Get Paid to Play Video Games: No Gimmicks! By Kevin Jaxon

Gaming has become such a lucrative market. Many online games even require a monthly subscription and allow game makers to continually profit on their games. Very popular games even market to their players both in and out of game to make even more money. It's unfortunate that all of this money goes to the game makers and without you, the player, this would be impossible. It's simply not fair and I believe a change is due. But how do you as a player make money from the games you play when many games will ban you for various ways of making money?
Gaming has become so popular that in some countries it's considered a sport. People love gaming, from computers to consoles and even now smart phones. People play for competition, they also play to relax and unwind and now they can even get paid. People have known about beta testing video games for a long time, there is nothing new there. But what about getting paid to do tasks in game, as in: game tasks. Think of it like they're errands you would do for a friend in the real world, but instead in the virtual world, and for a few dollars.
Think about it, people pay for services in the real world all the time. Iron my clothes, wash my car, mow my grass. We constantly out source things we don't want to do. This same ideology can be witnessed in video games. People don't want to spend vast amounts of time so they buy and sell in-game currency. Unfortunately this is against the terms of service of most games and will get you banned. However, you can still make money by doing things that won't get you banned.
New players need help with all sorts of things. They'd like to be run through instances, taught how to PVE and PVP and they'd love to read your guides. You are only limited by your creativity. Imagine you're a new player and you don't have a lot of time, what would you pay for? They're just like every other consumer with needs, so let's appease them.
Now there are websites that allow you to offer a service, such as running players through an instance and so on. What you do is up to you, be creative, but most importantly, get paid to play video games! The process is simple: someone purchases your service and the money goes to the website for holding until the service is complete and then the website dispenses the money to you. Registration is free and you don't need to supply personal information so it's really a no-risk situation for you.

