Donkey Kong, the Reasons Behind Its Popularity

Dating back to 1980's, Donkey Kong was and still is a popular video game. The video game is premised on only a few characters including the gorilla, a plumber and a kidnapped blonde. Additionally, there are multiple barrels that form part of the game's core. The game was release by Nintendo in 1981 to respond to the arcade craze that had gripped the market then. Unlike the games then where the plot was more of the same, Donkey Kong offered something new when it was introduced. The normal 'shoot me, I shoot you' path was one that it opted not to take. The game offered a well thought of storyline that made it interesting and catchy. The jump-man, who is the gaming hero, has an obligation of rescuing a lady from a gigantic ape known as Donkey Kong. Later on, the hero and ape came to be the lead Nintendo characters. A number of variations of the game were released. However, playing it took a general approach.
Playing the game
Basically, playing the game borrows a lot from its original form.
Firstly, the player, who happens to be the hero, starts at a building's bottom. It is on top of this building that the gorilla has ascended. The player is expected to go up to where Paulina is being held by the gorilla. Generally, the player can move left and right, ascend and descend a ladder, jump over the barrel obstacles as Donkey Kong throws them at him/her or alternatively use a hammer to crash the obstacles. The randomness of these barrels keeps the tension high and as such makes the game quite interesting. When the player gets to the top and rescues the girl, the first level of the game is deemed as complete.
Secondly, the second level opens when the gorilla once again snatches the girl from the player. Generally, the second level is much more challenging than level two. As the player progresses from one level to another, so does the complexity of the game rise and hence making it more and more challenging.
During gameplay, the player has options to pick items for Paulina and as such earn extra points. Generally, the kind of level progression and sequential approach adopted in the game makes it not only interesting but also addictive. In essence, this can be said to be the main reason behind the game success within the video gaming market.

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Where Have the Gamers Gone?

As the games of today continue to evolve, and in some cases, de-evolve it is interesting to note that the gamer of today seems to be much more forgiving of mediocrity. In order to examine the possible reasons why, we must take a step back into the past.
The games of yesterday, including pen and paper role playing games, were by today's standards sub-par. At least that is the assumption by many. However, if this were really the case, we would not continue to see new versions of older games. In programming, some of the first games a person will create are replicas of older falling block games, parallax scrolling level games, maze games, and of course text games. For some programmers it is a logical progression to learn from the past. For others it is because they understand that building on the ideas of older games demonstrates that there are few real differences other than the technology used.
Where does that leave us? In order to understand the games, we must understand the gamer. Like any other profession, the game developer is going to put their energy and resources into a game idea they believe will be popular. This litmus test is based on what sells and what does not. So what do gamers expect from modern games? I would hypothesize that many gamers have no idea what they expect, but they know they want something. Many of the games today are created with a limited play-time expectation, instead of looking for a formula that will promote longevity.
Many of the games today are rated by how many hours of game play they have, such as 40 hours of play. This is one of the tools that developers use, which gamers have become accustomed to. The trend for the hours of play in some game genres has continued to get shorter. Instead of gamers expecting more from the software they purchase, there is a reluctant acceptance of the lower standards. Without using names, a recent first person shooter was released with a lot of fanfare and high budget advertising. By all accounts it was expected to be the next generation of shooters for the genre. Instead of meeting the expectation, the software was released with the same engine the previous installment of the game had used 3 years prior. The single player campaign came in at a paltry 6 hours of play. In essence, the game was simply retooled from a previous game and instead of calling it what it was, the loyal following ignored the fact that they had been taken for fools. So what we have is a substandard product being released and because of pride or stubbornness, the gamers in the community have given the developer a pass instead of holding them accountable.
The game developer is going to release whatever they believe will make them money and that is as it should be due to the time and resources they put into their product. The problem isn't that the developer may release a game that is terrible. The real issue is that because the gamers of today do not really know what they want, they will accept anything. If more gamers had higher expectations fewer developers would take advantage of them. The conclusion must be that the reason many games of today are substandard is because there are fewer principled gamers today.
Steven Bradley
Independent Game Development
http://globalgameware.com/

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An Accessible Virtual World for the Totally Blind? Could It Really Happen?

