By Synapse India
Online casual games have always been a part of our life. While growing up as children, we have come across many easy games to counter different varieties of logical games that will clear our understating and help in learning some of the great lessons of the life after wards.
A whole new generation has been grown up by using computers with simple logics to be developed as a part of these first computers. Such uncomplicated and easy games progressively became complexes as development moved on. New and better things have been added to get in the way and there is little time to enjoy these games and enjoy it to the fullest.
Features of Best Casual Game:
First of all, these games are very simple in nature. Their logics and way of playing is really common and can be understood without putting a great deal of brain into it. Above all, you do not have to go through a manual comprises of thousand pages to understand and try your hands into it. In fact, in few lines you can get its proper meaning and nuances. There is no as such limitation is defines for play time, you can play until you became too exhausted to play it further. Such casual games provide you a great deal of comfort level and enjoyment by providing the best pass time anyone can have. You do not need a specific reason to play casual games online, all you have to find out a good website and start playing your moves and applying brain to restore your lost logic and fun.
Today’s modern casual games come with attractive images and techniques. There are many games which can be downloaded easily and can be played throughout the day. Above all, they are not really expansive and can be a real fun.
2008/04/26
2008/04/25
Technology and Market Structure of Virtual Network Games
By Steven ZHAO
We cannot see the future, of course, but there are a number of technological innovations that are relevant to gaming, that are also fairly easy to see coming. Currently, access to gaming involves some sort of access to computing technology, and access to gaming that can earn money involves access to a shared, persistent, physical computing environment, specifically a virtual world . The technology supporting virtual worlds is advancing so quickly that it would be foolish to describe the next generation in any detail. Suffice it to say that there are large, lucrative industries working energetically on different dimensions of the environment that virtual worlds thrive in.
These industries produce three items of interest, namely, connections, interface and content. Developments in connections include the internet and, increasingly, wireless communications. Development of interfaces includes voice command, head-up displays and body motion detection (computer-controlling gloves, gaze readers). Developments in content include the supply side of the market for games, where annual revenues have grown beyond Hollywood box office revenues. All three industries are expanding at a rapid rate. Whatever emotional experiences people seek, it may become possible, in the near future, to effortlessly connect to a virtual world that provides that experience at fairly low cost. Kurzweil argues that the explosion of computing power alone may be sufficient to change the daily course of life.
Since these developments all involve networks, they may seem to suggest a monopolistic market structure. If economic life online involves getting your email and hanging around with friends, there will be positive externalities with respect to the sheer size of the virtual world one visits. If I spend my time on Rubi-Ka, while you spend your time in Albion, we cannot talk to one another, and we cannot do things together. Thus, our time in virtual worlds is more valuable if everyone we know is in the same world. Moreover, if two worlds compete and one has more players than another, wouldn't everyone have an incentive to join the larger world, so as to enjoy the larger network of society, communication and entertainment that it affords? Might such network externalities lead to a domination of this market by one player?For example,some network games such as lotro gold,runescape gold,guild wars gold etc.
There are reasons to expect, however, that this market is not likely to be monopolized. First, there seems to be a great diversity of tastes for the different features of a world. Mr. Bird may want to be on Pluto, while Mr. Castronova prefers medieval Britain. One of the major attractions of life mediated by avatars is the anonymity it affords, and anonymity requires a person to have exit options: other worlds to escape to if one's reputation in this one gets unpleasant. Perhaps a savvy game developer could make a world so large and varied as to provide the essential minimum level of entertainment and anonymity to a sufficiently large number of people, so that membership in that one world becomes optimal for all. This seems unlikely, however, given that there is a marginal cost to creating and maintaining game content. Moreover, there are no economies of scale on the supply side to match the increasing returns on the demand side (Liebowitz and Margolis, 1994). Production of game content and its maintenance are both labour-intensive activities. One could perhaps increase production of content by allowing other producers (say, by opening game code to the public), but continued control of the world being created would be problematic. On the whole, it seems very unlikely that one developer could produce a world big enough to monopolize the market.
A second reason involves congestion. Virtual worlds are virtual because they are online, but they are worlds because there is some physicality to them. Avatars take up space. If a world has a certain amount of entertaining content in it, that content will almost always be subject to some kind of congestion effect. The cool monsters are in the Dungeon of Befallen, but if tens of thousands of us go there to hunt them, none of us will have a good time. Sometimes the only way to reduce congestion is to add content, but this, again, is labour intensive. There will also be congestion effects related to connection speeds and bandwidth.
A third reason that the market will probably not be dominated by a few companies can be found in the many competitive strategies that are available even now, but have not yet been exploited by new entrants. For example, the current set of developers have managed to impose huge switching costs on players by structuring gameplay around the time-intensive development of avatar capital. A player starts the game with a weak avatar, but gameplay gives the avatar ever-increasing powers. As power increases, the avatar is able to take more advantage of the game world, to travel farther, do more things, see more people. A person with a high-level avatar then faces a high hurdle in switching games, because in the new game he will start out poor, defenceless and alone again. This situation definitely locks in the game's player base, but it is also open to defeat by any number of schemes to reduce the switching costs. Surprisingly, no competitor to a current game has offered new players the opportunity to start their avatars at a higher level of wealth and ability if they can provide evidence of a high level avatar in another game. On the other hand, two games (Ultima Online and Dark Ages of Camelot) now offer methods to effectively start out ahead: in Ultima, you can directly buy your levels; in Camelot, you can start a new avatar at level 20 if you have already gotten one to level 50. These strategies help companies discourage the buying and selling of avatars outside the game, perhaps at a cost to the atmosphere within the world. In sum, what appear to be strong lock-ins and switching costs in the game market today may not be as strong as they seem; when savvy competitors appear, the player bases will generally be at risk. For example,some network games such as lotro gold,runescape gold,guild wars gold etc.
