Games | Gaming Circuits

Role-Playing Games: The Hardcore Experience

There are many genres of video games, each providing a different style of play and a different experience, each appealing to a different kind of gamer. Some people who play video games enjoy multiple genres; some prefer only one or two. Some, such as the action and arcade genres, have mass-appeal, while others are more niche. And with today’s technology, games are as realistic as watching movies with the xvid codec software which makes them even more popular.

One genre that is most definitely a niche of sorts is the role-playing game, or “RPG” for short. It’s niche not because it offers a lesser (or necessarily greater) experience than the other types but rather because of the time and effort involved. Many of the most popular games today offer a relatively short experience – on average perhaps six to eight hours of play. Certainly this is longer than a movie, which is good because the game costs more to buy, but still a manageable time investment. A game that lasts twenty hours would be considered a long-haul (more bang for the buck in many gamers’ eyes).

For an RPG, twenty hours would be short. It is not uncommon for this type of game to offer as many as forty hours of game play, and that is for the average player who does not attempt to see and do everything. For the truly devoted player who wishes to enjoy everything the game has to offer, the experience may last some sixty hours and perhaps even as many as a hundred – or more!

Obviously such a game requires a huge investment, and not just time. Story is of paramount importance in the genre, and because the game has such a huge time-frame in which to work, the game can craft a truly compelling world, characters and plot in which the player may get lost. As such, the emotional payoff can be much greater than if one simply played through a six-hour experience. Hence the genre’s devoted following.

Filed Under: Circuits Tagged With: Fantasy, Gamer, Games, Nintendo, Role-playing game, Roleplaying, Video game, Video game genres

The Future of Video Games

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Video games are ever evolving. When you look at games just from 2 years ago you’ll notice that they are visibly inferior to the video games of today. The same thing will be said 2 years from now and 5 years from now. But when you look at the leaps and bounds that video game technology has made in the last 25 years you start to wonder at the possibilities that will come to fruition by that point in time. Will we all be play in a virtual reality that will let you taste, touch, smell or see something in a realistic lifelike setting that aren’t even there. You may remember the short movies that were shown about what the future will be like or Disneyland’s tomorrow land and how they seems so different from what the world really turned out like. Well in that vein we are trying to ponder what the future holds for video gaming and what hopefully will become reality or let’s say virtual reality in the not too distant future.

For many of us we believe that video games are going in one direction and that is motion control. Pioneered by Nintendo’s Wii system motion controlled games have been around now for 4 years and now with the release of Xbox Kinect, which does not need any controllers, another stride has been taken towards full interactivity.

Another facet of video games that will differ is that games themselves will become smarter. Games will adapt their presentation dependent on who the player is. For example it will be able to differentiate between the 15 year old who plays every day and the 8 years old who just started.

Other enhancements we see is that you can start playing a game at home and be able to take it with you onto public transport via your phone or other handheld device. This in a sense would create a differentiated reality where you simultaneously exist in the game as well in the real world.

Filed Under: Circuits Tagged With: Games, Kinect, Microsoft, Video game, Virtual reality, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360

Choose Your Battle System

While most Role-Playing Games (RPGs) fit into a recognizable mold, there are many different varieties, so that gamers may be a fan of one type of RPG but not the other. The most prominent difference lies in the system for doing battle with enemy creatures, or the battle system for short. There are two main types of battle system: turn-based and real-time.

The turn-based battle system typically means players select their battle commands from a series of menus. Generally they will see their party of characters on a field of battle opposed to a party of bad guys, and somewhere along the edge of the screen will be menus offering a variety of actions and some vital statistics. The player must consider elements such as their characters current health (usually represented as a gauge with a point value) and resources before making their decision, at which point they may order a character to perform a physical attack, cast a magical spell (using a limited pool of resource points), use an item for some effect, or engage some kind of defense. These are the most basic examples. Meanwhile the action freezes (for the most part) until the player has made the choices, then the villains and heroes take turns smacking each other. This makes for a strategic battle, not unlike chess.

Real-time battle systems offer an experience more akin to an action-focused game, but with the same emphasis on statistical and resource management. In this case there is no break between battle and exploration – when enemies appear there is no freeze in the action, and players must move their characters around, dodging and defending and choosing their actions in real time without the relative safety and patience of taking turns. This may be through button commands or its own set of menus but it is much more dependent on reflexes and pattern recognition.

Filed Under: Circuits Tagged With: Action point, Final Fantasy, Games, Role-playing battle systems, Role-playing game, Role-playing video game, Roleplaying, Square Enix

Leveling Unlevels the Playing Field.