Virtual worlds have been around for many years and have become a staple in the gaming community. Some of the more popular titles of virtual worlds include Second life, World of Warcraft and Planet Calypso just to name a few. These virtual environments, however are not accessible for the blind at all because they lack the proper kinds of extra audio information needed for someone to navigate the world and interact with it.
For example, in Second life, if a resident wants to build themselves a virtual home on a piece of land and they cannot see the screen, the implementers could include audio voice prompts that would allow the resident to choose the kinds of flooring to go in their home for example, or whether they wished to include a porch or a deck on their home to entertain guests. If they wanted to purchase some items to go into their new home, this same voice prompt could give them a browsable list of items that the shop has for sale, and then the person could press enter on their chosen item and thereby make the purchase, placing the item in their inventory.
Looking at Planet Calypso as another example, if the player wished to make their way to the door of a building, or a door within a building, the builders of the game could create tones or other types of sounds to indicate dors nearby along with a voice prompt saying "door," whenever a key was pressed on the user's keyboard. Another example for Planet Calypso could be a feature where the player could board a space ship, ad once an empty seat has been located by using voice prompts on either side of the player's speakers informing them of seats on their left or right-hand-side, the person could then step to that seat and choose to sit down from within a list of options and then buckle his or her safety belt by pressing the operate button on the seat which could automatically be done after the person has seated themselves properly.
We as blind people cannot only play video and computer games, but we can also play virtual worlds if given the right kind of technology and equipment in the virtual world, and yes, contrary to some people's popular belief, blind have just as much capacity to learn to play video and computer games as the sighted community does, we are not stupid nor do we need to be put in special education classes. I sincerely hope that this article has served to open your mind as to what these virtual worlds could be like for the blind, and I hope you realize that we can play them right along with you if we are given the right chance and opportunity. There do not have to be any barriers as far as the sighted and blind communities are concerned, we can all play and interact together on the same level as the rest of you.
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When Is the Diablo 3 Release Date?

Diablo 3's release date was highly anticipated and was rumoured to be February 1, but that day came and went without the game being released. The game's developers neither confirmed nor denied this date. However, the expected window of release is the first or second quarter of the year 2012. Most websites started speculating and even approximating when exactly the game would be released.
It was widely anticipated that the game would be released on February 1 with a countdown clock to the date posted on it. However, the game's developer ended up saying that Diablo3 does not have a specific timeline. Most of the game's fans take comfort in the knowledge that the game will be released, maybe even sooner than they think.
Most online retailers predict the dates of certain popular online games before the official date. Most of the time, their predictions are correct. One online retail giant had placed the date at April 17 2012, but removed it from its site, maybe after noting it may be wrong. As for now the date has been placed on the year 2012. This means that the game developer has no official release date yet, and they will give the release date once they are ready to do so.
The game developers, during their last quarterly results, announced that the date of the release would fall anywhere between April and June 2012. So the April 17 estimate was somehow approximate. The estimated April 17 also falls under the second quarter of this year which falls between April and June. Given the popularity and the keen interest of the game, it is expected that the launch will offer a big opportunity for the game's developers.
Most people have expressed that the delay may have been brought about by recent job cuts in the game's developing company. However, the company was quick to respond that the job cuts will not have any effect on Diablo 3's release date.
In the meantime, the developing company is improving the game's beta. They recently released a beta patch 13 which has completely remodelled the game's rune system and the character skill. The developers have also detailed the new streamlined systems which separate the character's skills into separate right-click attack; left-click attack and action bar abilities. In a certain blog post, one of the game developers fully explains the rune and skill system in a detailed way. Although the game's release date is uncertain, one thing is for sure that the developers are waiting to put together their best product so far before the game's release date even if it means more delays.
Most online retailers predict the release dates of certain popular online games before the official date. Such is the case for Diablo 3's release date.

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What Is Your Favourite Type Of Game Genre?