A final argument against a monopolization tendency comes from the nature of the content itself. Games are art, for the most part, and markets for artistic output exhibit a great deal of churn due to herding effects and the star phenomenon (MacDonald, 1988). If a company designs a better game, it will attract players. And while it is true that development costs can be significant, it will always be possible to produce a fun virtual world for a tiny amount of money and then scale it up as it becomes more popular.Whatever network externalities, supply-side returns to scale, and barriers to entry may exist in the market for virtual worlds, they seem insufficient to produce domination by a single company. The distribution of populations in virtual worlds is perhaps less like a natural monopoly market than a club goods market. Populations will sort according to the services, ambience, and fees of the various worlds. Virtual worlds will compete, as clubs do, but their size will be limited by congestion effects and by the marginal cost of increasing the scale of the world.
This analysis allows a tentative answer to the first question of the study: in the medium-term future, the online multiplayer gaming market will probably consist of a number of large, densely populated worlds, with varying degrees of portability between them. The worlds will generate large revenue streams and will occupy many hours of human time, some of it considered play, some of it considered work. The hours that people devote to games will result in the accumulation of stocks of digital capital goods. These objects will have considerable economic value. Given the expected growth in connectivity, interface technologies and content, there is reason to believe that this digital capital stock may eventually become quite large.
These considerations then lead to the next set of questions: If virtual worlds do become more important, how will this affect the real Earth economy?
We cannot see the future, of course, but there are a number of technological innovations that are relevant to gaming, that are also fairly easy to see coming. Currently, access to gaming involves some sort of access to computing technology, and access to gaming that can earn money involves access to a shared, persistent, physical computing environment, specifically a virtual world . The technology supporting virtual worlds is advancing so quickly that it would be foolish to describe the next generation in any detail. Suffice it to say that there are large, lucrative industries working energetically on different dimensions of the environment that virtual worlds thrive in.
These industries produce three items of interest, namely, connections, interface and content. Developments in connections include the internet and, increasingly, wireless communications. Development of interfaces includes voice command, head-up displays and body motion detection (computer-controlling gloves, gaze readers). Developments in content include the supply side of the market for games, where annual revenues have grown beyond Hollywood box office revenues. All three industries are expanding at a rapid rate. Whatever emotional experiences people seek, it may become possible, in the near future, to effortlessly connect to a virtual world that provides that experience at fairly low cost. Kurzweil argues that the explosion of computing power alone may be sufficient to change the daily course of life.
Since these developments all involve networks, they may seem to suggest a monopolistic market structure. If economic life online involves getting your email and hanging around with friends, there will be positive externalities with respect to the sheer size of the virtual world one visits. If I spend my time on Rubi-Ka, while you spend your time in Albion, we cannot talk to one another, and we cannot do things together. Thus, our time in virtual worlds is more valuable if everyone we know is in the same world. Moreover, if two worlds compete and one has more players than another, wouldn't everyone have an incentive to join the larger world, so as to enjoy the larger network of society, communication and entertainment that it affords? Might such network externalities lead to a domination of this market by one player?For example,some network games such as lotro gold,runescape gold,guild wars gold etc.
There are reasons to expect, however, that this market is not likely to be monopolized. First, there seems to be a great diversity of tastes for the different features of a world. Mr. Bird may want to be on Pluto, while Mr. Castronova prefers medieval Britain. One of the major attractions of life mediated by avatars is the anonymity it affords, and anonymity requires a person to have exit options: other worlds to escape to if one's reputation in this one gets unpleasant. Perhaps a savvy game developer could make a world so large and varied as to provide the essential minimum level of entertainment and anonymity to a sufficiently large number of people, so that membership in that one world becomes optimal for all. This seems unlikely, however, given that there is a marginal cost to creating and maintaining game content. Moreover, there are no economies of scale on the supply side to match the increasing returns on the demand side (Liebowitz and Margolis, 1994). Production of game content and its maintenance are both labour-intensive activities. One could perhaps increase production of content by allowing other producers (say, by opening game code to the public), but continued control of the world being created would be problematic. On the whole, it seems very unlikely that one developer could produce a world big enough to monopolize the market.
A second reason involves congestion. Virtual worlds are virtual because they are online, but they are worlds because there is some physicality to them. Avatars take up space. If a world has a certain amount of entertaining content in it, that content will almost always be subject to some kind of congestion effect. The cool monsters are in the Dungeon of Befallen, but if tens of thousands of us go there to hunt them, none of us will have a good time. Sometimes the only way to reduce congestion is to add content, but this, again, is labour intensive. There will also be congestion effects related to connection speeds and bandwidth.
