Featured Article How Kids Learn to Cooperate in Video Games: A Lesson for Parents and Teachers
Author: Marc Prensky
How Kids Learn to Cooperate in Video Games: A Lesson for Parents and Teachers
By Marc Prensky © 2004 Marc Prensky
"The three words that best describe me are 'athletic,' 'smart,' and 'GameBoy-addicted.'"
– A 10 year old
A great many parents are concerned that the electronic games their kids play are teaching the kids "negative" messages such as aggression, violence, and isolation from real people. I want to illustrate here how computer and video game playing, can have positive effects on kids. This includes even the "addictive" game playing associated with many of these games. The learning from these games is well worth the effort the kids put in playing them, and kids typically sense this at some level, which is one reason they fight so hard for their games.
One key lesson many of their games is teaching them is the value of people working together and helping each other. To illustrate how this occurs, I will use one particular game, Toontown, as an example.
Toontown (www.toontown.com ) is the Walt Disney Company's entry into the Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) category. For the non-initiated, that means a computer game that supports thousands of players online simultaneously, all of whom can see and interact with each other. A key feature of these worlds is that they are "persistent," meaning that the worlds continue to exist and change whether or not you are there, just any other place in the real world.
[Note: There are two types of multiplayer online games, both of which have their advantages. One type, the "multiplayer" game, lets you interact with a limited group of people, such as those on your team or squad, in a game world that typically exists for only the time you are playing. The game America's Army is a good example of this. The second type, the "massively multiplayer" game, lets you interact with everyone you meet in the ongoing world. Massively multiplayer games like EverQuest, Asheron's Call, and Dark Age of Camelot have captured the time and imaginations of hundreds of thousands of US teenage and older players. The Korean massively multiplayer game Lineage has over 4 million registered users, often with up to half a million players on-line at once. The players typically meet in relatively thinly-populated areas of very large and often interconnected virtual worlds, so even with these huge numbers, it is not like pushing your way through Times Square on New Year's Eve.]
Toontown is the first massively multiplayer game designed specifically designed for younger kids (pre-teens, I think, though they don't specifically say.) In addition, many older kids and even adults enjoy playing it. In the game you create, name and dress a character, and then you take it out to play in the virtual world. Your character is the representation ("avatar") of you playing in the world – it is the "you" that other players know.
Although if you wanted to you could spend your entire time in Toontown merely running around the virtual world, the "object" of the game is to defeat "Cogs," members of the evil gang that wants to take over the town. The Cogs to fight come in many varieties and strengths. To defeat a Cog you employ "gags"– such as squirt bottles or pies in the face – that you purchase with jelly bean currency that you earn in a number of ways.
In your early days in Toontown, when you have earned relatively few gags, you typically run around alone, deciding when to confront a low-level Cog you pass in the street. (You do this by running into it.) You and the Cog then square off and do battle, taking turns throwing gags at each other. If you defeat the Cog, he explodes and you are rewarded with points towards additional gags. If the Cog defeats you, you "die," which means you lose all your gags (although, importantly, you do not lose the "experience" you attained – i.e. the types and levels of gags you are allowed to purchase and use.)
There are a lot of other twists, but that's essentially the game: Earn and buy gags, use them to fight Cogs.
But here's where the cooperative part comes in. As you move to higher experience levels, the tasks you are required to accomplish become more and more difficult. You often have to "rescue" buildings that the Cogs have taken over, buildings that have multiple floors filled with high-level, hard-to-defeat Cogs.
And you can't do this alone, no matter how much experience you have. So you begin to learn to play the game with others. The game encourages this, with "friends lists" and built in "speed chat" menus consisting, for kids' protection, of a limited number of phrases you can use. For example, you can invite your friends to help you defeat a building (or, if you prefer, you can just wait outside for others to show up.)
But it gets subtle. Just because someone is your friend (or wants to be) or happens to show up, doesn't mean he or she has the experience to defeat the higher-level Cogs. You can check out someone's gags when they are in range to help you decide whom to work with, but success depends not only on the level and number of gags one has, but also on knowing how to use them in battle. You learn over time what players you want on your team to achieve success in particular situations. Sometimes, to be sure all of you survive, you have to reject players who ask to work with you on a certain task. One of the things you can say through the speed chat is "I think this is too risky for you." Just as in the real world, such advice is not always well-received, and the game gives you the opportunity to learn to deal with this.
In the midst of any battle – players typically fight higher-level Cogs in groups of four – a player can choose, rather than to throw a gag at the Cogs, to instead give his or her fellow players additional "laff points" (i.e. health). Doing this helps prevent them from "dying" and dropping out of the battle. One skill typically gained from frequent play is knowing when to help your teammates versus when to attack the Cogs. This is not trivial. One adult player described her first battle with ultra-high-level Cogs as "extremely nerve wracking," and characterized the strategies she had to employ to work successfully with the other players as "the most emotional experience I've ever had in a game." And this is the version for kids!
And there is yet another way Toontown players learn there is value in cooperation. Some of the tasks available to higher-level players allow them to earn jelly beans by helping out new players. When these experienced players see a Newbie fighting a Cog on the street, they can join in and assist. When the Cog is defeated, both the experienced player and the Newbie get rewarded game at their own level.
Is it Boring?
Still, while the tasks at the start of the game involve defeating only one Cog at a time and the tasks at higher levels require players to defeat hundreds of Cogs on their way to liberate bigger and bigger buildings, the battles are very similar. "Isn't that boring?" I asked one "addicted" player. "After all it's basically the same thing over and over – fighting Cogs."
"I like going up the levels," she replied. And of course the only way she can do this is by learning to cooperate well with real people, in real time – while sitting at her own computer.
I encourage readers of this article to try Toontown, both with your kids, and even on your own. (You can go to www.toontown.com to get started.) See how far you can get. If you happen to enjoy the experience, you can go on to the aforementioned "older players'" games, where the enemies are fantasy monsters and the buildings castles to storm, yet where the principles of cooperation are basically the same. If you actually get addicted to cooperative play, don't blame me – these games are designed to reel you in.
But even if you don't get hooked yourself – and the more you are from the "Digital Immigrant" generation the less likely it is that you will – hopefully you will have learned this important and generally-overlooked lesson:
What keeps the kids playing these games is not the violence (that's all fake and the kids know it), but rather the ability to work together with others to achieve more and more difficult goals.
Can you think of any skill more useful for children to spend their time learning? I can't.