Lots of people play games to unwind, have fun and generally enjoy themselves after a hard day at work. Some of the lucky people will literally play all day!
Unfortunately I am not one of those lucky people so I need to take into account what my favourite type of game is and make sure I play as much as possible of my favourite games.
I have always liked real time strategy games, but recently I have found the community rather lacking in these sorts of games compared to the huge communities of massively multiplayer online role playing games, especially the likes of World of Warcraft.
Another great type of game emerging from the depths of someone's imagination is the sandbox type game, for example Minecraft. I have always liked playing online with people but the community inside Minecraft is so large and vast that you do really feel online when playing it. Plus you can connect to a server to play it.
Gaming genres can be fairly special for certain people, I know my wife absolutely loves MMORPGs but I tend to like DOTA style or real time strategy style games more.
If like me you want to be able to play as many different game types as possible, then I suggest finding casual quick games you can hop in and out of, some great games for this are: League of Legends, Minecraft, Team Fortress and Starcraft II.
What other game genres are there for you to try? You can always try the great puzzle type games, these are extremely casual and great for you to get involved quickly and be able to take the fun away and not feel pressured to have to constantly play.
I will always like RTS games as they are quick, but have some learning and progression. I highly recommend strategy games for you and your friends.
I have played a lot of various genres and another one that has an unbeatable community of players (if you find the right ones of course) is WoW, this game is fantastic and really gets people involved together. If you like raiding then another great game to try is Everquest 2 or Rift. They are great games for people looking to find a great collection of players.
Many games will continue to be great for years to come and some will be released soon which are guaranteed to make you want to continue playing for years to come. Diablo III is another great game which will keep us entertained, so why not try that one out when it is released on the 15th of May 2012.
I have always been a great fan of Minecraft, but when I visited minecraft members then I really got into the community and realised how great a game it truly is.

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Enjoying What Tank Games Have to Offer

Gaming has emerged as one of the leading applications on computers. Persons who love gaming have in the recent past found themselves with quite an array to choose from. One of the best game-plays that one would want to play is the tank games. This game, like many others, has various sub-types from which one can choose to play. Most tank games involve shooting and destroying of opponents tanks. They require the player to take into consideration various factors including speed of wind, terrain of game play, characters, and weapons knowledge. The player should also know when a weapon upgrade is required. Upgrade involves purchasing of sophisticated weapons which include items like teleports, repair equipment and air assistance.

So, what makes them interesting?

Generally, there are a number of features that make this game one everyone would wish to play. A few of these features are described below:

1. The main aim of playing the game is to find enjoyment. This is guaranteed with tank games. As one navigates through the terrains and encounters the enemy, one cannot help but feel excited at how interesting it is to finish off the enemies or to be finished when one least expects.

2. Other than enjoyment, is adventure? The terrains, deserts, forests as well as the mountainous landscape, gives one an idea of what it takes to be in a battle field. Additionally, as one moves from one level to another, they encounter new things and as such go through an adventure worth the time.

3. The challenge is also one of the things that make the game interesting to play. Most tank games offer an opportunity to define the kind of challenge one wants to encounter. One can choose the number and types of opponents to activate. As levels go up, more and more tough challenges are encountered giving one a sense of achievement upon completion of a level.

4. The appearance is also one of the interesting features one may want to encounter. With tank games, one is able to select the color of the tank to use and hence generate the kind of view they like.

Generally, these are just amongst the few things that will make one enjoy tank games to the extreme. Those who have not tried it, are no doubt missing something that could make them feel relaxed and happy. Generally, the games are the ideal challenge one may want to ward off boredom.www.tankgame.org



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Pac-Man - A Popular Arcade Game

Pac-Man is an arcade game that was designed by Namco and distributed by Midway in the United States in 1980. This game was a raging hit from the moment it was launched and its popularity continues to this day.

This was the first kind of game that was equally interesting to boys as well as girls. Due to this fact it has been credited to have created a landmark in the history of video games. It grossed over $2.5 billion in the 1990s.

The game revolves around the character known as Pac-Man. The player guides him through a maze, which is full of pellets. This character eats these pellets. After all pellets are eaten from the screen, the player advances to the next level.

There are four 'enemies' present within the maze. These are Blinky, Clyde, Inky, and Pinky. Even if one of these touches the character, the player loses a life out of the 3 lives given. If the player loses all three lives, the game ends. The player also has access to 4 power pellets which have the power of making Pac-Man invincible for a short duration.And during this period he can eat his enemies, and the enemies are blue in color. As the player advances in the game, the time period for which the enemies stay blue becomes shorter. Before the enemies turn back to their normal color they flash the color white and then become normal.

