DiGRA 2009 - Breaking New Ground: Innovation in Games, Play, Practice and Theory

Brunel University, West London, United Kingdom, Tuesday 1st September
-- Friday 4th September 2009
The South of Britain Consortium are pleased to announce the Call for
Papers for the Digital Games Research Association 2009. DiGRA is an
organisation that embraces all aspects of game studies, and the
conference aims to provide a diverse platform for discussion, and a
lively forum for debate. We therefore welcome papers from any
discipline focused on any aspect of games, play, game culture and the
games industry. The conference will be the fourth DiGRA conference,
following Utrecht, Vancouver and Tokyo, and welcomes contributions
from scholars working in any area of interest to the association. The
official business of the Subject Association will also be conducted
at the conference.
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW DATES FOR SUBMISSION AND DEADLINE FOR
REGISTRATION FOR GUARANTEED ON-CAMPUS ACCOMODATION
The Conference invites the following proposals for consideration
Individual or Collaborative Papers Panels Workshops Posters
Initial selection will be through the peer review of both full papers
and abstracts of 500-700 words in all categories. Selection of
presentations will be proportionate to the submissions received, and
no distinction will be made between papers selected from abstract or
full paper review. Panel and Workshop proposals should include
abstracts for the contributions of all participants.
Individual or collaborative papers - addressing topics relevant to
the wide remit of DiGRA (including therefore industry, education,
political, social, theoretical concerns appropriate to the
association). Presentations should be limited to 15-20 mins.
Panel proposals - 3 - 4 papers which address a common theme, a common
research method, a shared conceptual issue etc.
Workshops - proposals are invited for 2 - 3 hour workshops that
address a range of themes relevant to the aims of the association.
Workshops that are particularly targeted at a wide audience are most
welcome.
Poster sessions - presentations of work in progress in the format are
most welcome and will be showcased throughout the event.
The conference committee are also interested in including featured
symposia/colloquia to address particular 'late-breaking' research
projects or issue-based topics (an example might be a colloquia based
around Wii research or a symposium based around Women in Games.
Please contact a member of the conference organising committee with
any expressions of interest.
Graduate student participation
In order to support graduate students and early career researchers
the conference will focus on graduate student issues on its opening
day, 1st September 2009. The conference organizers seek appropriate
mentors to work with those addressing common themes/topics/issues in
graduate roundtables.
Strands
Please also indicate your preference for consideration in one of the
following broad strands:
Games Culture
Games and Commerce
Games Aesthetics
Games Education
Games Design
Games and Theory
Key Dates
Deadline for all submissions for presentation at the conference
(includes full papers, abstracts and workshop/panel/symposia
proposals): Friday 6 March 5pm GMT
Deadline for full papers for inclusion in digital proceedings: Friday
26 June 2009 5pm GMT
Notification of acceptance: June 1 2009
Deadline for booking on-campus accommodation June 30 2009
Conference Dates: 1-4th September 2009
Abstracts should be of 500-700 words and include an indicative
bibliography. Full paper submissions may be of up to 6,000 words, not
including bibliography. Full details of the submissions procedure,
including the method of electronic submission, will be published here
and on other forums as soon as possible.
All contributions must be original, unpublished work. The conference
language is English, and papers, abstracts and other proposals should
be written in English.
Delegates are also advised that individuals will be limited to one
paper presentation and one other form of presentation to allow space
and time for the largest number of participants.
Templates and guidelines are available here: http://digra2009.newport.ac.uk
About the Conference Location
Brunel University is located conveniently near Heathrow Airport and
is on the London Tube system. A range of affordable accommodation is
available on campus, including 1500 en suite rooms all on one campus,
400 standard bedrooms, 8 holiday flats (5-7 persons per flat), 51
specially adapted rooms for people with disabilities, plus hotel
standard rooms in the Lancaster Suite. The Brunel Conference Centre
boasts 22 theatres, 29 classrooms and 5 seminar rooms all presented
to the highest standard. The following are also available: Free car
parking (on application); Full office support for photocopying,
faxing, internet and word processing (on application); Comprehensive
range of audio visual and media services; Mini market; Pharmacy;
Banking facilities; Reference library; Sports Facilities; Fitness
Suite; Medical centre; 24 hour security; Self service cafeteria;
Licensed bars and cafes. There are also a range of restaurants,
cinemas and shopping in Uxbridge town.
Local attractions
Historic Windsor & Eton -Windsor Castle, Legoland and shopping are
just 20 minutes drive away London - Central London and West End are
easily accessed by bus or Underground. Historic Oxford is a 40 minute
bus ride away.
The Conference Organisers
The conference is being hosted by a consortium consisting of Brunel
University, University of the West of England, and the University of
Wales, Newport.
Tanya Krzywinska, Professor of Screen Media, Brunel University.
Tanya.Krzywin...@brunel.ac.uk
Helen Kennedy, Chair of the Play Research Group, University of the
West of England. helen.kenn...@uwe.ac.uk
Barry Atkins, University of Wales Reader in Computer Games Design,
University of Wales, Newport. barry.atk...@newport.ac.uk
Conference Website
http://digra2009.newport.ac.uk

