Game play

The basic strength of most of the online arcade games
is its simple yet addictive game play. The fact that
most of these games had a minimalist graphic design
allowed its designers to concentrate more on improving
the game play.

Arcade games have good ‘game mechanics’. The games are
essentially created to promote an atmosphere of fun.
Arcade games have an easy learning curve which
attracts people of all ages.

The most successful arcade games have been the fighter
series which include Street fighter, King of Fighters,
Mortal Kombat and Fatal Fury.

These games survived purely on their intense game play
which involves a rapid carnage of joystick and the
buttons. Yet, they went on to become the base for more
sophisticated games like Dead or Alive.

Arcade Games like Tetris and Bejeweled involved game
play that required one to rack their brains in order
to succeed. These games have entertainment as well as
the mental development quotient to them.

The intense game play that these games boost is what
makes them a favorite even in the intensely
competitive gaming industry. Microsoft’s Xbox 360
comes pre-loaded with an arcade puzzle game, Hexic HD.
Most of the Xbox Live arcade games have multiplayer
support over Xbox Live.

The arcade gaming fans can certainly look forward to
more titles coming their way on the Xbox 360. Sony’s
PSP is also releasing revamped models of old classics
hoping to capture the handheld market.

Consoles

Porting classic arcade games into consoles has become
the latest rage in the gaming industry. The trend
clearly affirms the fact that arcade games are not
dead.

The gamers are not an elderly bunch of people who grew
up on these titles. Kids are also addicted to it. The
games have been revamped graphically but never shed
the addictive game play which, of course, is the part
and parcel of every game.

Arcade games have not been graphically interesting,
but this move successfully negates the fact that the
popularity of a game largely depends on its game play
and not seemingly awe-inspiring graphics.

This phenomenon has also triggered a resurrection of
arcade games and made it popular among online gamers.
Arcade games are also being ported into handheld
consoles like PSP.

This clearly indicates the popularity of arcade
gaming.

Some of the ported titles are:

Geometry Wars - The game was a classic when it was
released back in 80’s. The upgrade features high end
particle physics, digital sound, new special effects,
a new scrolling area and high end graphics.

It is set in the far reaches of the galaxy where you
battle hordes of vile, neon blazoned aliens. It also
lets you choose between the old version and the
updated version.

Pac-man - The all time classic has been upgraded with
high definition graphics. The game still retains the
original game play and the charming retro look.

The newer version features 250 levels of pure action
packed fun. The game retains the original music and
sound score that the fans remember so well.

Online Arcade games

The arcade games were born in coin operated machines.
The strong point of the arcade games was that they
were based on a commodity technology.

Coin operated arcade games used custom made hardware
powered by multiple CPU’s, specialized sound and
graphic boards.

The design simplicity of these games enabled the
programmers to spend more time into enhancing the
basics of game play. This resulted in the conception
of some of the best games ever designed.

The arcade games of the earlier years had a clever way
of disguising their graphical limitation. A fine
example is Atari’s Night Driver, the first racing game
to deliver a ‘first’ person perspective, and also
showing the road as seen from the cockpit.

The night theme was an ingenious choice as it negated
the need to create perceptible complicated images. The
Night Driver’s concept of ‘scaling’ flat images called
‘sprites’ to stimulate a 3d movement was a cult design
basis for most 3d games.

Once these games were ported to PC, they were designed
with Flash, Java and DHTML. The online arcade games
that are programmed on Flash are built around the
vector graphics file format.

The design simplicity never dwarfed the game play.
This was, perhaps, the most probable reason for the
immense resilience in these games.

Even as the arcade games incorporated newer gadgets,
light guns and dance mats to draw in the crowd, the
people got stuck in the good old button mashing
delight.

A Great Game

A Gentle Reminder for Programmers

It's easy to get lost in all the details of building a great video or computer game - so easy in fact, that we can forget the parts of a game that make them fun to play. The following serves as a gentle reminder of what prompts players to play games in the first place. Refer to this reminder in the event that you get bogged down or distracted with confusing C++ syntax, or lines and lines of Visual Basic statements and DLL structures.
1. Remember the player is the main character. Here's a secret between you and me: People play games to gain a sense of control. If you can manage to program your game in a way that puts the player in control, then you've already won half the battle. This doesn't mean to suggest that the game should be easy. It simply means that when a gamer runs home from school or drives home from work to play a video game, she wants to feel the control that she didn't have during the hours between nine and five. The outcome of a game - whether it's a win or a loss - should never be random, but the result of a good, controlled game play instead.

