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What comes to your mind when you hear the words, Cinematic, highly addictive, absorbing, engrossing, fun? If gaming is that activity which, for you, has the strongest relation with the above words then you can be called a hardcore gamer. So how did this addictive past time come about to be?
There were many developments which influenced the birth of gaming as an industry and a form of entertainment but not all were significant. The world saw the movement of gaming just like other forms and fields which involved technology, with hardware and software improvements making the next big thing in this arena. Starting with the simple 8-bit and 16-bit consoles, we moved out to more powerful hardware and software which could utilize this power in the hardware. Arcades came about, bringing gaming to the fore and attracted a lot of interest around the globe, but the widespread fervor of arcades died soon. The focus shifted from gaming at home on portable systems which could be carried around and used as per demand. Till today, gaming as a field and hobby doesn't stop in its constant evolution for a better offering. We have games which offer a truly cinematic experience which takes care of all the aspects of sound and graphics, making the game extremely immersive and that too in the comfort of your living room. Interestingly, gaming has spawned a conflict in its own camp which has divided the genre into two distinct arenas which have seen many developers and enthusiasts.
Console gaming and PC gaming have brought about a huge change in the way we perceive the world of gaming. Individual efforts, audience and technology have encouraged further division in the two fields resulting in a dedicated fan following of both the camps. Although we know about how console and PC gaming are different, we need to see them from a totally different point of view today. Console gaming is more concentrated on the classic way of the experience, with portable media, consoles, dedicated GPU and processing units along with a series of addictive titles. On the other hand, PC gaming is more about FPS games and the more preferred way as per the current statistics. The combination of keyboard and mouse has found more takers as compared to the joysticks and D-pads. New hardware technological breakthroughs and software optimizations have made this score above the consoles. However, consoles haven't stayed behind. While consoles do not require regular update of hardware to enjoy a better experience, PC gaming suffers from the need of better hardware at regular intervals. Earlier, online gaming and multiplayer was the forte of the PC but this advantage has been taken away by the introduction of services like Xbox Live and PSN. Both the camps are trying to outperform the other one, leading to a constant tussle. This still hasn't stopped some problems from plaguing both the camps. Piracy, running costs and demand are some of them which tend to keep the non gamers away from this genre of entertainment.
With the above war between the two camps raging at full force, the time is ripe for a new change. Unbelievably, the solution that has come across for this situation is completely different from both the genres. Free Games. Yes, free games are something which are here to change the future of gaming in a completely different way. What exactly qualifies as a free game? Well, a game which is freely distributable and which doesn't require any license or any fee for playing or enjoying it can be classified as one. Free games have certain characteristics which indentify amongst this never ending horde of titles. These games tend to be very light on the system resources and that is why they have the potential of capping a higher market share. Secondly, these games do not require exceptional skills in the gaming arena or experience which can back you up before you actually start playing them. They concentrate on only one thing, the actual game play experience and the efforts of the developers are mostly concentrated on making the game extremely addictive and engrossing. You don't have breathtaking graphics or Dolby digital sound in the game. What all you have is the classic and pure game play experience which made Gaming such a hit in the entertainment industry. Over the years, the gaming community has graduated to competitive games and a different aspect of gaming and somewhere down the line, we have forgot that games were mainly meant for having a good time and were more about relieving your stress than adding to it. Free games are here to bring that time back in the world of gaming, by making the experience as simple and as engrossing as possible. We all have played some great titles, be it on the console or the PC. However, after experiencing so many titles, we don't really miss out on some classic fun of Mario or Contra, because that is something which cannot be challenged by the games of today. The upcoming free games concept catches the theme of these games and accentuates it by providing better hardware for enhancing the game play. They can be of many types and do no essentially belong to any one camp. They are available for consoles and PC alike, in the form of arcade and flash games. You have some famous titles as free games for the PC, like America's Army or the recent Quake Live, a browser based free game which draws itself from the highly successful title from ID software in 1998, Quake 3 Arena. Various MMORPGs have joined the free games brigade, guaranteeing the success of the upcoming future. They let you be what you have always wanted to be and engage in fights and missions which have always inspired you. These massively multiplayer titles are completely free and have a bright future. Another concept is that of the flash games which can be played online on various portals and which are simple and really addictive. Completely free and easy on the resources, these flash games have every type of game that you have played till date. On the console front, you have the arcade titles for various consoles which are freely downloadable and playable on the console. Some highly optimized editions of games are available in the arcade modes, enhancing the life of the console. Apart from a vast choice which is available in the world of free games, there is more which you can get from them. And the best part about them is that they take care of all the drawbacks which PC or console gaming have been facing since their birth.
Free games have the potential of taking care of all the problems that the gaming industry has faced till today. The first and foremost is the problem of piracy and free games can take care of them completely because there is no point of piracy in a free game. Anything which is freely distributable is legitimate freely and works that way. Secondly, another major problem which disturbs gamers is the running cost of their passion. Hardware upgrades, high cost of legit titles, accessories and stuff tend to burn a hole in the pockets of many gamers and this is applicable to PC as well as console gamers. The free ones do not require any hardware upgrades and don't need a license or any kind of payment for playing the game. Another interesting advantage of these games is that they can attract the non gamers to the genre and get them addicted, expanding the base of the industry. They have a simple learning curve which can be grabbed in minutes and this is where non gamers can enjoy the experience. Just get set go and enjoy the action theory is bound to attract people to this genre and to the complete fraternity of gaming.
They are definitely the future of gaming in every way, with their approach to this whole interactive entertainment thing. However, they shouldn't be taken as the replacement to PC or console gaming, because they are not meant for that. Free games are purely about having fun while gaming and provide you with an alternative when you are tired of your grueling gaming sessions on the console/PC. They are just meant for bringing back the reason why gaming was established as a stress buster. All in all, free games are all about bringing the best out of the world of gaming by combining the technology of today with the game play of yesterday, to give you an unprecedented and simplified game play for literally nothing. So get ready to enjoy some of the best upcoming titles and some revved up versions of the games of the past, for no charge at all! Translate
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