for a HD TV you will need maximum 5 Mbps, dependant upon the game itself. This of course eliminates those who still are on ADSL or similar bandwidths. Perlman and McGarvey played the game called “Crysis” together on a big screen at the conference. McGarvey used a cheap Dell laptop that would never be able to play this game in the quality seen on the screen.. Perlman played via a micro consol connected to a TV, and both these units talked nicely together via the OnLive server around 80 kilometers away from where the demonstration took place. McGarvey also demonstrated a baseball game on a Mac Book, a machine which was hardly meant to play any game on it, but through the web browser plug-in on the OnLive service played the game which usually needs a PC with a graphics card for thousands of dollars. The service opens up for purchase and rental business models of absolutely all stored games, videos of game plays and other things stored on these servers. This enable you to continue a game anytime from anywhere you want to. It also eliminates the piracy problem which haunts the gaming industry today. Ten developers like EA, THQ, Ubisoft and Atari has supported this development from the start and has made 16 games available at the moment. All these games will be demonstrated at the GDC for people to see how they are experienced at the conference floor. The service is planned launched in North America at the end of 2009, and will secure the gaming industry from piracy at a larger extent than before. It also makes it possible to make games available at a less cost than before as distribution costs should go down. However, it remains to see how these servers will resist the hackers and their attempts to disrupt these services. There has not been set any launch date for the service outside North America, but its promised to be launched as soon as possible after the North American launch. The cost of this service is not mentioned, but the goal is to reduce the cost to the game consumer, as he or she will not need to buy expensive hardware which has become expensive and a constant need for upgrade at a certain cost as well. This service will transfer the money use of gamers from hardware to software.



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Jim Rothfork asked:


So you’ve decided to plunge yourself into the world of game development, have assembled a team of mighty warriors to tackle all the big issues and are ready to create the next best game in the industry… trumping WoW, Guild Wars… (you get the point). You’ve chopped up all your brainstorming and assembled some really keen concepts for a storyline and you’re ready to go. But amongst all the programming, the character concepts, the dungeons, and the quests – what are truly the most important aspects of your game that will determine whether someone enjoys themself? Read on, and allow me to share with you what I think.

When we do decide to take that plunge into the development of a new game, there are five things you should consider very carefully, and pay a great deal of attention to. There are probably more of these that will hinder or help you along your way, and your ordering may be different than mine, but these are what I always hold to be the most important. Over the next week we will reveal each aspects, and at the end of the week culminate with the complete article. For today we’ll begin at the top, with number 5.

Number 5: Storyline

When crafting your game, there is no better inspiration for features and activities, quests and dungeons, than your very own highly developed and custom tailored storyline. Some may balk at this statement, claiming that storyline is easily overshadowed and un-necessary when you have intense graphics that make your fingers tingle, or when you have combat so intense that you’re literally ducking out of the way from behind your monitor. While these things definitely contribute to an awesome game, and can lead to a lot of excitement (in fact, they’re on the list too!), they cannot make up for a lack of storyline. One thing many players crave whether consciously or not, is a strong storyline that leads them into caring about the game – it entices you – and makes you feel as though your wildest dreams may in fact be possible in this environment. Storyline can be simple and to the point while being so flawlessly done that it serves as the crux of the entire game (EVE Online: We’re flying through space, blowing people out of the sky…) and at the same time being so rich and deep with lore (the complexities in lore and story surrounding EVE is so great that it entangles even the most basic ships and inventory items) that it compels players to write their own histories.

Not only does storyline help players become engaged with all that you’ve slaved over and worked for, but it helps you the developer along the way. If you’ve been smart, and from the beginning dreamed up an intoxicatingly deep history of your game setting, it will constantly serve you throughout development. It will provide clues into what features want to be a part of the game, what doesn’t need to be included, and what does or doesn’t fit. An architecture professor of mine once said, when referring to the site analysis portion of architecture that we could find out a great deal about what we should be building on the building site by simply visiting the location, and “envisioning the invisible building that wants to be built”. This is true in architecture, and it is especially true in game development and dreaming up your storyline/game setting.

Storyline may be important, but is it more important than a snazzy game setting so rich and vibrant that your tempted to stay indefinitely? Well, maybe – just as long as your 3d representation isn’t bogged down by hundreds of thousands of nasty polygons or quads. Why in the world is Artwork important, anyway?

Number 4: Artwork

I’ve heard many, many times that the artwork/3d models/characters found in your game won’t make or break things. I agree with this in that it won’t make or break the entire game, but artwork and professional looking/feeling models definitely help you out along the way. Think of any movie you’ve seen recently where the sets were absolutely incredible and stunning – one such example (although not necessarily as “recent”) are the Lord of the Rings movies. Throughout the entire set of movies, rich and diverse settings are abound, and help the immersion factor like you wouldn’t believe. Would the movie have been “broken” by less awe-inspiring scenes? Probably not, because in the case of The Lord of the Rings, there were a lot of other incredible aspects. Did the awe-inspiring scenes make the movie just that much better, and give it just that much *more* to drool over? Yes, Definitely. The same kind of effect can be seen in the game industry. I play games that have incredible graphics (EVE Online) and other that don’t (Dark Ages). I am however, addicted to both of these games for different reasons, but you can bet that the stunning environment in EVE certainly helps to inspire its large player base.

