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Gaming - Winning Hearts the World Over

Be it teenagers or married men and women, gaming enjoys special attention from all age groups and both genders. However, each age group plays games for different reasons. Older people do it to alleviate loneliness and reduce stress, while teenagers have made it their only leisure, even an obsession. The availability of games for girls has also resulted in an increase in women's interest in games. It has been reported that 41% of all gamers are women and roughly 43% of all gamers are aged between 25 and 49. The data shows how everyone enjoys gaming, and it is not limited to some particular segment of the society.

Titles are now available online, to enjoy playing free of cost. This form of gaming has seen a surge in popularity in the last few years, as the only prerequisite is a good broadband internet connection. There are stored games too, that are played on consoles and computers, which have heavier graphics and more complexity that come at a high price and require internet only when playing in multi-player modes. People can choose between these two genres, and both remain equally popular to this date. There is a lot being done to facilitate advancements in this growing industry, with the result that the rise in popularity is unlikely to level off any time soon.

Gaming employs all the user's senses, as well as intelligence and strategic analysis skills and couple it with complex, very real graphics and colors to create a truly enjoyable experience for every gamer out there. With the incorporation of internet into many gaming titles, the multi-player gaming experience that was created attracted many users into a whole new world of gaming where they could compete with professional gamers present not just in their own city or country, but in all other parts of the world as well.

The ecosystem of online gaming has six segments:

- The subscriber
- The advertiser
- The gaming platform provider
- The broadband service provider
- The network service provider
- The content provider

Together, the revenue this ecosystem has been generating since 2000 has been in the billions, and the rise continues without any visible chances of coming down.

There is a downside to this greatly innovative industry's output too. While games stimulate the user's minds, excess gaming can grow on to become an addiction, disrupting everyday tasks like studying, work and may also put the housewives off their daily routine. It may also lead to obsession, neglect of duties, lying, depression and nervousness that can in turn bring about suicides, mental imbalances and destruction of careers and lives generally. It adversely affects each gamer's social life as well; outside their usual circle of gaming friends and competitors of course. Other physical effects that gaming can have, include carpal tunnel syndrome, dry eyes, sleeping disorders and general lack of personal hygiene.

The foreseeable future is undoubtedly very bright for the gaming industry, and can bring about great changes in how the world spends recreational and leisure time. However, if certain control measures are not observed, it can turn into a global epidemic due to the addicting effect that games these days have on youth and older people alike.

You may want to try Friv 4 School and also Yepi game. These are very popular games amongst kids as well as parents. (Article)


Angry Birds Has Taken Flight As The Number One Video Game on the Market Today

Every so often, a video game hits the market that appeals to every type of player, no matter their age, gender or favorite game genre. Angry Birds is one of those games. Since its release in December 2009, its Finland-based development company, Rovio Mobile, has sold over 13 million copies.

The game was originally created for the Apple iOS system, but has since been enhanced for compatibility with a good deal of other touchscreen smartphones. Personal computer and gaming console-friendly versions of Angry Birds are now available, too. Angry Birds is being hyped as the most addictive video game on the market - mainly due to its clever, amusing style and entertaining animation, along with the fact that it only costs about a dollar to download, maybe $3 for the HD version.

The premise for Angry Birds is fairly simple. It is a puzzle video game, and the objective is to destroy a bunch of villainous pigs by launching birds at them with a slingshot. Succeed in wiping out all of the pigs before exhausting your bird supply, and you can advance to the next level. Sound silly? It is - that's why it's flying off the virtual shelves with a current count of about 100 million downloads.

The objective gets a bit more harebrained, too: as lead player, you are in control of a flock of loopy-looking birds, each a different color, on a quest for golden eggs that have been stolen and hidden by the mischievous swine. Depending on its color, each bird possesses a superpower. For instance, blue birds can split themselves into three birds at once, yellow birds have bionic distance, black birds are self-combusting, and green birds can boomerang themselves.

When found, each golden egg reveals a special purpose. For instance, finding one particular golden egg can unlock a zany new game level, another can unleash a whole new slew of pigs, and another will present you with a physics-based riddle which you'll need to solve in order to advance any further in the game. Of course, if you reach a stalemate and just simply cannot find another golden egg, you can always take wing online where you'll find hundreds of tips, tricks, and cheats posted by fellow Angry Birds addicts. You can also take launch on an Angry Bird walkthrough, where you are navigated through different settings and levels, and shown where and how you can uncover each of the golden eggs.

The creation of Angry Birds is an interesting story. It was developed around the time that the swine flu epidemic was flooding the media - and that's why the game's villains are pigs. Since its inception, a second version has been released: "Angry Birds: Rio", as well as several holiday versions. There is also chatter about a possible movie or television-series based on Angry Birds!

Angry Birds is the latest runaway hit in the video game world. It offers gamers a much-needed, amusing diversion from everyday life - and the best part may be that it's so cheap-cheap!
Janice Bevilacqua (Article)


Online Gaming: Stuff You Must Know 

Old is gold, but there's new titles in there too!

There are countless different websites that offer you games to play online, free of cost (some may ask you to take a membership or register yourself for a nominal amount). Flash-based games are the best in this class. Many genres are available for playing, even the old video games that many have grown up playing. In addition to these, there are a selection of new titles, millions of them in each genre, that one can choose from and play during break time.

Where it all started

I hope you remember the first ever video game that was all the rage some decades ago: known as pong, it came installed in a big black box that got plugged into your television and was played using joysticks. It was a simple Ping Pong game, but being the first in class, it gathered a huge audience. If you feel nostalgic now, you can go and check out the flash alternatives available these days on the internet, and enjoy the same level of game play on your computer. It really is worth it!

Good old Atari and Nintendo

Flash has enabled developers to recreate all the Nintendo and Atari titles, and made them eternal. In case your old consoles have been wrecked or lay buried in an inch of dust in some distant cupboard, you no longer need to worry. Hit the internet; that's all you need to do. There are so many online gaming portals that one cannot cover all of them ever. There's a lot to choose from, including all of these titles that the older generation grew up playing. The flash alternatives created for online playing revive exactly the same experience for gamers across the world. Some such titles include Frogger, Space Invaders, PAC-MAN and of course, Super Mario Brothers. These titles are evergreen; one doesn't get bored playing them. So go ahead and look for your favorite titles, and get to playing!

Thousands of Newer Games Are Available Too!

In addition to the revival of old titles, game developers have made it their business to create new titles, literally by the millions, on each portal available online. One has many titles to choose from; Defend Castle, Pillage Village, Ballroom Bomber, Guitar Hero being some popular ones.

There are many genres to choose from. Ranging from cooking to motor cars, action, war and even sports can be played online. There are strategic games that make you go through certain missions, first-person shooters, and many more. With the vastness of the World Wide Web, the opportunities and implemented ideas have become endless.

Is your kid a fan of the great Hulk? If yes, you might want him/her to play Hulk game and also Cartoon Network Game.  (Article)

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