Finding Friends by Playing Online Games

There are tens of thousands of websites offering free online games for those who want to have some fun online or find friends online. Don't believe me? Make a simple search through your favorite search engine and you'll see the vast amount of websites offering free online games. Finding friends through online games is easy and simple because you get to understand each other while playing games and connect with each other through the website's chat or communicate function available right there in the website.

Although not all online games website requires you to sign up in order to play their online games, some websites do require a simple sign-up. The information that you input into the online games website will become your member's profile. Other members will be able to view your profile. Your likes, dislikes, favorite games, favorite movies, location (not address, please. Never enter your complete address online, anywhere), and personal characteristics will help you find friends through online games.

Engaged in a competitive battle with each other, you are in a better position to gauge the kind of person that your opponent is, for instance, is he/she an aggressive person? Is he/she a strategically-minded person who is capable of planning everything from scratch? What is his/her favorite character and how does he/she use that online game character to his/her benefit?

The reason why finding friends through online games is easy is because there are forums and chat rooms that online game fans can use to connect, share tips, communicate, make alliance, and chat with online. They share a common interest, a common goal...and the online games that they like become the foundation for their friendship. Not only do they battle it out playing online games but they essentially turn into friends after chatting and communicating with each other.

It's also safer finding friends through online games. Because the common interest is online games, basically, they just want to have some fun online and not lurk around endangering the lives of others. Although we should still be careful about revealing too much of ourselves online, we generally feel safer when we make friends through online games.

You not only make new friends through online games, you can also connect with and play online games with your friends without having to visit an internet café. Even if your friends have gone to college or are working elsewhere in the world, you can still log on at the same time and enjoy a couple of hours of fun, unbridled fun through online games.

Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of [http://www.toy-fun.net] on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

Online Games - Can We Make Money Playing Them?

When we refer to online games we are normally referring to video type games that we play on a computer via the internet. Some video games are played over the internet using mobile phones and video consoles, but generally speaking online games means computer games that need an internet connection to be played. Simple text-based multiplayer games were the first of these types of games as internet connections were slow and expensive when these games were first introduced in the 1980s. Gradually these games became popular in the 1990s, with today's online games featuring virtual communities, realistic graphics and multiplayer games where people can even play one to one or in knock out tournaments for cash prizes. We all know that the internet is the fastest growing market place in the history of the world but did you know that there is an online games sector that is growing 4 times faster than the internet overall! Yes! and it's the "Online Skill Games" market.

There are many styles of Online Games

Some of the different types of online games that exist:

1. Real time strategy games: This type of game is all about strategy where, for your army to fight successfully against the other internet players you need to develop a game plan by building lots of resources

2. First person shooter: Here the players compete with each other one to one. In most first-person type games, the online game allows the death match or arena style of play. In this style of game play the view you see is the one seen from your character's eyes.

3. Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG): In this type of game each person has to keep trying to reach the next highest level until he has reached the top one written for that game and these online games can have, simultaneously, thousands of players from every part of the globe, playing in a giant virtual world interacting against or with each other. Gamers can keep playing these types of games for months or even years!

4. Browser type games: These are pastime games that are quick, simple and small that are played in your browser. The popular Java and Shockwave technologies are used to develop these games.

5. Online skill games: An online skill based game is a web game played in tournament format or one to one. Each player pays a cash entry fee to play with a cash or merchandise prize going to the winner or winners. The outcome of each competition is based on the player's ability and performance not luck.

How Do Online Game Companies Make Money

All games today, are playable online. How do we make money? This is the question that companies making the online games have to ask themselves. The majority of companies make single-player games that are played at home and in this the player has to beat the artificial intelligence of the enemy. Today these games normally include an online multiplayer version which can be played against or with other Internet players. By selling their game DVD/CDs is how these companies earn their profit e.g. Warcraft 3 and Counter Strike. Advertising and promotions is how browser game companies make their money. MMORPG companies generally charge their players a monthly fee and continue to add content by programming new scenarios etc in their games e.g. Everquest 2 and World of Warcraft. Some don't, but survive because their DVD/CD sales are high e.g. Guild Wars.

What is the future of online games?

Soon there will be a new entry into the online skill games market. According to their Free Online Games Market Report they will be the first company with their new online skill games platform, to launch a business that encapsulates three of the newest phenomena on the internet today. Online Games Entertainment, Social Networking using web 2.0 and a new way of marketing which has been described as Social Marketing 2.0. One of the core differences with this new platform over the conventional models is that we the players can if we want share in the profits while we play our games. With the market today (2007) worth approximately $5.2 billion USD and predicted to rise in the next 3 years to over $13 billion USD that's $412 per second and with social networking sites already reaching 45% of web users and the 4 major Instant Messengers having more than 400 million users between them this potentially could be a whole lot of money.