2. KISS. Remember that acronym? It stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. We all know that programming a game is hard business, but believe us when we say we don't want to be reminded of it. The difficulty of programming a game should never be part of the game play so when possible, make the game easy to start, easy to navigate, and of course, easy to play. We're not asking for pre-school strategy here, but on the other hand, we don't want to feel as dumb as a pre-schooler either. Forget the hundred page manual. Nobody except the truly obsessed is going to read it anyway. Build your game for the average Joe and everyone will be your fan.

3. Add plenty of action. And add lots of it too. The more action you add to your game, the more attention players will pay attention to it. And the more that players pay attention to your game, the more addictive your game gets. For every action that a player's character makes, have the game react and then prompt the player for more.

4. Make the story a good one. Nothing is worse than playing a game only to wonder what you're doing and why. Purpose is and always has been a human obsession. But without it, we're left wandering... in the darkness... wondering bizarre things like how the house would look in a coat of bright pink paint. Don't give your players the opportunity to waste time like that. Give them a mission and make sure your game reminds them what the mission is at opportune times and why they must complete it.

5. Give us eye candy. But make it relevant. The graphics in a game shouldn't be distracting, they should make our eyeballs glaze over with satisfaction upon seeing them, and then salivate for more. Graphics should contain clues and entice us further and further into the game until we've beaten the thing.

6. Make it real. Fantasy games are okay, but what makes them cool is the fact that they're realistic. It's hard to get into something that isn't familiar or that there's no way we could ever experience. But if you can implement some reality into your games, players will appreciate it and relate to it on a whole new respectable level.

Arcade Game Downloads

Playing arcade games can be a lot of fun. It has varieties from simple games, such as ping-pong to more intense games like shooting. You can play all these games in your local arcade or at the mall.

A trip to the mall to play arcade games is worth it if you want to have fun. However, you can also play arcade games right in the comforts of your own home. There are many choices on the internet of websites that provide arcade game downloads.

You can even look for the game variety you are most interested in and you can download them right to your computer. You can download puzzle games, sports arcade games, old arcade games and even the most realistic shooting game right to your personal computer.

This means no more wasted time waiting in lines to play a single game and no more lines to change your bills into coins. Many websites offer arcade games for download. Some are free and some will charge you a little fee for their download services.

Arcade games can take your imagination anywhere. You can be in an X-Games tournament where you can compete against the best X-Games athletes. Visit the time of World War II where you can get the feel of being bombed, shot at, and experience interactive artificial intelligence where you can command what to do; or you can play simple word game puzzles to let time pass.

Downloading arcade games can also be a form of family entertainment. You can compete with one another and have fun with your family. You can invite friends to come over to your house to hang out and play arcade games.

You can even access long forgotten Arcade games that you feel are still good. For instance, you missed playing a particular arcade game that is not available anymore in arcade game establishment and you really want to play it again. You can have access of these old arcade games on the internet and download it to your computer.

However, downloading arcade games will not be as realistic as what arcade game establishments offer. They have joysticks for airplane games, guns for shooting games and steering wheel for racing games.

You can also have all of these by buying joysticks at your local computer store. It can provide more realism on whatever arcade games you are playing. You can even hook up your home entertainment system such as your wide screen TV and your stereo system to get a more realistic feel and excitement in your game.

Downloading arcade games is also more convenient than going to the mall. You can also play all you want, whenever you want and free. You can also save a lot of time.

Just count the number of minutes required to go to the mall and include the number of minutes or even hours waiting in line for a popular arcade game. Playing arcade games at home eliminates these inconveniences.

Downloading arcade games can provide fun and excitement to you, your family and friends right in your own home. All of you can play whenever you want and what games you want. However, you should also be careful on what website you download your arcade games.

Many websites offer arcade game downloads that might contain viruses and other malicious programs included in the installation. Be sure that you know and trust the website you are downloading your game from. This can ensure you of a great time with your friends and family.

EVE Online Game

Even If you have just gotten started playing EVE Online, you are already probably aware of the existence of EVE Online ore. Mining for ore is one of the best ways to get ahead in this complicated, versatile game, and you'll find that with just a little bit of work and some basic information under your belt that you'll be in good shape to understand ore, it's place in EVE Online, and how you can make the ore you mine work the best for you!

