How To Boost The Performance Of Your PC To Play Video Games

Many people these days use their computers for a variety of things, not just work or research but for fun as well. You know that you like to play computer games, but if you are going to play them you should consider getting the accessories to make your gaming experience better and increase the performance of your game playing.

Most of the games that you play will be much easier to play with a joystick. If you are serious at all about optimizing your game playing you need to go for a good one here. There joysticks available that will include up to eight programmable buttons and will also include gaming software that will even allow you to program it to particular games. Get one that is easily plugged in, via USB preferably and one that allows for multiple adjustments.

If you are playing games on your computer a good mouse is not optional, choose a wireless optical mouse to get the best performance. Having an optical mouse will help give you an edge over those who don't have one. Again one that hooks up via USB is preferable, but be aware that since these types use batteries they will need to be replaced frequently.

Some of the console games will require a gamepad and many of those you get for your computer will be set up identical to the ones for the console game players. Make sure it fits well in your hands, look for a USB connection and take the time to play with them in the store if you can to get a feel for which one you like the best.

A high quality speaker system with at least two speakers and a subwoofer are a must have for gaming. I am not saying you have to buy the most expensive set of speakers you can find, but you need quality to be able to get the most out of the gaming experience. The difference in the sound between average speakers that come with a computer and a set of more high performance gaming oriented speakers is night and day.

You may also want to include a headset, especially if you are playing late at night and are sharing your home with someone, or you still live at home. With a headset you can play all night and no one will know, until they try to wake you in the morning!

You must have lots of RAM. That's short for random access memory of course, and if you have any intention of playing games with intense graphics, and I know you do, then don't cut yourself short here. This is a simple fact, more RAM is better period.

FPS First Person Shooter Games

Among the biggest sellers in online PC games are FPS, or First Person Shooter, games.

Kids love 'em. So do most Dads.

Many moms think the level of violence is too high and too graphic, so Dad and the kids play them when she is not looking.

FPS games are centered on you, the player, from your point of view. Armed with various handheld weapons, you might be called on to thwart the invasion of Earth by aliens or to stop a Nazi advance in WWII. As a player, you interact directly with the game environment from your own perspective.

FPS games evolved in the late 1990s as PCs became powerful enough to render the 3D graphics in real time. These are way beyond the arcade shooters from Space Invaders on up.

Several sub-genres of FPS have distinguished themselves:

* tactical - most have a military motif

* stealth - avoiding detection by opponents is a major element

* run and gun - among the most popular with multiple enemies and fast-paced action

* real-time strategy (RTS) - able to give commands to other units and control the strategy

* first person adventure (FPA) - free roaming adventure which takes one to the edge, like the controversial series Grand Theft Auto

Most FPS games take graphics to a new level of realism while exaggerating the attributes of the player. You now likely have muscles and strength that make Arnold look like a girlie-man.

Kids and adults alike love the frantic blasting of enemies within the context of heroic storylines.

While FPS games are demanding on your reflexes, they are also demanding on your PC. You will definitely have a need for speed, as well as a good graphics card and a decent set of speakers. The demands of gamers have pushed the PC industry to make better desktop computers for all.

The next big shift - with broadband Internet service now in millions of homes worldwide - will be the delivery of the latest FPS game to your PC via streaming download instead of CD. As more gamers accept online streaming delivery of the game itself, costs should come down over time as the game developers turn to online delivery and bypass the CD/DVD publishers and retailers in the supply chain.

For the game developers, online delivery of FPS games represents an opportunity to open up a new market of gamers who would be willing to try FPS online, but who never visit EB Games, the Electronics Boutique, or other game retailers in the mall.

For those who want to try/demo any number of FPS games, I recommend the Triton player. This streaming download allows you to begin play well before the entire download is completed. You can even demo recent releases like Prey from 3D Realms.

5 Big Advantages of PC Games on Demand

Not to knock PlayStation 2 or Xbox 360, but I have a decent PC. The consoles are okay for the kids, but I am happy with a keyboard and mouse.