Top 10 Computer Games By Danny Gilbert

Starcraft
Starcraft ranks in at #10 on this list. An amazingly popular game, it was released in 1998 and is still being played. Starcraft is a RTS game that pits the Zerg, Protoss, and Terran against each other. Each have a unique play style utilizing their strengths and weaknesses.
SiN Episodes: Emergence
At #9 SiN Episodes is a game you might have never head of. It's a continuation of the game SiN, released in 1998. It was released on Steam, and is unique in the fact that it was the first game created by a major developer that was released without a publisher. SiN episodes is a FPS game that takes place some time in the future in a mega city. You play the roll of a cop who has been injected with an experimental "Super Soldier" drug that is looking for the cure. It plays like many other source games, so if you enjoy them, you will probably enjoy SiN, along with it's many easter eggs. The best part though? The primary villian is a lady by the name of Elexis Sinclaire.
Sins of a Solar Empire
#8 is another game you may or may not have heard of. Sins of a Solar Empire is a pretty epic RTS game set in space. Released in 2008 with an expansion in 2009 and another in 2010, Sins has become a popular game among the RTS crowd. The basis of the game is to colonize planets through one of 3 methods: Through force, as par in a RTS game, buying them(with a ton of money), or through a religious coupe. This makes things a little interesting, as you have to make sure your people actually like you. You have the ability to build massive space fleets, and the unique feature to zoom in as close as a spaceship window, and far enough out to see multiple galaxies. Though not much real use, it's a very interesting feature.
Age of Empires 2
#7 is my favorite RTS game(you may notice there are a few on this list). It pits ancient civilizations against each other in a battle to the death (or whatever else, with all the custom maps). Age of Empires had awesome fan made maps that changed the play style. One good example was Archer Blood. In this custom map, each user got a fortress and and tower. You spawned archers at a constant interval with upgrades coming depending on how many kills you got. The final goal being to destroy the enemies tower. There were also games like the reenactment of Helms Deep. Overall it was a solid base RTS, even without custom maps, giving many choices of different civilizations, each with unique bonuses.
Battlefield 3
At #6, battlefield 3 is a pretty standard FPS game. The story line is forgettable, if you even do it, but multiplayer is addicting. Like Battlefield 2 before it, there are lots of maps, and plenty of guns. As well as fighting as a grunt, you can get in a tank, LAV, hummer, jet, or helicopter. It's got a nice ranking system where the more you play with a particular gun, the more upgrades you get for it. You can play as anything from a scout sniper to a combat medic, with each roll getting unique weapons and unlocks. There's not a lot more to say, other than it's pretty.
DOOM 3
#5 is the third shooter on this list, and the third version of the classic game, DOOM. Set on mars in the future, you, as the original space marine, have to fight your way through demons to save the day. Doom is meant to be a scary game, and they went about achieving this in different ways. First of all, pretty much everywhere you go is covered in gore, so this might be a reason it's rated M. The second way is through sound. Id, the makers of Doom, use many creepy, almost not there sounds, partnered with the fact that you hear people getting killed, either over the radio you carry, or by being close to their location. Finally, they use lighting. The complex you're in has been ravaged by demons, and thus not all the lights work. There's flickering, shadows, and just plain dark spots. To combat this you have a flashlight, but in the original game, you can't use the flashlight and a gun at the same time, forcing you to either see what's coming after you, or defend against what's coming after you.
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
#4 is a new game, released 11/11/11. It's set 200 years after Oblivion, putting the player in the province of Skyrim on the continent Tamriel. Skyrim is a large RPG game that gives you plenty of freedom with your character. Want to be a giant nord with a battle ax? A sneaky elf with daggers? A furry with a klepto problem? What about a giant furry with daggers? It's all possible in Skyrim. Skyrim has a nice, though rather short main quest, with a massive amount of side quests and land to explore. Also, like Oblivion and Morrowind before it, there are plenty of mods, with more being constantly added. The best part however is that almost nothing is bolted down, and you can steal massive amounts of stuff until your home looks like this.
The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind
#3 is another Elder Scrolls game. Again, set in Tamriel, but this time in the province of Morrowind, more specifically the island of Vvardenfell. The main story line is rather nice, with plenty to do and lots of side story lines as well. Getting into guilds is much harder than with Skyrim, and require a lot more questing, going into dungeons, etc. The game was absolutely beautiful at release in 2002, pushing computers to the limit, and can still look nice now with mods. The game world is amazingly detailed with plenty to do, and there are massive amounts of mods that add to it, from tiny houses to entire new lands. Coupled with the mods, the immersion and ability to consume time rivals that of an MMO. Which brings us to:
World of Warcraft
#2, World of Warcraft has been the MMO since 2004. Built upon the game world of Warcraft 3 and it's predecessors, WoW is a huge MMO giving users thousands, if not millions of things to do, from collecting pets to killing the opposing faction. WoW is split up into two factions at war, the Alliance and the Horde, each with it's unique races. Between the land masses of Kalimdor, the Easter Kingdoms, Northrend, and Outlands, there is plenty to explore. WoW has 3 expansions out, with a fourth on the horizon. Although it's no longer at it's peak after nearly 8 years, WoW still has 10 million active players, more than any other paid MMO. If you haven't tried it yet, you can now level up to 20 for free. It's worth downloading just to give it a shot.
Diablo 2
Number 1 on the list is another Blizzard game. Diablo II was released in 2000, with it's Lord of Destruction expansion released in 2001. Diablo is a multiplayer RPG. Not really an MMO, as you can only play with 7 other people at a time. You fight your way through 4(5 with the expansion) different unique areas over three difficulties to progress, gain gear, and reach level 99. It's easily re-playable and fun to use all the different classes. Every map is generated when you load the world, so it's very hard to get the same layout twice, keeping the gameplay fresh even though it's the same areas. I, along with countless others, have spent way too much time on Diablo II, and will probably spend countless more hours on it considering blizzard is still releasing patches for it. The dark, grungy feel of the game is amazing. With a simple interface and ease of play, it makes it an easy game to get hooked on.