As several awards and more than 220,000 active accounts, it is easily seen that the EVE Online game is one massive multiuser online role playing game that you want to get into! This game, created by the Icelandic company CCP, has been active and popular for the past five years, and continues to grow at an impressive rate. You'll find that with a little bit of knowledge about this game and brief idea of the game play, you'll be ready to get started and see what this fascinating game world has to offer.

The general premise of the EVE Online game is one where the Earth as we know it has been depleted of usable resources, and due to this, people were leaving the planet to colonize space. In the EVE Online game, people spread throughout the Milky Way and through out the galaxy, until resources were once again contested and wars broke out. The solution to this problem was a natural wormhole, through which another galaxy could be found. The EVE Gate, an artificial wormhole was constructed to link the galaxies when it was discovered that the natural wormhole was unstable.

The first thing to be aware of is that ore is a basic material that can be found in the asteroid fields that you will encounter in EVE. There are various types of ores, but they are unusable until they have been refined into the minerals that compose them, much like mining in real life. The minerals that result can be very valuable when it comes to things like the manufacture of ships and weapons, and this is how you can get a lot of money through this endeavor.

When you go looking for ore, remember that you want to start off in an area that has fewer than 60 pilots using it. You'll find that competition can be fierce, and when you are starting out, you might need to in a quieter area to make the most of your opportunity. Try to make sure that you are mining in an area that has a refinery nearby; as soon as your hold is full, make sure that you get the ore refined and taken in for ISK, the game's currency, as soon as possible!

When you are looking at ore, the best rule to keep in mind regarding whether the ore you've found is valuable is that the closer it is to A in the alphabet, the more valuable it will be. There are exceptions to this rule, but you'll find that it generally holds true. Also remember that the more valuable the ore, the less you will need of it to refine an amount of mineral that will net you a good profit. It is also fair to say the the more exotic and valuable ore will require some traveling to get to.

The first and most advanced race that can be played are the Amarr, who were the first of the colonies to rediscover space travel. They were on a crusade to spread their thoughts and ideals to the rest of the galaxy and in this, they were aided by the Minmatar, who were more primitive and not so advanced when it came to interstellar travel. After a confrontation with the Gallente and the Jove (the later being the non-playable race), the entire Imperial Navy of Amarr was destroyed. The Gallante were at war for almost a century with the Caldari empire, and tensions between them continue to this day.

This is the general layout for the world of the EVE Online game and into this world, you create a character who can become a miner, a trader, a messenger or even a pirate. These are only some of the options, and you'll find that there are many different things that you can do to make your gameplay enjoyable. There are many different worlds to explore, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Video Game History

Of all the things that the 1970’s produced, there are few that made as big of a cultural impact as video games. There’s no question about it: video games have been a significant force in society and one of the most popular leisure pursuits. Chances are if you’re under the age of 40, you played them, some of us a lot. There was Atari, Intellivision and Colecovision. Don’t forget Sega and Nintendo. Today there are web sites that allow you to download free online games.

And if you remember those days of the late ‘70’s and early 80’s, you recall that the games relied on graphic improvements and better ways of shooting the enemy. It was more or less a solitary pursuit. With the rise of the Internet and online games however, lots of things changed, including the ability to download games and playing online games, making games a more social activity, with lots of players, or opponents playing each other from different countries. This may be the biggest change – and the latest benefit that games have offered the world.

But what about the early days? How did it all start and what were the video games that defined the era?

The Innovators

Many people think that Pong was the home game that started it all, but really it was Magnavox and their "Odyssey" system in 1972. Although it was very simple, it was still the first. It had twelve simple games with graphic overlays. However, there was lots of room for improvement, and that’s where Pong came into play.

Nolan Bushnell created Pong, along with Al Alcorn, the founder of Atari. Rumor has it that when the prototype was tested at a California bar, the machine broke down after two days, because it was so popular. The next logical step was to create a home version. So, one year later, Atari released Pong, complete with built in paddles, and a speaker. Of course, Pong was a huge success and represented a new stage in the evolution of gaming. Over sixty Pong knock-offs would be produced, but Atari dominated the market.

Next was the implementation of the microprocessor, which the entire industry adopted. As a result of this, more complicated systems could be developed. These systems produced groundbreaking and innovative graphical and auditory effects that had never been seen before. Consumers were eating it up. The industry was on fire. In 1981 alone, five billion dollars were spent on video arcade machines and another billion dollars was spent on home video game systems. Atari’s VCS/2600 system remained the dominant player through 1982, when the gaming market experienced a crash.

