A Defence of Video Games As Art

Art is defined as "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination." I believe that video games fall into this category, as do many, though this is not an opinion that is universally recognised. Therefore, I will present an argument in defence of video games as art, based on its emotional impact and immersion.

Video games offer a level of immersion that is not found in any other art form. To watch a film is a passive experience where the audience is at the mercy of the director. They see only what he/she wants them to see, they feel only what he/she wants them to feel, through the combined use of visuals, characterisation, and music. In a video game, the user has control over his experience. Yes, the overall journey is still dictated by the game creators, but by giving the user control of the protagonist, it allows them to veer into areas where the creators may or may not have wanted them to go, and they are able to craft their own experience from this. This level of connection between the character and the user creates a deeper sense of immersion. It allows one to step into the shoes of a character, and experience a new world through their eyes and their perception. Recent games (e.g. Heavy Rain) have gone even further in creating emotional experiences by crafting a cinematic adventure whose outcome is determined by the actions of the player, and through the use of 'quick time events,' where the user presses the correct buttons on the controller when the icon appears on the screen, they are able to extract real emotion from the user as they frantically hit the buttons, feeling each swerve and near miss as if they themselves would experience the real consequences of failure.

Of course, the level of immersion and the overall feeling one gets at the end of an experience such as this is entirely up to the individual, as it is in any art form. It is for this reason that I would call video games an art form, as they have the ability to make users feel, and it leaves a lasting impression even after they put down the controller. What other device allows one to share in the pain of a lone traveller traversing endless sands, then engaging in heart-wrenching battles with monstrous creatures whose motives are not necessarily ill; or the simple, perverse joys of pulling out an rocket-propelled grenade launcher in the middle of a fictional, though eerily realistic city street, then going on a rampage of biblical proportions,? In real life these actions would be either impossible, dreadful, or extremely impractical and morally reprehensible. In video games, however, we are allowed to indulge these dark fantasies and experience journeys that in older days would have been confined to ones imagination, and never realised on screen, nor done with the level of immersion and user freedom that modern video games have to offer.

Opposition may argue that indulging these emotions is a negative thing, and would cite real-life massacres and point to video games as the catalyst for these events. I would submit that, rather than enticing these negative emotions, video games offer a catharsis to normal, morally responsible human beings (i.e. people who, in real life, under normal circumstances, would never kill another human being.) I would argue that one who commits an act of violence does so not because of video games, but as the result of their own fractured psyche. To blame video games would be to ignore the deeper emotional problems of the individual.

Ask any gamer to describe an emotional experience that they had with a video game, and you will receive a story. They may describe their frustration at a near impossible boss battle, where they became filled with rage as they threw their controller to the ground, only to pick it up again with purpose, and keep trying until they conquered their enemy, and then they would describe the pure ecstasy of success when they finally accomplished their goal. They may share the sadness they felt when a beloved character died, a character that they had been with for hours, investing in their emotional arc, and then feeling real despair when this character was gone. These moments are no less powerful than they are in film, or in books, or in music. I would suggest that they are even more powerful, as the user is in control, and in some cases it may have been their actions that led to the heart-wrenching moment that stayed with them as a reminder of that amazing journey.

Of course, video games as pure entertainment still exist, as they should. The medium is still relatively young, and yet it has made huge strides towards its recognition as a respected art form. The stigma that video games are reserved for the fringes of society has passed, though the negative connotations surrounding it still exist. For every game like Heavy Rain (and there are not many) there's another Call of Duty (there are many), which has become a source of cheap thrills and big explosions, eschewing the great innovations that its fourth installment put forth, which is what made it extremely popular in the first place. That series seems to have encouraged a new gamer stereotype: the immature, illiterate, and emotionally stunted teenager screaming profanities into his headset as he runs around the map, guns blazing. I would submit that these games are simply the equivalent of the mindless Hollywood films that are shoved down our throats every summer. They are no less infuriating to those who appreciate artistic integrity, but they have their place. If that last statement sounded pretentious (I think it did) I should clarify by saying that I enjoy Call of Duty for its epic set-pieces, mindless though they may be, and its fast-paced online multiplayer with its constant reward system that is extremely addictive and fun, and I don't pretend for a moment that a game has to have artistic value to be good (though good games do tend to have artistic value). I simply believe that the potential for high artistic value is inherent in the gaming medium.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that video games should be recognized as an art form alongside film, literature, and music. For it's level of immersion, and its ability to place us into worlds once confined to the imagination, video games offer unique experiences, and they make us feel, as any great art form should.