Additionally, your artwork can seriously effect the mechanics of your game. Many developers over look an incredibly important aspect of their 3d models – poly count… That’s to say, the number of triangles (or *shiver* quads) your game has. Many of the free 3d models you may find on the internet are gorgeous, but are so incredibly detailed that using them in a computer, real time environment would not be wise because you are typically trying to appeal to as many systems as possible. Console systems have the luxury of (for the most part) assuming that everyone’s running on an even playing field. Those of us developing games strictly for the computer don’t have this luxury. Suffice it to say, it’s important to find quality, low poly game content, and there’s certainly enough of it out there that there’s no excuse for you to be shoving your game full of characters that are in the 10,000 poly range (many online companies limit their avatars, or characters, to around 2500-5000 polys).

The lower your poly count on your 3d models, the smoother your environment is going to run on the widest range of computers… usually. One thing to keep in mind throughout this entire process is how your engine handles polygons, and to find out what the ideal poly range is that you want to aim for for characters and scenery. In most cases higher character polys are more acceptable, with scenery (buildings, trees, etc) being lower in poly. Another engine specific feature to keep in mind is whether or not the engine supports Level of Detail (LOD). LOD for those who may not know is a system where the engine will use very low poly versions of a model if the player is far away, swapping the model in and out for high quality versions the closer you get to it. As far as I know, almost every engine out there supports LOD, but some like Active Worlds do not.

Down the road we go with Number 3: Music! Some may say (and argue) that music for an online game should be included into the category of “Artwork” – while this may be true depending on how you look at it, music in a game is incredibly important *aside* from your 3d models and 3d characters and so it receives its own spot.

Number 3: Music

In many ways music is the heart and soul of any environment you may create in 3D – it is literally the sound trick to which events occur, players win battles to, return home to, etc etc. Music is a vital tool used to set the mood in any setting, and without it your game will feel dead and like something is missing. In many ways, music helps to express for the player the mood of a specific area, it enhances and emphasizes what you are relating to your player. Do you want them to feel sad, anxious, excited, fearful? Because hearing is one of our primary sense (seeing, smelling, etc), one could argue that it is just as powerful in linking and creating memories. It should be one of your *top goals* to make people remember your game – making your game memorable is one of the tricks in making it both enjoyable and something that people will tell their friends about. Hearing, and the music in your game is one of the more subtle qualities that plays a huge part in how an environment *feels*. Think about what your favorite movie would sound like without sound and music?

This highlights another important aspect that is a sub category of music: sound effects. While music is the key that gives your environment some feeling and life, sound effects are what make the environment tangible and feel realistic. When a player is able to knock over a trashcan and as a result they hear the clanging of aluminum and tin rolling down the concrete they’re standing on, the player has an increased feeling of interaction with the environment. Think of the effect and life the environment takes on when a player goes from walking on stone, where their shoes may be clacking, to walking on dirt or mud, where the sound would naturally change quite dramatically. making good games is about mastering small (but powerful) details that immerse your player.

Many independent developers may shy away from placing such an importance on the music played in the game because in some ways it can be hard to come by for people with limited budgets. While music can be expensive (alright, no foolin’ it IS expensive) to have custom made, you can find some great deals on royalty free music for purchase online. In many cases these tracks are professionally made, and available for flexible licenses – either for independent folks, or commercial studios. It’s not uncommon for instance, to find 5-6 tracks on an indie license for around $100.

GarageGames.com has some great deals on music and sound effects – the sound effects found there are definitely a deal. You can find the page directly by visiting their content packages.

Gamedev.net also has some great resources relating to music in games, and provides a nice directory of sites containing stock and royalty free music. Check it out here.

At a later time it would be nice to include a directory of our own of some great music resources. Look for that later. In the mean time, let us know what you think about Music and Sound Effects inside of games that you’ve played, whether you thought they were effective and important to your gaming experience… And if you don’t agree, you can let us know that, too!

