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Posts Tagged ‘computer games’

Test Games And Get Paid

March 8th, 2010 David Barry No comments

Ask the question: “if you could do anything as a job, what would it be?” and the response for most gamers will be the same – a video games tester. Little wonder. Play video games all day everyday, and then get paid for the “effort”? That has to be one of the sweetest rackets going on.

A common and idealistic misconception about game testing is that the tester will do little else other than playing games 24/7. Whilst there can be no denying that this is a part of the process, it is by no means the only part of the puzzle.

Testing a game is often a tedious, dull, time consuming affair because the tester will be playing through the same segment of the game over and over in an attempt to remove any bugs, glitches and technical issues that may decide to rear their ugly heads. The process is an intricate and pain-staking one, and doing the same thing over and over can really take its toll.

The tester will also need to ensure that they record and note their findings carefully in order to then pass on the relevant details to the game development department who will then seek to remove the bugs and fix the errors. The tester will need to be very explicit and thorough as to the level of detail they submit, in order to help expedite the process.

Now that we have cleared up the issue of what a video game tester will actually involve, the next burning issue that we will need to look at is the issue of pay, i.e. how much money does the average tester get for their efforts?

First and foremost, it is important to appreciate that there are a number of different factors that come into play when it comes to this issue, although by far, the two most important and obvious of these are time involved and the level of experience of the tester. When you compare the typical salary of a video games tester to those of other personnel involved in the game production process, it deosn’t look great in comparison, but then it’s one of the few positions in the industry available to someone without a college degree. Another key variable is the quality of work of the tester, i.e. how accurate they are with their reports, how well they spot bugs, how effectively they communicate their findings. Roughly speaking, the typical average rate clocks in at the 20-30 dollars per hour mark, and it provides the tester with something much more valuable than just money – experience, and a “foot in the door” of the games industry.

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Having Trouble with Trying To Play Facebook’s Farmville Game

March 7th, 2010 Aimee Jones No comments

They said that the more neighbors you have, the better; and the more gifts you send, the merrier. This is what FarmVille players usually do, aside from the fact that they have to grow their farm; they also need neighbors that they can visit everyday as well as gifts that could earn those points.

However, no matter how popular FarmVille may be in terms of playing the game, it was also popular for having so many people complaining that their farms wouldn’t properly load which is really frustrating for them. As there were so many threads talking about FarmVille cheats, so as those talking about how they can avoid these errors.

I remember when FarmVille was still new at Facebook, aside from not having much neighbors, the most usual problem that I would encounter would be not being able to view the game. It would only give me an error message saying that my flash player has to be updated when I’m already using the latest.

And since gifts are great to send as well as receive, it’s no good when they just disappear on your mailbox. There are times where in farmers would experience this and could do nothing to retrieve them which is really sad since there are also corresponding points or coins with it as well.

And if there are missing gifts there are also withered crops, but this is one is how the game really is only I wish it wasn’t. Imagine not being able to harvest on time your 22 x 22 lot of crops, and when you logged in they are just good as fertilizers? That would really be a disaster.

You may have also experienced not being able to play the game on your current browser, but when using something else it would automatically play? Well that really happens. It’s a good thing I have Firefox, Internet Explorer as well as Google Chrome, this way I am all set.

Also, if you are the type of player that couldn’t wait for you to reach a certain level or get cash the clean way, and obviously you were finding ways on how you can cheat, then you must be warned. Scammers have been blocked if they were proved cheating and your account might be included too so do things the right way, you’ll get there in no time I swear.

Having a lot of these complaints only shows how popular FarmVille really is now. People wouldn’t waste time asking on advices and help unless they are so hooked up on it and wanted to play the game, so therefore I have to congratulate Zynga for the great game.

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Xbox 360 Red Ring Of Death – Why The Towel Trick Is A Bad Idea

February 28th, 2010 Marc Sandford No comments

Mistreatment is the tradition when it comes to the quick fix for electrical gadgets. You would give it a good whack to get it functioning again. This often worked since a loose wire or connection could be coaxed into reconnecting. But the device would then fail at a later time since the mechanical shock would weaken other connections.