Amazing Free Games on the Internet

The enormous enthusiasms that online free games offers are simply enjoyable. If you still don't be familiar with where to get these types of free games you can simply search them through the choice of search engines on the online. There are really very few free games on football on the web. All that is necessary is your creativity and staying power in installing and then playing them. Few websites these days are riding the free games for every age group in order to promote from the sport as it is the most well-liked sport activity in the whole planet.

The various free games online are simply amazing. They can endow with real amusement and make you feel like you are the one in performance the authentic real game. As the newest hi-tech advancements defeat the humankind, these free games online just continue receiving better. While playing the free games on your personal computer you can not help but shout and be passed away by the features that it offers. There are generally many kinds of free games available online. The free games that belong to the first class are those which can be downloaded from the web while those that belong to the second group are those that necessitate you to sign up. This nevertheless is not a source for concern as the online free games that can be downloading easily on the pocket.

The only disadvantage of these downloadable free games online is that they may have viruses with them. The best resolution for this is to explore on the most trusted websites or providers. Games are played by people of all age and not just kids and are nowadays it becomes a conventional activity, just like music and films. Free games are played by individuals of all ages, so it is possible that either you, a member of your family, some of your friends, or your work colleagues, play internet games recurrently. If you require inspiring to play but you're short on cash, there are quite a few free gaming online features to select from the web.

Are Free Games Delivers the Same Adventures as Online Paid Video Games????

Free games give you an opportunity to play a onlinegame through the massive cyber world. You are enjoying a fun experience without paying any cash for it. Nowadays, it is very rare to get anything for free like games. Video games also cost a lot of money, so any option to have a free gaming online experience should be taken sincerely. It is also very easy to play these free games online. Jeopardize free games have been modified for the arcades by becoming a bit simpler. You are fundamentally just playing what would normally be one chapter of full adventure free games. The good thing is that you will get your story and can be terminate without a major time limitations. These are all prime advantageous for playing free games online though.

There are some things that are truly special for the fashion of an online gaming adventure. The important thing is the simple fact that the style of online gaming has suffered overwhelmingly over the last few years. There are generally one or two good adventure free games released each year. True adventure free games fans will have a lot of time to engage in. You also have the power to shift so abruptly between the adventures free games in the web. Genuinely, you would be shocked by the huge variety of free games that are on the online market. People have developed games around every possible age and setting. They've had much more independence when playing free games. The last possession is that most of the free games online are pretty good. They really aren't too complex to make nowadays so any computer educated person can generally manage to piece one together. It will definitely include plenty of additional things to enjoy your gaming like jokes and references that will give you a good chuckle. Put this together with a solid free gaming experience and you should have a lot of fun.