A third reason that the market will probably not be dominated by a few companies can be found in the many competitive strategies that are available even now, but have not yet been exploited by new entrants. For example, the current set of developers have managed to impose huge switching costs on players by structuring gameplay around the time-intensive development of avatar capital. A player starts the game with a weak avatar, but gameplay gives the avatar ever-increasing powers. As power increases, the avatar is able to take more advantage of the game world, to travel farther, do more things, see more people. A person with a high-level avatar then faces a high hurdle in switching games, because in the new game he will start out poor, defenceless and alone again. This situation definitely locks in the game's player base, but it is also open to defeat by any number of schemes to reduce the switching costs. Surprisingly, no competitor to a current game has offered new players the opportunity to start their avatars at a higher level of wealth and ability if they can provide evidence of a high level avatar in another game. On the other hand, two games (Ultima Online and Dark Ages of Camelot) now offer methods to effectively start out ahead: in Ultima, you can directly buy your levels; in Camelot, you can start a new avatar at level 20 if you have already gotten one to level 50. These strategies help companies discourage the buying and selling of avatars outside the game, perhaps at a cost to the atmosphere within the world. In sum, what appear to be strong lock-ins and switching costs in the game market today may not be as strong as they seem; when savvy competitors appear, the player bases will generally be at risk. For example,some network games such as lotro gold,runescape gold,guild wars gold etc.
A final argument against a monopolization tendency comes from the nature of the content itself. Games are art, for the most part, and markets for artistic output exhibit a great deal of churn due to herding effects and the star phenomenon (MacDonald, 1988). If a company designs a better game, it will attract players. And while it is true that development costs can be significant, it will always be possible to produce a fun virtual world for a tiny amount of money and then scale it up as it becomes more popular.Whatever network externalities, supply-side returns to scale, and barriers to entry may exist in the market for virtual worlds, they seem insufficient to produce domination by a single company. The distribution of populations in virtual worlds is perhaps less like a natural monopoly market than a club goods market. Populations will sort according to the services, ambience, and fees of the various worlds. Virtual worlds will compete, as clubs do, but their size will be limited by congestion effects and by the marginal cost of increasing the scale of the world.
This analysis allows a tentative answer to the first question of the study: in the medium-term future, the online multiplayer gaming market will probably consist of a number of large, densely populated worlds, with varying degrees of portability between them. The worlds will generate large revenue streams and will occupy many hours of human time, some of it considered play, some of it considered work. The hours that people devote to games will result in the accumulation of stocks of digital capital goods. These objects will have considerable economic value. Given the expected growth in connectivity, interface technologies and content, there is reason to believe that this digital capital stock may eventually become quite large.
These considerations then lead to the next set of questions: If virtual worlds do become more important, how will this affect the real Earth economy?
2008/04/24
Latest Pc Games: Get Ready for Entertainment and Thrill
By Alden Jerry
Today people love to pass their free time and entertain themselves with these exciting games. PC games provide entertainment and thrill with great excitement. We often get bored and fed up with our monotonous lives. We spend a lot of time sitting in front of computers for hours researching and creating important documents etc. However we can also get great fun and frolic on the same personal computer with exciting games. PC Games have gained immense popularity over past few years.
There has been a considerable change in terms of technology and sophistication of these games. From the plain graphics to 3 dimensional simulations, the video and PC games have come a long way. From kids to adults everybody seems to have a great craze for the games. These games provide immense thrill and excitement. People love to take on the challenges and win over their competitors in these games. These PC games are created with high end technology that provides a real time experience to the users.
These latest personal computer games have set the gaming world on fire. "Need for speed" is one of the most successful PC game series of all times. The latest edition of this racing game is titled "Carbon." The Need for Speed Carbon is the most exciting racing games with the highly specialized effects. This innovative game features the Canadian model and actress Emmanuelle Vaugier as the main protagonist character NIKKI who helps the player throughout the game. Highly exciting and truly mesmerizing, this game is actually worth playing.
"Pirates of the Burning Sea" is another innovative and exciting game. The game offers an interesting journey full of thrill and danger with some wonderful characters who can take six avatars. Swashbuckling is the name of the avatar that fights against the pirates. Players can select various fighting styles during the course of the game.
"World in Conflict" is a unique game that simulates the situation where Russia has captivated the US and declared the Third World War against America. The characters Caption Bannon and the Wolf come together to help the US. They join the US Army to save America from the danger of world war.
Hell Gate: London is one of the most exciting adult PC games of the recent times. Its is a fantasy game that involves action role play. The game is set in London with the simulation of the future in 2038. In this game the player can join up with the battle demons and play the game. The game is available in various options like single and multi players. Players can take on the challenge against the other player. The Hell Gate is a complete dose of thrill and entertainment. The Hell Gate happens in London, the city is invaded by the demons and the humans try to safeguard it. The plot of the game is extremely interesting and involves the glimpses of various real events and occurrences.
Combat Mission : Shock Force is the innovative game that is a simulation of the military war caused by a hypothetical conflict in the country called Syria. There are several battles featured in the game and each battle shows a detailed briefing of a certain mission. The game has various players and battles. The players are featured in the red and blue colours. There are various battles and war games depicted with Red V/s Blue, Red v/s Red and Blue V/s Blue war games.
Mass Effect is the latest Science Fiction Games that will simply make the players feel elated and exhilarated, With its amazing twist and turns and dramatic plots this game will simply woo the players.
Puzzle Quest Galactrix is the latest version of the famous Puzzle quest. This innovative kids PC game is set in outer space and showcases the fight between four mammoth corporations in distant future. The war between the different spaceships takes place in the space or the planets’ orbit, the gravity affects the puzzle pieces and the way they slide on the hexagonal board. These games are truly awesome and offer players a great entertainment.
Today people love to pass their free time and entertain themselves with these exciting games. PC games provide entertainment and thrill with great excitement. We often get bored and fed up with our monotonous lives. We spend a lot of time sitting in front of computers for hours researching and creating important documents etc. However we can also get great fun and frolic on the same personal computer with exciting games. PC Games have gained immense popularity over past few years.