About the Author
Marc Prensky is a thought leader, speaker, writer, consultant, and game designer in the critical areas of education and learning. He is the author of Digital Game-Based Learning (McGraw-Hill, 2001),and founder and CEO of Games2train, a game-based learning company . More of his writings can be found at www.marcprensky.com/writing/default.asp. Contact Marc at marc@games2train.com .
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Featured Article How Does The Xbox Differ From The Xbox 360
Author: Tucker Osbert -
How does the Xbox differ from the Xbox 360? This is probably one of the biggest questions for people who either own the late model and are curious about the new one. Also, this question would be plaguing the minds of those who do not have either, but are thinking of purchasing one.
We can definitely cite quite a number of differences between the Xbox and its later model. But whether these differences would count at all, would really matter mostly on the individual characteristics of the consumers. It really depends on whether the person asking this question is somebody who simply wants to be able to play a video game at home during his past time. Or, whether this person is a total technological fan who is always out to get the latest model of gizmos.
First of all, the Xbox 360 is the latest model of Microsoft's gaming console. One might naturally expect that some of the features found inside the latest model would not be found in its predecessor. They would definitely not want to release something supposedly new that is basically the same as the older model, would they? That's the fact for every new edition of something that has been created before, especially regarding technological equipments and devices. There is always something added to it.
Improvement is always something that comes along in a new innovation. If you are a person who is quite meticulous about details, you would surely be able to notice slight differences between the computer graphics offered by the Xbox and its newer version.
The design of the new Xbox 360 is supposed to be able to work better with HDTVs. These matters are really to be able to go along with the other technological marvels in this day. They would naturally want to keep up and become as compatible as possible with the current state-of-the-art.
However, tests have been conducted using the Xbox 360. What they found was that, without the proper equipment to match the specifications of the game console, all the new innovations in its features would simply go to waste. If for example you connect it to a television set that only has an RF connection, you would basically get a quality of graphics that is probably 10 years behind what is being offered by the modern day.
Some of the other features that you would want to take into consideration are the wireless controllers available for the Xbox 360, its network gaming capability via a broadband connection, hard disc storage, and USB compatibility. It's basically a home entertainment system on its own. You would be able to view pictures and video from a digital camera, play music, etc.
Backwards compatibility is also an added feature that would allow you to play old Xbox games using the new game console. If you have the older one, then you would not be able to play the latest games that are to come.
As for me, I think that both of the units would be able to perform just as well. If you are satisfied with the conventional features of the old model, then go for it. It isn't really that out-of-date you know. But if you think that the difference between the Xbox 360 and the older version Xbox is that big, then go for it! You would definitely be getting some more great features out of the newer version. That is, of course, worth some extra money. Or you could simply wait for about a year and extend your patience until the prices go down. But by then there would probably be a 720 version of it. Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com For more valuable information on xbox360 xbox please visit www.xbox360-blogger.com ...
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Featured Article HD Loader - Play PS2 Games From Your Playstation 2 Hard Drive
Author: Steven Fields
Any serious Playstation 2 (PS2) gamer knows the frustrations when it comes to playing the most graphically intense games. There is often a tremendous load time associated with getting from the point of putting the PS2 game disc into the console, and having it load the game. Not to mention the time it takes to load between levels. Or how about those times when you're on a mission to thwart he bad guys, but you see the rendering getting choppy or freezing up for a second or two. We used to blame it all on game glitches or bugs. You know, those little "mistakes" that were just never fixed, because the game itself was working as it should. I know I thought that was the issue. Until I got my hands on the Playstation 2 HD Loader disc, and all of a sudden, my games were "glitch" free, and load times were a thing of the past. Let me start by explaining just what the HD Loader actually is. Utilizing exciting new technology, The HD Loader allows you to install and run your Playstation 2™ games directly from a hard disk drive connected to your console (Sony PS2 Network adapter™ and compatible hard disk drive required). The HD Loader is a revolutionary piece of software which allows you to store games on any modern high capacity IDE Hard Drive connected to your PS2 (Sony Network adapter required ). Now you can install, delete and manage your games and files on your HDD with just a click of a button. The simple and intuitive multi lingual user interface allows easy navigation and selection of files stored on your Hard drive. Games are executed at lightning speed and accessed directly from the HDD, no need to insert your game disc. Just launch HD Loader and select the game you wish to play. The HD Loader essentially turns your Playstation 2 console into what could be called a portable hard drive. Except that it not only allows you to store the games and the game data on the hard drive, but it also lets you LOAD those games directly from the hard drive too. And just what does all of this mean for you and me, the gamers? It means that once we've copied the game from the disc, onto any old IDE hard drive plugged into the Playstation 2, we're able to put in the HD Loader disc, and select whichever game we want to play, a game we've already put on the Hard Drive. You see, the Playstation 2™ is capable of reading data from a hard disk drive much faster than it can read from a CD or DVD. Using The HD Loader to run your games from a hard disk drive leads to significantly reduced game loading times. And updating as your on a level or load times between a level become things of the past. Never again will you need to endure painfully slow loading times which sadly plague so many Playstation 2 games. This applies for old and new games alike. One of the things that either Sony or game developers never really "worked on" was game loading time on the PS2. Take for example the same game title on either an Xbox or a PS2 console, and if you sat and times load times, you would notice a very big difference between how quickly a game loads on an Xbox (especially between levels) and how much faster the load times are than that same game on the Playstation 2. The reason for this is actually quite simple. The Xbox loads parts of the game data onto the built in, internal hard drive. Because the game data is already on the hard drive, it is essentially ready to "go" when the next level is loading, and it loads at lightning speeds. Until the HD Loader was released, Playstation 2 gamers were envious of their Xbox counterparts. What the HD Loader does though, goes even beyond the simplistic level loading or reducing load times. It actually allows you to put the ENTIRE game, on the hard drive. And not just one game, as many games that will fit on to the hard drive you have installed into your PS2. So you'll not only be able to have faster load times, but you'll also be able to store the actual games, digitally, on your Playstation 2 hard drive, without having to damage your game discs in the process. There is no need for the discs to be used, so you can put them away for safe keeping. In fact, you can keep them as good as new because you'll be loading the entire game from your hard drive, and not the disc itself. I keep making mention of the fact that a PS2 Network adapter is required, if you want to use the HD Loader. This is in fact true, but the reality is, the Playstation 2 can NOT have a hard drive connected without a Network adapter. You see, the Network adapter acts as your IDE converter. While it is designed