What were some of the great games? How about Pac Man? Pac Man, the yellow blob that ate up dots and avoided squid-like ghosts, was a worldwide sensation and probably the biggest game of all time.

Space Invaders was another incredibly popular game. In fact, it really marked a turning point for arcade games, bringing them out of bars and into family friendly places like shops and restaurants. The premise of Space Invaders was to stop an alien invasion. This simple formula went on to become the most successful arcade game of all time.

Then there was Super Mario, which was huge as well. It involved an Italian anti-hero who was deliberately designed as a character that everyone could relate to. Soon thereafter came Zelda, Metroid, and other classics.

Rise and Fall of Atari

Atari was the hottest thing in the gaming world in the early ‘80’s. Today, they are a relic of past glory. So what happened? Atari made some bad decisions, and although it’s a little complicated, it’s helpful to understand the situation. At that time in the computing world, magnetic mediums were implemented in the data storage used in Arcade machines. These mediums allowed for a higher memory capacity than ROM cartridges.

In 1982, Atari had the option to include a disk drive in their systems. The price difference would have been nominal, and the memory capacity would have been significant. Atari, however, thought that magnetic media was too “fragile” for the consumer to adequately handle. Atari's "concern" for the customer backfired on them. In the previous years, there had been a very fine line separating arcade game quality from home game quality. With arcades utilizing storage capacities ten to forty-five times larger than home systems that fine line became a chasm. Arcade games seemed to be evolving exponentially, while home systems seemed "stuck in a time warp.”

The public quickly became uninterested in video game specific consoles, and sales plummeted.
This would mark the end of Atari's reign of the video game market.

The Rise of the New

In 1984, everything changed. The reason? Two innovations: The reduction in cost of Dynamic RAM (DRAM) chips which allowed more memory, and the production of higher power 8-bit processors, which lowered the prices of the previous chips. Sega, a new player in home gaming systems, entered the console market with their Master System 2. The Sega Master system would sell very well, but its success would be limited.

The other key player was Nintendo of Japan. The genius of Nintendo was their marketing prowess, as they poured millions into advertisements. These advertisements hit consumers at the perfect time, as evidenced in their sales. In fact, Nintendo couldn’t manufacture enough systems to keep up with demand. After all was said and done, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) would become the highest selling system in history. They would also become the most notorious, as they were involved in the intimidation of retailers, competing companies, and other suppliers and partners.

Over the next five years Sega and Nintendo would battle for dominance, going back and forth. The consumer definitely benefited from this rivalry.

Today, it’s between PlayStation 2, the Xbox and the GameCube. Xbox has taken the step to merge the past and present, where Xbox "Live Arcade" is a console system that has a "download-like" characteristic where you can buy games via the console itself. One thing in the video game industry will always remain: the classic games of yesterday were great games, helped define an era, and will always be fun.

Multiplayer

A new phenomenon in the online arcade gaming industry
is the rise of MMORPG (Rise of Massively Multiplayer
Online Role Playing Games).

Several thousands of players share a common
environment and fight each other for glory.
Multiplayer online gaming is the newest rage with
programmers.

Almost every game is designed to include a
multi-player option. Arcade games have shown an
ability to overcome numerous obstacles in its 40yrs of
existence.

It was pretty obvious it would win the war with the
Internet. The arcade industry responded to the growing
threat of multiplayer games on internet by coming up
with games of their own.

Like they say "if you can’t beat them join them!"

Common Arcade Games

Lunia is an action packed arcade MMORPG that combines
the classic RPG elements like character growth and
community system with intense paced action. The game
has breathtaking environments and takes you through
eerie dungeons and abandoned castles.

Anarchy Online is a science fiction MMORPG arcade game
that’s hugely popular and won 20 international awards.

The game allows for unmatched character customization,
hundreds of devastating special attacks and thousands
of items. The game sets up a hyper fast game play with
more action and less camping.

The Anarchy online has a well scripted deep story
line. The game lets you play as a soldier, healer,
tech expert, trader or adventurer.

The game features stunning environments with clubs,
bars and apartments.

Anarchy online gives you the option of fighting
thousands of monsters or challenge human opponents in
Player vs. Player areas.