The towel trick is a well known quick and dirty fix for the 3 red light error or red ring of death. It also fits neatly into this category of abusive, quick fixes. The fix entails cooking the inside circuitry instead of using mechanical shock. The theory behind this is that the broken connections will somehow re-solder themselves if you heat them up enough.

The method starts with wrapping a few towels around your Xbox. Then run the console for 15 minutes or so and you’re all done. At this point, you are ready to enjoy some games. Whenever the next ring of death happens just grab your trusty towels and repeat the trick.

So what’s wrong with this method if it fixes your console? The trouble with this technique is that the internal chips get exposed to extreme temperatures. A major concern in electronics manufacture, is avoiding heat damage to components during manufacture. It’s a tricky thing to find the right solder temperature that does the job without causing chip damage.

So the towel fix does it’s magic at the expense of further chip damage. The damaged chips then causes more ring of deaths later on. When you use the towel trick for the next problem, your Xbox is weakened further with more damage. You can only do this so many times before the console gets too damaged to function. Using the towel trick over and over is a kind of death spiral for your Xbox.

One other problem is that it is a dangerous thing to do. A lot of heat is generated by the Xbox. Because the heat is prevented from escaping, internal temperatures get extreme. If your Xbox catches on fire, flammable things next to your Xbox (such as your house) can burn too.

The towel trick doesn’t make any sense. An undersized cooling system causes the ring of death in the first place. Trying to solve the problem by applying more heat is like fighting fire with fire.

Marc Sandford is a gaming addict and writer. Get more Xbox 360 trouble shooting information about repairing the Red Ring of Death.

Cheat Mafia Wars: What You Need to Know

February 27th, 2010 Don Godfather No comments

Are you a fan of Mafia Wars? Are you looking to seriously ramp up your game? If so then read on. I love mafia Wars and ‘m totally hooked. I just love the feeling I get watching m Mafia grow and grow as I get better and better at the game.

What’s the best way to make sure you Win At Mafia Wars? In order to totally rule and annihilate your rivalling families and players, you should educate yourself on the state of mind of a true Mafioso. It’s about creating your dominance in the game quietly so that you do not catch the attention of other competitors which may seek to stand in your way and beat you.

The main thing you are going to have to do to become a godfather in mafia wars is get some really hardcore mafia wars gamers into your clan. That’s hard if you don’t have any tactics or strategies. What you may not realise is there are ways to get people to join you which will increase your power and it’s like a snowball – once it’s going it will only get bigger.

In many cases regular members of the game send out invites to his or her friends so that they can build up the size the volume of their mafia family. The main problem here is that even though your buddies choose to link up with mafia, they could only be trying the game out. I sincerely believe that sending invites to people is really a misuse of your energy. Most of the people you invite into the game will be non-active gamers. What you need is actually a constant player who plays practically every day.

How do you acquiring leading level members to enroll in your family? The practices I use for getting higher level members into my own Mafia family produce phenomenal final results each and every time I use them. A lot of these recruiting methods have allowed me to recruit about Ten gamers with a level higher than Two hundred to enroll in my mafia family everyday.

I’m going to share one of my top techniques for recruiting serious members. This has helped me grow my team to a massive size in a very short time. Submit a really good and indepth article to the Mafia Wars internet page. Talk indepth about your experience of playing. Make sure you sell over the idea that anyone who joins you will not only be part of a winning team but will also have fun.

Using these types of knowledgeable people as part of your team is sure to grant you absolute Mafia Wars Domination quickly. Don’t focus on combating other gamers to begin with. Perform the tasks and level up. With formidable support from your mafia, those participants which dare to cross your path are certain to get hurt in the long run.

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Earn FarmVille Ribbons Quickly With These Tips

February 25th, 2010 Caroline Page No comments

The different ribbons you can bring in while playing FarmVille could be somewhat easily overlook and could also be undervalued. Anyway in the end, you get nearly all of them by basically doing the things that you need to do in the game. There are ribbons that are so simple to earn like ribbons for plowing or harvesting various types of crops, or spending your farm cash at the market. But the bonuses that come when you gain these ribbons are not tiny, so you can actually make these gaining ribbons a primacy, thus earn big time bonus. This is a lot simpler than it sounds, and acceptably deserving with little measure of effort it needs.