to let you get online, and play online games, it also has a plug on the inside, which allows you to connect a Hard Drive to the game console. This was developed mainly for the Final Fantasy game, which actually required a Hard Drive to play, to store and load content from the hard drive. Now before you go thinking that you'll be stuck with a 40 gigabyte hard drive, the one that comes with the Final Fantasy game. It's important for me to state that while you could use that 40 gigabyte hard drive, the HD Loader is compatible with both standard IDE hard disk drives and the official Playstation 2™ hard disk drive.. So you won't be stuck with just 40 gigabytes, you can go right up to 120 gigabytes or 250 gigabytes of space. Any standard IDE Hard Drive will work, something that was also impossible before the HD Loader. But much more than just playing games from your hard drive, you can also load MP3 music, your digital pictures, and a wide variety of other "data" on to the hard disc, and have access to it on the fly. If you're thinking "That's great, I've got games on my Hard Drive, but how the heck to do I load them, or even see what's there" then you're in luck. The HD Loader user interface is designed with simplicity in mind – just boot up the HD Loader and begin playing your games without wasting any time navigating through a complex user interface. The interface lists all of your games and options, in an very easy to use and easy to navigate manner. The intuitive user interface allows easy management of games currently installed on your hard disk drive. Adding or removing games is as easy as pushing one of the buttons on your controller. In short, the HD Loader is the ultimate Hard drive storage and management solution for your PS2 game console. Not only will it get rid of those awful load times, but it also offer you a chance to protect your expensive PS2 game collection, but storing the games on the Hard Drive while you're playing them, and keeping the original games safe from scratches, dirt, or dust. So if you're tired of long load times, and want to get into the action right away, then the HD Loader is probably THE must have item on your list for the holidays. Steven Fields is an avid gamer and has written numerous articles and help guides for all the major video game systems. His specialty is rare and hard to find games and game accessories as well as do-it-yourself modding of your game consoles. To find out more about the HD Loader for the Playstation 2, make sure to visit www.ps2cover.com/hdloader.shtml
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Featured Article HD Loader - Play PS2 Games From Your Playstation 2 Hard Drive
Author: Steven Fields
Any serious Playstation 2 (PS2) gamer knows the frustrations when it comes to playing the most graphically intense games. There is often a tremendous load time associated with getting from the point of putting the PS2 game disc into the console, and having it load the game. Not to mention the time it takes to load between levels. Or how about those times when you're on a mission to thwart he bad guys, but you see the rendering getting choppy or freezing up for a second or two. We used to blame it all on game glitches or bugs. You know, those little "mistakes" that were just never fixed, because the game itself was working as it should. I know I thought that was the issue. Until I got my hands on the Playstation 2 HD Loader disc, and all of a sudden, my games were "glitch" free, and load times were a thing of the past. Let me start by explaining just what the HD Loader actually is. Utilizing exciting new technology, The HD Loader allows you to install and run your Playstation 2™ games directly from a hard disk drive connected to your console (Sony PS2 Network adapter™ and compatible hard disk drive required). The HD Loader is a revolutionary piece of software which allows you to store games on any modern high capacity IDE Hard Drive connected to your PS2 (Sony Network adapter required ). Now you can install, delete and manage your games and files on your HDD with just a click of a button. The simple and intuitive multi lingual user interface allows easy navigation and selection of files stored on your Hard drive. Games are executed at lightning speed and accessed directly from the HDD, no need to insert your game disc. Just launch HD Loader and select the game you wish to play. The HD Loader essentially turns your Playstation 2 console into what could be called a portable hard drive. Except that it not only allows you to store the games and the game data on the hard drive, but it also lets you LOAD those games directly from the hard drive too. And just what does all of this mean for you and me, the gamers? It means that once we've copied the game from the disc, onto any old IDE hard drive plugged into the Playstation 2, we're able to put in the HD Loader disc, and select whichever game we want to play, a game we've already put on the Hard Drive. You see, the Playstation 2™ is capable of reading data from a hard disk drive much faster than it can read from a CD or DVD. Using The HD Loader to run your games from a hard disk drive leads to significantly reduced game loading times. And updating as your on a level or load times between a level become things of the past. Never again will you need to endure painfully slow loading times which sadly plague so many Playstation 2 games. This applies for old and new games alike. One of the things that either Sony or game developers never really "worked on" was game loading time on the PS2. Take for example the same game title on either an Xbox or a PS2 console, and if you sat and times load times, you would notice a very big difference between how quickly a game loads on an Xbox (especially between levels) and how much faster the load times are than that same game on the Playstation 2. The reason for this is actually quite simple. The Xbox loads parts of the game data onto the built in, internal hard drive. Because the game data is already on the hard drive, it is essentially ready to "go" when the next level is loading, and it loads at lightning speeds. Until the HD Loader was released, Playstation 2 gamers were envious of their Xbox counterparts. What the HD Loader does though, goes even beyond the simplistic level loading or reducing load times. It actually allows you to put the ENTIRE game, on the hard drive. And not just one game, as many games that will fit on to the hard drive you have installed into your PS2. So you'll not only be able to have faster load times, but you'll also be able to store the actual games, digitally, on your Playstation 2 hard drive, without having to damage your game discs in the process. There is no need for the discs to be used, so you can put them away for safe keeping. In fact, you can keep them as good as new because you'll be loading the entire game from your hard drive, and not the disc itself. I keep making mention of the fact that a PS2 Network adapter is required, if you want to use the HD Loader. This is in fact true, but the reality is, the Playstation 2 can NOT have a hard drive connected without a Network adapter. You see, the Network adapter acts as your IDE converter. While it is designed to let you get online, and play online games, it also has a plug on the inside, which allows you to connect a Hard Drive to the game console. This was developed mainly for the Final Fantasy game, which actually required a Hard Drive to play, to store and load content from the hard drive. Now before you go thinking that you'll be stuck with a 40 gigabyte hard drive, the one that comes with the Final Fantasy game. It's important for me to state that while you could use that 40 gigabyte hard drive, the HD Loader is compatible with both standard IDE hard disk drives and the official Playstation 2™ hard disk drive.. So you won't be stuck with just 40 gigabytes, you can go right up to 120 gigabytes or 250 gigabytes of space. Any standard IDE Hard Drive will work, something that was also impossible before the HD Loader. But much more than just playing games from your hard drive, you can also load MP3 music, your digital pictures, and a wide variety of other "data" on to the hard disc, and have access to it on the fly. If you're thinking "That's great, I've got games on my Hard Drive, but how the heck to do I load them, or even see what's there" then you're in luck. The HD Loader user interface is designed with simplicity in mind – just boot up the HD Loader and begin playing your games without wasting any time navigating through a complex user interface. The interface lists all of your games and options, in an very easy to use and easy to navigate manner. The intuitive user interface allows easy management of games currently installed on your hard disk drive. Adding or removing games is as easy as pushing one of the buttons on your controller. In short, the HD Loader is the ultimate Hard drive storage and management solution for your PS2 game console. Not only will it get rid of those awful load times, but it also offer you a chance to protect your expensive PS2 game collection, but storing the games on the Hard Drive while you're playing them, and keeping the original games safe from scratches, dirt, or dust. So if you're tired of long load times, and want to get into the action right away, then the HD Loader is probably THE must have item on your list for the holidays. Steven Fields is an avid gamer and has written numerous articles and help guides for all the major video game systems. His specialty is rare and hard to find games and game accessories as well as do-it-yourself modding of your game consoles. To find out more about the HD Loader for the Playstation 2, make sure to visit www.ps2cover.com/hdloader.shtml