Now that we’ve covered much of the meat of your game (Storyline, Artwork, Music), we’re going to delve a little bit farther into game design and really define the skeleton of your game – the backbone, the thing that ultimately keeps people coming back to your game day after day. Storyline, artwork and music are important things that will really make your game feel complete, and make it less likely that people will stand in your local village, and look around wondering “What’s missing?” But ultimately when it comes to the development of your game, we’re now getting into what really matters. That brings us to today’s post…

Number 2: Game Flow

When it comes to game design in todays world there are really three primary types of flow that you game can follow. What exactly is game flow? The game flow, or structure of your game, is how players interact with it and storyline events, quests, missions, etc. It determines whether players can branch out and make the game what they want it to be, or if they’re locked onto a track that guides them into their pitfalls and excitement. Appropriately the three types of flow are as follows: Sand box, Roller-coaster, and a hybrid mix of the two. In many cases the way in which your game engages people, and how it forces them to interact with the environment and progress in the game will determine the types of players you attract to your game.

The most “traditional” game play style, or rather the most frequently used in the past has been that of the “Roller-coaster”. This type of game play is just as the name implies – users begin the game (get on the ride) and are carefully lead through the build up, the climax of storyline, pitfalls, exciting twists and turns, and ultimately the game ends with a rush of excitement. This could also be equated with the experience reading a book gives where there is a definite beginning and a definite ending of things. Many RPGs out there fall into this category, where your goals in the game are explicitly defined (conquer the evil demons of the sea and save the pretty girl) and while these games are a lot of fun, in some ways this system doesn’t always work as well in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG’s) where you have dozens, hundreds, even thousands of people interacting with one another. This isn’t to say that there aren’t MMOs that pull it off (Guild Wars specifically comes to mind), and this isn’t to say that MMORPG’s that go the route of the Roller-Coaster aren’t wildly fun (as Guild Wars is). This IS to say that in more recent years people have begun to favor a newer breed of game where the options appear limitless, and if instead of rescuing that pretty girl from the evil demons of the sea, you want to go and be an innocent farmer… more power to you!

Enter the “Sandbox” games. In more recent years there has been a big push to these sandbox’s where people can do what they’d like. Similar to roller-coaster games, the name is synonymous with it’s real life counter part, the sandbox. The idea is that upon entering the game, if you decide to ignore the over arching and present storyline (remember our pretty girl), that you can do just that without any significant consequences. This type of game play is sometimes said to appeal primarily to ******** style gamers, although I’m not sure I fully buy into that philosophy. Often times I’ve found many casual players in sandbox type games who simply enjoy socializing with one another, mining together, exploring, etc, without all the insane time commitment of pursuing the major storyline events. In many of these games political and religious systems can be found, as well as a variety of job occupations. From what I’ve seen however, these games tend to be far more time intensive than roller-coaster games, simply because of the amount of time you need to pour into your character to forge your own path (and be successful at it). While some many not agree with me here, I would say EVE Online is definitely classifiable as a sandbox, as a majority of EVEs content, gameplay, and activities are created and inspired by the players themselves. GTA3 is also considered by many to be a sandbox game. That in itself is an important note: in sandboxes you will normally find a wealth of systems run by the players themselves, like guilds and factions – usually there is also an economy in game that is facilitated totally by players selling their personally made goods.

Finally, very recently we’ve hit a time when some people are discussing ways to make what you could call a mix between sandbox and roller-coaster games. I have yet to come across a good example of how this has been done (or how someone is working on one), I’ve only heard slight mention of it here and there. From what I gather though, there would be a few central over arching storylines taking place at one time, giving users their choice of how to proceed, and along the way providing ample opportunity for players to branch off onto their own paths, while still allowing them to come back to the big storyline. Some may again classify this primarily as sandbox, but I would argue that if at any time there is a great deal of direction coming from quests, storylines and developer driven content, that you begin to get more into roller-coaster elements. If anyone has run into what you’d consider to be a good example of a sandbox roller-coaster hybrid, please let me know! If you’ve ever read one of those “Choose your own ending” style books that plagued elementary and middle schools, you’ll understand what a sandbox roller-coaster hybrid might be like. While the player has choices (perhaps many, many choices!), things are still ultimately “guided” by an over all storyline, while leaving room for player created content. At the end of the day though, all of that is easier said than done.

Ultimately, deciding on what game system you use, or “Game Flow” method you use is going to be vital in developing your game. Like storyline, it will give you direction and more easily help you to make decisions about whether or not a specific feature would fit into your game. Not only will it help you to make decisions, but as a result it will help to shape your game. Direction and determination are absolutely mandatory in game development, and deciding on a Game Flow will at least help you in the direction department

We’ve covered some incredibly important aspects of your gaming environment – from visual stimulus, and the sounds that pull your travelers deeper into your game, to the stories that inspire and the game mechanics that help shape your players’ characters. However, at the end of the day there is one aspect that will bring everything home and determine whether or not your game is bursting with eager players, or an emptied ghost town.

Number 1: Activities, baby!

