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Though many parents wish otherwise, the home computer is no longer used just an educational tool or a place to store information. Thanks to the advent of pc gaming, computers are more often used for entertainment than for work purposes, and the internet is taking a larger role in gaming than ever before, making available to a gamer everything from traditional board games such as chess to real-time online gambling, like poker. Users are even able to play their favorite arcade games online. However, as with anything online, there are certain risks involved in the world of pc gaming, online gambling, and arcade games online.
The world of online gambling is vast and varied, allowing players to place bets online using electronic money services, credit cards, and other forms of payment. Some of the many online gambling games available to users are:
- Poker - Several variations, including Texas hold ‘em, Omaha, and others.
- Casino games - Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, and others.
- Bingo
- Betting pools - sports, racing, and others.
Users who dabble in online gambling, which is an extremely popular internet pastime, may be breaking the law depending on the laws of their state and the location of the website host. For example, it is illegal to transmit information for sports betting across state lines, so if a person in California places a bet with an online gambling bookie in Nevada who accepts it, both are breaking the law. Aside from legal issues, which are plentiful, other online gambling concerns include online money laundering and the fact that such easy access to online gambling is a huge temptation and encourages compulsive gamblers to indulge their addiction through online gambling.
Though online gambling is quite popular, many gamers prefer less risky entertainment, and are happy to find they can play their favorite arcade games online. Many internet sites offer access to everything from Frogger to Pac Man to Tetris, and most of them are free. Yes, free - the word of which to be wary on the internet. Though games from many larger sites (such as Yahoo!) are reputable and safe, games from smaller sites or peer-to-peer (P2P) networks can and often do contain spyware, which can infect the user's computer and transmit personal information to a third party online. Those interested in playing arcade games online can do so quite safely by only downloading or playing games from a trusted site.
The least risky gaming endeavor is, of course, pc gaming, because it rarely requires the player to connect to the internet. Some of the popular pc gaming categories include:
- First-person shooters: Action Shooter, Squad-based Shooter, Tactical Shooter
- Strategy: Real-time strategy, Turn-based strategy, God game
- Massively multiplayer online game (MMO): MMO-Role-Playing Games (MMORPG), MMO First-Person Shooter (MMOFPS)
- Sports games: Sports management game
- Simulation games: Military tactical strategy/simulator, Business simulators, Real-life simulation
- Traditional game
- Interactive fiction
- Adventure game
- Computer role-playing game: Action-RPG
As it becomes easier for players to download pc or arcade games online, many pc gaming software companies are suffering a loss of sales. However, pc gaming is still a multi-billion dollar a year industry, and many software companies are making the games themselves available for purchase and download online. Additionally, successful games such as the Warcraft series have managed to capture an even larger audience by creating Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games that allow players, for a subscription fee, to battle each other in a limitless online universe. The internet has expanded the world of gaming far beyond the arcade, and the future of pc gaming, online gambling, and playing arcade games online promises to only grow larger.
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