The history of online gaming can be traced back to the early 1980’s with the advent of the personal computer and the internet. Instead of playing a game by yourself, you suddenly had the ability to play either against or cooperatively with another person somewhere else.

Although email based games were available much earlier earlier, the first real online games were text based role-playing games called ‘MUDs’ (Multi-User Dungeon, Domain or Dimension). These games allowed multiple people to play at once in the same scenario. MUDs were in much of the same format as current day titles like WoW (World of Warcraft). Both games are relied on chance, similar to rules used in the popular board game ‘Dungeons and Dragons.’ The only difference being that MUDs used textual descriptions in replace of graphics.

The next revolution in online gaming came with the first person shooter. Unlike MUDs before it, first person shooters replaced the text descriptions with graphical representations on the screen. Wolfenstein 3D was the first notable title to do this. Equally, if not more popular, was DOOM. First-person shooters typically allowed a small number of users (10 or so) to play at once. As computer technology grew, games became more and more graphic intensive. With the internet being more readily available, online games were able to support massive amounts of simultaneous players. Hence, the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) was born. Players could now form entire online communities in a virtual world. Popular MMORPG titles include Everquest, Guild Wars, WoW, plus many others. WoW currently has over 10 million subscribers.

The following was taken from the Blizzard website: “PARIS, France. 22 January, 2008 — Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that subscribership for World of Warcraft, its award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), has continued to climb, recently passing 10 million worldwide. Interest in the game has remained high in all regions, with thousands of new and returning players signing up through the holiday season. World of Warcraft now hosts more than 2 million subscribers in Europe, more than 2.5 million in North America, and approximately 5.5 million in Asia.”

MMORPG ratings are based on several factors and some are entirely subjective. The deciding factors include popularity and community. Some of the most well known MMORPGs are: 1) World of Warcraft 2) Lord of the Rings Online 3) Eve Online 4) Final Fantasy XI 5) City of Heroes/City of Villains 6) Warhammer Online 7) Age of Conan 8) Pirates of the Burning Sea 9) Dark Age of Camelot 10) Star Wars Galaxies

There used to be a time when PC games ruled the games market. Although PC games are still the most popular, the monopoly has been broken with the rise of gaming websites. Highly engaging and interactive online games has the potential to take on PC games. You need not stick to a few particular games as an online game station has several games in store for you. And the technology which has brought about this transformation is Flash, a tool which enables programmers and designers to develop animations and games with compelling graphics and high quality audio output. Moreover, Flash game development can bring about user interactivity which is again a big factor in the success of a game. A players interest is sustained when the games are interactive. Desktop Flash games are also developed and are available for download online.

The scope of games development using Flash technology has also found favor beyond the gaming portals. Corporate websites use games as part of their strategy to promote their products and services in a different and interesting manner. A business concept can be subtly wrapped around a game. Apart from brands promotion, games developers are also busy creating games for e-learning sites. Educational games such as puzzles, puzzles, crosswords, and other logic based games are developed for these e-learning sites. Flash development can make learning experience entertaining and exciting. Other sites also use the service of Flash game developers to bring about some of sort of entertainment and amusement to their sites.

The demand for Flash game developers is understandably quite high. You can bring down cost of game development through outsourcing. There are so many animation and games development agencies in India that can accomplish your task at much lower rates. Indian game developers are equipped with the latest tools and technologies such as Flash. Their creativity also ensures that the games are interesting and compelling. You can easily reach an Indian game development company online. The online search engine can lead you to hundreds of such Indian companies. However, study their portfolios before you contact one of them.

Avatar game has created frenzy among the masses especially the youth who are so charmed by this demotic character that they cant restrict themselves from playing all its versions. This game promises you an excitement which you must have never experienced before. Within such a short span of time, this game has surpassed the success of most online games. The varied versions act as an added advantage. It helps to break the monotony of the game and instills in new zeal and fervor each time you play. Thus, you are going to remain glued for a long time without taking even the shortest break in between.

Avatar: Trials Of Serpent Pass is peradventure one of the top games that has a huge fan following. The goal of the game is to land yourself safely on to the other side of the land by crossing the sea in which a gigantic serpent is all set to attack. It is impossible to sop this deadly sea creature and without much ado you must try to reach the land. Another very thrilling version of Avatar game is Avatar: Clash of the Benders. Here, you would have to fight your enemy with the help of special elements that would be provided to you during the game.

If you are fond of a game having puzzle theme then you would certainly love to play Find The Alphabets. This game is really very exciting as you would see not only Avatar but almost all favorite characters. You need to have sharp eyes to win this game full of fun and thrill. Avatar Arena is liked by those who are very creative by nature. This game gives you the freedom of designing your personal character and be ranked among the best benders in town. Practice will make you perfect in mastering this unique craft and you must practice a lot.

Avatar 4 Nations Tournament is a very addictive version and you must beware before plunging into it. You may not feel interested in anything else once the addiction of this game takes a toll on you. You can enjoy this game as much alone as with a company. Other highly exciting versions of Avatar game are Earth Healers and Avatar Bending Battle. In Earth Healers you would have to make Earth a better place to live in. This is possible by planting some seeds which will help the planet get rid of smog (smoke +fog) which s big threat for the survival of living beings.