There has been a considerable change in terms of technology and sophistication of these games. From the plain graphics to 3 dimensional simulations, the video and PC games have come a long way. From kids to adults everybody seems to have a great craze for the games. These games provide immense thrill and excitement. People love to take on the challenges and win over their competitors in these games. These PC games are created with high end technology that provides a real time experience to the users.
These latest personal computer games have set the gaming world on fire. "Need for speed" is one of the most successful PC game series of all times. The latest edition of this racing game is titled "Carbon." The Need for Speed Carbon is the most exciting racing games with the highly specialized effects. This innovative game features the Canadian model and actress Emmanuelle Vaugier as the main protagonist character NIKKI who helps the player throughout the game. Highly exciting and truly mesmerizing, this game is actually worth playing.
"Pirates of the Burning Sea" is another innovative and exciting game. The game offers an interesting journey full of thrill and danger with some wonderful characters who can take six avatars. Swashbuckling is the name of the avatar that fights against the pirates. Players can select various fighting styles during the course of the game.
"World in Conflict" is a unique game that simulates the situation where Russia has captivated the US and declared the Third World War against America. The characters Caption Bannon and the Wolf come together to help the US. They join the US Army to save America from the danger of world war.
Hell Gate: London is one of the most exciting adult PC games of the recent times. Its is a fantasy game that involves action role play. The game is set in London with the simulation of the future in 2038. In this game the player can join up with the battle demons and play the game. The game is available in various options like single and multi players. Players can take on the challenge against the other player. The Hell Gate is a complete dose of thrill and entertainment. The Hell Gate happens in London, the city is invaded by the demons and the humans try to safeguard it. The plot of the game is extremely interesting and involves the glimpses of various real events and occurrences.
Combat Mission : Shock Force is the innovative game that is a simulation of the military war caused by a hypothetical conflict in the country called Syria. There are several battles featured in the game and each battle shows a detailed briefing of a certain mission. The game has various players and battles. The players are featured in the red and blue colours. There are various battles and war games depicted with Red V/s Blue, Red v/s Red and Blue V/s Blue war games.
Mass Effect is the latest Science Fiction Games that will simply make the players feel elated and exhilarated, With its amazing twist and turns and dramatic plots this game will simply woo the players.
Puzzle Quest Galactrix is the latest version of the famous Puzzle quest. This innovative kids PC game is set in outer space and showcases the fight between four mammoth corporations in distant future. The war between the different spaceships takes place in the space or the planets’ orbit, the gravity affects the puzzle pieces and the way they slide on the hexagonal board. These games are truly awesome and offer players a great entertainment.
2008/04/23
How to judge which computer games are better for kids
By Synapse India
Most computer games are sadistic and violent and do modest to boost ethical values. Researches show that gaming causes violent and aggressiveness activities in youngsters.
Here are some briefs which will help you to know which games are perfect for your loving kid.
Download a game and play it yourself. First hand knowledge will serve you well.
Talk with other parents. You will collect the trends, know the popularity.
Play the online games with your kid. Know their feedbacks and learn their responses.
Set up an open relationship where your kid becomes happy even talking about what is unsuitable or worrying. Establish softly what is correct and mistaken. Harassment does not help.
Set up the PC and gaming console in a family room. Every game will then be out in the open. You will be in a situation to judge and watch.
Cooperate with your child at all levels.
Be a cautious buyer -question claims of advancing mind growth.
Learn in detail the advantage and minus points of computer usage.
Introduce an outdoor activity interwoven with computer associated activities.
Focus on public and emotional development. The child must be curious, confident and forthright; display self control; be talented to relate linearly, be caring and cooperative, and be communicative.
Prefer games that are pleasurable and have a degree of effective learning.
Introduce games that need two or more players-this fosters social communication.
Playing games should be an advantage not a right. Highlight that parental approval is a must.
Use games to make best use of your child's happiness. If the youngster is mechanical minded purchase games that give confidence this talent.
Prefer games that require decisions and strategies. Games should be more than shoot, blow up, destroy, and kill. Avoid killer machine games.
Give details why a game is not to be played. Never just take away a game. A youngster needs to recognize why you are not in favor of playing certain games.
Gaming is a part of life. It establishes computer technology, problem solving, and logic. It improves intelligence. Games are not just for amusing, they can be beneficial too. Select sensibly and guide your youngster.
Most computer games are sadistic and violent and do modest to boost ethical values. Researches show that gaming causes violent and aggressiveness activities in youngsters.
Here are some briefs which will help you to know which games are perfect for your loving kid.
Download a game and play it yourself. First hand knowledge will serve you well.
Talk with other parents. You will collect the trends, know the popularity.
Play the online games with your kid. Know their feedbacks and learn their responses.
Set up an open relationship where your kid becomes happy even talking about what is unsuitable or worrying. Establish softly what is correct and mistaken. Harassment does not help.
Set up the PC and gaming console in a family room. Every game will then be out in the open. You will be in a situation to judge and watch.
Cooperate with your child at all levels.
Be a cautious buyer -question claims of advancing mind growth.
Learn in detail the advantage and minus points of computer usage.
Introduce an outdoor activity interwoven with computer associated activities.
Focus on public and emotional development. The child must be curious, confident and forthright; display self control; be talented to relate linearly, be caring and cooperative, and be communicative.
Prefer games that are pleasurable and have a degree of effective learning.
Introduce games that need two or more players-this fosters social communication.
Playing games should be an advantage not a right. Highlight that parental approval is a must.
Use games to make best use of your child's happiness. If the youngster is mechanical minded purchase games that give confidence this talent.