Online gamers have had to adapt their play fashion to the changing times. One can select to bend with the current or to stand firm and be broken. The best style to work with the inescapable dull moments of the market is to move towards the online free games and its great adventure offerings. There are many free games online which are just as much fun and play you all you need to know the instructions properly. I know the technique to adapt free online games, and I know a great many more games that do the same thing. You will find yourself having so much playful that you will amazement where the time has gone.

How Can I Download Free Games for Psp???

If you are looking for a place to download free games for PSP, you definitely will find many sites on the internet that allow you to do so. You probably realize that beside the risks, you also have to think about the time you spend to look for those sites.

I found some sites that say they are giving unlimited access to people to download free games for their PSP. In fact they have to pay to register to the sites. They do not have to pay a lot of money though, they only need to pay less than $5 for registering.
I did pay to register, guess what?

There are a lot of contents. They vary from movies, TV shows, software, games, and so on. But all the contents are mixed. I found very little games for PSP in the site.
Surprisingly, after downloading one game, It went well.
I later realized that my computer had been infected by spyware and viruses, fortunately I had yet transferred the files into my PSP.

Filling our PSP with games that we buy in the retail store is not the way out if we want to save more money.
So I decided to search for a legal website and still I can save download free games for PSP.

I am glad that I found some websites that provide all the contents for PSP. The websites (PSP download site) give me access to more than 20 million files including software, movies, music, and games.
Unfortunately, it is not free, to be the member we have to pay approximately $40.

It is worth the price though, because we only pay once for unlimited download. Being able to access to such a huge inventory makes me save even more more money and time without having to worry about viruses and spyware.
My expectations are met, I save money, I can download legally, and I do not have to worry about dangerous objects that can infect my computer as well as my PSP.

I you expect to do so, you can visit How Can I download free games for PSP? To read more about the features and benefits you can get.

Download Free Games Online- What are Free Games Download Websites ????

Download free games sites are found in their thousands online. These are websites that have designed a way that you can download the latest and cool PSP games for you. The free download games websites in most cases offer millions of games for all the versions of video players out there.

Most of the free PSP games download websites also offer a wide selection of other downloads including mp3 music downloads for I-pods, TV shows download, free Movie downloads online and a host of many other cool downloads.

The types of services offered by these download free games websites is however different. Some websites are just fakes that actually don’t offer any download free games. There are different types of websites that you can get to download PSP games online as below:

Download Free Games Online- Type # 1

The first types of websites that claim to offer free services to download games for PSP actually don’t offer anything free. These websites claim to give you free games download but that’s a direct lie. What these websites do is to offer you afew B.S downloads of PSP games that are outdated.

Most of the PSP games they offer for free download are actually those that you can get from any half %#$ss website for free. These type of online games websites only use these download free games to entice you to their paid game downloads.

Their intention is to trick you if you are new to games download or don’t have a clue to what is new or old in the world of PSP games. Once the poor souls have downloaded and played the ancient versions of these token online free PSP games, they will be sure to come back bags full of dollars to buy the more latest versions of PSP games from the same website. These download free games online websites are a pure con.

Download Free Games Online- Type # 2

The second type of download free games websites online, are those that offer a tiered form of membership. These websites actually don’t offer you any free download for PSP game before you become a member.

Their game download membership is divided in such a way that the cheapest membership gets the least attractive PSP games to download. The lowest and cheapest membership to the site is somewhere from $20-40 per year or once in a lifetime. Once you have joined as a member, you will be directed to page to download free games online to your PSP, Nintendo, Wii or Xbox 360.

Some of these download free games websites restrict your membership by offering you some of the not-so-much-cool games to download at the first level of membership. Other types of these group of download free game sites restrict your membership by limiting the number of games you can download in given period of time usually a per week or month.

They will say something like ‘this level of membership will allow you only XYZ number of download free games per ABC period’.

These websites may have three or more levels of memberships and each level mean you pay more to get more games to download. The highest level of annual or one time membership may cost anywhere from $50-80 per year.

These download free games websites are ok apart from the fact that, when you join at the lower levels, they will hassle you with ‘upgrade membership’ emails until you either concede or withdraw altogether.