While friends within games come and go, quests are released and beaten, items are unveiled and later trumped – at the end of the day the gaming community is not unlike society at large; we are a disposable group of people. We love to love the hottest items, spells, houses, quests, but eventually they become something of yesterday and cease to draw as much excitement from the people who have been hanging around your game for a while. Many games falter because they fail to recognize that new content is a must, even if the content you already have is incredible. The typical gamer can crunch through your average game in less than a month and if you’re planning to release a game that has a monthly subscription, or the need to retain players for an extended amount of time, that’s bad news for you. Ultimately the solution to “What next?” and “Why are people leaving?” is to imbue your game and all of its nooks and crannies with valuable content and *things to do*. It is from this area that it seems most of the discontent for games comes from which means that it is not only imperative to have plenty of activities in the game when it first releases, but to follow up on those activities with new things to explore, find, and participate in in the following months and years of the games life span.

Not only does providing and planning activities in the beginning stages of your game design help create a game that will be fun to play, but it may also help to inspire other areas of your development as well. Events can inspire your storyline, and your storyline can help to give you ideas of activities and new plot lines, for example. In many ways this aspect of your game is what will help to build and foster the social community within your game, which is ultimately what ties people to specific games: the friends and community that would be left behind if they were to leave.

Ideally, there are a whole host of event and activity types you can create within your game. Some of them are global style events that involve almost everyone active in the environment at the time. Examples of such events would be those relating to real world holidays like Christmas, Halloween, etc. More often than not those are time periods in games where if there is nothing new going on, your game will lose out against real life in the excitement category. People will choose to spend time doing things other than playing your game, if this is the case. Now, while we at TGS appreciate family time and all, this is bad news for you. Create global events that match up to real life events that will make being inside your environment during this time fun, exciting, and provide the extra bit of holiday spirit for your players. There are also events that are recurring, such as player run elections and hunting parties that give your players something to do year round. Optimize these activities and make them readily available to players so that these are things they can easily take part in and enjoy.

There are countless numbers of events that you can include in your game to make things feel more lively – we’ve just covered a very small number of them here. Perhaps in a later post we can create another article in order to inspire you a bit more in this category. We’ll see! An important thing to remember when judging whether or not “activities” are your number one priority: an online game is at its best when there are ample things to participate in with others. When your game is one which does not foster socializing, it will more than likely become quiet and empty, and let’s face it – do we expect people to play (and pay for) an empty online game? Food for thought.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this, please visit our site at thegamestudio.com for more articles like it.

James Rothfork thegamestudio.com



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Cristian Stan asked:


Many if not most, would disregard the fact that there are actual employment opportunities behind video gaming. In this article we will expose to everyone that the Video Game Industry does pay.

If you want all the perks of having first access to the latest game release or better yet the hottest game systems and get the first review off freshly published gaming magazine, then working as video game clerk may suite your gaming frenzy, becoming a video game clerk does not only satisfy you with all the perks and discounts attached to it, but it is also an opportunity to make some bucks while doing what you love best, not to conclude that the Video Game Industry does pay.

Now if you are gaming aficionado and you want to heed your calling of becoming a Game Tester, you are in on a whole lot of exciting gaming experience, maybe even more than you can handle. You will be able to test games even before they are released, you will have to push it to the limits and conquer every aspect of the game, you are free to actually find some bugs in the game and force game programmers to double their exertion in keeping the game competitive before it is officially released. Becoming a game tester also gives you the suggestive power to mold the game to your preference.

You can put your artistic skills to the game and that was literally meant. Work as a Game Designer, it does not only pay good but it contains most of the glamour and pride especially when other gamers appreciate the characters you have created, It may need a very active imagination and conceptualization but fret not because you got the top of the line graphics software programs at your disposal, so don’t let that artistic skill of yours go to waste, become the next top Game Designer and you can truly say that The Video Game Industry does pay.

A Game Critic plays a vital role in the continuous development of video games, they write insights and honest review of a particular game, gaming magazines rely on writers for content and content is what makes them sell, nowadays you have many venue or medium to choose from in becoming a game critic, you may like to write for a gaming magazine or a gaming website, where in writing for a gaming site will prove to be more convenient because most of your work will be done online.

One of the backbones of the gaming world is of course Game Programmers, it is a delicate job and not anyone can just jump into the bandwagon, although game programmers are always in demand it takes a top programmer to keep up with the advancing technology and player’s preference. High skilled programmers are experts in various development languages, their extensive training and vast knowledge of most aspect of a game makes them rare assets in this technology driven world.

Based on all the facts and opportunities we have discussed in this article, it all indicates that The Gaming Industry does Pay and it shall remain for a very long period of time. Even educational curriculums have included game programming and design in classes, which shows the need for new generations of gamers, game critics, and game designer and yes even game clerks, for the gaming world evolves with the times. So rest assured that all the opportunities it brings give us a choice to be in the know and be able to jump into the bandwagon at any given time.



