Games
 

Remove All Games

To keep employees working efficiently and effectively, you should remove all games from all computers and you should specifically prohibit gaming during business hours. Games can be addictive for some users, leading to serious abuse by employees. There is no place for computer games in the work environment. Of course the above stated rule does not apply to you because you’re the boss! In this spirit, here is a summary of a few games of interest.

So Many Games…so little time!

There are thousands of games available on the internet, both for free and for a fee. Many of these games are offered as a way to capture and harvest e-mail addresses for resale to spammers.

 

Computer games are extremely popular. For example, Real Arcade alone has been downloaded over 40 million times. They claim that this game, Zuma, is their most popular and addictive game. I tried it, don’t waste your time.

                                          

Chicken Invaders 2

For my money, I recommend the fast action game called Chicken Invaders 2. This is a free download located at http://www.interactionstudios.com/chickeninvaders2.php. This game is similar to Space Invaders, but offers better graphics, upgraded weapons, multiple battle scenarios, and of course – the chicken angle. I downloaded and installed the product in 35 seconds, and it uninstalls very easily as well. I found this product to be non-intrusive to computer systems.

                              

Microsoft Arcade

Microsoft offers an assortment of games called Microsoft Arcade. These are versions of the well known games you might have played in the eighties, only they run on your computer.  Some of the products included are Asteroids, Missile Command, and Centipede. Learn more at http://www.microsoft.com/games/arcade/.

   

These games aren’t much by today’s standards, but they do offer a great deal of nostalgic value. You may also consider Return of Arcade which includes among other games, the infamous Pac-Man.

Microsoft Pinball Arcade

Microsoft Pinball Arcade is a collection of seven licensed tables that represent the evolution of pinball in America. A state of the art physics model and realistic graphics make for the most authentic pinball simulation on the PC ever.

 

Microsoft Entertainment Pack

Priced at $10 for your computer and $26 for your hand-held device, there have now been 4 versions of The Microsoft Entertainment Pack. Today’s version includes ten games that you can play against your computer or against an opponent with another Handheld PC through its built in infrared port. The games include: Blackjack, Chess, Codebreaker, Freecell, Hearts, Minesweeper, Reversi, Sink the Ships, Space Defense, and Taipei.

In my opinion, the best game included in the Entertainment Pack is Chip’s Challenge. Shown in the screen shot below, this product provides 150 levels of brain challenging mazes. I spent years playing this game with both my son and daughter staring at 4, and my son still plays this game at age 13. The reason I like this game is for it’s incredible problem solving skills that it develops in your children, and yourself for that matter. Better than Chess, Chip’s Challenge forces the player to tax their brains in a very entertaining way that is fun and rewarding. Levels get progressively more difficult, and the satisfaction derived from completing one level is great.  

Today, there are web sites that reveal the secrets (http://chips.kaseorg.com/avi/cc1.php) to completing each level, but 14 years ago this was not the case. Do yourself a favor and don’t cheat. Chip’s Challenge is no longer sold off-the-shelf, and the only place to get it is to purchase an old copy of Entertainment Pack Volume 4 from eBay. A pocket PC version of the product can be downloaded here: http://www.iceboxman.com/software/pocketpc/chips.php. Good luck.

Play Chess Online

There are dozens of internet sites that allow you to play chess  online, and you never know who you will be matched against. I’ve played chess against people all over the world at all hours of the day and night. Here is an example web site (http://www.chessclub.com/) that allows you to play at no charge. This game requires you to register and download and install some software - a process that takes about 2 minutes.

Backgammon Online

There are also many sites designed to play the game of backgammon like the one shown below: (http://www.nabiscoworld.com/games/). This game plays automatically as a shockwave plug in, hence you need only install shockwave one, and then click the link to play. The woman in the picture actually talks to you as you play, and her lips move as she talks (Microsoft Agent Technology).

Children & Games

Sometimes I think my son would play computer games until the cows came home if I didn’t monitor his computer time. He does seem to get sucked into these games, but some of them are incredibly well-done and challenging. For example, Sim Theme Park and Sim City allow him to create businesses, borrowing money to build rides, laying out the design of the theme park or city, raising taxes, controlling gate fees, etc. It provides as deep an understanding of running a business or government as I could ever imagine. He learns cause and affect. For example, lower gate fees leads to more crowds, longer lines, and the need for more bathrooms and restaurant facilities. The intricacies are impressive.

In the research report: The Impact of Home Computer Use on Children's Activities and Development by Kaveri Subrahmanyam, Robert E. Kraut, Patricia M. Greenfield, and Elisheva F. Gross, it was reported that the increasing amount of time children are spending on computers at home and school has raised questions about how the use of computer technology may make a difference in their lives—from helping with homework to causing depression to encouraging violent behavior. This report seems to suggest that computer games can be more harmful than helpful to children, especially when the content is violent or sexually oriented. They did acknowledge that the use of home computers can influence children's cognitive and academic skills, but they also suggest that computer time may contribute to obesity, and that game time may adversely affect a child’s ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Like everything, moderation should be applied to children and their computer time. I am in favor of providing closely supervised access of the computers and the Internet to children. Keep the computer out in the open, install firewalls and blocking software, check for inappropriate use periodically, and go over the ground rules with your children regularly.

Tournament Play

Major tournaments are sponsored online that allow you to participate in world wide tournament play in hundreds of games such as bridge, blackjack, gin, hearts, spades, checkers, chess, backgammon, 9 ball, 8 ball, trick shot, bingo, and much more. There are even large cash prizes promised – but these tournaments often require a participant fee and how can you really be sure that the final games are honest and above board? (http://tournaments.playsite.com/playsite/index.jsp)

 

Gambling

Many of these game sites are slyly designed to suck you into the dangerous world of gambling. Some people can become addicted to gambling and they end up losing large sums of money – even their entire life savings. Often these gaming sites allow you to play for free using pretend money – and to no one’s surprise – YOU KEEP WINNING. This feeds the greed in people and encourages them to put their own money at stake. However, once their lot is up for grabs, somehow the winning percentage seems to dip. This is one reason among many to avoid gambling online.

 

Conclusion

The number of software games available today to run on your desktop computer or hand-held device is staggering. We all like to take a break, but games at the workplace have no place. Some games however can be educational and can help stimulate brain development in children.

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