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Featured Article Guitar Hero Review ( PS2 )
Author: Henning Hoffmann
Guitar Hero is a fun music based game for the PS2. The developer of Guitar Hero, Harmonix, had previously created Amplitude and before that Frequency. All three of these games are music based games where you have to strum or button your way through a song. Frequency was the first, and in my opinion (and that of my friends) better than the sequel Amplitude. While Amplitude had a much better shared multiplayer view, the songs weren't as good and the sense of actually playing the music was much decreased in Amplitude. So when the guys come over to play games at my place, we usually plop in Frequency and not Amplitude. Guitar Hero carries on the tradition, and I think is an improvement over Amplitude. It actually includes a guitar controller, which is a half-size plastic guitar with five coloured buttons on the neck. You "strum" a two inch long lever, and the guitar even includes a bendy bar. But you don't have to use this peripheral if you don't want to. Using the controller feels very much like Frequency or Amplitude, except that you sometimes have to hold down the notes over time, which wasn't a feature in the previous games. But the guitar peripheral makes it so much more fun, you'll want to use it. The joystick ability really only comes in handy when you play in two-player mode against a friend and can't afford to buy a second guitar. But how do you actually play a song? Easy to learn, difficult to master. The coloured buttons on the neck correspond to coloured dots on the moving score of the song. The score actually approaches you, and as coloured dots approach and cross a line right in front of you, you have to have the correct coloured button held down as you strum the guitar. Then the note will change to a different one, so you have to change your fingering before your next strum. It is easier than it sounds. Check the IGN website for Guitar Hero videos. How is it? Fun fun FUN! This is one great game with great songs, and great multiplayer action. I've only played it multiplayer with a controller, but getting a second guitar in there would be even more of a blast. I had my friends over to play this game and they all raved about it. If you like listening to music and have a PS2, then you owe it to yourself to at least try this game. Problems? Yes, a few. My biggest complaint (though not that big in absolute terms - this is a great game) is that the mapping of music tracks to game tracks isn't as fun as many of the tracks in Frequency and Amplitude were. In those game you'd really get into a groove and really enjoy how the tracks were arranged by the developers. Guitar Hero doesn't have quite the same creativity when it came to laying down the tracks. As well, the game ramps up in difficulty way too fast. The hardest setting is clearly impossible for everyone without a genetically enhanced metabolism. (This was also a problem with Frequency and Amplitude.) But don't let those things distract you from what is otherwise a very fun game. And if you don't want to splurge on the full price right away, you might want to try Frequency. It's an older game so is now in many bargain bins. It's a true gem, and you can try out this style of gameplay for less than $10. Henning Hoffmann is the publisher of PS3Blog.net, a great resource for PlayStation 3 news and opinion.
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Featured Article Great Video Game Jobs - Could You Be A Game Producer?
Author: Hitoshi Jones
The video game industry is loaded with different game jobs and careers, opportunities to become involved in one of the most interesting, diverse fields around. For those that want to be at the top of the mountain no matter what they do, overseeing the production of vast projects and making the decisions that will bring on the future of the video game industry, the role of game producer might be right for you. The game producer is an integral part of any studio's production. The structure can be confusing, with both external and internal producers. An external producer will work directly with a publisher, overseeing the work being done from an executive level. An internal producer on the other hand will be more involved, often working house with the developers and designers to see to the completion of multiple projects. Whichever kind of producer you aspire to be though, the video game industry is one of multitasking and massive production. Your job will be to oversee multiple projects and hundreds of people, often in a role that designates you a representative of the publisher's financial interests. A game producer's job is going to be much more business related than any other position in the video game industry. You'll likely find yourself attending business school and gaining experience in lower, entry-level jobs before you are qualified for this position. But, if you can get in with the game industry on the ground floor, it's a great opportunity to work your way into a producer's role. While a game producer must have ample knowledge of the process and what each job entails and is actually doing, your job will be to maneuver them, keeping the project on schedule, on budget, and contract. You make the final calls on a lot of major decisions that might gravely affect a game's final product. You will negotiate contracts and sign new talent. You will establish testing schedules and localization for overseas projects. You are essentially the business man of the video game industry and because of that had better be willing to spend a great deal of time making sure everything is running smoothly. This a perfect job for anyone who enjoys being in charge, making things run smoothly and having an entire team of game designers working beneath you, crafting the next great wave of video games. But, the role of video game producer might not be the perfect fit for everyone interested in getting into the video game industry. It's a stressful role, one that the artistic or the quiet might not find to be a perfect fit. It involves long hours and taking responsibility for multiple game projects at once. The final product is an amazing accomplishment, but for those that want to get in with the video game industry and work on an actual game, the role of game designer, or any of the lesser, more involved roles would be a wonderful fit. The possibilities in the video game industry are endless if you only look. BONUS TIP: If you're just starting out in the video game industry and want to get your foot in the door, you might want to learn how to become a video game tester You can start now by grabbing your FREE game tester report at: http://www.BeAGameTester.com
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Featured Article Google's Next Move – Video Game Ads?
Author: Adam McFarland -
Since AdWords was launched in 2001, Google has expanded to image ads, video ads, and print ads, and has frequently been rumored to be entering radio and television. While many think that television ads (ala Spot Runner) could be Google's next major move, they may be neglecting a potentially larger opportunity: in-game video game advertising.
Earlier this year Massive Incorporated, a video game advertising network, announced a landmark deal with Major League Baseball and 2K Sports to provide dynamic advertising in the popular video game Major League Baseball 2K6. According to their press release, "Massive's Network and technology allow MLB Advanced Media and 2K Sports titles to leverage dynamic advertising for ever-fresh brand messaging in their games, mirroring the rapidly changing and expanding advertising opportunities in the live action sports industry."
Why Should Google Care?
