As a kid I used to play a lot of card games, most of the time I played a game we called “jokeren” and I was pretty good at it.

A few weeks ago I came upon a site where you can play card games called Rummy, and I was very pleasantly surprised when I found out that one of the games you could play at that site, Kalooki, a form of rummy, was almost exactly the game I used to play as a kid.
I joined the site, played some games for free, and after a few days I found out I was still pretty good at it. Of course you need a bit of luck as well, if you get terrible cards you will lose, but after I played a good few games for free, I decided to play for real money.

I do not regret this decision; I have played a lot of Kalooki games, I have lost a lot of them, but I have won more then I lost, so in the end I did win some money. What is even more important, I just love to play this game again.

One of the reasons I do win more games then I lose is, at least that is what I think, experience. As I said before, I did play this game a lot when I was a kid, and that must be an advantage. The game is not very difficult, but still you must make the right decision every time it is your turn, and you must do it quick. There is a certain amount of time you have for every move, I think it is one minute; else you lose your turn.  Read more... (506 words, 1 image, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

How often do you find yourself stuck in the house on them cold winter days, suffering from the winter blues? I bet you said quite often, if you did then your answer is like that of most people during the winter months. The winter blues can be everything from just a general lack of energy or desire, to full blown depression. One of the major culprits that cause the winter blues is folks often find themselves stuck inside on the them cold winter days with nothing to do, one way to cure this is by playing board games.

Board games have been around for years, in fact ancient ones have been found that date back to a few thousands years before Christ’s birth, so maybe even folks back then played them to help fight the winter blues. Board games are fun, and there are versions that can be played by children or adults of any age. When I was a child I remember playing Candyland, it was simple but yet very fun to play. As I grew older my friends and I played Scrabble, Twister, LIFE, Monopoly, Clue, Battleship and many others.  Read more... (443 words, 1 image, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

Have you ever had to make excuses for playing video games? Certainly when I was younger I had to give all kinds of reasons for wanting new games, or to carry on playing rather than doing something else such as the fabled “tidying of thy room.”

I’ll bet anyone reading this has been in the same situation and felt the need to explain themselves. When you get older this becomes a game in itself. You start thinking: what kind of excuse can I give now I’m twice the age of the target market for this game?

10: Because if I don’t the [insert bad guys here] will conquer the [insert here kingdom/planet/universe] and I’ll never rescue [insert damsel in distress here] which would be really bad!

I’ve found that if you get into even more detail than this it’s even more effective! Girlfriends and wives get exasperated with too much gaming detail and if you’re lucky you’ll get the “Yeah, whatever – just go play!” response. You may also get the “Yeah whatever, go do the dishes anyway!” response but it’s worth a shot I always think.

In some ways it was easier when I was younger. Older games, being less sophisticated and without quick disc access made it easier to give valid excuses to carry on playing! Even if for just a bit longer. The most obvious being:

9. I can’t save here! I have to get to a save point!  Read more... (1543 words, 1 image, estimated 6:10 mins reading time)

You’d get to use the very latest techniques available – and in computer game development, as in other areas of computer animation and design, new ideas and techniques are becoming available all the time. When Andrew Adamson directed the 2005 movie of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, he said he was using techniques simply not available just a few years before. The same is true of computer game design. Every year, games are more realistic, more innovative, more gripping to play.

You might love to play computer games but never imagined you could design them. After all, playing games takes no special skills, but developing them surely takes many skills and lots of know-how, right? True; but you can acquire those skills through distance learning.

With distance learning, you can take game courses from the comfort of your own home. That’s a lot easier, and a lot cheaper, than attending a college to study computer game development.

It’s also likely to be more use to you. Because it is such a fast-moving industry, conventional college courses can be at a real disadvantage. They can be effectively out of date before they’ve even been introduced to the syllabus. A home-based study, on the other hand, can be updated far more easily, keeping you abreast of developments as they happen.  Read more... (381 words, estimated 1:31 mins reading time)

If you’re not too impressed with the latest offering of sub par programming that is on the television these days you might want to consider free card game download from one of the online casinos found on the web today. To download these card games is a very simple process and requires just a quick visit to a reputable online casino.

Playing cards have been around for a very long time, and they are great for people who like competition, especially those who enjoy playing the more popular games like blackjack and poker. There are also organizations for every type of card game imaginable, and you might want to check out generic playing card clubs if you are interested in a wide variety of card games. Playing cards online at internet casinos has recently become a very popular past time with many and in most casinos, players can join tournaments or interact with others in competition.

The online casinos offer a free card game download and the option to play for fun or if you like a challenge with a chance to win a jackpot you can play for real money.  Another option both online and in many communities is the playing card club.  The card games that card clubs offer range from typical, for fun games such as bridge, crib, and hearts to more trendy wagering games like blackjack and poker. Poker in particular has seen a massive increase in popularity over the last five years, a popularity that seems to have crossed to all age groups, from college students right up to seniors. Being a member in a playing card club will not only mean that you can find other players interested in participating in games with you, but also that you have an organization that can keep you abreast of any major tournaments or games in your area.  Read more... (747 words, 3 images, estimated 2:59 mins reading time)