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Mike asked:


The internet has become a major source of gaming content with the passage of time. Just like the games that can be installed and played on the computer, the online games also need a computer to run. The main reason why online games are now taking over the local computer games includes their wider range and easier availability. It is possible to enjoy racing games like truck games and car games to even bike games and unicycle racing games. Then there are traditional classics like card games, casino games and highly popular arcade games which give a hint of the days of gaming long gone by.

The thing that is important to know about online games is that online games are not just about playing. There are complete communities built around these games. You can find blogs and discussion forums about online games which are extremely helpful in enjoying the game to the max. In case you are stuck somewhere and need some help or if you have developed some nice trick or strategy that you want to share, these forums and blogs are just the place. Above all, you can find reviews about the games that you should play and the games that you should avoid.

Playing online games is extremely exciting and at the same time, extremely challenging. The adrenaline pumping that you can receive by playing online games can not be paralleled by anything else. There are a number of people who are involved in playing games online. You can easily find competition and you can also find allies for your games.

The best thing about online games is that you can find free online games. You have to look for them though. Most of the online gaming sites provide you a subscription model. In this case, you would get a free trial membership that would last for anywhere between a week to a month. After this, you would have to cough up money to keep on playing games online. Creating a new account would not help because you would not be able to transfer your game levels and statistics from the old user account to the new user account. The thing is that free online games are available. While they are not exactly free because they are being sponsored by advertising on the site. You would have to look for the games that are completely free and not just a ‘free trial’.

There is an endless variety of online games that you can play – from games as simple as Texas Hold’em Up Poker that allows you to gamble against other players to games like Chess where you pitch you gray cells against the power of a computer or the brains of other people. After you have finished a long and tiring day of work, online games can be the perfect way to vent your frustration and make yourself fit and free for another day at work. With online games, you can easily get fast track entertainment at almost no cost.



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eSports Game Servers asked:


So, just what is a game server? Before answering that question, it’s important to understand how online gaming works. Many popular games today, first person shooters in particular, support online play. Such Internet-based play expands the game to whole new levels, and provides an experience not possible in single player environments. Players ranging in numbers from half a dozen to as many as sixty-four can all join what’s called a game server and play on the same map (game level) at the same time. Gaming servers work much like web servers, but instead of hosting websites, host game matches that others can join. Though the game itself is not loaded from the server, important game information such as player scores and rules are. Think of them in terms of a soccer stadium. The stadium provides a scoreboard and a field to play on, and the players come to the stadium to play.

While it is possible for a gamer to host a server on his computer, such servers are only suitable for a small number of players due to the slow speed of their connections. Game servers of any decent size are hosted by what are known as server providers in large data centers. With high-speed connection speeds and high-end server hardware, these providers can host servers of any size. The most popular games hosted these days include the Battlefield series, Counter Strike: Source, the Call of Duty games, the Medal of Honor series, and Unreal Tournament. Most providers offer free support, the ability to change the hosted game on the fly, free voice servers for oral communication, and web hosting. Prices for gaming servers vary greatly from provider to the provider and game to game, but the average is around $2 per player. People who run game servers sometimes pay for them out of their own pockets, but often times a group of gamers will form what is called a clan and share the cost of the server. Once a server is setup, anyone can play on a server for free, though some servers are private and require a password to join.

They make it possible for game lovers worldwide to get together and play their favorite games in an online environment, and have created a whole new market in the gaming world and have changed the way people view gaming. As technology increases, it will be interesting to see how the game server market changes.



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Adam Jaylin asked:


If you are doing a job which involves eight hours of work, you require some relaxation at the end of the day. You may be delighted to know that there are free online games which can actually work as a stress buster. Games offer lot of fun, specially the multi-player ones. With these games, you can compete with other people. So just connect to the internet and start playing against other players.

The online world is known for providing news and entertainment. But now a days, internet is known for offering games that are easy to access and offer entertainment and excitement. We might get several ways to make use of our leisure time but our favourite time pass will always be playing online games. Browse the internet carefully to find the best electronic games. The popularity of online gaming is increasing day by day. You can get various popular games free of cost on the internet. There are basically two kind of games: some are based on Java platforms and some are based on flash platforms.

Games have become an addictive form of activity as they provide endless entertainment. Online gaming gives you an exciting gaming experience with easy to operate games. Before playing these games, you need to download the correct plug-in for your browser for supporting the graphics. You should have a fast internet connection as games take much time to load in a slow net connection. You can find both single player games and multi-player games.

There are ‘Text Based Games’ which are simpler than Java Games and these can be played in chat rooms as well. Online Multi-player Games are also popular as they allow you to play against multiple players.Game developers are coming up with new games with new technologies in a bid to make them more exciting than ever. Internet has introduced to a variety of new generation games. These games are convenient to download and are easy to play.

They have become a medium of entertainment and they help us kill boredom. These thrilling and exciting games keep the players engrossed and make them demand for more excitement. Online Games come in diverse categories like puzzle, racing, action, adventure and sports. Most of these games are played with Flash or Shockwave. These games cater to everyone no matter he is a male, female, kid or adult.

