Friday 30 March 2007

Online Games

Ever since the advent of broadband internet, online gaming has become very popular. No matter how good the Artificial Intelligence (AI) of a game is, it can never match up to a human mind. Thus online gaming has become the ultimate arena for gamers around the world. It has become an arena where modern day gladiators learn the tricks of the trade and master their skills.

Online gaming really took off when broadband internet became a reality for most people. This allowed smooth gameplay, without any lag, i.e. delay in time between your input and its actual in-game effect. But this was only half the reason for spectacular success of online gaming. The other half was good, even addictive.

A game like Half-Life: Counterstrike was revolutionary when it came to online multi-player games. It helped popularize the very idea of competing against a human player over the internet. Many updates and a sequel later, Counterstrike (or CS as it is called) remains among the most popular online games today.

Although virtually every game today comes with the option of online play, very few have been able to make an impact on the gaming world. One such game however is Battlefield. Battlefield became the second generation of online games. Games up until then had pitted a maximum of 10-15 players against each other in simple weapon-based combat. Battlefield up the ante and increased the number of players per map to hundreds.

Further, it added ground and air vehicles that could be used by the players. This gave it the feel of a real war, making it an instant hit with gamers around the world. Today Battlefield, along with its sequels, is arguably the most popular online game in the world. Looking at the future, it would seem that MMORPGs are the going to be the trendsetters. Already gaining popularity all over the world, games like World Of Warcraft are enticing more and more people everyday. India too is not far behind, with Ragnarok being offered to desi gamers.

They say that the internet has something for everyone, and this certainly holds true for games as well. So if you are just a casual gamer who enjoys simple, easy to understand and use games then the internet has plenty to offer. Simple, usually flash-based and supremely addictive, these are games for the masses. Whether you’re at the office getting bored or at home with nothing better to do, they’re the best way to pass time and have fun doing it. From the classics (chess, checkers, mah-jongg, sudoku) to the sporty (stick cricket, BMX star, Kingpin Bowling) to the absolutely ludicrous (Kill Harry potter, Punch the President, Stop Cockroach Chris, Parking Perfection) any and every type of game can be found online. Once you’ve had a taste of these, you’ll keep coming back for more! http://mousebreaker.com/ and http://iam-bored.com are two great sites for such games.

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