It’s not always easy to explain just what exactly a role-playing game (RPG) is. Because there are different types with different mechanics, and because any interactive medium is inherently “role-playing,” there’s not a hard and fast answer. However, one of the fundamental concepts of any RPG is that of “leveling up”; this is certainly one of the ties that bind all RPGs together and what allows many other types of games to feature “RPG elements,” something more and more common these days.

Leveling, is not, in the end, a fantastic idea, being rooted in the real-world fact that people get better at doing things the more they do them. RPGs quantify the process. Even in this there is some variation in terms of execution, but for the most part characters in a video game have a certain level that indicates their general strength and proficiency at what they do (heroism, typically). They also gain experience points, a statistical representation of getting better and stronger with practice. After they earn enough points, they go up a level, with resultant improvements in statistics such as life force, magic resources, attack power, defensive ability, etc.

Just as in real life, if they keep doing the same thing (slaying a certain monster) they may get very good at it but they will get less and less experience each time, since they’re closer to mastery and the challenge is lesser. The only way to level effectively is to move on to more difficult tasks (monsters with more fangs). If the work required is significant, so will the experience reward be significant. At certain levels the characters may unlock new abilities, whether offensive or defensive or otherwise. One aspect of leveling for which RPGs are notorious is the “grind,” which means focusing for extended periods not on making progress in the story but rather on gaining levels in order to defeat a tough enemy.

Filed Under: Circuits Tagged With: Experience point, Fantasy, Free Systems, Games, Role-playing game, Role-playing video game, Roleplaying, Video game

Updating Video Game Software

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In the world of video games, it used to be that when it was time for an addition to a particular video game, the game was released as a new version and gamers—or their parents—had to buy a new game to get new adventures and improved functions. With the evolving and growing technology in video games these days, that is no longer the case. While new games are always being released and the purchases will not slow down anytime soon, there are new ways for updating existing games and adding more fun or fixing glitches without buying a whole new game.

Many video games have software patches that fix problems or add additional adventures to the games. Gamers can go to specific websites and download these software updates, if the game is PC based. For those video games that are on game consoles such as Nintendo and Playstation, there are new ways to download software updates via online connections that are available options. This is a newer feature that is being further developed. This software enables users to enjoy furthering the game and prolonging interest as well as the life of the game. This is fun and saves money as well. Even if the updates require a small fee—which many do not—it is rarely even close to the price of a new game.

With video games and the resulting software becoming increasingly popular and the game consoles becoming more intricate and able to go online wirelessly and so forth, updating via software online will likely continue to increase. Software has changed so much in recent years, it is next to impossible to keep up with all the updates and changes, with video games and all other programs as well. Technology is amazing and is growing by leaps and bounds every minute, it seems.

Filed Under: Car, Computer, Electronics, Internet Tagged With: Gamer, Games, Nintendo, Personal computer, PlayStation, Shopping, Video game, Video game console

Preserve the Overworld!: The Three Parts of RPGs

Perhaps the most important and defining characteristic of the role-playing game is its emphasis on story-telling. While most video games make at least some pretense at telling a story (as long as the game is an adventure of some kind, there will be a plot), most expend little effort at it, allowing the “plot” such as it is to be merely a shallow and empty excuse for the game-play. That is okay. Not every game needs to be particularly smart, just as not every movie needs to be intelligent. There is a place for the popcorn games alongside the popcorn movies, and for every well thought-out science fiction first-person shooter there will always be seven or so other such games that say merely “There are the bad guys. Go kill them.”

Still, the greatest potential for games to make a case as works of art is in the stories they tell and how they tell them – there is little difference between playing a game and reading a book or watching a movie in terms of story-telling possibility. The interactivity adds a unique element but one that can be as rewarding as it is challenging. On the whole, RPGs rely heavily on story in a way that other genres do not. With their many hours of playtime and their expansive worlds and characters, RPGs offer a framework in which an epic story may more easily be conveyed.

As such, there is a heavy focus on characters, setting and plot in the best examples. The Final Fantasy series is one of the most popular names in role-playing games and it has a strong emphasis on sweeping, emotional melodrama with plots that would easily fit a film or book format, but also allow the audience a degree of control impossible in those other mediums. Some of the most ambitious titles tackle difficult subjects such as death, betrayal and even religion.

Filed Under: Circuits Tagged With: Developers and Publishers, Film, Final Fantasy, Free Systems, Games, Role-playing game, Roleplaying, Video game

What’s Your Story?

Filed Under: Circuits Tagged With: Film, Final Fantasy, Free Systems, Games, Non-player character, Role-playing game, Roleplaying, Video game

Three Myths about Video Games and the People Who Play Them

There are many myths surrounding online gaming and gamers who like to spend their time playing them. Unfortunately, many of those myths negatively portray these games and gamers. These myths have come to be recognized as fact which has caused a negative public opinion of video games. Here are a few of the myths and the actual truth surrounding gamers and games.