I play online games to relax between work sessions on the computer. I don't want to get up from the machine to play. Thankfully, there are games on demand made for my PC.

Here are some of the reasons PC games on demand are going to change the way most of us play the latest video and audio intensive games:

1. Instant Gratification. I can demo the latest games to see what appeals to me. When I find a winner, I can purchase on the spot and download the entire game instantly. No waiting. No trips to the mall to find the game I want - if they have it in stock.

2. New technology takes care of the install. Some PC games can be a bear to install from a CD or DVD. Why bother. I downloaded a fast free player from Triton, and I am using the latest streaming technology to start playing the hottest games on the net.

3. I can begin playing full games within minutes of purchase. Triton's player will download and install your new game in the background using the fastest streaming delivery media available today. You don't have to wait for the entire game to download before you begin play.

4. Automatic updates. When you login to your game, Triton automatically makes sure you have the latest and greatest version of your game and player. No more searching the Internet for updates. You get yours automatically in the background.

5. Worldwide availability. No matter where you live in the world, if you have a good PC and a broadband Internet connection, you have access to the best games at the same time as anyone else. It doesn't matter if your local computer store carries the game you want or if they sold out before you went to buy. You are in control.

As PCs get more powerful, and broadband becomes the international standard for accessing the Internet, it only makes sense to move to a faster, more economical delivery method for cutting edge games.

How to Make A Game

Have you ever dreamed about making your own game? Whether it be a simple game or a complex strategy game that requires a lot of skill, making your own game can be a very fun and challenging task. The games that have been developed today in large companies are coded by skilled programmers that work continously on specific requirements for each step in the game. Making games can be as simple as the most famous pong game where you hit a ball back and forth, or it can involve many graphics and levels of hard work to develop.

There are many different games that you can make on your own. Here are some popular categories of games that are being developed by individuals such as yourself.

1. Flash games
2. Computer games
3. Board games
4. 3d games
5. Word games

These are just a few of the popular games that are being developed. Many think that a college or even masters degree is required to create a game. This is actually not true as all you need is a simple manual or guide to walk you through on how to create your own game. Generally all you will need to code your games in at first is notepad. This is where you will create your own game code from scratch. Many programmers that develop games for big companies will make their games in notepad, but have templates setup where they copy much of the existing code from other games they have developed and just tweak what they need. Making games can be very simple if you have the necessary tools and instructions on how to do so. The rewards in making your own game can be beneficial and lead into a career advancement or placement into a large company. Otherwise you can always make games for fun and have friends and relatives play them and you can get the satisfaction of having known you created the game from scratch.

A Guide to Free Games on the Internet

When you sit down and think about it, no other invention has impacted our lives more than the internet. You can make money fast (and spend it just as quickly); you can keep in contact with old friends, and make plenty of new acquaintances; you can check the weather on the other side of the globe, and download free games right into your living room- all while never leaving the comfort of your own home.

How many times have you surfed the internet looking for a decent gaming site and found one that offered free games for you to play, either with a free trial to that new release that you’ve been dying to check out, or a favorite “oldie but goodie” that you can download or play instantly online. Everything is going along perfectly until…Pop-ups, banners and other truly annoying tidbits start ruining your fun and destroying your computer. Now you have to remove everything you’ve downloaded, with the highest of hopes that these annoyances leave along with them.

The truly best means to avoid these frustrations is to steer clear of them from the very beginning. Finding a trustworthy, free game site online that doesn’t allow such nuisances (typically a form of advertising-for the site to make money) can be a difficult, time consuming task, for there are very few sites that will give you a good experience. That’s why we’re here- to cut through the chaos for you.

First, just as mentioned above, you won’t want to access free online games through a site that allows advertising to include such annoying pop-ups, banners, spy-ware, etc. A legitimate site will make such warnings to would be advertisers with some sort of “intolerance policy”. They will also not have such advertisements on their site.