Note: I wrote this article in less than an hour, and since then I have noticed some decently major flaws in my arguments. I'll probably revisit this subject later with a more realistic perception of modern gaming, but for now I'll just include this paragraph acknowledging the generalisations in this article of an issue that can get somewhat deep (the issue of whether or not something can be called art)... Now I'm wondering whether or not it is fair to say that this is a deep issue. I should really just stop typing. now. I could go on. But I won't. Sorry.

Source for definition in the opening paragraph: Google

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Appreciating Different Mahjong Games

For the Chinese, as well as other Asians, mahjong games are a way of life. It is played at home, in private clubs, at weddings-banquets, and no birthday celebration is complete without a game of Mahjong. It is now an integral part of any social activity, providing occasions to entertain friends and cultivate business relationships.

The appeal of the game is spreading widely, and there are now clubs and associations operating nationally and internationally for playing mahjong games.

Mahjong games have been called the games of a hundred intelligences. When played by experts, it can be fast and subtle, and even difficult to follow, but it really is a game that is simple to learn. It was originally played with cards, and subsequently, with pieces carved from ivory or bamboo. The game is over a thousand years old, and is thought to have originated in the court of the emperor of Wu.

For hundreds of years, mahjong games remained a diversion that was reserved the royal class, but changes in politics and lifestyle also brought changes in perception of the game.

The game involves elements of risk, luck or chance and some strategy. You will need to cultivate a keen eye for the pattern of discards and matching of tiles by your opponents. From observing these patterns or trends, you must try to predict what patterns the other players are likely to be assembling.

On one hand, you are using the tiles that your opponents discard to match your tiles, in order to improve your chances of winning, while on the other hand, you try to prevent your opponents from matching tiles with the ones that you discard. It is considered as an offensive, rather than a defensive game.

Knowing how to discard tiles safely and wisely will be a benefit, but it can only come with practice. You can only become a better player, by actually playing the game. The practice of observing very closely what tiles your opponent discards, should also help to recognize the types of hands, they are likely to be matching.

Completing your hand ahead of the other players, in the shortest possible time, is one of the keys to success in the game. It can be best to choose combinations that are most likely to be completed in a short time.

It is natural for a game that is centuries old and played by many ethnic groups to have different variations with different rules, and the choice of which game to play is largely determined by your preferences.

There are now different variations of the game of Mahjong across different geographical regions. Each of the different mahjong games has different rules, but you can decide which you prefer, after a trying a few of them.

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Bubble Game Can Help Children With Disabilities

Bubble Game was released in 1986, and was similar to Atari's game called Bubbles. Bubble Shooter, which is the flash version of the game, not only requires no special skills whatsoever, but is also extremely fun and very simple to play. The rules are very easy to understand and straight forward. The player blows up as many bubbles as they can within a certain period of time. The score will depend on the number of colored balls that the player pops. If a bubble object touches the ground, then the game will end automatically.

Players need to find a line-up of three or more balls of the same color. They will then look at the color of the object coming out of the cannon at the bottom of the screen. This is to help the player know what color is coming next, so that they can plan the best strategy for game play. The computer mouse will help the player in navigating the cannon to shoot in the correct direction at whatever color the player is aiming for.

This means that planning ahead for your next move is absolutely necessary if you are going to clear the objects before the time limit has elapsed. The goal is to pop the colored objects before they reach the bottom of your screen to keep game play going. It only takes one bubble to touch the ground before the game ends. A good method of popping many colored balls at once is to bank the ball you are shooting off of the side wall of the playing board. If you do this, you can knock out many different colors of bubbles at once. This will allow the player to score a lot of points, and will progress the player to further levels in the game.

Another game that is similar to Bubble is a game called Bubble Bobble. This game was released in 1986 by Taito. In this game, a dragon is used to shoot the bubbles. There are also enemies on the playing board in this game. Once the objects are popped, the enemies will disappear. Thanks to the success of this marvelous game, more games have been developed that are very similar to the original game. Bubble has been introduced into many educational classrooms, and is especially used for children who have developmental problems or special needs. It teaches children to problem solve, strategize, identify colors and even improves motor skills.

