Going Broke Playing Games

Video Games

Going Broke Playing Video Games

You Don’t Have To And Here’s How

If you haven’t looked at the cost of new computer or video games and gaming systems as a whole recently, you might be in for a shock. Today’s games and gaming systems can run from a meager $30 all the way to a whopping four hundred dollars or more. To a loving mother of a game obsessed teenager, the costs can be astronomical and nothing short of frightening. Fortunately the cost of buying quality computer or video games (including the systems that they run on) can be significantly reduced once you know what to do and where to look.

One alternative to funding a gaming pursuit with a second mortgage is to “go old.” By “going old,” we mean buying last month’s or year’s games and game systems. If you could admit the one truth that we all know, but never readily face, you could literally save hundreds of dollars in an instant. This truth is that unless you’re a millionaire, none of us can afford to buy the latest toy on the market. The ugly fact behind that truth is that within a relatively short amount of time (say, 60-90 days?), that latest toy will be replaced with a new and improved system, which consequently, grants access to what was wanted in the first place – at half the price! So go old and have a little patience. Within about three to four months, you will have made a tremendous saving.

Education Opportunities in Video Games

Video Games

Education Opportunities in Video Games

There’s Lessons in Them Thar Games!

Who would have ever thought that video games  – a form of entertainment – could improve the minds of those that play them! The truth is that amid all the cool graphics, the fantastic music, and the intriguing plots, educational opportunities are abound – and to find them, one only needs to look at them a little closer.

What Makes A Great Game

Video Games

what makes a great game

What Makes A Great Game: A Gentle Reminder for Programmers

It’s easy to get lost in all the details of building a great video or computer game – so easy in fact, that we can forget the parts of a game that make them fun to play. The following serves as a gentle reminder of what prompts players to play games in the first place. Refer to this reminder in the event that you get bogged down or distracted with confusing C++ syntax, or lines and lines of Visual Basic statements and DLL structures.

1. Remember the player is the main character. Here’s a secret between you and me: People play games to gain a sense of control. If you can manage to program your game in a way that puts the player in control, then you’ve already won half the battle. This doesn’t mean to suggest that the game should be easy. It simply means that when a gamer runs home from school or drives home from work to play a video game, she wants to feel the control that she didn’t have during the hours between nine and five. The outcome of a game – whether it’s a win or a loss – should never be random, but the result of a good, controlled game play instead.

Online Games The Evolution

Video Games

online games

The late 1970′s saw the start of video game craze with more and more households getting computer savvy. As a natural corollary, people started writing their own games for the home computers. These programming hobbyists traded and sold these home-grown games in local markets.

Other changes in the 1970′s were home gaming consoles which used game cartridges. That meant the people could collect games cartridges for one base unit instead of having bulky game console systems.

Noob PC Gamer Starter Kit

Video Games

Noob PC Gamer Starter Kit

Recently a colleague/friend was generous enough to donate his superb custom desktop PC gaming machine to me after many discussion on how my quirky MacBook Pro couldn’t handle intensive graphical games such as Assassin’s Creed. What do you expect for a 4-year-old MacBook? Is what I would say.

When I finally setup the super machine, I felt like a kid in a candy store on Steam and GOG. I felt like buying everything and anything not concerning myself with reviews/metacritic scores.

After further discussions with colleague/friend, he explained to me that your time is short when comes to play video games. Ain’t that the truth when you’ve got to concern yourself things like work. So he compiled a list of video games that I should play before I die (not necessarily in order).

The two lists are divided mostly by graphical fidelity. older 8/16 bit graphic games are relegated by default to the second list. It’s not a question of whether they are good games, but just that to “get into” them is a bit harder since the graphics are no longer immerse by today’s standards.