Prefer games that require decisions and strategies. Games should be more than shoot, blow up, destroy, and kill. Avoid killer machine games.
Give details why a game is not to be played. Never just take away a game. A youngster needs to recognize why you are not in favor of playing certain games.
Gaming is a part of life. It establishes computer technology, problem solving, and logic. It improves intelligence. Games are not just for amusing, they can be beneficial too. Select sensibly and guide your youngster.
2008/04/22
Technology and Market Structure of Virtual Network Games
By Steven ZHAO
We cannot see the future, of course, but there are a number of technological innovations that are relevant to gaming, that are also fairly easy to see coming. Currently, access to gaming involves some sort of access to computing technology, and access to gaming that can earn money involves access to a shared, persistent, physical computing environment, specifically a virtual world . The technology supporting virtual worlds is advancing so quickly that it would be foolish to describe the next generation in any detail. Suffice it to say that there are large, lucrative industries working energetically on different dimensions of the environment that virtual worlds thrive in.
These industries produce three items of interest, namely, connections, interface and content. Developments in connections include the internet and, increasingly, wireless communications. Development of interfaces includes voice command, head-up displays and body motion detection (computer-controlling gloves, gaze readers). Developments in content include the supply side of the market for games, where annual revenues have grown beyond Hollywood box office revenues. All three industries are expanding at a rapid rate. Whatever emotional experiences people seek, it may become possible, in the near future, to effortlessly connect to a virtual world that provides that experience at fairly low cost. Kurzweil argues that the explosion of computing power alone may be sufficient to change the daily course of life.
Since these developments all involve networks, they may seem to suggest a monopolistic market structure. If economic life online involves getting your email and hanging around with friends, there will be positive externalities with respect to the sheer size of the virtual world one visits. If I spend my time on Rubi-Ka, while you spend your time in Albion, we cannot talk to one another, and we cannot do things together. Thus, our time in virtual worlds is more valuable if everyone we know is in the same world. Moreover, if two worlds compete and one has more players than another, wouldn't everyone have an incentive to join the larger world, so as to enjoy the larger network of society, communication and entertainment that it affords? Might such network externalities lead to a domination of this market by one player?For example,some network games such as lotro gold,runescape gold,guild wars gold etc.
There are reasons to expect, however, that this market is not likely to be monopolized. First, there seems to be a great diversity of tastes for the different features of a world. Mr. Bird may want to be on Pluto, while Mr. Castronova prefers medieval Britain. One of the major attractions of life mediated by avatars is the anonymity it affords, and anonymity requires a person to have exit options: other worlds to escape to if one's reputation in this one gets unpleasant. Perhaps a savvy game developer could make a world so large and varied as to provide the essential minimum level of entertainment and anonymity to a sufficiently large number of people, so that membership in that one world becomes optimal for all. This seems unlikely, however, given that there is a marginal cost to creating and maintaining game content. Moreover, there are no economies of scale on the supply side to match the increasing returns on the demand side (Liebowitz and Margolis, 1994). Production of game content and its maintenance are both labour-intensive activities. One could perhaps increase production of content by allowing other producers (say, by opening game code to the public), but continued control of the world being created would be problematic. On the whole, it seems very unlikely that one developer could produce a world big enough to monopolize the market.
A second reason involves congestion. Virtual worlds are virtual because they are online, but they are worlds because there is some physicality to them. Avatars take up space. If a world has a certain amount of entertaining content in it, that content will almost always be subject to some kind of congestion effect. The cool monsters are in the Dungeon of Befallen, but if tens of thousands of us go there to hunt them, none of us will have a good time. Sometimes the only way to reduce congestion is to add content, but this, again, is labour intensive. There will also be congestion effects related to connection speeds and bandwidth.
A third reason that the market will probably not be dominated by a few companies can be found in the many competitive strategies that are available even now, but have not yet been exploited by new entrants. For example, the current set of developers have managed to impose huge switching costs on players by structuring gameplay around the time-intensive development of avatar capital. A player starts the game with a weak avatar, but gameplay gives the avatar ever-increasing powers. As power increases, the avatar is able to take more advantage of the game world, to travel farther, do more things, see more people. A person with a high-level avatar then faces a high hurdle in switching games, because in the new game he will start out poor, defenceless and alone again. This situation definitely locks in the game's player base, but it is also open to defeat by any number of schemes to reduce the switching costs. Surprisingly, no competitor to a current game has offered new players the opportunity to start their avatars at a higher level of wealth and ability if they can provide evidence of a high level avatar in another game. On the other hand, two games (Ultima Online and Dark Ages of Camelot) now offer methods to effectively start out ahead: in Ultima, you can directly buy your levels; in Camelot, you can start a new avatar at level 20 if you have already gotten one to level 50. These strategies help companies discourage the buying and selling of avatars outside the game, perhaps at a cost to the atmosphere within the world. In sum, what appear to be strong lock-ins and switching costs in the game market today may not be as strong as they seem; when savvy competitors appear, the player bases will generally be at risk. For example,some network games such as lotro gold,runescape gold,guild wars gold etc.
A final argument against a monopolization tendency comes from the nature of the content itself. Games are art, for the most part, and markets for artistic output exhibit a great deal of churn due to herding effects and the star phenomenon (MacDonald, 1988). If a company designs a better game, it will attract players. And while it is true that development costs can be significant, it will always be possible to produce a fun virtual world for a tiny amount of money and then scale it up as it becomes more popular.Whatever network externalities, supply-side returns to scale, and barriers to entry may exist in the market for virtual worlds, they seem insufficient to produce domination by a single company. The distribution of populations in virtual worlds is perhaps less like a natural monopoly market than a club goods market. Populations will sort according to the services, ambience, and fees of the various worlds. Virtual worlds will compete, as clubs do, but their size will be limited by congestion effects and by the marginal cost of increasing the scale of the world.