Snake game is one of the oldest and most popular platform games in the online gaming arcade. The wide popularity of this game can be estimated from the fact that this game is no longer restricted to just computers and other devices with net connection but are inbuilt in most mobile phones too. You can play these games as much as you want either on your mobile phones, laptops or Personal Computers. Albeit this game is loaded in wide models of mobile phones yet most people prefer playing it on their computers. This is primarily because of the large screen size which adds to the excitement and thrill of the game.

Snake game is available in varied versions and each of them promises never ending fun and excitement. Each of these versions revolves around a snake. Some versions have one snake while some have two snakes. The concept of each of the versions is very interesting and would keep you hooked on to the screen. One of the most loved versions is Snake Adventure which is a very challenging game. It is a very cool game having enticing features sufficient enough to keep you glued to the screen. Another version which is found to be played by many people is Snake and Rabbits. The addition of this timid creature besides the serpent adds to the excitement of the game. You have to help the deadly snake capture the unsuspecting rabbits.

Snakeman Steve also has a snake in the lead character but the tragedy is that he is blind. So, you have to help him find big rats which would serve as his food. Ankomako is a Japanese version of the game which has a very cute appeal. Among all the versions, the one that needs a special mention is Radial Snake because of its simplicity and mesmerizing features which has helped this game to enjoy the same popularity and adulation which it used to number of years back. This game has retained the am popularity even years after when many different and innovative games have emerged on the gaming arcade. But none of them have been able to affect its charm and popularity.

3D Worm, Snake without Limits, Double Snake, Hidden Snakes, Snake Coil and Radial Snake are some of the most popular versions of Snake game. You can play these games easily without going through any elaborate rules. You do not even need to understand the different keys that are used in its operation. Just a couple of keys are used to play this game and this persuades even you children to try their hands at its different versions.

Camouflage and Outdoor Games for Kids

Kids love hide and seek but why not try to make hide and seek a little more fun and grown up with some Camouflage Games. As most kids love to dress up it is easy to get the kids enthusiastic about this sort of game. So here are some tips to make these games a success.

Wear muted colours withno bold outlines or logos
Disguise faces. The shape of a face can really stand out.
Use mud or facepaints to blur your shape or wear a cap or hat.
Try to adopt a shape that blends in with surrounding features.
It is important to move quietly and slowly without sudden jerks.
If you are looking for wildlife you need to make sure if you
approach from downwind as most animals rely heavily on their
sense of smell.
To make your own camouflage use an old rug, sacking, or garden
netting.

Out Door Games to Play in the Countryside

The following games are great for playing in open woodland in the countryside.

Wildlife Spotting

Everyone finds a spot to sit comfortably and quietly to watch,wait and listen. Bring some breadcrumbs or bird seed and scatter them twenty yards away from your lair. Then just wait and watch and listen.

Look for Something Unusual

Divide up over a small area and look for something unusual or of interest. It maybe a stone, a spiders web, a footprint, a nest, an ant hill. Allow five or ten minutes depending on the childrens age and then each one in turn shows the rest of the group what they have found.

Capturing the Enemy

Divide into two teams. each team has a base. The idea is for each team to try and creep up on the others team and take their base.

For smaller groups and/or younger children have just one base guarded by an adult. The rest of the party have to try and creep unseen and storm the base.

Manhunt

Again two teams or a couple of people selected as seekers. The hiders go and hide making use of their camouflage while the seekers have to spot them. Once spotted they are either out or they have to make it back to base without being caught.

The gameplay theme of Snake game is so simple that creators never expected that it would succeed in creating such frenzy among avid game lovers. However, it seems that the simplicity of this game is what has helped it climb the ladder of success and fame. The popularity of this game has reached far and wide and this game is one such game which has managed to retain the same popularity and fervor which it did years ago. Even today people fondly participate in this very interesting game and no wonder most mobile phones have this game set by default.

When you select the PLAY option, you would, see the screen come alive with a small sized snake in the process of moving. The snake will not stop even for a fraction of a second, so you have to know about the rules well in advance and plan your strategies as well so as not to get stuck up in the middle. You can put the game in Pause mode but at no point can restrict the movement of the snake. In the first stage, the snake is found to crawl slowly and is even smaller in size thus making your task of controlling easier but as you progress to the advancing stages, the speed as well as the length of the snake increases considerably and the game becomes really tough.

While playing snake game your focus should entirely rest on two factors:

-Never let the snake touch its own body
-Avoid the snake hitting against the walls

Besides, you must also try to grab all bonus goodies that appear on the screen and remain there only for few seconds. If you manage to let the snake engulf those bonus goodies which are marked by a distinct color, great points would be credited to you. However, you must ensure that in the process of its movements, the tail of the snake does not collide with its body. If it does so, the game would come to an end.

The control keys of snake game are basically the arrow keys with which the movement of the snake is accessed in the desired direction. The prime motive of the game is to feed the snake with goodies that appear on the screen. The snake needs to be taken to the position of the food with the help of the arrow keys and it slightly increases in length with every food particle. Hence, by completion of stage 4, you would find the snake quite long in size and difficult to control as there is very high probability of the tail colliding with its body.