The Entertainment Software Association put U.S. sales of video game hardware and software at $7.3 billion back in 2004, a figure that rivals Hollywood box office revenue. In-game video game advertising is nothing new for the booming game industry – large companies have been buying static advertisements in games for years. What is new is the expansion of online gaming into the mainstream. Once reserved for only PC Gamers, console gamers have now discovered a whole new world of competition over a broadband connection.
In a recent interview with TechNewsWorld, EA's John Schappert, who oversees the largest interactive game studio in the world, was asked about in-game advertising: "In-game ad integration is a growing business where we see both advertisers and consumers looking for more. It's an additional revenue stream that is still small, but growing. There's the potential for scalability in this area with dynamically-served ads. It's still in the early stages [in terms of] how in-game ads will grow in significance."
Starting with Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PS2, and continuing into the next generation of online gaming with Microsoft's Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii, and Sony's PS3, it has become a virtual certainty that nearly all gamers will be playing while connected to a broadband connection. With that broadband connection comes an advertising opportunity that's hard to ignore.
Is History Repeating Itself?
The potential flaw in what Massive Incorporated does is that their ad network still only includes the large advertisers. Massive's website gives no specific information regarding how to purchase advertising, only mentioning that "blue-chip" advertisers can work with their "veteran" sales team to start an account. I think it's safe to say that small businesses aren't their target market. So while they are implementing dynamic ads, those ads are still only affordable to larger businesses. Anyone familiar with internet advertising can see the potential for history to repeat itself.
Way back in 1996, long before Overture (now Yahoo! Search Marketing) and Google AdWords, a company called DoubleClick pioneered website advertising. Their downfall, however, was that they required a formal sales contract, limiting their potential client base to only large companies. Overture and AdWords made it easy for the small advertiser and small site owner to participate in their ad networks, essentially opening their service to anyone on the web. Several years later, one would think that Google is keeping a watchful eye on what's going on over at Massive Incorporated. Massive may be the first to enter the market, but it's hard to ignore the fact that the small business owner remains shut out. Could Google make Massive the next DoubleClick?
How Would Google Do It
There's no doubt that with the best programmers in the world Google is capable of developing and improving upon the technology that Massive has. It's also not hard to imagine advertisers paying per thousand impressions (PPM) for their text or image ads to be shown in specific games, much like they do now for specific sites. The tough part for Google, however, would be the distribution of those ads.
As opposed to signing up websites to display their ads by copying some code on to their site, Google would have to work with game programmers throughout the development process. This would be much more time consuming and would be a much larger risk for Google. In the same way that Massive signed the contract with 2K, Google would have to sign large contracts with game developers and work with them for several months to integrate their ads.
This enforces the fact that the main difference between what happened with DoubleClick and what could happen with video games is that it would probably be more work for Google to distribute their ads over multiple channels (i.e. more games). Since each game is programmed differently, there is no game equivalent to the JavaScript used in all AdSense ads. Every game would need to be tailored to Google's ad network individually. Difficult: yes. Impossible for Google: no way.
When Will They Do It?
In my opinion it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. The potential revenue from the gaming industry is too big for Google to ignore. Oh, and if you still aren't convinced, consider this: Microsoft, one of Google's main competitors, also produces the Xbox 360. If Microsoft decided to integrate their newly launched adCenter into Xbox games, would it really surprise anyone if Google countered by announcing a deal with Sony or Nintendo to integrate in-game dynamic advertising for the PS3 or the Wii? Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com Adam McFarland owns iPrioritize - simple to-do lists that can be edited at any time from any place in the world. Email, print, check from your mobile phone, subscribe via RSS, and share with others. ...
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Featured Article Get Started in Game Creation
Author: Daniel Punch
I've always loved video games, ever since I first played them on a friend's computer in the afternoon after elementary school. There's something almost magical about the fact that we can move images around and interact with virtual worlds, a living fantasy presented for us to interact with however we please. I've also always wanted to make games myself but, until recently, didn't have the technical knowledge to do so. Now, I'm a second year software engineering student, so if I weren't able to code a game without too many dramas there'd be something drastically wrong. But what about the common person: the person for whom the term 'memory leak' conjures up images of their grandfather, 'pipeline' is where the water flows, and 'blitting' is unheard of? Well, everyone can get in on the game creation process, and you don't even need to learn 'real' programming to do so.
So where do games start? With an idea. Games, like all fiction, require an idea to be successful. Sure, in the same way you can just sit down and write a story without foresight, you can jump on in and slap a game together. However, unless you get ridiculously lucky, the best works are usually the ones that have been well thought out beforehand.
There are two methods of planning a project. You can start from a known technological standpoint and build your project on top of that or you can just go for the design, add as many features and ideas as you like, and then remove the ones that you can't use when you've decided on the technology you're going to implement the game with. In general, the second type is probably the best one to go with when designing games. When you're first starting out however, the first option will save you many headaches.
So, for a first game you're going to want a pretty simple idea. Don't get me wrong, crazy-go-nuts game ideas are fantastic, and there should be more of them out there, but you're not going to be able to create a real world simulator with fifty billion virtual people all interacting real time with your actions having a butterfly effect on the future of the virtual universe when it's just your first game. Really. Many people try it; none that I know of have succeeded. Imitation is the best way to start out. Simple games such as 'Space Invaders', 'Tetris', 'Pacman' or even 'Pong' are great places to start. All are largely simple to create but have some inherent challenges. 'Pacman' for example, requires path finding for the ghosts. I recommend that you start even simpler than that for your very first attempt. 'Space Invaders' is a nice point to jump in. You can make a simple, complete game without much effort and it's almost infinitely extensible.
If you're stuck for an idea, pick a genre that you enjoy. Do you love adventure games such as 'Monkey Island', 'Grim Fandango', 'Space Quest', 'King's Quest' etc.? Design one of those. Are you into fighting games like 'Street Fighter', 'Tekken', 'Soul Calibur', 'Mortal Kombat' and so on? Come up with an idea for that. Do you like first person shooters such as 'Quake', 'Half Life' or 'Doom'? I don't recommend it as a first project, but you can always give it a go. Feel free to be as generic as you like, this is a learning experience after all.
Now that you have your idea it's time to flesh it out. Don't worry about the technology or the fact that you may not know how to actually implement a game just yet, just grab yourself some paper and a pencil and go crazy with ideas. Describe the main characters, game play, goals, interactions, story, and key mappings, anything you can think of. Make sure you have enough detail so that someone can read through the notes and play through the game in their head with relative accuracy. Changing game design during the coding process is almost always a bad idea. Once it's set, it should remain set until the tweaking phase (I'll go into this more later) or you're likely to enter 'development hell', where the project goes on and on; more and more work is done with less and less outcome.
