Monthly Archives: July 2022
The World Of Computer Gaming, High-Stakes And Intense Competition
The World Of Computer Gaming, High-Stakes And Intense Competition
Multiplayer games and tournaments are now offering cash prizes, adding to the thrill of competing. To participate, a valid credit card or paypal account is required. And, a player must live in a state or country that has no laws against online gaming for money. Sites which promote such activities are: www.worldwinner.com and www.arkadium.com.
Gaming leagues are becoming professional and organize competitions where cash prizes are worth over US$ 100,000 in cash. These events are seen as business and marketing development opportunities. Hardware manufacturing giants like Intel sponsor gaming clans and see gaming world-wide as a profitable avenue for promoting their products. High-stake gaming competitions are popular, but the real fights occur behind the scenes, where companies spend millions trying to get their technology directly into the hands of gamers
Professional gaming has taken the world by storm and, LAN competitions are high-stake tournaments with a few gamers earning a living just competing. A professional gamer with a sponsorship plan in place can earn up to US$ 500,000 per year. Cyberathlete, Professional League, Gamecaster, Global gaming League, are some of the organizations that host competitions. The first professional gaming league was set up in 1997 and today the competitions are not just televised but covered by major publications and newspapers. MTV, CNN,ESPN, USA Network, ABC World News Today, FOX, WB and others telecast the events live.
Gamers from all walks of life train intensely to become virtual world champions, winning brings fame, money, as well as recognition. And, since 2001 The World Cyber Games are held in a different country each year. The prize in 2004 was worth US$ 400, 000 and competitors played: FIFA Soccer 2004, Need for Speed, Underground, Star-Craft, Brood War, Unreal Tournament 2004, Dawn of war, Dead or Alive Ultimate, and Halo 2.
Gaming is serious; it is about quick thinking, intense practice, team work, interaction with other players, and understanding technology at its best. Gamers have to be on their toes, keep abreast with new launches, changes, patches, cheats, and more.
According to online gaming expert Psychologist Professor Mark Griffiths, “online gaming addiction for a small minority is a real phenomenon and people suffer the same symptoms as traditional addictions. They are the types of games that completely engross the player. They are not games that you can play for 20 minutes and stop. If you are going to take it seriously, you have to spend time doing it”
That gaming is taken seriously is confirmed, many major colleges are offering minor as well as major courses in game design, animation, cognition and gaming, computer music, psychology of play and more. RPI, the Pratt Institute, University of Colorado, the Art Institute of Phoenix, the University of Washington, and the University of Pennsylvania are among those that have programs in computer graphics and game technology. They are set to become a feeder system for the US$ 10 billion a year game industry.
Related Gaming Computer Articles
How to find cheap laptop computers.
How to find cheap laptop computers.
Ah yes, I want a laptop but I am not going to spend a couple of thousand dollars for one. Well guess what you don’t have to. Laptop prices have come down dramatically over the past year alone and they will continue to do so as technology advances. But the trick here is to find good quality laptops that fit your needs at the cheapest prices available today.
I would say that there probably is a store near you right now that has cheap laptop computers. In fact, many stores already have them. The reason being, like any other new product, laptops were once considered the cream of the crop in the computer world which made them very expensive. However, all that has changed now. Laptops are a dime a dozen! The hand held digital assistants, Bluetooth cell phones and tablet pads are the new rage making laptop computers cheap.
Now, don’t get me wrong, this does not mean that they are cheaply made. Thanks to the wonders of the technological cycle, laptop computers are decreasing in price as their capabilities rise. Of course, there are the latest and greatest monsters out there that are made for gaming or high powered multimedia applications and these babies still cost a pretty penny.
But for the average user, you can find cheap laptop computers that provide all the power you need and then some. Every major manufacturer out there, like Dell, HP, Compaq, Gateway, and IBM have their lower end and intermediate models that come with more than enough speed and usability.
Now here is the key to finding the right cheap computer laptop for you, and that is to figure out exactly what you need it for.
Are you going to use it mainly for surfing the web or word processing? Do you need it to work from home or mainly to save your MP3s and digital pictures?
Ok, so now you have an idea of what you want to use your laptop for. Now lets go out shopping and compare. You can visit any of the top manufacturers websites or visit your local store and find their low end or intermediate models that may suit your needs. The three top components of a computer you want to look for is the hard drive size, memory, and processor speeds and take notes of each model you find on each component and model.