Targeting Your Accomplishments

Certainly, if you will be toiling on increasing your ribbons, you must know what you need to do to earn them. You can discover them easily by just ticking on the ribbon icon which is found at the bottom part of the screen. This will pop up a new window allowing you to read in detail the numerous types of ribbons that are obtainable and know what you need to do to earn them.

Complementary Sets

Some of the accomplishments rewarded by ribbons are complimentary, but some others are not. For example, you can earn ribbons by harvesting a certain number of vegetable crops, and another by harvesting a certain number of fruit crops. Because you only have a limited amount of space to devote to your crops, it’s best if you focus on one of these achievements first, and then shift to the other. Trying to split your resources between the two will only make it harder for you to accomplish both of them.

Then again, a few freestanding ribbons are complementary. For instance, the ribbon you get from spending your farm money in the store, or the ribbon you gain by possessing a specific number of decorations. Spending money and owning some decorations are done simultaneously that also make you earn separate ribbons for doing both of these activities.

A Winning Arrangement

Your farm arrangement or layout can make you earn more ribbons speedily. For Example, if your goal is to aim for some ribbons that are relevant to planting and harvesting crops, your farm space must be maximized to plowed field. After you are done with it and have accomplished your goal, you can modify your layout to indicate your new objectives. You may not want to remove all your plowed fields, but you can at least get enough space to arrange your new goals and accomplish it in no time.

Giving out in the Wealth

Since you can share the wealth with your friends every time you earn a ribbon, you should be sure to take advantage of all of the bonuses you can earn when your friends collect ribbons as well. Checking your news feed frequently for your friends’ announcements and clicking on the link to collect the bonus they’re offering is a great way to earn some extra coins and get ahead in FarmVille fast. Just make sure you’re offering the bonuses to them as well so that they share with you every time they can.

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How Easy It Is To Download Games

February 22nd, 2010 Don McCullen No comments

There are different available brands for PC games that are out in the market. PC games can give relaxation to a person at the end of a hectic day. The benefit you can really get when you download games is being driven and creative in every aspect in life.

But most of the consumers don’t have the time to acquire the typical, complete PC games. And let’s admit it; they really don’t come cheap in the market and the possibility of mismatch program to your present system configuration.

This trouble can be prevented if you use the usual casual games. The graphics is superb and the features are interesting but casual games don’t need high system requirements. Many people are playing casual games just to beat boredom and then become a hobby.

If you browse the internet, gaming companies offer PC games and will allow you to download games that you can enjoy for a free and trial-basis. They are organized into the categories depending on the description of the game.

You can still quickly download games even in computers with lower processor. Even slow connection of internet cannot affect the downloading. Download games that you will surely enjoy, like Bookworm Adventures and the popular Plants vs. Zombies.

Bookworm Adventures is as good as the popular Scrabble. They employ a worm called Lex that uses humor in his mocking while storytelling adventures. Long words can help you win the game; the longer the words, the heavier the damage you can cause to the enemies.

Plants vs. Zombies have different plants with their own weapon to fight the Zombies. Good tactics are needed for these PC games as well as wise decision making while under pressure; you also have to identify what plant is best used for a certain zombie because there are also different types of Zombies in the game. Plants vs. Zombies also have puzzles, mini games and survival.

The Zen garden is another bonus feature for the game. The Zen garden is where you put your acquired plants through the game. There is also a shop where you can buy food and items that you will need for the garden and extra plants that can be useful for the games.

It’s easier than before to download games to your computer. The best PC games can be grabbed right off the internet and downloaded to your computer at home.

You Can Place Buildings In Farmville on Facebook.com

February 21st, 2010 Aimee Jones No comments

Most of Facebook users are so fond of playing a game where in they have to spend coins for them to build their own farm. They plow lots, plant seeds and harvest them on time which could be sold in the market for more cash. They also tend to animals as well, buying buildings, trees and even lakes that could make the farm look so real.