Pac Man

Pac- man was created by Toru Itwani and licensed by
Namco. The game was centered on an old Japanese folk
tale.

The object of the game was simply to move through a
maze, while gobbling the dots and avoiding ghosts. Pac
Man was a tear away success spawning a cult in its
wake.

It was picked up for production in the US by Midway.

Pac-man was a nice breakaway for gamers bored with an
extreme dose of space invaders. The game soon went on
to strip ‘Asteroids’ as the greatest selling game of
all time.

Game play

The player maneuvers the protagonist through a maze
eating dots. The game proceeds to the next level once
all the dots are eaten.

There are four ghosts which roam around the maze
trying to catch Pac-man who is the character
maneuvered by the player. If the ghosts touch Pac-man,
a life is lost.

The game ends when no lives remain.

At the corners of the maze there are four power ups.
These power-ups render Pac-man a short-timed ability
to gobble up the ghosts.

Once a ghost is eaten, it returns to the ghost pen
where it is revived. The regeneration time for the
ghosts shortens as the game advances through the
stages.

Despite the seemingly randomness movement of the
ghosts, their nature is strictly deterministic. This
allows experienced players to devise precise patterns
of movement that enables them to complete levels
without being caught ever.

The simplicity of the game and the adrenaline rush it
created, when a ghost came near transformed this game
into an addiction. Unofficially, it is the most played
game of all time.

Gaming Community

The success of online arcade gaming can be attributed
to the huge number of dedicated online communities
that support arcade games.

These games have stood their ground at a time when
technological advances have paved way for hardcore
graphic systems capable of rendering movie like
graphics.

The online community regularly conducts tourneys for
arcade games with huge prize money at stake.

Xbox Live conducted a Pac-man championship in New York
in May of 2007.

Nine finalists from around the world fought each other
for a one of a kind Pac-man inspired Xbox 360 console,
100,000 Microsoft points, and a Pac-Man Live Arcade
Trophy.

Finalists were selected based on scores of Xbox LIVE
Arcade leader box from Japan, USA, Europe, Middle
East, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Canada and Mexico.

The primary reason for a spurt in the online arcade
community is the rise of a huge number of multiplayer
arcade games.

Arcade games are from another era that is hard pressed
to survive an intense competition. This is the primary
reason for the close knit nature of arcade gaming
communities.

The resurgence of arcade titles on consoles and
handhelds is another reason for the growing arcade
communities. The online arcade communities have made
sure that arcade games are here to stay.

Arcade games have shown an immense resilience
surviving everything from consoles to the Internet.
The arcade communities have played a huge part in
seeing the genre through the hardest of times.

With the advent of internet, these communities saw a
massive rise in numbers. These communities are closely
knitted and work as a single entity when it comes to
competing game genres.

Evolution of arcade

Arcade games started from a humble title, Pong, and
then went on to become a rage. The games primarily
evolved around a simplistic design and raw game play.

The newer arcade games made the use of immense leaps
in the graphic technology. The arcade games were
designed to be played with a group of friends in pubs,
malls and restaurants.

These days arcade games are more than isolated gaming
sessions. Arcade games have numerous communities and
clans committed to keeping the tradition.

The arcade games later appeared on home consoles. They
started out as redemption games, pinball machines and
video games.

The popularity suffered as the arcades were labeled as
seedy, unsafe places. They saw resurgence with the
advent of the "two players fighting each other" games
such as Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter and Killer
Instinct.

But, then, again the game consoles and PC’s with 3d
accelerator cards successfully dwarfed the advantage
arcade games enjoyed. The success of arcade games over
the previous generation of home computer was the
ability to customize and use the newest graphics and
sound cards.

The steep decline ensured that they could no longer
fund their technologies.

By late 90’s the internet made matters worse for the
arcades. The human to human competition was taken to a
newer level.

Since then, the arcade games have been ported to other
consoles and emulated on PC’s. Today the online arcade
games have a huge fan following with thousands of
tournaments being held online every year.

The online arcade games are evolving at a fast pace
and the arcade world visualizes an altogether
different future for the industry.

Gaming Etiquette

No, it isn't Ms. Manners to the rescue, nor is it Polite Polly knocking at your noggin. We just know how easy it is to get frustrated or even angry while playing a difficult game, but if we're not careful, that anger and frustration could lead to some butt-ugly moments during a time that's supposed to be amusing. The following is offered in an effort to keep everything fun and entertaining during a session of group play.