This analysis allows a tentative answer to the first question of the study: in the medium-term future, the online multiplayer gaming market will probably consist of a number of large, densely populated worlds, with varying degrees of portability between them. The worlds will generate large revenue streams and will occupy many hours of human time, some of it considered play, some of it considered work. The hours that people devote to games will result in the accumulation of stocks of digital capital goods. These objects will have considerable economic value. Given the expected growth in connectivity, interface technologies and content, there is reason to believe that this digital capital stock may eventually become quite large.
These considerations then lead to the next set of questions: If virtual worlds do become more important, how will this affect the real Earth economy?
We cannot see the future, of course, but there are a number of technological innovations that are relevant to gaming, that are also fairly easy to see coming. Currently, access to gaming involves some sort of access to computing technology, and access to gaming that can earn money involves access to a shared, persistent, physical computing environment, specifically a virtual world . The technology supporting virtual worlds is advancing so quickly that it would be foolish to describe the next generation in any detail. Suffice it to say that there are large, lucrative industries working energetically on different dimensions of the environment that virtual worlds thrive in.
These industries produce three items of interest, namely, connections, interface and content. Developments in connections include the internet and, increasingly, wireless communications. Development of interfaces includes voice command, head-up displays and body motion detection (computer-controlling gloves, gaze readers). Developments in content include the supply side of the market for games, where annual revenues have grown beyond Hollywood box office revenues. All three industries are expanding at a rapid rate. Whatever emotional experiences people seek, it may become possible, in the near future, to effortlessly connect to a virtual world that provides that experience at fairly low cost. Kurzweil argues that the explosion of computing power alone may be sufficient to change the daily course of life.
Since these developments all involve networks, they may seem to suggest a monopolistic market structure. If economic life online involves getting your email and hanging around with friends, there will be positive externalities with respect to the sheer size of the virtual world one visits. If I spend my time on Rubi-Ka, while you spend your time in Albion, we cannot talk to one another, and we cannot do things together. Thus, our time in virtual worlds is more valuable if everyone we know is in the same world. Moreover, if two worlds compete and one has more players than another, wouldn't everyone have an incentive to join the larger world, so as to enjoy the larger network of society, communication and entertainment that it affords? Might such network externalities lead to a domination of this market by one player?For example,some network games such as lotro gold,runescape gold,guild wars gold etc.
There are reasons to expect, however, that this market is not likely to be monopolized. First, there seems to be a great diversity of tastes for the different features of a world. Mr. Bird may want to be on Pluto, while Mr. Castronova prefers medieval Britain. One of the major attractions of life mediated by avatars is the anonymity it affords, and anonymity requires a person to have exit options: other worlds to escape to if one's reputation in this one gets unpleasant. Perhaps a savvy game developer could make a world so large and varied as to provide the essential minimum level of entertainment and anonymity to a sufficiently large number of people, so that membership in that one world becomes optimal for all. This seems unlikely, however, given that there is a marginal cost to creating and maintaining game content. Moreover, there are no economies of scale on the supply side to match the increasing returns on the demand side (Liebowitz and Margolis, 1994). Production of game content and its maintenance are both labour-intensive activities. One could perhaps increase production of content by allowing other producers (say, by opening game code to the public), but continued control of the world being created would be problematic. On the whole, it seems very unlikely that one developer could produce a world big enough to monopolize the market.
A second reason involves congestion. Virtual worlds are virtual because they are online, but they are worlds because there is some physicality to them. Avatars take up space. If a world has a certain amount of entertaining content in it, that content will almost always be subject to some kind of congestion effect. The cool monsters are in the Dungeon of Befallen, but if tens of thousands of us go there to hunt them, none of us will have a good time. Sometimes the only way to reduce congestion is to add content, but this, again, is labour intensive. There will also be congestion effects related to connection speeds and bandwidth.
A third reason that the market will probably not be dominated by a few companies can be found in the many competitive strategies that are available even now, but have not yet been exploited by new entrants. For example, the current set of developers have managed to impose huge switching costs on players by structuring gameplay around the time-intensive development of avatar capital. A player starts the game with a weak avatar, but gameplay gives the avatar ever-increasing powers. As power increases, the avatar is able to take more advantage of the game world, to travel farther, do more things, see more people. A person with a high-level avatar then faces a high hurdle in switching games, because in the new game he will start out poor, defenceless and alone again. This situation definitely locks in the game's player base, but it is also open to defeat by any number of schemes to reduce the switching costs. Surprisingly, no competitor to a current game has offered new players the opportunity to start their avatars at a higher level of wealth and ability if they can provide evidence of a high level avatar in another game. On the other hand, two games (Ultima Online and Dark Ages of Camelot) now offer methods to effectively start out ahead: in Ultima, you can directly buy your levels; in Camelot, you can start a new avatar at level 20 if you have already gotten one to level 50. These strategies help companies discourage the buying and selling of avatars outside the game, perhaps at a cost to the atmosphere within the world. In sum, what appear to be strong lock-ins and switching costs in the game market today may not be as strong as they seem; when savvy competitors appear, the player bases will generally be at risk. For example,some network games such as lotro gold,runescape gold,guild wars gold etc.