Ian Woods

To read the Free Online Skill Games Market Report mentioned in the article above you can view or download it from [http://www.uVmeGamesMaster.com]

Advantages of Playing Online Games

The disadvantages of the internet in general and online gaming in particular are known to everyone. However, when it comes to development and improvement of thinking abilities, it turns out that playing online games has many benefits.

We all know that playing computer and online games is fun. Therefore, we cannot take our eyes off our PC screens even if the phone is ringing, our favorite TV show is about to begin or our dinner is burned on the stove.

All of us have already heard bad things about this amusing pastime. We all know that online games are addictive; they can cause you and your children to spend valuable time in front of the computer on the expense of work, school and family obligations. Playing video and internet games on a regular basis can isolate you from human companionships, distort your sense of reality, shorten your sight, damage your back and basically mess up your life.

Let's put it this way: if you or someone you know is doing nothing but playing online games, it is something to worry about. However, most online gamers tend to adopt a less radical approach towards their habit. Then, when talking about milder cases of addiction, online gaming is less harmful habit than watching Dr. Phil, for example.

Actually, the habit of playing online games has many advantages that the habit watching bad TV is lacking. Recent research has shown that playing puzzle and word games decreases the risk of Alzheimer disease while watching daytime television increases the risk.

Many other researches have proved the positive effect of playing online games on the youngsters' mind. Word, puzzle and trivia games enriches the children's speech; classic computer games such as Tetris benefits the kids' ability to focus, analyze shapes, think and plan ahead; board games like backgammon and chess can help in the area of thinking skill and so on.

While watching TV is completely passive, you are required to do nothing but stare, overhear and open bags of chips, playing computer games, still not an Olympic sport, require you more often to recall that grey substance inside your head.

Additionally, playing online games is less solitary act than most people think. First, many types of games, including shooting games, sports games, backgammon, billiard and chess, are two or multi player games in which players can compete against each other. Additionally, most gaming sites add several features that encourage interaction between gamers including forums, chats, multiplayer games and tournaments, etc.

The bottom line is that online gaming, if taken in a reasonable dosage, is the opposite of harmful. Thanks to many of the online games advantages and their contribution to thinking skill development, parents can allow their children to play them, and play them themselves.

Saul Rivers is a new media expert who covers the online gaming industry and related topics. Rivers contributes articles to various skill gaming websites including online billiard, chess and backgammon sites such as [http://www.play65.com] for example.

Playing Online Games

The Internet has changed the way we do many things, it's even changed how we play Computer Games. There are several different types of Online Games:

Java/Flash Internet based Games.
Text based Games.
Online Multiplayer Games.

The Java or Flash based Internet Games are quite popular, and there are a number of Sites, such as http://www.miniclip.com providing Games for Free. Most people only want to play on a Game once, so they could not justify buying it.

There are hundreds of Games to choose from, and you can even play some of the classic 80's Arcade favourites! If you Register for a "my Google" Page, you can even add Pacman, ah Pacman! Just remember not to waste too long playing the Games - Pacman is extremely addictive.

When playing Online Games, you need to Download the correct plug-in for your browser, and because they have a lot of Graphics. If your Internet connection is slow, then it will probably take a long time to load. These Games are normally quite simple, and most are Single Player Games only.

Text based Games are much more simple, than the Java Games, and these are Games, that can be played in Chat rooms or Forums. These can be Role Play Games, which were extremely popular.

Online Multiplayer Games are the very popular Games, that you can buy in your PC stores, that allow you to compete with other people. If you wanted to play against someone before the Internet was so popular, you had to invite your friend over and play with a split screen. On some Games it was possible to have two players competing over a Network, which was quite popular.

Thanks to the Internet, now there's no need to leave your own home, you just connect to the Internet, and you can play your Game against anybody that you want.

We know what you're thinking, how are you going to find people to play with? No, of course it does not matter, you don't know anybody in Zanzibar! You could possibly find someone to play with from there anyway, although we don't know where it is.

You connect, or rather the Game connects to a server. The other players will also connect to this server, and so it is very easy for you to find people to play against. Wherever you are in the World, at whatever time it is, you're bound to find somebody to play against! That's the beauty of the Internet, it's Worldwide. If you just can't sleep, then you can still battle against someone, and it will be a decent hour in somebody's time zone!

Quake, Counter Strike, WarCraft, and Half Life, are the biggest titles in the Online Multiplayer Game market. A number of the instant messaging clients also come bundled with their own (all be it basic) Games, that you can play with your friends. These are quite interesting, as it's very easy to quickly play a Game with somebody, that you're currently talking to.

If you want to play Games to make money, then the Internet can still help you! There are a number of Online Gambling Sites, which could suit your needs.

About The Author

Morten Hansen has been working with the Online Games area for several years and is mainly writing about subjects, that make it easier to play Online Games. For more details about different Online Games visit our website www.Online-Games4you.com [http://www.online-games4you.com]