Looking back how gaming was before, I remember that they were so easy to play with and is full of entertainment, nowadays, games are still entertaining however they are not that easy as before, they are full of challenges especially those from popular game consoles. However games such as FarmVille are so full of fun you would even think as if you were a kid again.

However, although I find it easy to navigate around my farm, I thought I know everything to do with it. The moment I was able to get some stuff from the market I was so excited on designing them on my farm. I wanted it to look realistic that I don’t care if I lose almost all of my coins; I just have to make sure I live something for buying seeds.

Animals are great to have; I think it would be at level 7 when you would be able to sell them for cash, but for the meantime you cannot, you just have to form them in a single line which is really not cool. Animals can be moved from one place to another however you cannot rotate them.

Buildings on the other hand are also great for decorating your farm, but sadly, buildings will only face the direction that you see in the market, so no rotation is going to happen here.

You can also remove and transfer your plowed lots in to a different location and this is something that I do a lot. i usually rearrange how my farm looks ever now and then, and so the lots has to be redesigned as well. But not to worry, moving plowed lots can be done, just click on the red spade shovel in the bottom right corner to delete fields and objects.

There are also stuff In there that you can rotate, just click on the item as if you are about to sell it and a menu will appear, and if it shows rotate on the menu that that’s it, but if there’s none then lets just hope they put one soon, especially the buildings and animals.

You see, there are so many things that you can enjoy doing on FarmVille, and the best thing about playing it is that I felt like you are really doing a real farm. You have to wait for the right time to harvest and also take good care of it so that nothing goes to waste.

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PC Games Are For Everyone

February 20th, 2010 Jen Parsens No comments

Most, if not all, computer users have experienced playing PC games and computer owners have a couple or more such games saved on their computers. There are many kinds of computer games in different genres for everyone. People with different interests and preferences can be sure to find a game that interests them.

These games can be found in various sites on the web. There are websites that offer a wide variety of downloadable games while there are those that offer only specific kinds of games. These sites also offer free online gaming of the various games that they offer.

If you want unlimited download of games, there are sites that makes this possible and they usually charge an initial fee. These unlimited game downloads offer is greatly appreciated by gamers who want to collect and play PC games. There are sites now that allow unlimited downloads for free after the payment of an initial charge.

And whenever there are new downloadable games out, game lovers would try to get a copy of it and try it out. People would want to know and experience the latest craze in PC games.

As these downloadable games are equipped with tools so that it can be played in most computers, they can also be now downloaded and played in other devices. There are many options now in playing computer games and they have many exciting features, thanks to the advances in computer and internet technologies. And with due consideration of this, gamers can expect more gaming potentials to be tapped.

There are trial or full versions of these downloadable games. Full versions of these games usually come at a price so those who can’t afford them settle for a trial version. For those who don’t want the limitations that come with trial versions of games settle for crack versions of the games they want.

Many people find playing these PC games very enjoyable. These games usually pose various challenges to the player. Not only do these games help pass time, they are also very enjoyable and very challenging. They can sometimes get addictive but many people swear that they help relieve stress.

It is not hard to find a site where one can find computer games that one wants. And there are many reputable game developers to choose from. One can get information on available computer games on web, especially the new ones that are out in the market. There are also blogs and other sites that feature reviews of these games. And these games have simple instructions to follow so that one will enjoy one’s gaming experience.

Playing games on your computer or laptop is more popular than it has ever been. PC games come in all shapes and sizes. Downloadable games are addictive too, because you can play them whenever you are by your computer.

Farmville.com and More Facebook Farm Simulations Are Popular

February 12th, 2010 Aimee Jones No comments

Most of you who has an account with Facebook would know what FarmVille is. For those who don’t, it’s a simulation game that lets you take care of a growing farm packed with crops, animals and buildings while making sure they grow and be harvested on time unless you want your crops rotten.