Why Computer Games Are Offensive By Elizabeth Threlfo

As a video game professional and a gamer I find the term 'computer games' unbelievably offensive. This doesn't mean that I am a console fangirl simply hating on PC games, or that I refuse to develop for anything other than PC. Actually, I am referring to the use of the term by the wider community and its perpetuation of the notion that video games are for children.
My feelings on this matter were in part sparked by the debate for R18+ classification in Australia in recent years. I was following the progress closely for much of last year and was increasingly confused by the constant referral of video games as computer games. In an age where gaming exists on any and every platform one can think of, I am repeatedly puzzled by the use of such a dated term. Games have been beyond the humble home computer for decades so why are they remaining weighed down by such a term? The answer, I find, stems from those who use the term; people who oppose an R18+ classification.
Perhaps this is the primary reason for my feelings on this matter. It seems that every time I see the use of the words they are accompanied by some ridiculous spiel from a family or Christian group about how games are only for children. Or that somehow an R18+ rating system would give children access to sexual, violent or other behaviour that is beyond their maturity. This ideal is dumb, and anyone who plays video games knows this. It shows a great amount of ignorance towards the games and the industry affected by the matter. That said Australia is finally on its way to having an R18+ classification system. While I'll admit I do scrunch up in disdain every time I see 'computer games' used in official government documentation, I'm happy that progress is being made. I know we aren't there yet but with each step we as gamers and game professionals come closer to acceptance by the wider community. You never know maybe the groups and individuals who showed firm opposition will eventually sway to our train of thought. Can you imagine if they even became gamers themselves!
I liken the term 'computer games' instead of 'video games' to my sister's feelings toward 'potter' instead of 'ceramicist'; it is laden with just enough ignorance toward my profession, my interests and the gaming industry as a whole that I find it infuriating enough to rant about it in an article. Unfortunately without a rating system that caters to the maturation of gamers and gaming professionals, my view is not likely to change.

Liz Threlfo - Games designer based in Sydney Australia

American Pickers: The Road Less Traveled Review By Ruff Bismonte

If you have watched the show before, you might also love the game. American Pickers: The Road Less Traveled is a hidden object game that is based upon the hit reality television series American Pickers. From the TV show's Wikipedia entry, it seems to have become the highest rated History Channel debut since 2007 when it debuted last 2010. This makes the show in the level of amazing. But can the hidden object game follow suit? Well, let us review the game and find out.
The game follows the adventures of Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, the same guys who ran the TV series. You help them pick antiques and memorabilia from seemingly worthless junk. Well, if you do not know yet on what these guys do for a living, you must be confused on what picking means. The context clues says it all, they try to find antiques and collectibles all over America, and sell them too at a nice profit back in their headquarters named Antique Archaeology.
As you can see, the whole idea of the TV series makes the perfect setting for a hidden object game. And in the case of American Pickers: The Road Less Traveled, that is exactly what it is. In terms of graphics, I say that the hidden object scenes are made pretty well and while there are some pixel finding involved on highly cluttered areas, it is bearable enough and understandable too considering that you play the role of a picker now, and you must have an eye for rare finds, right?
Another thing that makes this game true to the TV series is the amount of dialogue involved. There is just too many for my taste, so I find coursing through the game a little boring that most of the time, I click through the dialogues just to get to some hidden object action. I understand too that fans of the series should find all of these talk amusing, more informative and fun, so this game may be made especially for them too.
American Pickers: The Road Less Traveled is definitely a good game to start on for beginner hidden object players that like a mix of story time and game time when playing their games. The game is absolutely one that is made for fans of the series, but I do still suggest that players try it out for themselves to see if it is enjoyable enough. You never know, the game might make you an American Pickers fan too.