At the end of this period of your game creation, you should have the following:
-A written outline of the game's characters and possibly a sketch or two (be they space ships, yellow circles, cars or the prince of the dark kingdom of Falgour, you need to know who or what the player will be and who they will compete against)
-A written outline of the story (if there is one, this isn't too vital for 'Space Invaders' or 'Tetris', but for 'Uber Quest: An Adventure of Awesomeness' it's a really good idea)
-A description of game play, written or storyboarded. Storyboards are visual representations of ideas. Draw your characters in actions, with arrows showing the flow of action and short written descriptions detailing the events occurring in your image (because some of us aren't fantastic artists and our images can be a little… open to interpretation…)
Now that you have a fleshed out idea, it's time to work out how this will all get put together. If you've gotten to this point and are worried that you're going to have to spend years learning complex programming languages in order to implement your idea, fear not! Others have already done the hard yards for you. There are many RAD (Rapid Application Development) Tools available for game creation, a number of which are available for free online. Some of them still require you to learn a 'scripting language' (a simplified programming language made for a specific task) but in general this isn't too complicated or involved. I've compiled a brief list of some of these I have found at the end of the article. The free ones are listed first, organized by game genre.
Well, that should be enough to get you started in the creation of your game. The most important thing to remember once you've gotten this far is that you need to complete your game. Many people start a project and then lose interest and it fails, or they keep moving on to one new project after another without finishing anything. Start small, build a working (if simple) game that is, above all else, complete. When you get to this stage you will always have a huge number of things that you wish to change, fix etc. but you'll get a great feeling from knowing that it is, in its way, finished.
From this point, you can start the tweaking phase. Play your game a few times and ask others to do the same. Take note of what isn't fun or could be better and change things here. At this stage, it is more important than ever to keep backups of previous versions so that if a change doesn't work you can go back and try something different without losing any of your work. It is at this point that you can add all new features, improve graphics and sounds, whatever you please, safe in the knowledge that you're working on a solid foundation.
When you're happy with your game, why not share it with the world? There are many cheap or free places out there for you to host your files on and then you can jump on link lists and forums and let everyone know about your creation. Well, I hope that this has been a helpful introduction into the art of creating games. It's a great deal of fun, and can open whole new avenues of creative expression for you to explore. Jump in and have fun!
Daniel Punch
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Links:
General Game Creation:
(Tools that allow easy creation of many different game types)
Game Maker: http://www.gamemaker.nl
MegaZeux: http://megazeux.sourceforge.net/
Adventure Games:
(Games such as Monkey Island, King's Quest, Space Quest etc.)
Adventure Game Studio: http://www.bigbluecup.com
AGAST: http://www.allitis.com/agast/
3D Adventure Studio: http://3das.noeska.com/
ADRIFT (for text adventures): http://www.adrift.org.uk/
Role Playing Games (RPGs):
(Games such as Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire, Diablo)
OHRPG: http://www.hamsterrepublic.com/ohrrpgce/
RPG Toolit: http://www.toolkitzone.com/
Fighting Games:
(Games such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Soul Calibur etc.)
KOF91: http://sourceforge.net/projects/kof91/
MUGEN (unfortunately the site is largely in French): http://www.streetmugen.com/mugen-us.html
Side-Scrolling Games:
(Games such as the 2D Mario Games, Sonic the Hedgehog, Double Dragon etc.)
The Scrolling Game Development Kit: http://gamedev.sourceforge.net/
There are many others available as well. One particularly useful site for finding game creation tools is: http://www.ambrosine.com/resource.html
Also of note, although not freeware, are the excellent game creation tools available by Clickteam at: http://www.clickteam.com/English/
Klik and Play and The Games Factory in particular are the programs to have a look at and download the free demos of.
If you really want to do things right and program the game yourself, there are some excellent programming resources available at the following locations:
Java Game Programming:
http://fivedots.coe.psu.ac.th/~ad/jg/
http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article1262.asp
http://javaboutique.internet.com/tutorials/Java_Game_Programming/
Visual Basic Game Programming:
http://markbutler.8m.com/vb-tutorial.htm
C++ Game Programming:
http://www3.telus.net/alexander_russell/course_dx/introduction_dx.htm
http://www.rit.edu/~jpw9607/tutorial.htm
General Information:
http://www.gamedev.net/
http://www.gamasutra.com/
About the AuthorDaniel Punch
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net http://www.m6.net ...
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Featured Article Game Design Software For Aspiring Video Game Designers
Author: Hitoshi Jones
If you have a passion for video games and you already know you want a future job in the game design industry, right now is the best time to start developing your skills and getting some experience. If you're not yet in a position to take college level courses in programming or design, one of the best things you can do is start working with game design software at home. Here are three titles you can start with - all of them free. 1. Crystal Space - 3D Game Design Engine This open source game engine is an excellent way to get your feet wet if you're interested in multi-platform game development. Since it allows you to develop games using the C++ programming language, it is an an excellent design software title to start with. Besides allowing you to gain first hand experience in 3D visualization, Crystal Space will also help you develop your keyframe and skeletal frame game animation design skills too. Since there are versions to download for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X, anyone aspiring to get into the game design industry can gain a lot of experience by working with this on their home computer first. There is also a large support community online that can answer your questions and help you learn and develop your design skills with this title. 2. Cube - First Person Shooter Game Design Software If you're not quite up to programming in C++ yet, but still want to get a feel for game design, you should certainly download and try working with Cube. This is a first person shooter (FPS) game and game engine that is open source. If you enjoy titles like Quake and Doom, this engine will allow you to create your own game with similar action and physics. With this software, you can design your own FPS game world and learn to work with basic game design features such as lighting, textures, and other graphics. You'll also learn to program collision detection and other physics necessary to create realistic weapon functions. To top it off, the game you design can be programmed for single player and multiplayer modes. Again, this title is perfect for starting out in game design as it can be downloaded and run from a Windows PC, a Linux machine or a Mac. 3. DimensioneX - MMORPG Game Design Engine With the popularity of massively multi-player online role playing games (MMORPGs) such as World of Warcraft, you'll probably want to get some experience with designing these types of games as well. If so, you should download and spend some time with DimensioneX. While most of the design software for MMORPGs is quite expensive, this title, like the ones above, is open source and free. DimensioneX will allow you to develop multi-player games that run on a Java servlet and use a scripting code similar to BASIC. This means that not only is the programming language easy to master, but after you create the game, you can easily upload it to a webserver and others can play it with you online. Although you can't create massive in-depth worlds with it, it will at least allow you to learn and work with important MMORPG game design concepts including maps, player communications, sounds and more. Bonus Tip: While you're learning with the free video game design software titles and preparing for your future, you might also want to get some industry experience and extra money by working as a freelance video game tester. You can learn how by visiting http://www.BeAGameTester.com right now.