Due to its popularity, FarmVille has now a lot of competitors which could be more fun or not. I tried looking on the list of available game that has similar game play as FarmVille which is farming of course. I was surprised to see so many of which some were even made before it while some are new for the players to try.

Let us first name some of the similar farm games that we can choose from Facebook first. Zynga made Farmville, and if you would notice, Playfish, also a game developer would also release games that are of the same theme to that of Zynga. So to match their FarmVille, they release Country Story which for me is really cute.

Some other popular games would be Farm Town, Barn Buddy and Sunshine Ranch since I usually see them being played by some other people. But when I tried searching for more, I was surprised to see a lot more like Island Paradise, (Lil) Farm Life, Happy Farm, Country Life, Farm Pals, Happy Harvest and Karma Farm.

For gamers who are not limited only to PC gaming then you might have heard of Harvest Moon. I really do enjoy playing this game since there are so many things that a player must do, it has quests and you could even have your own family as well. And since there is much room for the game map, you are not limited to the spaces assigned to you.

When Nintendo Wii was released, they also had a version of a farming game should look like, its called Animal Crossing. For pc users however, the best choice for off line games that you can download from Yahoo would be Virtual Villagers. It enables you to make your own family as well, build a community within your village and train your people on becoming scientists as an example.

Hungry for more, well my list doesn’t end here. While some games has to be played online, some has to be downloaded. Games titles like My Wonderful Farm, Vegetable Garden, Farm Frenzy, Urban Garden, Virtual Farm, Farm Mania, Money Tree, The Farmer and Plantasia are some others that you can find so maybe you can try them as well, most of them re quite nice though yet simple.

If you want to be a farmer then doing farm games would be a great way to train your self. And since there are so many games that you can choose from, surely you’ll find one that would make you really enjoy farming.

Mrs. Jones works as a blogger most of the time. You can learn more about Zynga’s Farmville help at their favorite website about farmville website.

Nintendo’s Black Wii Proves To Be A Popular Choice With Gamers

February 9th, 2010 Nicky Williams No comments

It seems reasonable to say that the three main video games consoles – the Xbox, the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii – all have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. Individual gamers will have their own personal favourites and it’s an exercise in futility to try and persuade them that one of the other consoles is even worthy of consideration, far less that it might, for certain applications, be better.

A lot of households today will have more than one, and very possibly all, of these games consoles. Portable consoles such as the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP may very well be part of the family’s gaming experience also. In most cases, games consoles double up as DVD or even blu-ray disc players.

Disregarding the vexing question of which is the best console for the moment, it’s probably reasonable to suggest that, of the three consoles, the Nintendo Wii is the most sociable. The PS3 and the Xbox will quite often be found in teenage bedrooms – but the Wii is very frequently found in the living room. The Wii has much less detailed graphics and is considerably less powerful than the other two consoles. Yet the Wii will often be the one which is wired up to the big flat screen in the family living room.

Part of the reason for this is the fact that the Wii’s motion sensitive controller means that, even though the graphics are simpler, it’s harder to follow the action on a small screen TV when you’re jumping around like a lunatic. The other thing is that it’s easier and more intuitive to learn games on the Wii. Even adults can do it – so it’s easier for all members of the family to join in the fun.

One of the consequences of all that jumping about when playing Wii games is that more space is required to play the Wii than the other consoles. This also makes the living room a more attractive choice than the typical teenage bedroom, where you would be tripping over discarded clothes, half eaten pizzas and empty juice bottles.

The physical element to playing on the Wii is certainly a good thing. It means that you can get some exercise whilst playing Wii games. You do need to take it easy at first though. It’s easy to wake up with stiff legs and sore arms after your first experience of playing Wii Sports.

The tendency for families to have their Wii console in the living room could go some way to explaining the success of the black Wii. Nintendo went to the dark side and released a black Wii console in Japan in the summer of 2009. It went on sale in Europe in time for Christmas 2009. It proved to be a very popular choice with many gamers – probably because it matches the TV, the DVD player, the cable box etc. – better than the white version.

Discover the black Wii for yourself and also have a look at the wide range of Wii games available.