Find numerous games based on TV shows or movies. These games are stress busters and help you to relax and relieve stress. Get fun, entertainment and amusement free of cost. The types of games available these days include:

Arcade Games: These games require some coins to be put into a gaming machine.

Action and adventure Games: These include fighting games, space adventure games and situational games. These games may come with a storyline.

Card Games: These are ever popular games which are played with cards.

Casino Games: The online casino games involve real money transactions.

Sports Games: Play sports games on the internet where you can compete against a second player or the computer itself.

Shooting Games: These games let you shoot objects in virtual scenarios.

Puzzle Games: These popular games are for people who don’t like too much violence. They are played by people of all ages and help you sharpen your mind. Puzzle games are loved by all age group people.

If you love racing, you can play games where you compete against other cars. Select one of the games and refresh your mind.

These internet games have made the gamers dreams come true. These games help them to relax after the hectic daily routine. You’ll find so many games to play that you will never get bored by playing them. The online games stores offer a fabulous range of games. One can choose his choicest game from these stores and enjoy unlimited excitement.



Caffeinated Content

Damian Cross asked:


There is a lot of games online that are down right bad as they have poor graphics, sound quality is pathetic, and the actual game scenario itself is too childish so how can you avoid these kinds of games?

Avoiding bad games will take some practice, but as you begin your way through the online gaming world you’ll right away know when you see a bad game and when you see an addicting game. The quality is the first thing that will spike interest. If someone has just thrown a bunch of images together with a little animation you are going to become bored in a matter of minutes, but if the developers have taken the time to not only give you great graphics, superb sound, and endless opportunities of challenges you are right away pulled in. These types of addictive games pop up all year long whether they are online or for gaming consoles.

Usually if there is a game developed for a console someone is going to redevelop it for online. Usually these games are done with the use of miniclip. Miniclip games are a great way to put together some of the most complicated games around, and make them tons of fun for you.

Now you are probably thinking that since these addictive games are free they are going to be very boring and probably some of the worst games you’ll ever play. Wrong! Free addictive games are everywhere. Addictive Games Online has jam packed their entire site full of addictive games whether they are motorbike games, miniclip games, and even arcade town games, they’ve got them.

The only way you are going to find some of the best quality and addictive games is by searching around. You are going to encounter many brutal games before you do find some of the most addictive games online, but once you find them you’ll continue playing them as long as they are there.

Not many people are willing to pay to play games online so webmasters have developed many free gaming sites that provide free addictive games and just about any other game there is. Even though you may find one game completely stupid there is someone else out there who loves it so it will stick around. This is why you tend to encounter a lot of bad games before you find that right addicting game. There is no way that anyone can be completely pleased with everything they see, so as a webmaster of a gaming website they try to cater to everyone that travels through their sites, meaning providing stuff some may or may not like.



Create a video blog

Joe Schmieder asked:


Whether you already have a home game room or you’re thinking of adding one to your home there are some “essential things” you’ll need to make your game room “Ultimate”. It’s true you may not need every single one of these items or you may not have the time, space or money to add every single one. But if you do have the time, space and or money and want an “Ultimate” Home Game Room then check out the top 6 items (in order of importance) that you’ll need for your game room to achieve ultimate “game room friendly” status.

#1 Game Table

Since you’re creating a home game room the number one must-have is the game table. Now which game table or tables you have is of course a personal choice. The two best game tables for home game rooms are billiard tables and shuffleboard tables. They’re the best because of multi-player use, the skill of the game and the fun competition each one brings to your home.

If your game room is big enough it’s always fun to have a combination of two different game tables. The best combo idea would be to have a billiard or shuffleboard table plus either an air hockey, foosball or ping-pong table. They say “Variety Is The Spice Of Life” and that is especially true for a home game room.

#2 Three More Great Games

The second must-haves are more great games. Again this is a home game room and to be “Ultimate” you’ll need at least three more great games. These are games that will compliment your table games and add even more variety. The types of games that fit into this category are: arcade games, indoor basketball games, bowling games, crane games, dart games, pinball machines, football games, golf games, pachinko/pachislo games and slot machines.

There are other games you could add but this is a good list to get you started on the right track to creating a fun family game room. These three additional great games are just enough to keep everyone happy. Any less and you could lose that ultimate status, any more and your home game room could become cluttered. A home game room that’s cluttered with games will lose its uniqueness!

#3 – Jukebox

So now that you have the games and everyone is having a blast you’ll want to add some music. The best way to add music is with a jukebox. Stereo systems are good also but they don’t give you that “Ultimate” game room look and feel that a jukebox does.

Don’t worry there is a large assortment of jukeboxes available. Personally I prefer a jukebox from the 1940s. The old songs from the 1920s-1940s are great for all ages and they’re a nice change from the norm. There are some really catchy tunes from those years!