Next, a reputable game site will have a means in which they legitimately make money. Maybe they sell software and/or game consoles, or they might just have a separate, legitimate business, operating the gaming site because they simply love to play.

Thirdly, look for help options on the free gaming website of choice, both for downloading and removing games. What good would help for downloading do you if you were trying to remove a program? Clear, concise topics that lead to a direct web page (not keeping you running around in circles) will help keep the nasties out of your computer, too.

If, after checking for all of the above, you are still unsure or feel uneasy about the situation, by all means, don’t download anything into your system. While little can be done to harm your system while playing a free game online, losing your entire hard-drive to such an avoidable item is preposterous.

Top 5 Time Pressed Games

Are you pressed for time? Are you too busy to really sit down and play Halo 3, but you've got some downtime and want something small, quick, and fun to pass the time? These time pressed games might just fit your needs!

* Popcap Games

o Admittedly Popcap Games is actually an entire company, but almost every game they publish is perfect for the geek on the go. Everything -- from Dynomite, Zuma, and Bookworm to Bejeweled, Chuzzle, and Alchemy -- is easy to pick up and play, plus they offer free games to play on their website.

* Trivia Machine

o If you like Trivial Pursuit then you'll love Trivia Machine. You get three levels of questions, which have a random topic, and you need to answer these questions correctly in the allotted time. It's fast, simple, and fun. I can only get to level 3, how far can you make it?

* Funky Truck Arizona

o Sometimes a game comes out that's so simple its fun. Funky Truck Arizona is a simple game of balance: you drive a truck through some rough terrain and you don't want to flip over. A simple concept, but once you start playing you'll be amazed at how engaging this game can be.

* Battle Pong

o While it has been around for a while, Battle Pong continues to be one of the best games to play when you only have a few minutes to spare. Battle Pong is pong, but with weapons at your disposal. Simply smack the ball into the side of the walls and you'll get access to a random power-up, which you can then use to defeat your computer opponent. A quick, game, but far from easy, as the computer has access to the same weapons you do, so be careful.

* Blueprint

o Taking its roots from the Sierra On-Line's Incredible Machine, Blueprint gives players a mental challenge: how to get Ball A to Point B using only these few tools. It's difficult, if not downright frustrating to finish some of the puzzles in the time allowed, but if you're just looking for a game you can start playing and go, then Blueprint is for you.

While we only looked at 4 games (and one development company) everything listed will provide you with either endless hours of entertainment, or help you pass 5 minutes of downtime. These simple, easy to learn, easy to play (but difficult to master) games are just the cure for your Monday (or Tuesday) blues.

Game Design And Development

Game development is used to describe the process by which a game is produced. It is usually used to refer to the development of computer and video games, and varies according to the company and project.

Game development involves game designing, sound designing, music composition and writing. To enter the world of game development, one has to have serious communication, theatrical and imaginative skills. Some companies also require a BS in Computer Science. Artistic experience is required for game development, as computer games have color and resolution restrictions. So if you have skills in this area, you can easily get a job. Most companies ask for a portfolio of your work. However, don’t try sending this electronically, as most companies respond better to snail mail than e-mail.

Writers are hired by contract, and have to write scripts, character dialogue and ‘online helps’ for the game. The software developer need not always have a BS in Computer Science. This is because companies usually look at your samples in your portfolio, before hiring you. If you don’t plan on working full-time in a company, consider part-time work. Whatever the case may be, you need resources to work. Get good books on programming, a compiler and game development books. Programmers should have knowledge of C++ and Java.

If you plan to become an artist in game development, then take art classes with a good paint program and a 3-D modeling program. Those with writing skills should vie for writing positions in game development. Create some sample scripts with story lines to succeed in game development! Game developers should also have some experience laying out levels. Note the structure of levels and environments in the top-selling games. Take theater, communication and computer science classes to get a good job. Once you enter the game industry, you’ll find this field is always changing, very addictive and as challenging as it is rewarding.