Download American Pickers and more games at Latest Games for PC.

iPad WiFi Versus iPad 3G - Five Major Differences Between iPad WiFi and iPad 3G

So, what's the difference between an iPad with WiFi and an iPad with 3G plus WiFi. It's a question that seems to come up frequently, so I thought it would be worth finding out some answers to the question.
I've found five major differences between the two models and keep on looking for more. Here are the five differences:
Number 1: Limited connectivity vs. Extensive connectivity. With the iPad WiFi your connectivity to the internet is limited to areas where you can access the web via WiFi. With the 3G version of the iPad you can connect both via WiFi or the 3G cellular network. That means it should have connectivity anywhere you get cell phone coverage. To get the same coverage with the WiFi version you would need a portable WiFi, like Verizon's MiFi or some of the smart phones that can act like a WiFi.
Number 2: You Pay for More Connectivity. The 3G iPad costs more to buy. At the time I write this, the difference is about $130 in the US. To use the 3G wireless service you need to have a wireless data plan with you carrier. In the US, AT&T provides data plans for a price. To start they had a $14.99 per month data plan with 250MB of data included and a $30 per month "unlimited" plan. The unlimited plan was discontinued pretty quickly and now you can get 2G of data for $25 per month.
Number 3: iPad with 3G also has built in GPS service. The WiFi version can do some triangulation; you need a 3G iPad to get a really accurate location fix.
Number 4: Some small physical differences. On the back of the 3G iPad there is a black plastic section that enables the iPad to get a better connection to the wireless network. The 3G version also has a door on the side for you to insert the Micro SIM card. These differences are probably not that big a deal given that you will probably want to use an iPad cover to protect your iPad.
Number 5: Shorter Battery Life for the 3G. Using the 3G network chews up more battery. From what I have read it cuts battery life from about 10 hours down to between 7 and 8 hours. Not bad, but it does count at the end of a long day.
So to sum it up, if you are just using the iPad around the house, get the WiFi version and if you need to use it out in the field you are probably better off getting the 3G version of the iPad.

For more news and information on the iPad, check out the iPad Covers Guide, where we try to find the best iPad accessories. And if you need some content, you can find some great audiobooks for iPad over at at Castlibrary.com.

iPad And iPhone Apps - The Similarities And Differences

People who design an iPhone app know the similarities and differences between the iPhone and the iPad and their impact on the apps used in these two very popular and smart devices. When the iPad was first introduced to the market, Apple let people know that their iPhone apps can perfectly be used in iPads and it was true. However, as time passed and new apps were created and used, more and more of those applications became exclusive to one or the other of the devices.
First let us look at the similarities and differences between the iPhone and the iPad and how they affect the design of iPhone apps.
The iPhone is used to make phone calls or video calls on some models, send text and email messages, read books on it, play music and videos, surf the Internet and take photos. The iPad is used mainly for browsing online, reading books, and playing multimedia files.
So basically, the iPad can do all the things that the iPhone does except make calls and send text messages. However, some iPad apps do allow us to send texts. So what are their differences?
The iPad is a much larger device and has a bigger touchscreen than the iPhone. Because of its smaller size, the iPhone is primarily used to make phone calls. On the other hand the iPad serves as a PC or notebook. The docking device of one of the models has a physical keyboard which when attached to the tablet, converts it into a laptop or notebook. Very cool!
If you want to create an app for the two devices the difference in size is a key factor.
Today, you don't want to use an app you're using in your iPhone in your iPad or vice versa. It may work, but not as perfectly as in the device it was originally created for. The people who create iPad apps have taken advantage of the larger touchscreen of the tablet. iPad apps when downloaded on the iPhone do not look as great. The 'shrinking' of the app renders it unreadable. The reverse is true of the iPhone app. However, the pictures and text of the magazine and newspaper apps won't fit on the smaller touchscreen of the iPhone. And the iPhone apps downloaded on the iPad device, suffer a loss of quality. The graphics are enlarged and they become pixellated and blurry.
To fix these issues, some people who design iPhone apps have created two versions for the devices. All the user has to do is to download the correct one on his device and enjoy its graphics and functionality.

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