The enemies are generally called as ghosts or monsters. Although these seem to roam about the maze without any particular direction, they are strictly programmed. The red monster is programmed to chase Pac-Man, whereas the blue monster tries to position itself in front of his mouth. The pink monster behaves in a similar way. The orange enemy mostly chases him, but when he gets too close, it moves toward the left side of the maze.

This game was designed by a Namco employee and it took one year to complete along with a team of nine members. This game is based on the concept of eating and the Japanese name that was given to it is "Pakkuman". Initially it was called as Puck Man in English, but when it was chosen to be launched in the US, the name was changed from "Puck Man" to what it is called now to avoid misspelling and vulgarization of the word.www.freepacman.org/



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What Makes Diablo III Irresistible to Fans?

A masterpiece of the fantasy genre, the Diablo Series has gathered millions of fans all over the world, putting down all borders and all demographic profiles. One way to explain the awesome popularity of this Blizzard Entertainment game is to attribute it to the skill factor, respectively to the fact that, in order to level up in Diablo, spending hours playing and learning effective strikes, crawling dungeons or getting rid or demons is simply not enough.
Progress in Diablo is reached combining skills with strategy, so the gamers have two choices: to improve their skills, develop new strategies and play the game better, or to die trying. The forums are already bursting with fans commenting the Diablo games. Everywhere you look there are new and new rave reviews on the previous editions. Some fans comment on their expectations and predictions regarding "Diablo III" - the edition that promises to amaze everyone.
Just a short look at the information available on "Diablo III" will reveal why all gamers worth their shooting capacity are desperate to try their hand with this game.
"Diablo III" is said to be nothing like its previous editions. Rumor has it that it scores on all the game departments, in all possible senses. Fans all over the world classify it as the market leader for the following aspects:
Fresh design: with most of the action taking place in the dungeons, this Diablo game is evaluated as smarter, brighter, of more striking colors and design. Gamers describe it as a completely new experience. Dungeons crawling surrounded by total darkness is realistic and yet not so easy, even for experienced gamers.The Dual-auction House System: this aspect of "Diablo III" makes the topic of numerous forums discussions. Players are allowed to trade both gold and real money in "Diablo III", and most gamers agree that the new system has every chance of boosting the dynamics of the economy and spicing up the overall experience. Of course, there are also fans who worry that these aspects favor experts and hackers and the dual-auction house system could be banned if it is considered to encourage gambling. Either way, all the elements put together bring their contribution to increase the game's appeal.The character classes: a simple overview of the character classes in the Diablo series, especially given the possibility to choose gender without compromising on the character's abilities is enough to recognize great achievements.
All in all, gaming is taken to a whole new level by the apparition of "Diablo III"!
I'm a big fan of Diablo game series and love this type of games a lot. You can read much more about it at my blog: diablo-3-guide.com and find lot of cool tips and reviews including Diablo 3 Leveling guide review.

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What Type of Computer Games Should Your Kid Play?

Have you ever seen a kid or child who doesn't love playing computer games? I am sure that there isn't a single kid (boy or girl) who doesn't love playing games (not talking about the exceptions). So it's for sure that your child will play computer games whatsoever. You cannot stop her and you shouldn't try stopping her. Let her do whatever she does. But there are certain things that should be kept in mind while dealing with your kids.
Being a parent, you must keep an eye on all the activities of your kid. I mean you cannot let her free. All you need to do is don't make her feel that you are stopping her from anything. So you must know that what type of game your kid is playing. There are numerous game categories, and each game has its own features and target market. It's not suitable for your ten years child to play an action game that is made for those who are over fifteen. So it's important that you allow your child to play computer games that are for her age group.
So what are the best games for a child who is under ten? I am talking specifically about girls games since it's hard for parents to find suitable games for their girls. Boys have a whole lot of various games. Here is a list of some of the top rated girl games.
Movie star planet
I am sure your girl will love movie star planet games. Although she will take time to get used to these types of games, as it's a bit difficult to play movie star planet games. There are many different types of movie star planet games available to choose from, so you can select a simple one that your girl can play easily.
Dress up playoffs
Dress up games are very easy and fun. There are hundreds and thousands of different dress up games available. This is one of the easiest types of game and kids under ten can easily manage to play them. You don't have to do anything at all, just bookmark a few good websites that offer free dress up games for girls and leave the rest at your child.
Cooking playoffs
I must say cooking games are specifically associated with girls whether they be under ten or above ten. However, girls under ten usually don't know how to play (or cook) various dishes virtually, but they will learn it within a couple of weeks.
Makeup playoffs
Last but not the least, when talking about girls games how we can forget to talk about makeup games. Girls love doing makeup and related stuff and I am sure your girl will love makeup playoffs.
Games5.com is the home of best movie star planet games.