A final argument against a monopolization tendency comes from the nature of the content itself. Games are art, for the most part, and markets for artistic output exhibit a great deal of churn due to herding effects and the star phenomenon (MacDonald, 1988). If a company designs a better game, it will attract players. And while it is true that development costs can be significant, it will always be possible to produce a fun virtual world for a tiny amount of money and then scale it up as it becomes more popular.Whatever network externalities, supply-side returns to scale, and barriers to entry may exist in the market for virtual worlds, they seem insufficient to produce domination by a single company. The distribution of populations in virtual worlds is perhaps less like a natural monopoly market than a club goods market. Populations will sort according to the services, ambience, and fees of the various worlds. Virtual worlds will compete, as clubs do, but their size will be limited by congestion effects and by the marginal cost of increasing the scale of the world.
This analysis allows a tentative answer to the first question of the study: in the medium-term future, the online multiplayer gaming market will probably consist of a number of large, densely populated worlds, with varying degrees of portability between them. The worlds will generate large revenue streams and will occupy many hours of human time, some of it considered play, some of it considered work. The hours that people devote to games will result in the accumulation of stocks of digital capital goods. These objects will have considerable economic value. Given the expected growth in connectivity, interface technologies and content, there is reason to believe that this digital capital stock may eventually become quite large.
These considerations then lead to the next set of questions: If virtual worlds do become more important, how will this affect the real Earth economy?
2008/04/21
A Guide to Online poker
By Remy Na
The meteoric rise in popularity of online poker play might be heavily attributed to the convenience of playing from the comfort of home, but in fact there are a number of other advantages to choosing online play. In addition to the complete absence of a dress code, online players have access to a wider variety of game play and the ability to join a table at just about any time they like. The continually growing number of online establishments offer poker rooms 24/7, all inclusive game selection and a wider range of wager options to fit every budget.
Since online poker rooms lack the same exorbitant operating costs as their land based counterparts, the result is lowered betting minimums and smaller rake fees for the player so that the range of wager is enormously widened to include all types of bettors. Coupled with the vast amount of games readily available at all times, online players have no trouble finding the right game, at the right wager limit at all times. All kinds of tournament play, including the popular Sit and Go tournaments, are constantly available with all stakes and sizes. Multiple-tabling is another feature that allows the player to sit in on several games at once. Players are to get in many more hands in the same amount of time by moving from screen to screen. Keeping focus on each game is key, however, as this option can become a liability if you don´t.
Ease and Availability aside, the benefits of online poker expand to encompass the game play itself. Players are able to sharpen their skills in practice mode, or by using a free promotional balance supplied by many online poker sites. This is an especially attractive feature for those who are new to the game, but even seasoned pros need to practice or test out strategies sometime. With this option, all players stand to gain invaluable knowledge and experience, while risking little or no real money wagers.
In an online poker room, physical actions and emotions are not going to betray you as they might in a live game, and intimidation is a considerably lesser factor. The anonymous play is particularly advantageous to the novice, and can be very important when playing with a with a card shark who has a sharply honed ability to read other players´ tells (behavior). While there are subtle telling actions in online poker that can be picked up on, these are much more easily controlled and circumvented. With a little effort, they can be learned and used instead against your opponent. Detailed notes regarding your opponent’s style and previous play can be kept close at hand in a notebook - something you cannot do in a live game, and can be referenced and utilized at any time. Online players also have access to their own securely stored history, making it easy to examine and continually improve upon their game from past experience. Other tools at the online poker players´ disposal include easily accessible odds information and statistics, and the ability to use charts and calculators during game play.
Money matters, so it bears mentioning that online players save money (and time and effort) on what could be considered unnecessary extras - like travel, hotel accommodations, etc., when they opt to play the massive selection of online poker games from home. In addition, while playing online, it´s never necessary to tip the dealer - whereas in a live game, it is customary, even expected, that you tip the dealer when you win, in addition to the rake. If you spend much time at all playing poker, this small amount can really add up.
There are a few disadvantages to playing online poker as well, but for many the advantages far outweigh them. Ease, Availability, Game play, and Money saved are consistent factors, but online play can´t provide the thrill of face to face action or the buxom waitress supplying complimentary drinks. Fortunately, online poker play doesn´t preclude live play and many poker enthusiasts are able to find a balance that satisfies both their gaming preferences and entertainment needs.
The meteoric rise in popularity of online poker play might be heavily attributed to the convenience of playing from the comfort of home, but in fact there are a number of other advantages to choosing online play. In addition to the complete absence of a dress code, online players have access to a wider variety of game play and the ability to join a table at just about any time they like. The continually growing number of online establishments offer poker rooms 24/7, all inclusive game selection and a wider range of wager options to fit every budget.
Since online poker rooms lack the same exorbitant operating costs as their land based counterparts, the result is lowered betting minimums and smaller rake fees for the player so that the range of wager is enormously widened to include all types of bettors. Coupled with the vast amount of games readily available at all times, online players have no trouble finding the right game, at the right wager limit at all times. All kinds of tournament play, including the popular Sit and Go tournaments, are constantly available with all stakes and sizes. Multiple-tabling is another feature that allows the player to sit in on several games at once. Players are to get in many more hands in the same amount of time by moving from screen to screen. Keeping focus on each game is key, however, as this option can become a liability if you don´t.
Ease and Availability aside, the benefits of online poker expand to encompass the game play itself. Players are able to sharpen their skills in practice mode, or by using a free promotional balance supplied by many online poker sites. This is an especially attractive feature for those who are new to the game, but even seasoned pros need to practice or test out strategies sometime. With this option, all players stand to gain invaluable knowledge and experience, while risking little or no real money wagers.