We provide the best info about bubble. For further details please visit the provided link.

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5 Reasons Games Can Improve Your Life

Playing games can seem to some people like a waste of time. Others think that it is only the really young, or really old who like to play games. Yet others view gaming as the realm of the social rejects of the world. There are however, some great hidden benefits to playing games.

#5. People who play games have improved mental functions

Yes, games like Brain Age have shown us that exercising your mind can improve your mental capacity. When you have to think about strategy, or plan moves before you make them, your brain has to expand its thinking process. You are engaging the most complex computer on the planet, and in the process making it better. (This is exactly the opposite of what you do when you are watching T.V.) Your mind is more active, less prone to wander, (if you are focusing on the game) and you achieve greater mental clarity. (Much like the monks of old).

#4. People who play games have improved social skills

Wait, what? Gamers are the most socially inept people on the planet and now you tell me that their social skills are improved over mine? Yes, people who play games with others have the ability to interact in many different settings with others (as many different settings as there are games). Each of those settings can train us for the realities of life away from the game. Gaming has the potential to make us better winners... that means you won't do the victory dance when you get the big promotion at work thus alienating everyone in your office. Gamers also learn to become graceful at losing; although hopefully you don't have to learn this skill too often. This prepares you for a lifetime of ups and downs and can prevent a person from mentally snapping on those around them.

#3 People who play games can save money

But games are expensive you say? Yes, some games can cost $100 or more just to start with, but ask yourself how much did you spend on your cable this month... plus the power to run the T.V. or game console... plus the cost of the T.V. and game console... plus the cost of the game? As you can see, the initial cost of other forms of entertainment can be just as expensive, if not more expensive than the social get together games. Then you must take into account the recurring costs of running all those systems. Last time I checked my Monopoly game didn't need a plug in. So, board games and the like really don't cost as much as other forms of entertainment, plus there are some additional benefits such as...

#2. People who play games have more friends

Ok, this is just going against everything high school taught you about social interaction! Yes, you may have 500 "friends" on your social media site, but can you really call the guy you said "Hi" to next to your locker 20 years ago a friend? Playing games with other people requires by definition for you to go out and MEET other people! It would get old to play games with the same person day in and day out... Just ask my wife... So it is beneficial to go out and meet other people who have the same interest and game with them just to mix it up a bit. But where do I find these reclusive gamer types you ask? Check out your Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS). These stores many times will host tourneys for different types of games. There are also conventions all around the country where you can meet a whole range of people willing to game with you!

#1 People who play games will live longer

Yes, when not exposed to the harmful rays of the sun you do have less of a chance to develop wrinkles and skin cancer... but when playing games, you also develop mental abilities to keep you brain young, thus reducing the likely hood of alzheimer's disease. This can be useful when trying to remember the names of your 100 great grandchildren when you are 120 years old. Also, people with active social lives, and who have more money... (see points 2 and 3), typically live longer than those who have neither of those things. Social games also have the side benefit of not placing the player in physical danger, unlike more active games such as football or Nascar racing. So gamers have less of a tendency to obtain concussions or die in a flaming car!

See, there are many reasons that playing games can improve your life. Unfortunately, television has viewed gamers as social outcasts and nerds... But don't worry, we will have the last laugh! In the meantime... Happy Gaming!

Michael Flanagan

For more fun game articles visit http://www.d4andmoregames.com/

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How Do I Connect Headphones To My TV?

What really stinks is when you are so involved in your game and you hear those magic words coming from the next room. You want any type of noise cancelling headphones to just end this madness. "Turn that off cause I'm trying to sleep!" One can really add any angered quote here because they all lead to the same end. "How do I shut them up by shutting this thing up?"

You've done everything right, you've taken out the trash, put the kids to bed, watched a chick flick or anything else that fits and yet you still can't win. Wait, you got the kids up and fed, packed their lunch, sent them off to school, got them off the bus, made dinner, gave them their bath and put them to bed. Wow, you work harder than I thought! You might need noise cancelling headphones too. Anyways, both of your days were tough!