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Featured Article Games - Consoles - technology evolved
Author: john
Games consoles have a colourful history, but they only really rose into the public consciousness in the '80s with the NES – the original Nintendo system. 'Nintendo' became a word meaning 'video game', and the Mario character became a worldwide sensation.
Since then, games consoles have been an unstoppable industry. Nintendo dominated for years with the NES, the Super NES and the portable Game Boy systems, only to have its dominance threatened by Sony's Playstation and later Playstation 2 and Portable Playstation (PSP). Despite the fact that the history of mass-market games consoles only really stretches back two decades or so, there have been dozens of consoles in this time, and all-out wars to capture the market. The quality of graphics has improved amazingly in this time – try looking at the original Mario next to a modern game like Grand Theft Auto or Halo – although it is a matter of some debate whether gameplay (the 'fun factor') has improved to match.
Probably the biggest thing in games consoles today is the shift towards online gaming, led by Microsoft's Xbox Live service. Online gaming allows people to play against each other all over the world using nothing more than a TV, a console, an Internet connection, and occasionally a headset to shout insults at each other.
All that could be about to change, however, as Sony prepares to launch the Playstation 3, and Nintendo works on the Wii. The two consoles are set to fight it out over the next few years, with the PS3 taking the position of being very expensive with extremely good graphics, and the Wii being more basic and cheaper, but trying to put the focus back on fun. The Internet is buzzing with Wii supporters who remember the Nintendo games of their youth, and hope for a return to simple, fun games, although it seems unlikely that the battle will be won that easily. Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com John Gibb is the owner of gamesconsole sources , For more information on gamesconsoles please check out www.gamesconsole-guides.info ...
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Featured Article Fun Fishing Games for Playstation 2
Author: Landreau Donovan
The weather, lack of resources, and proper venue should not be seen as immovable obstacles to your fishing goals. If you truly desire to bait, hook and catch fishes today, then so you should! But this time, you'll be doing it on TV. Wear your favorite fishing outfit if it makes you comfortable then take the best seat in the house. Choose one from the fishing games reviewed below, hook up your Playstation 2 to the TV, and you're all set to have one of the most exciting fishing challenges in your life! Reel Fishing III
Nowadays, individuals with busy careers and hectic lives are forced to spend only a few minutes fishing and do so in artificial settings. With Reel Fishing III, however, you can fish anytime, and feel like it's the real thing. Reel Fishing III provides its users with an incomparable experience of nature fishing; a few minutes into the game, and you might forget you're not really out enjoying the beauty and peace that only Mother Nature can provides us. There are several great features to look forward to with Reel Fishing III:
User-Friendly - Even if you're not an expert fisherman, you still won't have problems playing Reel Fishing III. But fishing veterans need not fear that playing Reel Fishing III would be a piece of cake; it won't be! Choice of Settings - The game provides players with a variety of nature settings to choose from, so you won't get bored fishing in the same scene over and over. Amazing Sounds - Dolby Surround Sound Pro Logic II was used in this game to give players the most realistic fishing experience. Freshwater Fish Variety - Look forward to catching all 25 freshwater fish used in the game.
Rapala Pro Fishing
If nature fishing is too tame, then you'll probably love to join the fishing tournament brought by Rapala Pro Fishing. This is, however, a one-player game so any team efforts will be restricted to the background.
Features to Look Forward to:
Choice of Settings - If you want a virtual taste of how it is to go salmon fishing in Alaska and win the tournament, this game will provide you the means to experience it. Fish and Lure Variety - Lots of fish to catch in this game; some are easy to bait while some will challenge every fishing trick you have Boat Driving - Unlike some fishing games, Rapala Pro Fishing will allow you to steer the boat Ease of Play - Even your five-year-old grandson will have no great difficulties playing Rapala Pro Fishing, which makes it a great way to bond with your family. Kids may opt for an auto-cast function if they find manual baiting too hard. Viewpoint Options - You can choose to see how you bait those beautiful fishes with the underwater or top water lure camera mode.
Fisherman's Bass Club
If none of the previous games have whetted your appetite, then maybe you'll enjoy the tough lake challenges provided by Fisherman's Bass Club. The 3D realistic fishing experience brought by this game will make catching the toughest freshwater sport fish even more rewarding.
Features to Look Forward to:
Quiz - Are you ready to put your fishing knowledge to test? You have 10 seconds to read and answer the questions. Tutorial Mode - Beginners can hone their skills in the tutorial mode until they're sufficiently able to join a tournament and become a winner. Customize Settings - You can choose what type of weather and time of the day you wish to compete
Try these games out, and you may realize indoor virtual fishing is not as bad as you thought it would be!