1. Encourage each other. Even if you're competing with each other in a boxing match or car race, take time out to congratulate another player for making a smooth or cunning move. There's no need to be a kiss-up, but when tensions are high, and the desire to impress is high, you can help relax any stress just by throwing out a few compliments here and there.

2. Be patient. Your gaming comrades may not be as fast, as coordinated, or as smart as you. So when you notice your regular game pace slowing down, don't criticize. You could quietly plan your next move or you could offer to help if you notice that your buddies seem lost. This will encourage cooperation and relive some of the stress involved with playing a difficult game.

3. Take some breaks. Permitting that your group finds appropriate places in a game to pause, take advantage and get up to stretch, snack, use the john, talk about school, or catch a few silly commercials on television. A long stretch of game play is tiring and stressful at the same time. 

4. Play an inclusive game. By that we mean to make efforts to ensure everyone in the group contributes to the game's completion. You never want to make another person feel left out or just hanging around to fill the space. Create opportunities for everyone involved to participate and help play.

5. Listen to others. You may think that you know all the answers about a game or game system, but listen to what others in the group have to say. You just might learn something new.

6. Invite the "weird guy." This bit of advice of course comes after the horrid Virginia Tech massacre. Tales circulating this news event indicate that the young man responsible was a loner and the victim of bullying during his teenage years as well. Sometimes, all it takes to prevent things like this is a simple effort to reach out to someone. We're not suggesting that an invitation to a gaming party would have saved the lives of 33+ college students, but we are suggesting that making an effort to make others feel welcome and wanted is a huge step towards eliminating the isolation known to cause these kinds of senseless acts.

7. Vow to keep the voice level and cursing to a minimum. That almost goes without saying, but to prevent arguments, agree beforehand to not cross the line when it comes to debating about a particular strategy or selecting a game to play. Some of the most serious fights stem from the silliest arguments. But you can prevent a flare up within your group just by maintaining a cool composure during the entire session.

Now see? That's not too bad a list. All the things that we suggested are certainly "do-able" and they really do work to create a calm and enjoyable environment.

Video Games

Getting New Ideas for Video Games

A Springboard for Video Game Developers

Creating video games is an art, no doubt. The problem is that it isn't easy to come up with ideas for video games. And even when we do get an idea, it doesn't seem as fresh or exciting as we want it to be. The following offers a few ways you can generate some creative ideas to keep your video game as fun to play from beginning to end.

1. Make it funny. Humor has a wonderful way of transforming the seemingly dreadful boring into something that's not only tolerable, but engaging as well. And if boredom is an illness, laughter is its cure. If you can inject jokes, funny imagery, or goofy characters into your game, your players will relax and associate your game with good feelings - a definite formula for success.

2. Let your mind wander off the beaten path. Since much of our thinking is associative anyway, there's no reason why you couldn't manifest this association into your video game. When one idea makes you think of another, include it as part of a video game no matter how illogical the connection is (at first). Remember that video games are your platform for creativity. It's time to be a little wild and a little unconventional. Without this free-form thinking, we surely wouldn't have the creative gems that we have today. You can always restore a sense of logic back into the game at an appropriate time.

3. Make your dreams come true. Literally, turn your dreams into video game scenarios. Had a nightmare lately? Include the scary thing in the game. Had a ridiculously stupid dream lately? Include it in the game as a detour or distraction. Sometimes dreams can be more interesting as life, and as a video game developer, you want your games to be the same. Keep a dream journal and write down those bizarre experiences you have at night. Your gamers will thank you for it.

4. Copy nature. Let's be honest - Nature is pretty weird. We have bees flying around and pollinating plants. We have water evaporating into the sky and then falling down from clouds as rain. Childbirth is a strange phenomenon itself, and germs - the smallest thing on the planet can bring down a herd of elephants. If you could emulate some of this crazy stuff in your own video games, you will have done what every man secretly wishes he could do himself. And that's take nature into your own hands and shape it into the reality you want! But don't copy nature faithfully. Twist it around. For example, instead of bees flying around and pollinating plants, your video game could have 3-inch aliens flying around and pollinating brainwashed FBI agents. Starting to get the idea?

5. Dig into History. Another good resource for video game material is our own history - but not the boring stuff. We're talking about the good stuff. The embarrassing stuff. Look for odd and weird news online and include the asinine things that people have done in the past as part of your game's plot. Your players won't believe what they're seeing!