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Make Money Buying And Selling Magic The Gathering Cards

Magic The Gathering has been around for about 20 years now. There are thousands of cards in common, uncommon, rare, ultra rare and mythic rare availabilities.

Buying these cards individually, in booster packs or complete sets is easy. Selling them for a profit is a skill that needs to be acquired to accomplish profiting from sales successfully. This article endeavours to outline how you can start.

Make sure you know your products. Understanding this market of collectible card games can be very daunting if you have never played the game before. Whilst not an exclusive choice, being a player does not give you any advantage over being a seller of these game cards.

The current market shows us the rarer and harder to obtain a card, unopened booster or set the more it will be worth. Alpha, Beta and Third Edition cards are the hardest to obtain. As the sets get younger, the lower the price will be. So current editions and expansion sets are not worth much but can still sell well if you sell rare items only. These current sets will sell better in the future. Especially when these sets stop being printed and new sets are produced.

So, the ideal situation is to obtain the oldest rare from the oldest sets you can get. If you can get unopened, completely sealed boosters or packs or complete sets the better, these will command higher prices. Booster packs will contain at least two rares and some uncommon and commons.

One can still profit from current generation cards by buying a booster pack and selling the cards individually for a profit. You can do this over and over until you hit a desired profit ceiling. Changing your strategy to something different will help appeal for further sales and have your customer base return for better purchases.

Value adding by offering free shipping, extra cards of common or uncommon but wanted cards for free or by offering specials is an ideal way you can stand out from other sellers who are your immediate competition.

As your sales increase and your sales become higher in volume and those sales become consistent, you will start to see other ways and means of obtaining strategic sales and various ways to maximise profits.

Garnering a reputation as being reasonable, fair and equitable as a seller will help in the long run as well. Good service and common sense in ethical sales will tell your customer to spread the word and increase your sales even more.



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Classic Kids Games - Some Of The Best Classic Games Ever

Today, video and computer games are big business. Billions of dollars are made by video game companies each year, and more kids than ever are playing them. Board games are also still highly popular, but either of these options can be surprisingly expensive - a good board game can cost up to forty dollars or more. For many people, getting back to basics can bring a family together, teach your kids skills and lessons, and cost very little. Numerous classic games based on pencils and paper are available, and these retro games can be surprisingly fun for anyone who wants to play them.

For the most retro of all retro games, you'll need to dig way back into your own childhood and maybe even beyond. Classic games like tic tac toe or hangman are very easy to setup, fast to play, and don't really cost a dime. Hangman can actually teach your kids vocabulary and spelling skills, and while they don't have the pizzazz of most modern board games they're still fun for a couple of hours, especially with younger kids. Other classic games like Salvo or Word Squares are easy to understand and to play as well, and can be a lot of fun for very little money.

But when you put the words 'classic games' together with 'pencil and paper', most people will think of pencil and paper RPGs like the legendary Dungeons and Dragons series. There are a huge number of retro games based on this model, ranging from superhero modules to futuristic ones. Finding a good RPG is an excellent way to boost creativity, teamwork, imagination, and even math skills. Whether you start with the basic D&D set or look for something else, these are good options for older kids who get bored with Hangman. A couple of books, paper, pencils, and the special dice are all you'll need to get started.

There are also some retro games that you can play with pencil and paper that involve printing out a board on your computer. Games like Ghoulash involve a printed board but little else and can be an interesting kind of 'homemade board game' well worth considering. In short, you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on video games or board games to have fun with your family. A bit of creativity and a back-to-basics approach with some classic games are really all that you need to have great family fun.



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