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Featured Article Family Friendly Xbox 360 Games - 5 Family Friendly Xbox 360 Games That Your Whole Family Wi
Author: Jared Dawson
The video game industry has taken a fair amount of criticism over the years for its violent content and for the time that the kids waste in front of the tv, isolated from their family. These 5 family friendly xbox 360 games are not only games that you can feel comfortable with your kids playing, but also games that you can enjoy playing with them. Beautiful Katamari - Rated E for Everyone For the first time on a non-Playstation console, Beautiful Katamari brings it's wacky, whimsical game play to the Xbox 360. Beautiful Katamari is a simple, addictive game that is fun for the whole family. The game consists of players rolling a large sticky ball called the katamari around the screen in order to pick up a variety of different items. If you are familiar with previous versions of the game, you will be very familiar with the gameplay, but if you are new to the series you and your family will be in for a treat. Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action - Rated T for Teen If you are looking for a change in pace from the many first person shooter games out in the market now you may want to consider Scene it? Lights, Camera, Action. Based on the Scene It? DVD game franchise, this trivia game makes its debut on the Xbox 360. The game comes with unique buzzer controllers to play the game. The game focuses on movie trivia questions and games are filled with movie clips, puzzles and multiple play modes called Party Play and Play Now. Party Play is a casual gaming mode, while Play Now is the more competitive version. While the game may not be as enjoyable for younger children, movie and trivia buffs should love the game. It is a unique game to add to your Xbox 360 collection. Rock Band - Rated T for Teen Rock Band is one of the hot releases of the 2007 Christmas season. Rock Band could be considered four games in one as it allows you to live out your fantasy of being a rock star by playing guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Rock Band consists of some of the hottest rock songs from the past 40 years. The concept of the game is similar to karaoke except it introduces the other pieces of the band into the game as well. The game consists of a guitar controller, drum controlled and microphone making it a bit more expensive then some games. Due to the nature of the game and the music in the game, the game is rated T for Teen. If you and your family are looking to try something new, Rock Band will be a lot of fun. Imagine dad on the lead guitar and mom on vocals, reliving their rock and roll fantasies from the 70's, being joined by the kids on drums and bass guitar for an evening of family fun. Rock on! Viva Pinata - Rated E for Everyone Viva Pinata is a popular animated kids television show, brought to life in a video game. The colorful 3d graphics will blow you away. From the look of the game you may originally think that this is a simple, fun game that only kids would love, but you will soon learn how wrong you are. Viva Pinata is a surprisingly deep strategy game as well. The game will allow you to start with a basic plot of land and grow it into a lively, working ecosystem. There are so many ways to play the game and so many different strategies. You and your family are sure to get hours and hours of entertainment out of this deep game. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga - Rated E10+ for Ages 10+ Legos, the complete Star Wars series and video games, what could be a better recipe for fun for the entire family? Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is a game that is fun and easy for the whole family to get into. It is based on all six episodes of the Star Wars series. It allows you to play through each of the six episodes of the Star Wars series by retelling each of the stories in a humorous and unique style with puzzle solving and vehicle based gameplay. You might think that a game based on Lego figures would be purely a kids game. While Lego Star Wars is easy for kids to play, it's perfect blend of action and humor make it an extremely enjoyable game for adults as well. The game gives you the ability to tear apart different parts of the Lego Star Wars universe and put them back together in true Lego style. It also allows you to play with another person on screen so it is a great game for parents who grew up during the original Star Wars years to play with their kids who have just watched the newer trilogy. If you have yet to play any of the original Lego Star Wars games then this is a must have for your video game library, while veterans of the series should find enough improvements to enjoy this title as well. If you are looking for some games to add to your home that are fun for both you and your family, any of these 5 family friendly xbox 360 games would be a welcome addition to your home. So why not start a family game night and enjoy any or all of these games. For more information about family friendly video games and additional recommendations of Xbox 360 games visit the Xbox 360 page of the Family Home Theater Guide. The Family Home Theater Guide offers a wealth of information about home theater components, Home theater design and home theater accessories. To access this information visit Jared's site at http://familyhometheaterguide.com The Family Home Theater Guide is an informative guide to home theater, with a particular emphasis on family entertainment. Jared has a wife and three children that love to experience the magic of the big screen in the comfort of their own home.
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Featured Article Download Xbox 360 Games Quickly & Easily
Author: Herb Peterson
Have you ever wondered how to download xbox 360 games? If so you aren't alone. Many games industry experts would have us believe that downloading our media directly is the way forward, so check out the rest of this article to find out exactly how to go about it. Now before you go download crazy, there are a few things you need to beware of. Knowing these facts will keep you out of jail! First of all, make sure you know the law. There are a lot of sites out there which market themselves as a legal direct downnload site for you to download xbox 360 games from, and you'll find that some of them aren't quite as legal as they make out to be. If you are in any doubt about this at all, check out the laws in your country or territory-it's really not worth going to jail over a few games is it? Another good idea is to be careful of the websites you use. As internet usage and popularity increases, so too does the number of hackers and spammers etc looking for access to your system. It's very important to keep your system up to date with the latest versions of your anti-virus and firewall software for this very reason. You can also minimize the risk here by steering clear of shady sites, and only using the best and most reputable (more on this later). It will be hard to download xbox 360 games if your computer gets ruined by some hacker! The last thing is to know what to expect when you find the right kind of site-how to tell the real deal. First of all, the genuine sites will ask you for some money up front. A lot of them these days offer unlimited downloads for a flat rate, so for example if you pay $40 or $50, you can then download as many xbox 360 games as you want, which is obviously a pretty good deal. If you can find the correct site, you'll quite often find that they will also let you download all kinds of other bits and pieces too, wallpapers, homebrew stuff, basically anything you can buy in stores for the 360. This article should give you some good guidelines to help you download xbox 360 games safely. Check out the links below to find the safest download sites.
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Featured Article Download Xbox 360 Games - How to Download Games for the Xbox 360
Author: Edd Linham
To buy Xbox 360 games regularly can cost quite allot of money, So people are wanting to know how to Download Xbox 360 games. If you do a simple search in Google then you will end up with many many results, so that leads us on to where to Download games. The are a few different types of download site available, firstly there are the totally free sites which are supported by advertising, this means that before you get to the download page you will be bombarded with pop-ups and advertising banners, which can leave lots of adware on your computer, then when you finally download the game it is very slow and can take days, in my opinion i wouldn't even bother with these sites. Secondly there are sites which say they offer free game downloads, but you actually have to pay a monthly subscription, or a pay per download fee, they only say the game is free because your not actually paying for the game, you pay for the service. Thirdly there are sites which require you to join as a member, the membership fee is usually around the price of one game from the shop, but when you've paid the one time only membership fee you then get access to unlimited downloads for life, theses are my favourite sites because there great value for money. The site i use regularly to download Xbox 360 games is very easy to use with all the online help to get you going as well as 24/7 online customer support, plus it also offers downloads for other platforms such as the PS3 and Nintendo Wii as well as Music, Movies and TV show downloads, it even has all the tools needed to transfer and burn your games ready to play, you can read my review of this site by clicking the link below.
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Featured Article Download Xbox 360 Games
Author: Patrick Kaa
Buying games for your xbox 360 can be a costly task and when you do buy them you run the risk of scratching or damaging your games meaning you either have to buy another one or borrow it from your friend next door!! but there is one other option thats has become very popular amongst the gaming community (thats if you dont have a moral conscience). Gamers or Hackers as they are more commonly known have been able to develop software to download xbox 360 games!! What this means is that people can now for a small fee download games for their xbox 360 using a program like napster. However these games need special thrid party software to run them. This software is called firmware or customised firmware that can play Xbox 360 games that are burned to a disc or downloaded from the internet into hard drive. They can come in .iso or .zip format depending on what you prefer. The Xbox 360 is usually flashed (reprogrammed) so it can play these backup xbox 360 games on the fly as they describe it. There are many sources the internet today that provide services like this for other consoles like the PSP or PS2 where you can download games and burn them onto disc. The providers allow unlimited access and fast downloading too for exclusive memberships. Updates are available and users can get all the latest games. | |
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