Download Free Games Online- Type # 3

The third type of download free PSP games websites is those that offer you a standard membership with unlimited downloads. These are by far your best option if you are looking to get unlimited, unrestricted cool game downloads online. For a small annual, monthly or life-time membership, you are entitled to limitless free PSP games download.

Some of the best websites in this category charge anywhere between $20-40 per year. This cost is in most cases far much lower than what you get with the other 2 types of download free games websites.

In addition some of the best download free games sites in this class offer other services like movie downloads, TV shows downloads, mp3 music downloads for i-pods and much more. One of these websites that I tried a while ago has over 800 million different PSP games for free download.

Once you have paid the annual membership fee, you don’t have to pay a dime for any game download online ever.

All other downloads are for absolutely free for you as a member. The best thing with these type of websites Is that they don’t have a structured membership either, so you don’t feel left out because you didn’t pay more.

The World of Computer Gaming, High-Stakes and Intense Competition

By: Paul Wilson

Multiplayer games and tournaments are now offering cash prizes, adding to the thrill of competing. To participate, a valid credit card or paypal account is required. And, a player must live in a state or country that has no laws against online gaming for money. Sites which promote such activities are: www.worldwinner.com and www.arkadium.com

Gaming leagues are becoming professional and organize competitions where cash prizes are worth over US$ 100,000 in cash. These events are seen as business and marketing development opportunities. Hardware manufacturing giants like Intel sponsor gaming clans and see gaming world-wide as a profitable avenue for promoting their products. High-stake gaming competitions are popular, but the real fights occur behind the scenes, where companies spend millions trying to get their technology directly into the hands of gamers

Professional gaming has taken the world by storm and, LAN competitions are high-stake tournaments with a few gamers earning a living just competing. A professional gamer with a sponsorship plan in place can earn up to US$ 500,000 per year. Cyberathlete, Professional League, Gamecaster, Global gaming League, are some of the organizations that host competitions. The first professional gaming league was set up in 1997 and today the competitions are not just televised but covered by major publications and newspapers. MTV, CNN,ESPN, USA Network, ABC World News Today, FOX, WB and others telecast the events live.

Gamers from all walks of life train intensely to become virtual world champions, winning brings fame, money, as well as recognition. And, since 2001 The World Cyber Games are held in a different country each year. The prize in 2004 was worth US$ 400, 000 and competitors played: FIFA Soccer 2004, Need for Speed, Underground, Star-Craft, Brood War, Unreal Tournament 2004, Dawn of war, Dead or Alive Ultimate, and Halo 2.

Gaming is serious; it is about quick thinking, intense practice, team work, interaction with other players, and understanding technology at its best. Gamers have to be on their toes, keep abreast with new launches, changes, patches, cheats, and more.

According to online gaming expert Psychologist Professor Mark Griffiths, "online gaming addiction for a small minority is a real phenomenon and people suffer the same symptoms as traditional addictions. They are the types of games that completely engross the player. They are not games that you can play for 20 minutes and stop. If you are going to take it seriously, you have to spend time doing it"

That gaming is taken seriously is confirmed, many major colleges are offering minor as well as major courses in game design, animation, cognition and gaming, computer music, psychology of play and more. RPI, the Pratt Institute, University of Colorado, the Art Institute of Phoenix, the University of Washington, and the University of Pennsylvania are among those that have programs in computer graphics and game technology. They are set to become a feeder system for the US$ 10 billion a year game industry.

Author Bio
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com, the premier website to play thousands of free online games including arcade games, action games, card games, flash games, strategy games, puzzle games and more. He also freelances for www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

How To Cheaply Produce And Market Online Games

By: Michael Colucci

I've talked to many artists and programmers who have said they would like to produce free online games. Many of these individuals are talented, but lack the college degree, connections, or capital necessary to design their own games. In this article I will explain a growing trend, and how you can produce quality online games for a low cost.