Television sets, both modern and ones from our parents days didn't come equipped with a headphone jack. Those older sets were designed with a set of built-in stereo speakers (and sometimes a single mono speaker),yes, they did!..But while newer digital sets are typically set up for home theater, which involves connecting the TV to a receiver and Surround Sound speakers, they are pre-determined. But sometimes, a viewer just wants to listen privately while watching a program. The solution is to adapt the TV's audio outputs into a mini-jack for connecting a set of headphones.

Things you'll need to do this:

... TV
... Y-adapter with stereo plugs on one end and a mini-jack on the other, available at electronics stores.
... Headphones

Here is what to do:

... Find the Audio Out jacks on the back-white and red
... Insert the "Y" plugs into place... Insert the mini-plug on the end of the headphones cord into the small jack on the end of the Y adapter
... Insert the mini-plug on the end of the headphones cord into the small jack on the end of the Y adapter
... Press the "Menu" button on the TV remote control and toggle the up and down arrows until "Speakers" appears on the display.
... Use the left and right arrows to turn the TV's built-in speakers on and off for private

Of course each TV set is different; you will find that this will work most of the time. What kind of headphones will you be using with this TV to drown out all of your distractions. Don't stop with what we just talked about! There are way too many headphones to even think about which ones are the best. After all, you aren't here because you have too much time on your hands. There are those that want to make your life easier and will do the hard work for you! Yes, that's us! Surprise! Do not walk into an electronics store or anywhere else to buy your headphones and allow them to solve your problem. We've put the ball in motion and started checking these headphones out for you.

Since you've been here this long, we want to give you our thoughts and findings of many of the different headphones available to you. We want to offer to you more of our services by giving you the website that we work on. Everyone hates researching the different brands and styles of whatever they shop for. We do the entire headphone shopping review for you about noise cancelling headphones and give it to you at our website. We give honest reviews and helpful hints to set you in the direction of buying the headphones that are best for you.

Too much yelling or noise in your house? What if you want to hear your jams just right and forget everything around you... Visit us to make sure that your purchase is really thought about and what's best for your needs.

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The Worst Case Scenario Game

The Worst Case Scenario Game is a really fun game that I enjoy playing, and it's something that people of all ages can play.

It is created by University Games, a company that creates board games in both the US and Europe.

The Worst Case Scenario game was released in 2002, and features hundreds of survival scenarios. Players take turns reading survival scenario questions. First, the player whos turn it is rolls a die. Each question gives multiple-choice answers. The player whose turn it is listens to the question and tries to guess the answer. If the player gets the answer correct, that player moves forward the number of spaces he or she rolled. If the player gets the answer wrong, the reader gets to move that many spaces forward. The first player to the end wins!

The game sounds quite simple, but it is actually really entertaining. My wife and I play lots of board games, and this one has stuck around for quite a while even as we have quit playing many others out of boredom.

We usually play several times in a row, as the games can sometimes be quite short. Here are some example questions from the game:

How to survive a tornado when in a carHow to survive a kidnappingHow to proceed if your car breaks down in heavy fogHow to detect a letter bombHow to consume moldy food

As you can see, there are some really useful questions, and some that are a bit loopy or funny. I must admit, it can at times get a bit repetitive if you play many games in a row. If you take depend on this for example on a camping trip, be sure to bring other games as well to break things up.

This game was published around 2002 by University Games. University games sells board games in both the US and Europe, and has been around since the 80's. Here's a sample of the instructions, showing how to play the game:

Playing The Game

1. The youngest player's team goes first. Roll the die but do not move the playing piece.

2. The other team (Team 2) to the right of the youngest player's team (Team 1) picks a Worst-Case Scenario Survival Question Card from the Card Box and reads the question and the multiple choice answers to Team 1.

If Team 1 answers correctly, they move their playing piece ahead the number of footprints shown on the die.If Team 1 does not answer correctly, they do not move their playing piece and Team 2 moves their playing piece ahead the number of footprints shown on the die.

3. Play passes to the left.

(NOTE: Many Worst-Case Scenario Survival situations have more than one correct answer, but only one possible correct answer is presented on each card.)

-I have much more information on the game at my website, The Worst Case Scenario Game, including instructions, example questions, pictures, and more!

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Tips on How to Improve Your Scores in Scrabble

Do you want to improve your scores in Scrabble? If you want to get a higher score you should have a good knowledge of words that contains high point value. Fantastic players earn high scores in this game because they used clever techniques. As an example, some players use short letters because it can help them to get a higher score.

