Thursday, January 8, 2009

Rekindle An Old Love For Computer Games

There are so many things which we have as children and then when we reencounter them as adults they have somehow been re-branded, or changed just that bit to irritate us. There has been a whole generation who have grown up with computers and the simple games which were developed for these first computers. These uncomplicated games, which were the best thing we had ever seen at the time, progressively got more complex as development moved on, unfortunately work began to get in the way and we started to get less time to play the newest games when they came out. Before we knew it, we had lost touch with the gaming world as other demands were put on our time.
The beauty of the first games was in their simplicity. They did not come with a thousand page manual in twenty different languages, they were games where you could just start playing and only stop when you were either so frustrated that you had to stop (otherwise you would have thrown the thing out the window) or if another member of the family came and demanded a turn. These games were simpler and had innocence about then. Unfortunately the next generation of games strove to impress with greater complexity and in doing so destroyed the part that was most attractive, the simplicity. After some time the beauty of the early games shone through and suddenly they were all available again, and the upgrades have kept the concept in tack.
There was one very unfortunate twist to this tale of rediscovery, someone thought to call these great classic games, ‘casual games’! Such an unattractive name, such an implication of boring games, such an inappropriate image; especially as these are now very popular and there are companies such as Big Fish who have a huge selection of games in this style. What’s more, Big Fish Games sells all types of games, so they are not just some old company rehashing an idea to try and avoid bankruptcy, but they are a company who have enough understanding of games to be able to see the importance of the fantasy adventure games, which once mastered never offers the same appeal (admittedly some can take nearly a lifetime to master!), as well as the ‘always there for a quick gaming fix’ of ‘casual games’.
Why have a go at ‘casual games’ if you have never come across one before? Well, they are definitely addictive, so you will be have hours of fun, they are designed so you can just leap straight in and have a go, but there is one really useful aspect, they can be played on a computer or laptop! So if you are practicing in secret then you can always just Alt_Tab back to that document or spreadsheet which you have been working on and no one is the wiser. So you can get that T-Rex munching eggs with just a few clicks and then you will remember why you liked computers when they first came into your life, before they became about reports and work!
There is another advantage to the new ‘casual games’ (apart from the obvious improvements in graphics and speed), these can be played online, and if you are feeling really generous there is a section on the Big Fish site for games you can play with your kids (otherwise you could just not tell them about it and keep as much of the computer time to yourself as possible)!

Published At: http://www.isnare.com/Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=230576&ca=Computers+and+Technology

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