But if you’re not an oldies fan then there are other jukeboxes, like the ones that play 45rpm records. If those are still too old for you then a CD jukebox will do the trick. Some hold a hundred CDs giving you the ability to add a large assortment of music that would be perfect for any occasion. Also the jukeboxes look vintage 1940-ish. Finally if you love technology there are digital jukeboxes. They don’t look so much like a traditional jukebox but you can download music right to them using various methods like from a home computer.

# 4 Game Room TV

The fourth item you’ll need is a Game Room TV. It’s great to have a jukebox and music but when the big game is on New Year’s Day you’ll want your Game Room TV. Whether it’s a 13inch TV attached to your ceiling or wall or a large plasma TV doesn’t matter. It’s having the TV that bumps your game room up to the “Ultimate” level.

Now one of the best TVs to have in a home game room if you have the room is the projector TV with a movie screen. Having one of those is like having your own mini theatre in your home and they’re great for watching sports. It’s probably not a good idea to use one of these TVs for everyday use as the projector bulbs have a limited lifetime. You can however buy a replacement bulb but they can get expensive on some models. The bulbs usually last around 3000 hours and that is plenty for home game room use.

#5 – Refrigerator

The fifth must-have is the refrigerator. The reason being that if you’re creating an ultimate game room then you’re most likely planning on having parties with family and friends. A refrigerator that holds a couple cases of your favorite drink is perfect. You don’t need something large and fancy.

The reason these are good is that you won’t have everyone trouncing into your kitchen all day and night to get a drink. Also it helps keep the party in your game room not to mention your kitchen floors clean. On top of that they’re great for storing extra food for everyday use if your main refrigerator if full.

#6 Game Room Bathroom

The last must-have item on our list is a Game Room Bathroom. Like the refrigerator above it keeps the foot traffic to a minimum throughout the house if you have a bathroom in your game room. Plus adding that additional bathroom to your home is great if you have parties because someone always needs to “go” when your one bathroom is occupied.

Besides the added benefit during parties, adding another bathroom to a home usually increases a homes value. That is always a good thing and it’s just another reason why a bathroom in the game room is the number six must-have item.

There are many more items that can be added to your home game room. For example neon signs, clocks, pictures, posters, pub lights and so on. But this is a list of must-haves to push your game room up to the ultimate level.

Of course not everyone has the room or the money to add a bathroom to the game room. Or has the space to add so many different games. That’s ok because game rooms aren’t about having the biggest and best things. They’re about having fun with family and friends. Also creating the “Ultimate Game Room” isn’t done overnight. It takes time and that is part of the fun in bringing your game room to life. Set a budget if you need to and take as much time as you like in adding your favorite game room items. In the meantime have fun using your game room with family and friends as much as possible. And never forget that “Families That Play Together, Stay Together”.



gaming

JT asked:


Nintendo has the longest history of creating quality games out of all the three current console makers. Some of the most memorable characters and franchises have been built and evolved over the last twenty years across multiple consoles, culminating in hundreds of amazing games. Though millions and millions have enjoyed popular titles such as Super Mario 64, Mario Kart and Zelda, there are some games that didn’t get the recognition they deserved and sold poorly in comparison.

Here I dig out ten of these titles. While they were a critical success, they failed to get in many gamers hands deserved for one reason or another. Most of you would have played some of, if not all of these games, but there are also many people that missed out on these gems.

The ten games after the jump all deserve your time to track down to see what you’re missing. Luckily eBay makes this an easy task.

1. Chibi-Robo! (Gamecube/Wii)

Chibi-Robo! can easily be classed as the Gamecube’s last classic, released late into the consoles life. Though it was an odd concept where you controlled a robot cleaning different rooms in a house in order to earn ‘Happy Points’, the game was a joy to control and offered a charming experience. Luckily those that missed it first time round on Gamecube will be able to give Chibi a second chance later this year when Nintendo re-release it on Wii with updated controls. Don’t let the idea of the game put you off. Chibi-Robo! is a little gem.

2. Okami (Wii/PS2)

Perhaps the biggest injustice in the history of videogames is Okami. Originally released on PS2 where sales were hugely underwhelming, Capcom gave Okami a second chance on Wii due to fans outcries that the games paintbrush mechanics would ideally be suited to the wiimote’s capabilities. They were right. The game is even better on Wii and quite frankly one of the most stylized and freshest games of the decade. The moment when you revive a blossom tree and se the landscape come to life is one of my favourite moments in gaming.

Though it is a very high accolade to compare Okami to Zelda, this should be the case as Okami holds its own next to Nintendo’s masterpiece. In my opinion, this deserved to sell millions but gamers largely ignored it. If you have not played this then I urge you to try it, you will not be disappointed.

