Online Games - Can We Make Money Playing Them?

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

There are many styles of Online Games

Some of the different types of online games that exist:

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

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

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

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

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

How Do Online Game Companies Make Money

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

What is the future of online games?

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

Ian Woods

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

Finding Friends by Playing Online Games

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bingo Players Find the Best Pals Through Online Bingo

Bingo has always been a very popular game. Played by a group of people, it is historically known as a family or group game, given to its attribute of bringing people together. Logically it is one of the rare games that can connect a large community of people from diverse fields, and bond them together. In today's world where internet has brought people from diverse regions and backgrounds close together, online bingo is emerging as not only a popular game but also a very great way to socialize over the internet.

Many bingo websites have already discovered the ample possibilities of successful social networking through bingo, and they have already taken steps to implement it. Hosts of online bingo networking websites have been launched on the internet which are successfully connecting Bingo players. Now the players can not only play with each other but also be friends and socialize through their ids. Networking through Bingo provides the players with lots of advantages. They can discuss about the game, share comments and reviews about different sites and can know the game better. They can find a host of other information, learn new games and easily find out when a game is starting, and other schedule related things. Finally, there is a way in which Bingo players can meet and talk about their experiences and games. In today's segregated world, everybody needs friends. Players can now bond with other players, be friends and play with them online for years together. Through Bingo, people with similar interests are getting connected, and who knows, they may make a bond so strong that takes their friendship through their lives.

Online Bingo sites and Bingo social networking sites come with added applications. For example there is a chat application that allows you to chat with the co-players while the game is on. While a normal on-land Bingo forbids you to talk to other players, online bingo offers you this facility. This application adds a completely exciting dimension to gaming. Through chat applications, people usually make a lot of friends and share their e-mail ids. Some meet up at a bingo-networking site, while others end adding each other as friends to their social-networking pages. There are also applications that help the player in tracking the biggest jackpots and catch their games just on time.

In a nutshell, through online bingo, a vast number of like-minded people are getting connected and sharing their worlds with each other. Online bingo is fast becoming and effective instrument in bringing together people with same interests and hobbies. In today's busy and fussy life, where people back-stab their own friends at every other step in life, often it is strangers who bring solace and peace to our hearts, and gradually become the best of our friends. That is what exactly is happening through online bingo networking. Through the game Bingo players are finding the best of pals, pals who have the same interests as their own!

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90 Ball Bingo Online

You probably heard about the traditional 75 and the 80 ball bingo, but have you tried playing the 90 ball bingo. It has definitely captured the hearts of many bingo game fans from around the world. Many bingo lovers' select this compared to other kinds of bingo game. From America to Europe, this has become the number game in the bingo world. The game was first invented in the United Kingdom, the news spread in Australia and Asia. This 90 ball bingo game is very much sought after both the online world and bingo halls.

It is easy to learn the process of playing 90 ball bingo online. The bingo cards that are used might seems to be unfamiliar especially for those players who are used to playing the game. However, for first time players of thus 90 ball bingo, the rules are same. The 90 ball bingo card contains three horizontal rows and nine vertical columns. The rows contain about nine squares. Take note that only 5 of these square of each row can be played because they are the only ones that contain numbers. The rest are blank spaces. Compared to the 75 ball bingo, the 90 has no free space found in the center.

In order to win the 90 game, you will have to mark every number in a horizontal row. This is actually for the traditional bingo halls. However in the online world, the games may continue until a player catches what you call the full house. This means that every number was called in the player's card. It is actually the same as 75 ball bingo black out. Aside from this when you play online, you have the option of playing as many cards as you like. This is not usually done in traditional bingo halls because it can be confusing. Normally a player might just have two to three cards at a time. For online bingo game, in order to keep track of the cards and number, the cards usually change colors. This depends on how many unmarked numbers before calling bingo.

This 90 ball bingo is quite different from the rest in terms of winning. The process of the game is easy to learn. For beginners, it is advisable to get the gist of the 75 ball first before trying any other type of bingo game. If you get the main concept, it would be easier to understand how other bingo game works. There are numerous of website that offers this kind of bingo game. Some of them can give tons of prizes. Select a site that can actually give your more money and prizes if you win. This is actually worth it than just playing for smaller prize.

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