There are times when longer words gives low score but it can still be use to your advantage by adding parallel words to a long word, so you can maximize your score. Some players usually don't want to exchange tiles but bear in mind that exchanging tiles will help you to refresh your rack. Good players know that there is more opportunity to get a higher score if they have new tiles, particularly if they already exhausted all their remaining tiles.

The best advice when playing this game is to leave the high point tiles. You may never know if there are some hidden set of letters that you need to discover to increase your points. You must also look for parallel words that are already in place in your game board.

Points are earned if you are able to form a word in parallel form. You should also study and memorize a list of high scoring words so you can have an added advantage. Find bonus squares so you can multiply your points particularly if you place your tile in a premium square.

Studying programs like Anagram Solver can help you determine high scoring letters so you can multiply your points. Identify hooks which refer to a letter that when added to another word on the board will spell a new word. For example turning the word host into ghost will help increase your points.

Organizing your letters in the rack is also a good game plan. If you know proper rack placement of two letter words, you can easily identify an opportunity to connect these letters in an existing word in the board game. Managing your rack properly can help you to easily match the letters with a particular word.

There are available online tools like Scrabble Word Finder which you can use to get ideas on how to improve your score. Studying on how you can have a solid technique in this word game can help you to have a good game plan. You will surely become a successful player, if you know these strategies and techniques.

For further information about Scrabble, you can visit http://gamesrush.net/ and http://blogmybrain.com/scrabble-cheat/.

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Saints Row: The Third - Talk About That!

The Saints are back with a whole new city to conquer! Unlike the previous Saints Row games, Saints Row: The Third takes place in an all new city, Steelport. The legendary criminal fraternity, the syndicate has taken over Stilwater and drive the Saints right out of their own city, and force them to move to the decaying city of sin, Steelport.

Now, in Saints Row: The Third, The Third Street Saints must defend their title as the top gang of all! You must help the Saints dominate the city of Steelport and now that they're well known and loved by most of Stilwater's citizens, you can enjoy all the fame and glory that has paid off from all of the hard work of killing gang rivals, and running over the occasional pedestrian every now and again. Store owners displaying Johnny Gat bobble heads, people wearing Saints sneakers, and thirsty pedestrians quenching their thirst and boosting their energy with Saints energy drinks!

The Third Street Saints must now tackle and demand the respect of new enemies including the legendary criminal fraternity, The Syndicate, and trained military forces. The Saints must defend and maintain their status as the top gang and fight their way to the top yet again in the decaying city of sin, Steelport. Especially now that the Syndicate has decided they want to shove the Saints out of Steelport too!

In Saints Row: The Third, you must fight three new gangs all run by the Syndicate:

The Morning Star - a group of European businessmen, led by Viola and her twin sister Loren along with Kiki DeWynter, who control Steelport's sex and weapons trade.

The Deckers - a cyber punk gang of professional, elite hackers that uses Tron-like clothing, vehicles and weapons who launder money for the Syndicate.

The Luchadores - a group of heavily armed Mexican wrestlers ran by their leader, Killbane.

Once again, like in the previous Saints Row games, in Saints Row: The Third, you play as the leader of the Saints in this action-adventure, open world, urban warfare in this critically acclaimed series whom you can customize with all new wacky details such as green, gold, and shiny skins! You must acquire respect in order to take on the missions which lay ahead by completing mini-games and all new activities. This time, respect earned can also be spent on new skills and upgrades for your weapons!

Buy Saints Row: The Third HERE

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Engaging and Educating iPhone Games for Toddlers

They are tender like wet cement. And you as a parent can make any impression at this stage. The toddlers, by nature, like to play games and indulge in activities that keep them fascinated. Why not use this character to make them educated, alert and well-mannered? iPhone games can really help you in this way. They have high graphics and stunning sound ideal to engage toddlers and cleverly fulfill your wish.

The iPhone game developers are smart as they make games that not only entertain kids but also help grooming them. Let's look at some of the best genres you can download on your smartphone and can make your child smarter!

Educating Games
iPhone games for education is quite a popular genre. The toddlers can learn basic math such as identifying the number of objects, single digit addition and subtraction and so on. Education game application on iPhone is not just restricted to mathematics as game apps for learning English language, Science and Environment studies are also available and popular.