The console game industry has continued to increase the price for their products in recent years. Brand new games for the Xbox 360 now cost $60 each. The cost involved with developing games for the Xbox or Playstation is too much for most people. Only well established companies with lots of resources are able to produce games for these consoles. This puts the independent developer in a position where it is difficult to compete.

However, the rise of the internet has made producing free online games much easier. It is now possible for a independent developer to hire both programmers and designers to create an online game. How can this be done? When you hear of outsourcing in the news, you often think of fortune 500 companies. In reality, even small business people can outsource by using the internet. It is possible to find programmers in India, China, or Eastern Europe who can write code for very affordable prices. The same is true for designers.

With a budget of only a few thousand dollars, it is possible for you to produce free online games. You could hire programmers and designers via forums, and once you have designed the game you can cheaply advertise it via the internet. You could use text link or banner advertising. You could upload samples of your game onto P2P networks. Many of these advertising methods are low cost or free of charge. You could also use Adwords to market your product.

The internet makes it possible for small groups to produce quality games and compete with large companies. Before the rise of the internet this was impossible, and most people had to go work for large corporations if they wanted to produce video games.

It is also possible to build a website where you allow people to play the game free of charge. This could allow you to build a gaming community where you can earn income from advertising. There are no limits to the types of free online games you can produce on the internet. The only thing that limits you is your imagination.

Author Bio
Michael Colucci is a technical writer for dustgames.com - A site that offers you to play free online games on a free online arcade game site.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Java Online Games

By: Michael Colucci

After Shockwave, Java is the most popular tool for developing free online games. It is a popular programming language which was developed by James Gosling during the 1990s. It is somewhat related to C++ but is much more simple, and is an object oriented language. Java was developed because C++ was considered to be too complex and when using it there were many errors.

C++ also lacked the ability for distributed programming. Gosling and his colleagues wanted to produce a system that could be used on various platforms, from computer to handheld devices. By 1994 Java begin to be used on the internet. They felt that the internet would become interactive, and this would be the perfect environment to use their programming language. They were right. Java has become one of the most well known platforms in use today on the internet.

Many developers of free online games have quickly realized its potential. While Shockwave has replaced Java as the most popular engine used for online games, Java is still the tool of choice among many developers. Java became very popular when Netscape decided to support the program with their browsers. Most people use Java by the "applets" which are supported by their online browsers.

Yahoo has often been credited with heavily using Java to produce online games. Yahoo games is the portion of their website in which players can play games by themselves or against other players. While most of these games are Java applets, others have to be downloaded onto the computer. Reviews are even featured where users can post their thoughts about the quality of the game. Yahoo is one of the most prominent promoters of free online games. Everything from fantasy sports to card games are available.

Despite this, there are some criticisms of the Java programming language. Shockwave has a 3D engine which is much more powerful, and many developers have chose it rather than Java. Others complain that it is not a very pure object oriented programming language. Those who dislike object oriented languages will not design free online games with Java. Programs written in Java may also run slower than programs written in other languages.

Despite these complaints, Java has become one of the most popular languages used for developing independent games. Advances in this language should allow it to produce games which are much higher in quality and graphical detail. Many popular games can be played at the Java website.

Author Bio
Michael Colucci is a technical writer for dustgames.com - A site that offers you to play free online games on a free online arcade game site.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

History of Final Fantasy XI

By: Hunter Crowell

The Final Fantasy series is a superb set of games that have become an important part of video game history. Final Fantasy XI is an especially strong title. It is a terrific modern update on the series, advancing it and taking it into exciting new territory.

Final Fantasy XI is an outstanding entry in a series that is nearly twenty years old. The Final Fantasy series was created by the Japanese company Square Co. in 1987. At the time Square were in a difficult position, as they had focused on making games for the Nintendo Famicom Disk System and this format had become unpopular. The company were eager for success and saw great potential in the role-playing genre. Final Fantasy was their attempt to make a new kind of role-playing title.