The hard drive, you can consider this the brain of your computer, this is where all your files, applications and folders are stored. If you plan on using your computer for MP3s and digital pictures your hard drive should be large since these files are usually very large. I personally would look at 80gb as minimum.
Next would be the memory, memory can be considered the thought processes of your computer. As a minimum I would look at 512mb but if you plan on using your laptop for gaming of course this should be much larger, in the area of 1 to 2gb. Now memory is used whenever a program or application is running. So the more memory you have the faster your computer can process the program.
And finally your processor, now your processor is just that it processes all the inner workings of how each program runs. The faster the processor is, the faster the program instructions are processed. Again if your looking for a laptop for gaming uses you want your processor with high speeds 2ghz or more. For other uses you can go less.
Other parts of the computer to also consider are the ports involved that can connect your computer to your digital camera or your mp3 player for example. You also want to check that your laptop has wireless and broadband connectivity. Many cheap computer laptops today already come with this but you want to make sure or you will have to pay additional, for example, a wireless card to install in your laptop to have this capability.
Related Gaming Laptop Articles
Computer Use by Seniors Eases Loneliness
Computer Use by Seniors Eases Loneliness
More and more seniors are catching the ‘computer bug’ and taking the plunge to go online. The active baby boomers have grown up and become active seniors looking to get out and explore the world around them. The Internet and computers in general, have opened the doors to many avenues of entertainment and excitement for these seniors. No longer are they resigned to the playing of shuffleboard or canasta with their friends for their entertainment. Now with the aid of computers and the Internet they can play these games and more over online connections with people from all over the world. While learning to use a computer is still one of the biggest challenges to many seniors, many of them, when they learn to use a computer, cannot believe that they were ever worried about it at all.
Some seniors have expressed nervousness when it comes to learning how to use a computer and interact with others over the Internet. They are doubly proud when they cannot only learn to use a computer but can also manage to send emails and use computer programs without any outside help at all. While some seniors may have had some experience with computers in their past employment, most are learning the basics of computer use for the first time from the ground up. It is quite an ordeal at first for many people who find it all a bit overwhelming. This quickly passes though as they learn the basics very quickly and can see basic results after only a few lessons.
Computer use among seniors has proven to be very beneficial to them in many ways. It gets them active again in something. While using a computer is not the same thing as doing exercise for the body, the use of a computer is a very stimulating way for them to exercise their most important muscle – their brain. By keeping mentally active, many seniors find that they are not lonely any longer and they have much more that they can accomplish with the aid of a computer. Not only can they use computer programs to help them work on any hobbies they have, but the Internet can also help them to stay in touch with others who share in their hobby. Staying in touch with family and friends by way of email is another great way to help seniors feel connected to the lives of others and to the world around them. By staying in close contact, they find more purpose in their old age.
Some seniors even become competent enough with their computer usage that they can take on part time jobs doing simple data entry for businesses. They can also help to teach other seniors about the benefits of learning to use a computer and the amazing world of the Internet. Many seniors may have only heard about the millions of web sites out there that have so much information that they can access easily. For many seniors it is like turning on a light that shows them what they have been missing all these years. They become passionate about their search for knowledge with computers and the Internet. The sense of isolation is immediately lifted the very first time they send and receive their initial email message to someone they know. Whether the person is across the country or just across the street, the excitement is the same. They soon learn to feel part of the world again and can take part in many more conversations as their knowledge about computers and the Internet grows.
Being able to reconnect with old friends that they have not talked to for years is a very big deal for these seniors. They can also encourage each other to learn more as they go through many of the same things together while learning about computers and the Internet. Many seniors with hearing problems find it much easier to email someone rather than try and talk to them on the telephone. Seniors who are grandparents find the Internet a great way to stay a part of their grandkids lives. By sending emails and talking over everyday events, the family grows closer and stays closer as well. By using the Internet, many seniors have found friends with common interests, whether those interests are hobbies or health matters they share, the excitement at being able to message someone and have them chat back to you in nearly real-time is very fun for these seniors.
Why Build Your Own Gaming Computer?
Why Build Your Own Gaming Computer?