Manner Teaching Games
I had come across few apps on iPhone that teach toddlers about day-to-day manners. Right from getting up from the bed, and brushing the teeth, the toddler is asked to arrange the routine tasks in the game. Such apps typically help kids learning how to behave well and learn good things.

Mind Sharpening Games
This is one of the favorite genres among parents. The parents certainly want their kids to be sharp and skilled. Mind sharpening games include puzzles and practical problem solving. They enjoy this type of game as solving the problems successfully help them developing self-confidence.

Alerting Games
iPhone game developers also build games that require toddlers to be alert all time. As in picking up a popping egg from many holes or saving the car from suddenly coming objects, the kids develop a real eye-to-hand coordination. Experts do believe that such cognition helps them becoming alert in real world as well. The gesture based iPhone game applications truly help kids developing good coordination between the senses.

Musical Games
This genre of game for iPhone is probably for those who are wonder kids and born artists! Such games have piano, violin, guitar or any such musical instrument that the kids can play and learn musical notes. As they tap the keys, musical sound is produced that amaze them. In fact, parents can assist their babies and make them play musical games on iPhone. Babies like it more because such sound attracts them.

Gesture Based Games
This new genre of iPhone games has created a boom among the toddlers. The simple reason is 'motion'. Kids and toddlers love to move and with these games, they even get entertained. Many sports and alerting games for iPhone are based on gestures. For instance, driving a train that moves on a railway track that has ups and downs, straights and rounds. The challenge for toddler is to keep the train on the track and not let it derail. They have to move or rotate the iPhone according to the tracks and the tracks that does not remain straight.

With these and many other genres, iPhone app games for the little ones are really good. All you have to do is choose the right ones and download them on your smartphone.

You can find iPhone games for toddlers on the internet. If you are very specific, you can hire iPhone game developer from offshore iOS apps development company and can have it according to your need. You can think of some innovative iPhone game for your kid and contact programmer for developing it exclusively for you.

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Learn More About Online Jigsaw Puzzles

Just as so many other things have shifted into the online universe, jigsaw puzzles now have as well. You won't believe how amazing these online games and puzzles can be once you begin seeing them for yourself. Basically, the way it works is that you can select any puzzle you want, and there are thousands of different options out there across all sorts of topics and categories. Then, within your internet browser, the puzzle will pop up onto your screen. By clicking on a piece with your mouse, you can then drag pieces around and start completing the puzzle.

So that's great and easy, but online puzzles can do even more, including things that traditional puzzles never could. For example, when you are underway with your puzzle, you can select your difficulty in terms of the size and number of pieces. Just want to spend a few minutes completing something easy? That's fine, or you can select very small pieces in the hundreds or thousands for a time-intensive project. You can instantly change this, providing yourself with an endless variation for activity.

Not only that, but you can also create the pieces into unique shapes such as triangles or flat-sided squares for more fun and a greater challenge. That's something you could never do with a traditional puzzle, of course! You'll also be able to shuffle the pieces around on the screen to give yourself a fresh perspective, and all sorts of fun and interactive ways to use the puzzle system.

Clearly, jigsaw puzzles from online sites and directories are a great way to go. Even better, many of the sites and services which offer these online jigsaws do so absolutely free of charge. That means you can gain access to an unlimited selection of puzzles without paying a dime. Imagine all the money you can save by never having to buy a puzzle again! Not to mention that you won't need to worry about losing or damaging the pieces, or not having the physical space in your home to put the puzzle as you're working on it.

If you're a fan of puzzles, then it's time that you begin checking out jigsaws which are available online. The options are endless, and the price can't be better. From there, you'll see how convenient and fun they are, with unique and innovative new ways to enjoy your puzzles and be interactive in how you complete them.

Philippe is an internet entrepreneur who specializes in developing free online jigsaw puzzles. For more information about his jigsaws check out his newest update about city jigsaws.

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Yu-Gi-Oh Battle Pack: Epic Dawn

Yu-Gi-Oh has long been a game of "cookie cutter" decks based around powerful archetypes, only really altering with the changes in the meta-game as new sets are released. It is very true that certain archetypes simply overpower a wide majority of others, and match-ups between the Top 8 "cookie cutters" versus the more creative brews tend to be very poor for the latter category. Well, Konami has decided, correctly, to switch things up and level the playing field with the new Battle Pack, and hopefully the first of many, Epic Dawn.