In an online poker room, physical actions and emotions are not going to betray you as they might in a live game, and intimidation is a considerably lesser factor. The anonymous play is particularly advantageous to the novice, and can be very important when playing with a with a card shark who has a sharply honed ability to read other players´ tells (behavior). While there are subtle telling actions in online poker that can be picked up on, these are much more easily controlled and circumvented. With a little effort, they can be learned and used instead against your opponent. Detailed notes regarding your opponent’s style and previous play can be kept close at hand in a notebook - something you cannot do in a live game, and can be referenced and utilized at any time. Online players also have access to their own securely stored history, making it easy to examine and continually improve upon their game from past experience. Other tools at the online poker players´ disposal include easily accessible odds information and statistics, and the ability to use charts and calculators during game play.
Money matters, so it bears mentioning that online players save money (and time and effort) on what could be considered unnecessary extras - like travel, hotel accommodations, etc., when they opt to play the massive selection of online poker games from home. In addition, while playing online, it´s never necessary to tip the dealer - whereas in a live game, it is customary, even expected, that you tip the dealer when you win, in addition to the rake. If you spend much time at all playing poker, this small amount can really add up.
There are a few disadvantages to playing online poker as well, but for many the advantages far outweigh them. Ease, Availability, Game play, and Money saved are consistent factors, but online play can´t provide the thrill of face to face action or the buxom waitress supplying complimentary drinks. Fortunately, online poker play doesn´t preclude live play and many poker enthusiasts are able to find a balance that satisfies both their gaming preferences and entertainment needs.
2008/04/20
Online poker rooms that offer games for US residents
By Remy Na
When the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was brought into US law, it changed the way online poker was played. Many of the online poker sites that offered gaming to the US residents stopped doing so. The US residents can still play the free online poker but are unable to go on and play the ‘real money’ games.
Some of the major online poker websites such as Titan Poker, Pacific Poker, Party Poker and many others stopped doing business with US residents.
There is some hope for the US residents wanting to play online poker as here are the top rated poker rooms and the poker sites accepting US players to this day.
Poker Stars – This online poker website still accepts US players and it is among the favorites around the globe. It is renowned for major poker players playing here. Some of the finalists of the World Poker Series play regularly here. So unless you are truly talented at online poker then this is the site for you. This is known to be one of the world most competitive and top rated poker rooms so watch out if you are only a beginner!
Full Tilt Poker – This online poker website is actually endorsed by some of the world’s best and most recognizable poker players today. You don’t have to play here if you feel you are not good enough yet, you can watch and learn tips from some of the professionals that use this website. The software that they use for the poker and the customer service is among the best available.
Absolute Poker – To play online poker here you will have to download their software which has had some improvements as of late. This makes the playing experience more comfortable for users and they are one of the few poker sites accepting US players. This site has been around quite some time now and they have recently made a push towards the American market.
Bodog Poker – this poker site accepting US players is becoming extremely popular. This website offers some great tournaments for US players and the software that has to be downloaded is of a top quality and is extremely easy to use.
Ultimate Bet – This is considered to have the top rated poker rooms around today on the internet. Not only is this poker sites accepting US players but it is also endorsed by the poker player Phil Hellmuth, otherwise known as ‘The Poker Brat’. It has been around for some time on the internet and is extremely popular among the players.
The UIGEA doesn’t actually make playing online poker illegal but in some states or tribal laws it may do for some US players. Make sure you always know the laws when you are playing online poker for real money and keep up to date with your rights.
You can still have a great time playing poker for money even if you are a US resident; you just have to know where to go!
When the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was brought into US law, it changed the way online poker was played. Many of the online poker sites that offered gaming to the US residents stopped doing so. The US residents can still play the free online poker but are unable to go on and play the ‘real money’ games.
Some of the major online poker websites such as Titan Poker, Pacific Poker, Party Poker and many others stopped doing business with US residents.
There is some hope for the US residents wanting to play online poker as here are the top rated poker rooms and the poker sites accepting US players to this day.
Poker Stars – This online poker website still accepts US players and it is among the favorites around the globe. It is renowned for major poker players playing here. Some of the finalists of the World Poker Series play regularly here. So unless you are truly talented at online poker then this is the site for you. This is known to be one of the world most competitive and top rated poker rooms so watch out if you are only a beginner!
Full Tilt Poker – This online poker website is actually endorsed by some of the world’s best and most recognizable poker players today. You don’t have to play here if you feel you are not good enough yet, you can watch and learn tips from some of the professionals that use this website. The software that they use for the poker and the customer service is among the best available.
Absolute Poker – To play online poker here you will have to download their software which has had some improvements as of late. This makes the playing experience more comfortable for users and they are one of the few poker sites accepting US players. This site has been around quite some time now and they have recently made a push towards the American market.
Bodog Poker – this poker site accepting US players is becoming extremely popular. This website offers some great tournaments for US players and the software that has to be downloaded is of a top quality and is extremely easy to use.
Ultimate Bet – This is considered to have the top rated poker rooms around today on the internet. Not only is this poker sites accepting US players but it is also endorsed by the poker player Phil Hellmuth, otherwise known as ‘The Poker Brat’. It has been around for some time on the internet and is extremely popular among the players.
The UIGEA doesn’t actually make playing online poker illegal but in some states or tribal laws it may do for some US players. Make sure you always know the laws when you are playing online poker for real money and keep up to date with your rights.
You can still have a great time playing poker for money even if you are a US resident; you just have to know where to go!
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