6. Go Metaphor Happy. Metaphors are figures of speech in which expressions are used to refer to something that it does not literally denote. It simply suggests a similarity.  We're not sure, but we're pretty convinced that a lot of the space ships in video games are based on what we call the "nuts and bolts" metaphor. If you look closely at the designs of some of these vehicles, and then look at some of the tools you have in your toolbox, you'll start to see a similarity among the two like we did. You can do the same in your video games to come up with some really unique imagery and situations.

7. Play the video game before it has begun development. That sounds crazy, but it can be done and it's an excellent way to get the plot down. To make this work, relax yourself and visually imagine that you're playing the game from start to finish. Let your mind suggest scenes, characters, plots, and strategies. Write down the game as its being played before your mind, and then repeat for each twist that you'd like to see implemented in the actual game.

8. Throw the plot into the mixer. There could probably be nothing more challenging in a video game than plot twists. As long as it's not too confusing to the point where players complain and quit playing, rearranging its plot could lend to some fun mind-bending twists that no one would ever predict. Try putting the game's beginning in the middle, or introduce all the subplots in the beginning of the game and have it all start to make sense toward the end (Think, "Pulp Fiction").

9. Look at the game with someone else's eyes. You may already know how you want your game to play, but so may everyone else. To inject some real creativity into your video game, design it as if it were presented from the eyes of a child, a lizard, or an inanimate object like a television. This exercise will not only keep the game intriguing for it's players, it will also keep its development challenging and interesting for you! Don't be surprised if your newfound view changes the game throughout its development. A new perspective has an interesting habit of creating new purposes and new solutions.

10. Challenge the rules. Try to remember that most advances in anything (not just video games) came about from challenging the rules. To make this work, think of the rules imposed on video game developers in the past and just break them! Do the opposite. Where they say you can't or you shouldn't - go on and do it. As long as your rule-breaking spree causes no harm and doesn't jeopardize the integrity of the game, try it!

11. Don't call your project a video game. Sometimes when you change the name of something, you start to view it differently. This is because different words move a line of thought into a different direction - a different direction that sparks new ideas.

12. Combine ideas. We're often told to ditch the first, second, or even third idea that we come up with for a project in favor for a much stronger idea. But instead of ditching these ideas, why not combined them into one. Combining ideas is one of the easiest ways to come up with new ideas and you can do the with your game.  You could combine life forms, scenery, and all kinds of things. The end result would be nothing short of amazing and all the while, your players will wonder, "How did they come up with this stuff?!"

13. Do the unexpected. This is probably one of the hardest things for linear programmers to do because as software developers, programmers are trained to keep everything working in some sort of straight, logical order. To make this work, game programmers are going to have to give themselves permission to go nuts - to do the unexpected and not obsess over the consequences. As good training for all of us, doing the unexpected is a freeing experience that opens our minds to workable possibilities we probably wouldn't consider otherwise. These are possibilities that could make your video stand out from the crowd of copy-cats.

14. Design the video game for a specific audience. Choose a unique audience to design your game for and make sure that every character, scene, subplot, and strategy caters to the interest of this audience. But don't pick a typical audience - go crazy. Design your game as if a dog were the player, a computer mouse, or even a stack of pancakes. Let your imagination go wild and you'll see a new world unfold before you.

15. Imagine that you're the video game. If you were the video game that you're designing, how would you want to be played? Attempting to answer this question should set you off on quite a creative spree of new and original ideas (if not one hell of a giggling session). Don't just throw the goofy ideas that you get from this exercise into the trash bin. Seriously think of how to implement them into your video game. This strategy is sure to put you on the gaming map.

16. Substitute. Using one object in the place of another is another sure way of coming up with cool ideas for video game, and in certain situations, it's the only way to dream up something fresh and new. When it seems that you just can't come up with a new slant, you're best bet is to replace a typical, predictable character with a lively, cute and helpful soda can. Or replace a typical, predictable plot with some bizarre scene out of a dream. Remember: nothing is irreplaceable.

17. Introduce a little randomness into the mix. There's a lot to be said about random events. They always bring us the element of surprise and you can use it to keep your video game exciting. The key to making randomness work in a video game is to introduce a set number of possibilities into several sections of the game and then have each of those possibilities lead to a different outcome. Sure, this could drive a player crazy, but you've got to admit, it will send them scrambling for a solution and talking about your game for days.