Like the Mega Packs before it, the Battle Pack is a reprint set, with cards dating back quite a few years. Unlike the Legendary Collection 2's Mega Packs or the more widely distributed Ra Yellow Mega Packs, however, Epic Dawn goes back to the very beginning of Yu-Gi-Oh. As you might imagine, this makes for a very large and varied set, and that it does. While having Airknight Parshath in the same pack as an XYZ monster like Utopia is a little strange, when you look at how the set is constructed, it all comes together.

The Battle Pack is specifically designed to be a product that allows you to go out with your friends, buy a few packs and instantly make a deck from those cards. This is pretty awesome when you consider just how good the cards in these packs really are. Yes, there are a lot of "old school" cards that don't seem all that relevant anymore, but man, how long has it been since you've seen a Slate Warrior? With only 5 cards in a pack, yes, you'll have to buy quite a few packs, but considering they'll be selling for about the same price as a Duelist Pack (about $2) you can afford to buy a lot on a tight budget. Think of that, 50 cards, a little more than a basic Yu-Gi-Oh deck, for about $20. That's better than buying a starter deck, really, when you then see the set list.

Understandably, to make it appealing for a competitive limited format there are a lot of interesting cards, as well as very powerful cards. Tour Guide from the Underworld (one of the most popular monster cards in the history of the game) and Fiendish Chain are now very readily available for you to use in your Battle Pack deck, not to mention, you can then use them in your actual Constructed Yu-Gi-Oh deck. Even more fascinating is the inclusion of cards long banned from competitive play, such as Raigeki and Harpie's Feather Duster. These cards are now playable in the Limited Battle Pack tournament format, since they're going to be fairly common (even as rares in the pack) so you can be sure that you'll see more than a couple during any given tournament.

What's great about this set though is the fact you don't even need to go to tournaments to have a lot of fun. You can just keep buying packs until you build a really good and powerful deck, one that you could actually take to a very competitive Constructed Tournament and win more than a few games with.

How does this affect the secondary market for cards like Tour Guide? To be honest, it's the starfoil card in every pack that will make this set so highly sought after. Like the Hobby League parallels and Duel Terminal foil cards before them, the starfoils can be any card in the entire set (either common or rare). Since every pack has one, you could potentially have a very valuable collection of starfoil cards very quickly, especially if you're getting Pot of Duality, Forbidden Lance or Tour Guide on a regular basis in that slot. Yes, you'll see a huge drop in card prices, but the only ones that are really going to be affected severely is Tour Guide (goodbye $100 price tag) and Fiendish Chain (no longer $50). The inclusion of the starfoils in such a huge set is going to make individual starfoils highly sought after, and therefore, they will have pretty high value on the secondary market.

Yu-Gi-Oh players can't wait for the Battle Pack tournaments to start. There will be some pretty good prize cards for winners, apparently, and not only that, you'll be able to take home some pretty good cards just from the packs you played with to soup up your own personal deck to help take it over the top to win you that tournament that you could never seem to top simply because you couldn't afford Fiendish Chains and Tour Guides. Thank you, Konami.

If you're looking for more information on recent and upcoming card game releases, you'll want to check out Exceed Summon (http://exceedsummon.wordpress.com/) for Yu-Gi-Oh and Win Target Game (http://wintargetgame.com/) for Magic the Gathering.

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Starcraft 2 Terran Strategy

Okay, so you've started to do your macro drill but... you've notice it's difficult to keep it going! It's hard to keep clicking around the screen and multitask. Here's another secret to pro's APM and also how they can do so much at once! This next aspect is essential to Starcraft 2 Terran strategy. And in terms of your APM in Starcraft, it will drastically increase it.

It's hotkeys.

Probably not the hotkeys that you're thinking about. You see, there are hotkeys that allow you to build units without clicking on them (like pressing 'S' for SCV or pressing 'M' for marine), but there are another kind of hotkey. These hotkeys are most frequently used for 'control groups'.

A lot of players use these to control their units. What you do is select a group of units you want to hotkey. Then, while they're selected, press on ctl+(a number). So you could press ctl+1 and now every time you press one it will bring you to the units that you've hot keyed! Pretty cool huh? But this is more related to micro, what we're talking about right now is macro strategies for Terran.

