Millions of people around the world spend many hours playing online games, either as a single player, i.e. against the computer, or against other players. There are hundreds of games of many different types, so where do you start idr168?
Categories include:
• Strategy games, where there are many different alternatives to success. Decisions have to be made at every stage, from which route to take, to the approach to confrontation. Are you going to peaceful or aggressive? How honed is your problem solving? How many factors can you consider at any moment in time?
• Shoot ’em Up games, where you can be a space pilot, a tank driver, a battleship commander etc. Speed of reaction is essential here, as there is little time to react before you’re killed. Generally, better and bigger guns or weapons become available as your skill increases.
• Roleplaying games, where you can choose to be a hero or a villain, a pirate or a gladiator. You generally gather comrades and travelling companions along the way, some of whom may not be all they seem!
• Casual games, where you can choose to be a farmer, zookeeper or a city developer, for instance. You often start with a fixed budget and have to make decisions about where and what to buy, grow or build. Unexpected problems can occur that affect your plans and may cause you to change direction mid-stream.
There is a huge range of online games, the above just giving a small sample of what is available. So, where do you start?
The best place is probably an online gaming forum, where you can try out short “tasters” of many different games to see what appeals. Browser games are usually free-to-play and you can select the level of skill you want. Some companies offer a game search facility, where you can enter the factors that interest you the most, rather than having to browse through large numbers of games. Once you have found one or more games that you like, you can decide whether you want to play against the computer, or against other players in a real-time challenge.
Another advantage of using a forum is that you can pick up hints and strategies to improve your skill. It can be totally frustrating being stuck at a particular point, so before you put your fist through the screen, have a look to see whether anyone has been kind enough to offer some help! There is generally a forum specific to each game, where you can exchange views and comments, as well as challenges.