3. Sin & Punishment (N64/Wii)

This is really in this list for Europeans. The game never saw release in Europe during the N64 days and has only recently become available on the Wii Shop. No matter where you are from, this Treasure developed game is well worth hunting down if you have never played it.

There are fewer more intense and exciting games than this on N64 and on any Nintendo console for that matter! Though it hasn’t aged particularly well in the looks department it is still a joy to play and one hell of a hectic shooter.

It is what Treasure do best and why I cannot wait for the Wii sequel to arrive some time this year.

4. Chrono Trigger (SNES/DS)

Many gamers reading this may be too young to remember Square’s Chrono Trigger the first time round on the SNES, which is why it is in this list (also another game that never made European shores until this years DS version).

Classed by many as the best 2D RPG, Chrono Trigger is an absolute must play game if you are a fan of the genre. Even 14 years after its release the game shines with a fantastic storyline, a brilliant battle system and a beautiful soundtrack. Well worth hunting down on your DS or SNES.

5. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (Gamecube)

Gamecube exclusive – Eternal Darkness was a gripping psychological horror game from Ubisoft. Though there have been many scarier and better looking horror games before and after this, no game has managed to quite mess with your head so much as Eternal Darkness.

The whole game from beginning to end was a hugely enjoyable experience. Few people witnessed the sanity meter in this game playing with your mind such as reversing controls, the hallucinogenic graphical effects or the game controller pretending to have been disconnected.

Seeing as the Wii plays Gamecube games, there is little excuse not play this if you haven’t already. Also Ubisoft if you are reading this – can we have a sequel, please?!

6. Blast Corps (N64)

While most people were playing Goldeneye and Banjo Kazooie during Rare’s N64 days, many gamers seemed to miss another of the developers treasures – Blast Corps.

Blast Corps was a clever puzzle/action hybrid game where you controlled a bulldozer. It was a far cry from Goldeneye, Jet Force Gemini, Banjo and all other Rare games but the quality and great gameplay remained. It seems quite boring on paper but clearing a path for your truck to drive through was great fun!

7. Zack & Wiki: Quest For Barbaros Treasure (Wii)

Highly rated Zack & Wiki failed to attract consumers attention and sold very poorly for such a high quality title. It is full of original uses for the Wiimote’s controls and though it was released early in the consoles life-span, few games since have put the wiimote to such original use. The game itself looks good, is fun to play and is full of excellent puzzles.

Personally I think the name change to ‘Zack & Wiki’ put some people off but no-one should be put of trying this Capcom developed game, especially as it can be found so cheaply in bargain bins!

8. Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (Gamecube)

This is 2D platforming at its best. Nintendo opted for the use of the bongo peripheral on the Gamecube for the controls of this game. Players needed to bang the bongos and clap to make the Donkey Kong run and jump. To anybody that has never played this, that may sound very weird and not particularly appealing but in true Nintendo style, they pulled it off in style.

Donkey Kong: Jungle beat was a joy to play, even if it did make your arms hurt1 The graphics were vibrant and gorgeous to look at and it is still one of my favourite platformers to date. For some reason the masses largely ignored the title which is a huge shame Like Chibi-Robo! Nintendo are re-releasing the title on Wii with motion controls, but how this will fair up to the original remains to be seen. If you still have your Gamecube hunt this down with the bongos as it is a classic that screams to be played. It’s not the longest game in the world but the replay value of trying to beat your ‘banana count’ score will keep you coming back for more.

9. Beyond Good & Evil (Gamecube)

Another Ubisoft entry that was criminaly ignored by the masses and another Gamecube exclusive. Beyond Good & Evil was a good all round action adventure set in a strange world of humans, animals, robots and aliens.

The game creators invented a lovable cast and tasty looking world to explore, sewn together with a good storyline. The game also had novel features such as the lead characters ability to take photo’s during her adventure. It may not sound like much but this game’s total was more than the sum of its parts.

Hunt it down, it deserves your attention.

10. GTA: Chinatown Wars (DS)

This is a little borderline putting GTA: CW in this list. By any means the game has not ‘flopped’ and lots of handheld gamers have picked it up. However, many of the Playstation and Xbox GTA gamers seem to have shown little interest in the DS rendition as recent sales figures have shown.

GTA: CW holds its own very well with its fully-fledged 3D cousins on Xbox and Playstation. The sheer volume of content Rockstar have crammed in to the limited DS hardware is phenomenal. Nothing has been left out of Chinatown Wars. There is a full, vibrant, living city with so much to do it’s mind boggling. Everything you have come to expect from the series (and more) is here in the DS version. It looks great, plays great and is currently the highest rated DS game on metacritic.

Personally I found GTA: CW much more fun than GTA IV and every bit as good as any GTA game before it. It seems many people are missing out on this gem. If you own a DS, you should own this game, simple.

For more Nintendo news, views and speculation go to my website www.nin-ten-do.com



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