Okay, so in order to get this to improve your macro I will give you a system that a pro player gave me a long time ago that I still use to this day. Of course, you can edit this system to one that you find more efficient, this is just to get you started. However, from all the systems that I've used I still find this one to bet the best.

So... without further ado... this is how it works:

5 = your beginning command center
6 and up = your barracks
5 and under = your expansions

You start out with one command center and two barracks. Now, the trick is to keep checking your barracks to make sure that they are building! So keep pressing 5,6,7 over and over and checking to see how close your men are to being finished. Preferably, you should build your men at the last possible second in order to have minerals to build other things (like supply depots and/or additional command centers).

So, when you build your second expansion now you have 4,5,6,7,8 to look after. And you're going to constantly be pressing 4s5s6m7m8m9m in order to build SCVs and marines.

Now, this is of course for the macro drill. As you become more advances you will probably group buildings together (i.e. have all your barracks hot keyed into one group, like 6, and all your factories in 7, etc.). You have to, ultimately, find a system that works for you. But, for now to get your timing right and to learn to macro properly you should keep all your barracks separate and all your command centers separate. You'll see, this will make macroing a lot easier once you get the hang of it.

Maybe now you can understand why pros have such high APM. It's because they are constantly pressing all those numbers to check their buildings/unit groups while simultaneously clicking all over with their mouse. When you combine these two things your APM will skyrocket. Furthermore, the better you get at multitasking the better your macro and micro will be able to combine and the more efficient player you will be.

This is also how pros macro and micro at the same time. They can simultaneously attack and keep all their units building. So, while their less experienced adversary is constantly checking his base to build more units or focusing on the battle and not building, the pro is gaining. Someone who does not use hotkeys must sacrifice properly managing their units or properly managing their production.

You no longer have that problem if you master this hotkey technique! I'm not saying it's easy to do both, but with practice it will become natural and you will be a far superior player.

The next important thing after you've learned to macro properly with hotkeys and constant production is micro and strategy.

check out the latest and best Starcraft 2 Terran Strategies!

http://www.estarcraft2terranstrategy.com/

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How to Customize Your Bingo Chips

You have been to different casinos for many times. But have you ever paid attention to the chips? Actually, there are different kinds of chips in different casinos, even on different tables. They are in different colors, sizes, materials, functions and so on. If I ask you a question what your favourite chips are, you may feel a little puzzled.

In many countries, different colours have different meanings. For example, Chinese people like red because red stands for good luck and victory. But western people hate red because red seems a little fierce. Therefore, when you are in a casino and are likely to bet, it is important for you to choose the right colour of chips. Perhaps your favourite colour chips can not help you win according to science. But mentally, your favourite colour can make you happy and released while you are betting. It really can help you do better in gambling.

What's more, there are different shapes of chips. Do you like the round one best? Or the oblong one? Even the triangle one? Most people feel that heavy chips stand for expensive chips. Actually, many manufacturers are more likely to design different kinds of chips due to different denimination because there is psychological hint for gambling people.

Now please pay attention to three kinds of chips, they are poker chips, casino chips and ceramic chips. What are the similarity and difference of them?

Poker chips are the least formal one. It is made of the cheapest materials. Many mini clubs or family parties will use this kind of chips. It can be made of plastics or other low-cost materials. They are designed into casual style and printed on casual pictures. They will make people feel released and less nervous while taking them.

Casino chips are the more normal ones. They mostly are used in casinos. They can be made of different materials such as plastic, ceramic, glasses and so on. They are always designed into formal shapes. Round ones stand for lower denimination while the oblong ones stand for higher denimination. Casino chips must be luxury and noble so as to make gambling people have belief in their ability to win.

The last one is ceramic chips. It is a kind of special chip. Ceramic is a special form of china. It is harder than china. But what different from ordinary china is, it is not fragile. Because it is heated longer than china. Therefore it is not only used to make chips, sometimes it is used to make cups, coasters or even phone cases.

Now you have basic understanding of these three kinds of poker chips. You may feel interested in one of them. It is hoped that these three kinds of chips will bring good luck to their owners or users.

Different kinds of chips can have different magic to help their users to win.

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