Final Fantasy came out in Japan at the end of 1987. It was excellent, offering a fresh and original role-playing experience. Final Fantasy's strength was that it had a strong narrative that ran throughout the game. This made it very compelling and helped it to capture people's interest. It was an enormous success and launched what would become a hugely popular franchise. It would lead to Final Fantasy XI and beyond.

When Square made Final Fantasy, they looked at the role-playing genre and explored the possibilities of what it could do. Final Fantasy was innovative, and this sense of invention would become a major element of the series, continuing all the way through to Final Fantasy XI. The first sequel, Final Fantasy II, was equally creative, surprising people by coming up with a completely new plot and characters.

The Final Fantasy series flourished and a number of dazzling games followed. Final Fantasy IV was a gripping, brilliant game and became the second title in the series to be released in North America. Final Fantasy VI had an enthralling story that gave it serious emotion and depth. Final Fantasy X used voice acting and beautiful three-dimensional visuals to create its own game world. These were all strong titles and laid the way beautifully for Final Fantasy XI.

Final Fantasy XI has continued the sense of innovation that is expected of this series. A highly ambitious game, it saw the franchise move into the world of online gaming. Final Fantasy XI is a massively multi-player online role-playing game. It is also unique as it is playable on both consoles and PCs, all of which connect to the same game servers. This has made it the first cross-platform title of its kind.

There was great curiosity about Final Fantasy XI before its release in 2002. Images and previews of the game captured people's attention. A special bonus disk was included with the release of Final Fantasy X, containing a trailer for the game. Its creator Square Enix also held beta tests for the game to gather players' feedback and improve it. This allowed them to handle any concerns that people had and fine-tune it.

Final Fantasy XI was launched in Japan on May 16 2002 for the Sony PlayStation 2. The PC release came on November 5th. It had its PC release in North America on October 28 2003, with the European release following in September 2004. The initial Japanese launch was a complicated affair, as the game required a hard drive for the PlayStation 2 console and stocks of these were limited at first. Square Enix responded well to any issues that developed, and also released a game patch to enhance it.

Square Enix adopted an interesting approach to the game, developing it and reworking it even after it had been released. The company has revised it since its launch and made it even better, adding in new areas and new content. This has enriched the Final Fantasy XI experience. There have been two expansions, Rise of the Zilart and Chains of Promathia, to complement the game. A third expansion, Treasures of Aht Urhgan, is planned for spring 2006.

Final Fantasy XI has established itself as a major presence in online gaming. It sold well, building up more than 500,000 subscribers by January 7 2004. There were almost a million game characters active within this time period. It was well received, enjoying many positive reviews from the game press. It was crucial in building up Square Enix's PlayOnline service and more than fulfilled their hopes for the title.

Final Fantasy XI is a truly great game. It has combined the creativity and innovation that is the hallmark of Final Fantasy with a state of the art online gaming format. It is an amazing experience and has taken the series in a new direction. It will continue entertaining people for a long time to come.

Author Bio
Hunter Crowell is a researcher, avid online gamer, and creator of FFXI Gil Price List, a site that helps players find the cheapest place to buy their Final Fantasy XI Gil.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Who Plays World Of Warcraft

By: Hunter Crowell

World of Warcraft has developed an enormous following since its release in November 2004. It has built upon its initial success to become an enduring and hugely popular title. The demand for the game has been stronger than its creators might have expected, and it is now a fully-fledged social phenomenon, attracting all kinds of people to its world.

World of Warcraft has enjoyed global success and acclaim. It seemed natural that it would do well in America, where there was anticipation for a new Warcraft title. The truth though is that it has taken off everywhere it has been released. It has been a massive hit in Asia, Australia, Canada, and Europe, and has many international fans and subscribers. The game has a simple, universal appeal that transcends language barriers and geography.

One of World of Warcraft's strengths is that it appeals to both casual gamers and more experienced players. The game has made the online multiplayer genre more accessible to people who might not normally play it. A lot of people who try the game may have regarded the genre as too complex or may not have played a role-playing game before. It is the quality of World of Warcraft and the buzz surrounding it that has drawn people's attention towards it.

