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There are a staggering amount of choices and options for anyone who wants to play games online for free. From brainless sidescrollers to immersive console experiences, nongamers and lifelong players alike can find something to love.

Casual Online Games

The internet is awash in free, simple, time-killing games. From classic solitaire and brick-breaking games to Mario clones and small-scale shooters, there are free online games to suit any taste. Most are designed to fill a few minutes of downtime with mindless fun. A few, like Bejeweled and Asteroids clones, are so addictive you may find yourself playing them for more than just a few moments here and there.

A simple Google search for “play online games for free” will bring back more pages than you could ever need.

Hardcore Online Games

While the vast majority of free online games are quick and simple, a handful have the depth of a console game. Perhaps the best example is the internet phenomenon Runescape, a fantasy role-playing game in the same vein of World of Warcraft. Although free games cannot compete with the graphics and features of subscription-based games, Runescape and games like it offer a surprisingly deep gaming experience. Players can sink months into its complex leveling system and dozens of quests.

Social Networking Website Games

Both MySpace and Facebook, the leading social networking sites on the web, allow you to play online games for free. These games are usually less complex than their console counterparts. Most can be played indefinitely; rather than progressing level by level, players are faced with daily challenges. The popular Facebook application FarmVille, for example, tasks players with caring for their own farm and constantly generates new events to keep players interested.

Most of these social networking games allow players to post updates on their progress into their “feed,” an excellent feature for encouraging friendly competition.

PlayStation 3 and Wii Games

Although you’ll have to pay for the game disc itself, online play for the Wii and PlayStation 3 is completely free. The Xbox 360, on the other hand, charges a fee for access to its online Xbox Live service.

The two consoles are radically different in how they approach online play. The Wii’s online catalogue stays consistent with the console’s mission to make gaming accessible for nongamers. Most of the Wii’s online games tend towards casual, friendly competition rather than hardcore match-ups. The PlayStation 3 is the console of choice for the hardcore crowd who want to play games online for free.

The nonexistent price tag for playing Wii and PlayStation 3 online comes with a few drawbacks. Quite often players will find their games riddled with glitches or time lag. The PS3 and Wii networks lack the ease of use and connectivity features of Xbox Live, and they are much more susceptible to manipulation by cheaters and crooks. Sony and Nintendo are much slower than Microsoft to update and improve their online infrastructure. Still, there’s no cheaper console alternative for anyone who wants to play games online for free.

With the advent of the Internet, online games have become one of the most sought after features surfed by one and all. It is a virtual world of sports out there for all age groups to mingle. Games galore once you log on to the Internet and one is flooded with options to choose from. The conventional sports like cricket, football, hockey, basket ball, base ball, tennis, etc. were originally introduced to be played online among peers, which have been now left far behind.

There are all sorts of games introduced every passing day. Online games have now become more interactive and so much goes into actually playing a game. The unprecedented craze about the games online could not be a gimmick looking at the quantum of zeal of the gaming fraternity. A look into the Diasporas of loyalists reveals how engrossed people are into the games. People are entwined and bonded together through online games.

Games played online could be free or they may be paid depending on the type chosen by the gamers. These games could be very enriching in terms of knowledge and content. There are puzzles for the children which in turn can be a big boost for developing their reasoning and analytical skills. Some games are so highly enabled with features that it can even be very perplexed for an adult. It provokes your thought process and cajoles you into lateral thinking.

Types or categories of games online: Games could be of the adventurous types, they could be action oriented, board games, online casinos, etc., and then there are also games for the more elite like the customized ones, driving, fighting, shooting, etc.

All one has to do is login and delve into the virtual world of an online game. Easy accessibility from anywhere in the world and playing with someone sitting in the other end of the world is the most enduring feature of games played online. Right from the most holistic and simple games to the most high impact online casino games where a lot of money could be involved; you can find thousands of games in the web world.

The most intriguing fact is that it is at par with the real world of sports, with every replica of a game for its corresponding sport. Likewise it has world championships and world cups for every sport. The most fascinating are the winter Olympic Games which are a rage with online game enthusiasts. People are so involved in these games that they take it for real which is even more precipitated by the online rating system. They become fiercely competitive while involved in games. An online game can take one into a different realm that can hallucinate and play as if it is the real sport. The stage has been set for online gamers to enjoy their favorite sport with gusto.

Apart from being a leisure activity and emancipation from the mundane daily chores, online games have all their virtues to contribute for the participants. Most importantly, it can develop concentration, induce competitiveness in children, and can develop a good approach in doing things in real life.