Some of the most popular online video poker games are Texas Hold’em, jacks or better video poker and deuces wild video poker. There’s several sites online where you can download the software, and play for free or real money. For the poker fan, there’s a wealth of opportunity for fun, excitement and many winnings.

If you’re looking to learn strategy, several video poker games have been designed to teach you strategies and the rules. There’s several produced by the world’s most talented professional poker players. What better way than to learn from the professionals.

Just as in person-to-person poker, the video poker games involve chance and skill. One of the neat things about video poker games is that they are available whenever you want to play. The online gaming sites that offer video poker games are never closed. You don’t have to worry about who is going to show up or if you’ll have enough people to play. There are always people playing online video poker games no matter the time of day or night.

The basics of the rules are pretty much the same as when you’re playing with the traditional 52-card deck. With video games, the rules, the table bets, and other things that must be determined in real life are already set for you. All you have to do is read the rules, and begin play.

If you haven’t played video poker games, you owe it to yourself to check them out. Beware, they’re lost of fun and can be addictive.

In the midst of any battle – players typically fight higher-level Cogs in groups of four – a player can choose, rather than to throw a gag at the Cogs, to instead give his or her fellow players additional “laff points” (i.e. health). Doing this helps prevent them from “dying” and dropping out of the battle. One skill typically gained from frequent play is knowing when to help your teammates versus when to attack the Cogs. This is not trivial. One adult player described her first battle with ultra-high-level Cogs as “extremely nerve wracking,” and characterized the strategies she had to employ to work successfully with the other players as “the most emotional experience I’ve ever had in a game.” And this is the version for kids!

And there is yet another way Toontown players learn there is value in cooperation. Some of the tasks available to higher-level players allow them to earn jelly beans by helping out new players. When these experienced players see a Newbie fighting a Cog on the street, they can join in and assist. When the Cog is defeated, both the experienced player and the Newbie get rewarded game at their own level.

Is it Boring?

Still, while the tasks at the start of the game involve defeating only one Cog at a time and the tasks at higher levels require players to defeat hundreds of Cogs on their way to liberate bigger and bigger buildings, the battles are very similar. “Isn’t that boring?” I asked one “addicted” player. “After all it’s basically the same thing over and over – fighting Cogs.”

“I like going up the levels,” she replied. And of course the only way she can do this is by learning to cooperate well with real people, in real time – while sitting at her own computer.

I’ve recently been thinking about where video games could be going in the future. I’m hoping to work in the game industry one day after I’ve finished university study and I’ve been wondering about it a lot. What do I want to see happen in the future? Well I may not have too many answers right now, but I have come up with a few ideas that I think may come into ‘play’ in the not too distant future.

Firstly forget Virtual Reality, as we know it. They’ve tried VR goggles and they made a lot of people sick in doing so. It’s probably never going to work very well in its current form. They’re still around and you can still buy them but they really don’t seem to be taking off. It will probably take a lot to get people totally immersed and involved in a new form of game play. It’s threatening to lose touch with the outside world and the people around you aren’t going to appreciate it much either. The Sci-fi neural implants are also both a long way off and not likely to be accepted by a majority of the general populace without some severe marketing and luck. I for one am not planning on going through brain surgery just to have a computer attached to my head. In fact I never want anyone to able to plug into my brain.

If you at the point where you are thinking about your career, I suggest that you do what you love to do. You should consider a different course of action: majoring in something you TRULY enjoy… something you could do hours on end without feeling like you are working at all. And if you are like many people, this ‘something’ would be playing video games.

That’s right! You can actually get a job creating and/or playing video games. Below is a list of some of the careers available for those with a video game degree.

1) Video Game Programmer

Gameinformer Magazine mentions that, video game programmers are the “heart and soul” of the industry. They are the ones responsible for creating the code necessary for getting video games to function. And contrary to popular belief, their jobs aren’t always easy. Video game programming often involves creating complex functions and algorithms often times more challenging than programs created in Corporate America.