The best way to get the gaming computer that you want, that will provide optimum performance is to build your own computer. If you think you do not have the technical knowledge or are not capable of building a computer you are wrong. I’m pretty certain that I could teach my mother (who has a hard time working a VCR) how to build a computer. If you can plug a sweeper into a wall outlet and use a screw driver, you too can build a computer.
What The Computer Manufacturers Don’t Want You to Know!
Manufacturers don’t want you to know how easy it is to build a computer because they make their living selling complete computers. The truth is that manufacturers focus on selling a computer with an overall low price tag to entice people to buy. They use the processor and software as the primary selling point. In most cases other than the processor and maybe the graphics card you have no idea what components they actually use. Alienware is one of the rare exceptions. They tell you for the most, part what components they are using. However, this doesn’t mean that these are the best components on the market. Every manufacturer gets regular visits from sales people convincing them that they should use their products. Just because a company gives them the best deal on a power supply that allows them to increase their profit margin on the computers they sell doesn’t make it the best power supply. This often leads to the use of inferior products for the sake of profit.
The Advantages To Building Your Own Computer
By building your own computer you are assured of getting the highest quality because you have painstakingly researched every component. If you’ve ever wondered why your store bought gaming computer with the top of the line graphics card and ultra fast CPU is still having trouble running newer games, it is likely because they stuck you with an inferior power supply, cheap motherboard, inadequate RAM, and the list goes on. In my mind it makes sense to build your own computer.
Warranties and Technical Support
If you are worried about warranties, you need not be. In most cases you can get a manufacturers warranty on every component you buy. As for technical support, I’ve had much better luck with getting questions answered through friendly helpful forums on the internet than I ever have from technical support lines. Not to mention you don’t have to pay to sit on hold.
Upgrades Are Painless And Fast
When you build your own computer upgrades are a snap. You’ve already put it together so switching a hard drive or changing the graphics card is extremely easy. For instance I just upgraded my graphics card. It took me longer to unplug everything from the back of my tower than it did to swap the graphics card. All in all I was up and running with the new drivers installed in about 10 minutes. If you are impatient like I am taking your machine to a store to have it upgraded just isn’t worth the wait.
How To Build Your Own Computer
I hope I’ve convinced you to build your own computer. It is a very rewarding experience. As I’ve said it isn’t very difficult. I do however recommend that you do your research. There are several good books published on the topic such as “Build Your Own PC”, by Morris Rosenthal. You can also find a great deal of information regarding building computers and computer hardware at my website Gaming-Computers.net. Good luck with your computer, and remember, if you ever run into problems building it there are thousands of people on the Net that are more than willing to help, and they won’t charge you a technician’s service fee.
Why You Should Get A Laptop
Why You Should Get A Laptop
So now that you are now are in market for a new computer you are faced with a common dilemma. Should you get a desktop or a laptop? Desktops are fine if you an enthusiastic gamer but laptops are the definite choice for the average consumer. Hence, in this article we will examine the many benefits of owning a laptop.
Mobility
One of the key benefits of owning a laptop is that it is mobile. You longer have to reside behind a computer desk. With a laptop you can take your work outside, on the road, in a plane and practically any place that has a power outlet. Apart from this, the portability aspect of the laptop allows users to be more social than desktop users. Laptops users can mingle with their friends and peers while doing their work done at the local café.
Productivity
It is also now a proven fact that laptops helps to increase productivity, companies and educational institutions are catching on to this fact and are either requiring or issuing laptops to their employees and students. It is shown that only 1 out of 7 of laptop users felt that their laptop added to their stress while the majority believing that their laptop made them more productive.
More Compact
Compared to desktops, laptops are smaller in size and therefore occupy less space. This is an advantage in areas with little free room like a small office or a student’s dorm room. Given its small size, laptops are also easier to maintain, you don’t have to worry about air vents being blocked by dusk balls, and laptops are also more cost effective as they use less electricity than desktops.
Performance
Apart from gaming laptops are similar in performance, if not better, than desktops. Modern laptops can run now programs that previously had only been associated with bulky desktops. Also unlike desktop users, laptop users are more likely to use their laptop as tool rather than a entertain system and tend to install programs that they need. Laptops users are generally more security aware, and are less likely to be infected by spyware and malware.
In conclusion, if you like bulky, noise babbling, power sucking, and heat generating machines get a desktop else stick with a laptop.