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Craps Games Download
Now you can play craps for real money online at a virtual casino, without all the crowds and pressure of real casinos. One of the most reputable online casinos,VegasUSA , offers a craps games download so you can enjoy all the entertainment of...
Nintendo DS Jump Superstars Review
Jump Superstars plays like no other 2D fighter ever created. It feels like a hybrid of Smash Brothers and Mario Brothers with fighting mechanics Street Fighter would be envious of. From the first fight you can feel the influence Nintendo had on the...
Poker Hand Rankings
Poker hand rankings are one of the most important aspects of any poker game. When playing online poker, especially fast online poker games such as Texas Holdem Poker, you need to be able to quickly discern which cards are needed to create a better...
Self Home Recording vs Paying a Recording Studio
Back in the old days (around 'Nam) recording at home was a new miracle. You could actually hit record on a device and capture sound in your own home. Your eyes would light up just like Thomas Edison did when he first invented audio recording....
Zuma Deluxe Style Games Evolution
As I think most of gamers who play in shareware games know game called Zuma Deluxe (created by PopCap Games). This game was extremly popular some time ago and still popular now. It's now a classic game!
Long time nobody in game development...
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Why We Play Games, Part 1
There exists some ephemeral quality that separates gamers from the rest of humanity, some thing that makes us, us and them, not us. I've never been able to quite put my finger on it, but it is inescapably there. Today, in hopes of moving closer to that essential quality of gamerosity, we examine part of what makes us tick. In particular, we take a look at what draws different types of gamers to the hobby. Every gamer plays for different reasons, but there are common threads that tie the experience together.
Many gamers are motivated by the challenge a game can present. Success in a game may be governed by any of a wide variety of abilities. A First Person Shooter requires twitch reflexes, a steady hand and the ability to remain calm under pressure. A word puzzle game may require an extensive vocabulary and the ability to rethink the uses of old words, but no measure of speed. A sports simulation might well require an in-depth knowledge of the topic, in addition to arcade skill, but is unlikely to have terribly much concern for linguistic acumen.
The common thread is that all of the games challenge some subset of a player's abilities. This challenge can be a powerful motivator. The Challenge Motivated gamer is drawn to a game that tests their skills, preferably one that tests them to their limits. The gamer may also be motivated by the natural improvement that comes from working at peak. They are driven then, not only to excel, but to improve. Challenge Motivated Gamers thrive whenever a game pushes their skill set
of choice, but may be disinterested in games that fall too far away from the target.
Competition is a close cousin of challenge. Many gamers are driven by the need to prove they are the best, to be pitted against their fellows and come out on top. Competition minded gamers range from those looking for a challenge in a fair fight to the sort of win-at-all cost leet speaking infants that give us all a bad name. Competition can be easy to take too far. There is nothing inherently wrong with being driven by competition. To some extent, competition is merely challenge taken to the extreme. It is only when it leads to mistreating your fellow player that it begins to become less a motivation and more an unfortunate personality quirk. Competition Motivated players thrive on those games where they are pitted against one another with the outcome dictated by skill at playing the game. They will often wane in those environments that either require cooperation, such as many MMORPGs, or in games where skill plays a much smaller role, such as in less sophisticated card or dice games.
Next week we will take a look at some other common gamer motivations, including Creativity and Escapism.
About the Author
Steve is a member of the GrandMatrix team. They provide a broad range of games and puzzle articles and reviews. Read more articles, download and play the latest PC games for free plus enjoy thousands of user submitted puzzles, quizzes and word games at: http://www.grandmatrix.com
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