World of Warcraft has a huge following on the Internet. There is an official site that is busy and informative and contains forums for the game's subscribers. There are many other fan sites as well. It has a keen fan base made up of a broad cross section of society. People enjoy the game for all sorts of reasons, with fans citing the gorgeous graphics, addictive gameplay and unique characters as elements they find appealing.

Although World of Warcraft has the visual style of a cartoon, it is a game that people of any age can enjoy. All age groups play it, from children to seniors. This leads to an interesting online environment, as younger players interact with older gamers. It is a real mix of people, as children and teenagers share the game's world with twenty year olds and more mature, middle-aged players and older. It is a friendly, lively environment and tends to be good-natured and welcoming.

The World of Warcraft universe is a happy, thriving community. There is a strong social aspect to it and players can become friends with each other. The game's world of Azeroth follows the real world's calendar and so they mark holidays and seasonal events in the game. On New Year's Eve in 2005 there were parties and celebrations in Azeroth that all players could attend. It is features like this that make its world much more vivid, colourful and convincing.

There is a fan convention for World of Warcraft. The game's developer Blizzard held an event in October 2005 named BlizzCon, for fans of Warcraft and their other titles. World of Warcraft was a major part of this event, and one of the main attractions was a preview of the game's expansion, The Burning Crusade. Some 8,000 people attended the event, which is expected to become an annual occurrence. Families went together and fans dressed up in costume as their favourite characters from the game.

World of Warcraft has caught people's imagination and this has led to a variety of creative offshoots. One key sign of the game's popularity is the existence of Warcraft fan fiction. Players like to write fictional stories about the characters and events of the game. Fan art is also popular. People draw and paint images inspired by the game and post them in galleries online. Blizzard run their own Fan Art Program that fans can submit their art to for display. There is great creativity and beauty there.

The broad appeal of World of Warcraft is such that it has infiltrated popular culture. The game has been used as an answer on the quiz show Jeopardy. It also has celebrity admirers. The comedian Dave Chappelle is a fan. Chappelle talked about the game during a stand-up performance in San Francisco in 2005. "You know what I've been playing a lot of?" the comedian reportedly asked the audience, "World of Warcraft!" He praised the game and expressed his delight with it.

World of Warcraft then is a game that has broken new ground to appeal to a great number of people in society. With more than five million subscribers, it is now the most popular online role-playing game and has grown far beyond its cult origins. Its wide appeal speaks of the brilliance of the game itself.

Author Bio
Hunter Crowell is a researcher, avid online gamer, and creator of Buy World of Warcraft Gold A site helping players find the cheapest place to buy their gold.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Gaming Captures the Hearts of Gamers

By: Paul Wilson

Gaming is popular with teenagers, women, children, as well as men. Older people say they play games as it alleviates loneliness and puts them in contact with others. Statistics reveal that 41% of gamers are women and more than 43 % gamers are aged 25-49. And, research predicts that the games market in 2005 will be US$ 29 billion.

Players can choose between stored games and online games. Stored games are played on consoles while online games are played on a computer using either a broadband or dial up Internet connection. The growth in online gaming according to IDC, a research firm, is set to touch 256 million users by 2008. And, that gaming is serious business is conformed by the hosting of international conferences devoted to gaming and the formation of "Casual Games Special Interest Group."

Gaming captures the imagination of the players and uses the senses: sight, sound, as well as touch. Many need the use of intelligence as well as strategy. Complex graphics, colors, high quality virtual realities are all set to grab as well as hold the attention of players. Multi-player gaming takes the interest to the next level -offers challenges as well as new horizons to be conquered.

Games played on the Internet are such that clever participants find ways to push the game beyond its visible limits, one can even device cheats to circumvent problems posed by the game. Games test the skills, intelligence, concentration ability as well as techie know how.

Online gaming architecture has six business aspects: the subscriber; the advertiser; the gaming platform provider; the broadband service provider; the network service provider; and the gaming content provider. It is big business-hardware revenues in 2005 are expected to be: US$ 9.4 billion with software and content revenue touching US$16.9 billion.