Indeed, game programming may not be the appropriate course for everyone seeking a video game career, but if you were deciding to go into the computer field anyway, which job would be more enjoyable… coding the next Halo, or working on a boring, hum-drum piece of no-name software?

2) Video Game Tester

As a video game tester it is a position in which you truly would get paid for playing video games. According to current game tester Doug D. from Electronic Arts, he say’s as a game tester you would “go over different components of a game and look for things that just don’t make sense.” You would also “break the game,” meaning you would “do things a normal user would do and accidentally see something go wrong.”

Doug Powell further adds that video game testing is a good place to start for young people who want to “break into the industry.” To get such a position in it is best to have a “passion for gaming” and some educational background. Doug recommends a degree, or some form of higher-level education.

3) Video Game Animator

Animators are in charge for coordinating the movement of video game characters. Accomplishing requires more than drawing something on a piece of paper, which according to Alex Jones, an established game animator, occurs after a lot of “brainstorming, chilling, playing, planning and testing” with the programmer. But when the busy work is done, the video game animator will finally get a chance to do what he or she does best… animate. Alex Drouin says the thing he liked best about his job was “being able to come there late in the morning, sit behind his computer, put on a great CD, and then create crazy animation that will end up in a game that will be seen all around the world by gamers.” With a video game degree it is certainly possible!

4) Sound Designer

Sound designers are responsible for creating the music and sound effects of video games. Video game music is created either from digital sources or real-life stimulation. As video game consoles become more advanced, many sound designers favor the latter when deciding on what type of music they want in the games they are working on. Creating appropriate sound effects, on the other hand, sometimes requires more creative experimentation.

To be successful at designing video game sounds it is best to: 1) have an interest in both music and sound, 2) possess knowledge of recording equipment and 3) be familiar with the types of music and sound used in today’s most popular video games. A video game degree will help develop these talents and skills.

5) Game Designer

Video game designers are responsible for creating the ‘experience’ of a particular game. Charles Perry, a video game designer, sums it up by saying “the main tasks of the designer is to make sure the game is fun.”

Wells further adds that game designers are responsible for macro and micro level design. Macro level design involves “figuring out the core mechanics of the game; the variety of level looks, power-ups, etc.” Micro-design involves creating the “actual levels and the moment-to-moment gameplay within those levels… the enemies, the objects, and the particular way you encounter those enemies and objects.”

Good game designers should obviously have an interest in video games along with some drawing and programming skills.

The challenge for the industry is that consumers are a fickle group, and with the great variety of options pulling at their limited free time, they’re going to be easily distracted unless something really compels them to stay with gaming,” said NPD analyst Anita Frazier in a statement. “To reach these less-involved consumers, the industry has to work even harder, but doing so can produce great rewards.

Gaming both video and computer has become more than a fad, it is a part of life. First generation video game players have now become adult and carry their passion to adulthood. Parents and teachers worry about games having negative effects on children and a great deal has been written about games leading to violent behavior and addiction. However, all is not negative about gaming, studies by leading researchers have shown that video and computer games have many benefits

According to the study, “Video games might be regarded as an obsession for youngsters but in fact the average player is aged 35, often overweight, introverted and may be depressed.” 56% of the video game players were men. The research suggested that “video gaming for adults may be a form of ‘digital self-medication.’”

Is this really any different than using alcohol, drugs, food, TV, or any other activity to avoid feelings and taking responsibility for one’s feelings? Obviously, playing video games has become a huge addictive activity in our society.

While the average age of video game players is 35, it is unlikely that they started playing at age 35. Probably, like Ed and Carolyn’s children, they started in adolescence and never stopped.

The popularity of video games continues to increase every year, with new video game console ownership at all time highs. With the increase in console ownership comes an increase in the number of video games purchased each year. Video games sell for an average price of $50 for a new title and most gamers purchase a number of new games every year. With most gamers spending hundreds of dollars on games every year, many are looking for ways to reduce their costs while still being able to play as many games as they would like. How can gamers play unlimited video games for a fixed price and save money? The answer is video game rentals.