Video Games Lead to Increased Teen Violence
Weâ€™ve all heard the â€œfactâ€ that violent video games lead to violent teens. However, if you look at the statistics surrounding juvenile crime in the country, you will see that the rates are at the lowest they have been in three decades. In fact, studies show that the people who are in prison for perpetrating violent crimes viewed less media than the people who are free and walking the streets. The main contributions to teen violence are the individual teenâ€™s home life and their mental stability, not video games.

Video Game Makers Target Children in Their Marketing
While many video games are made for children, this is not the main market that video game companies think of when marketing their products. Most of the video game players are adults who grew up playing games and continue to do so into their adult years. More than 60 percent of the market for game consoles is over the age of 18. That is also why so many of todayâ€™s video games have an â€œMâ€ rating, meaning they are for mature audiences. Unfortunately, many parents do not consider this and they let their kids play the games anyways.

Video Games Isolate People Socially
Many of todayâ€™s games are very sociable. In fact, itâ€™s one of the favorite pastimes for friends to do when they get together. About one-third of the people who play games, like online casino games, playwith a brother or sister and a large number also play with parents and spouses. Most games are also designed for multiple players and you can even play hundreds of games online and talk with people from around the world who are playing the same game.

Filed Under: Computer, Electronics, Video Game Tagged With: Gamer, Games, History, Shopping, Toys and Games, Video game, Video game controversy, Violence

Cleaning Your Video Game Controller

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It’s easy to get excited when playing video games. Unfortunately, that excitement often results in spilling your snacks or soda all over the couch, the floor and even the video game controllers. Luckily, it is not a total loss if you get soda or other liquids in your controllers. Here are some things you can do to clean them.

Take it Apart
It might seem like a daunting task to take your video game controller apart to clean it, but what have you got to lose? If you don’t take it apart, it’s probably ruined so at least you have a chance to salvage it by going inside the controller to clean it. Most controllers have a bottom piece that screws on so you can start by loosening the screws and removing it. Be sure to keep the screws in a safe place so you don’t lose them once you have taken them out of the controller.

Remove the Parts
Once you remove the bottom plate of the controller, you will see many parts. Remove the circuit board, the cable, the contact parts, the plastic buttons and any other parts inside the controller. Make a mental note of how they are arranged so you can get the controller back together once you are finished.

Wash the Shell
After removing all the parts, wash the remaining shell with warm soapy water. Use a small scrub brush (like a toothbrush) to clean the small spaces. You can also use a cotton swab for the tiny places that the bristles on the toothbrush cannot reach.

Clean the Small parts
The plastic buttons can be cleaned in a bowl of warm soapy water while the rubber parts should be cleaned with a dry cloth and compressed air. Dry each part with a soft cloth and set them back on a flat surface so they can air dry. Clean the circuit board with rubbing alcohol to ensure it is clean as well.

Put it Back Together
Now that everything is clean and dry, put it back together and see if it works. If it doesn’t, at least you tried.

Filed Under: Computer, Electronics, Video Game Tagged With: Game controller, Game Studies, Games, History, Humor and Jokes, Music, Shopping, Video game

Simple Tips for Online NFL Betting

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When you are betting through any online sportsbook, you have to keep specific things in mind in order to get the best return on your bet. Unless you are aware of some of the standard tips, you are better off enjoying online casino games, which will provide you with just as much entertainment but without the tension of how your team is doing. However, for those who are interested in learning about betting on your favorite NFL teams online, here are a few simple rules you should follow to improve your odds.

Know your limit and always keep your betting amount consistent. Experts say that those who are emotionally attached to a specific team will bet more on them but in actuality, you have a better chance of gaining if you bet equally on each game. With a moderate amount, you stand to lose less per game. It is a type of addiction, so be sure you are doing this for fun and do not get too emotionally involved.

Reading the injury report will help you understand who the better team will be overall. In football, all eleven players are needed for a successful match and the team with the best eleven players tends to do better overall in the game. Injury reports will inform you of who the stronger team is during the game.

Be sure to have multiple sportsbooks active if you are a regular bettor. Only using one sportsbook and betting on the same lines will more often cause you to lose. With multiple sportsbooks, you increase your chances of winning. Diversify your bets and never stick to the same old thing. Learn from you mistakes so that you do not repeat history.

Do some research, and you will be better at understanding the way everyone bets. Do not get emotionally attached. Instead, learn to enjoy the game.

Filed Under: Car, Circuits, Computer, Do It Yourself Tagged With: Betting (poker), Gambling, Games, National Football League, Recreation and Sports, Sports, Sports betting, Tipping and Handicapping