However, there is a downside, gaming can become addicted and affect normal life-kids stop studying, housewives neglect their daily routine, and people are tempted to play games even at work. It can lead to suicides, mental imbalance as well as destroy marriages and careers. Gamers become recluses and rarely make social contact outside their gaming groups.

Addiction studies indicate that gaming can result in: obsession, neglect, lying, socially unacceptable behaviors, carpal tunnel syndrome, dry eyes, neglect of personal hygiene, as well as sleep disorders.

Popular gaming sites include: MSN games which has 3.4 million monthly registered users ; Pogo which has 8.6 million monthly registered users; and Yahoo games which has 10.1 million registered monthly users.

Analysts predict that by 2007 online gaming will be at least 285 petabits a month, the revenue generated by online subscriptions for gaming is expected to reach US$ 650 million annually.

The future according to Peter Molyneux, is in developing games that "reward a player for "out of the box" thinking and creativity. Games must encourage players to be interactive and decide the direction the game will take.

Author Bio
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com, the premier website to play thousands of free online games including arcade games, action games, card games, flash games, strategy games, puzzle games and more. He also freelances for www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Internet Gaming Tips for Newbies

By: Paul Wilson

Internet games use the cyber world technology for playing. Games are extremely popular and constantly evolving.

There are:

• Games played using e-mail.

• Games played on a browser window by using a web address.

• Games played using Internet Relay Chat, Telenet, MUD client, or a Web based forum.

• Games that are graphic need stand-alone software that permits players to play with or against one another using an Internet connection.

The first game, MUD, was developed in 1978, and the market has burgeoned since then.

To play, one needs:

• A reliable Internet connection.

• A personal computer or game console.

• Selected software required by specific games.

One can play simple board games like scrabble, or bingo, or games like poker, mahjong, and pool. Another popular category is simulation games-these imitate real-life situations and cover aspects like combat, city planning, strategies, as well as flight simulation.

For serious gaming the computer performance must be optimized. This can be done by:

• Running the disk defragmenter and organizing the computer files. This should ideally be done once a month at least.

• Correct folder and file errors by using scandisk---use once a week and the computer will give trouble free performance.

• Clean your hard drives-get rid of Internet files, temporary files, as well as files in the trash/recycle bin. Clear the cache and uninstall programs that are not in everyday use.

• Update the operating system software. Download any new security patches. Keep video drivers updated.

• Clear space on the hard drive---store files on a back up system.

• Clear any spyware you have inherited from websites.

• Minimize number of programs running-when playing a graphic intensive game if there are too many programs running simultaneously the graphics will become choppy and game will be slow.

• Delete add on game files-wall papers and other paraphernalia will just clutter the computer.

• Run an anti-virus program regularly but disable it when you are loading/playing games. Antivirus programs slow down games.

• Always shut down the computer properly.

The Internet allows gamers to compete with people across oceans, on the other side of the world and anywhere in the universe. Some use PCs while others use consoles. What you use is a personal choice and depends on issues like costs and so on.

Before you buy a game you must:

• Consider "system requirements" - some games can run on systems that are not exact others need specific hardware.

• Find out if the game is single player or multi-player. Many games need the Internet-and, the broadband connection is more efficient than the dial-up connection. Many like Xbox Live only work on a broadband connection.

• Find out if the game can be played using a mouse/keyboard or whether it will need a full-featured joy stick.

Be wise and try a demo before making an actual purchase. Playing a demo benefits the player as well as game developer. Many online games offer free trial periods - beta testing is a great opportunity to find out if the game suits your taste as well as pockets.

Do your research thoroughly-usually there are several games competing for players within a genre. Read game reviews before taking the final step.

Author Bio
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com, the premier website to play thousands of free online games including arcade games, action games, card games, flash games, strategy games, puzzle games and more. He also freelances for the premier Computer Article Submission Directory Site www.1888Articles.com/computer-articles-11.html

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content