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Geeks are game
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Arm-chair sport takes on a new meaning as more net-savvy players get hooked to cyber games. G. ARUN KUMAR on the trend
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HIGH FIREPOWER, super arsenal and top-notch speed. With the armoury, he takes on the worst of the enemies with considerable ease. Even the dreaded Osama has to wilt!
"It's a fight to the finish," shrieks Rukesh, an MCA student, as he plays the Osama game on his console. Welcome to the world of cyber games of missiles, monsters, motorcars, and star war galaxies.
"Pulverising the enemy sitting in the comforts of the bedroom... it gives me a high," says Rukesh. Forget the age barrier, cyber gaming is on in cyber city at full throttle. It's fast emerging as lucrative entertainment too.
Gaming die-hards spend eight to nine hours a day playing online games and downloaded games on the PC. "What attracts me to the games is that I identify myself with the character. It's more than a film experience," avers Rajender, a private company executive.
It is not as if only the 16-25 age group is having a ball, even the 40-something crowd is game for the games. Cyber games' graphics are vivid and they provide a real life experience, R. Atreya, Team Leader, Ivycomptech, says.
About three months ago nine participants made it to the third World Cyber Games - the Olympics of the computer games arena at Seoul, South Korea.
Selected from thousands in prelimnary rounds, these youngsters hailed from Mumbai, Pune, Kakinada and Chennai.
For long restricted to Solitaire (a computer card game), Supermario, Prince of Persia (12 levels), Dave, Tetris (children's games), Minesweeper, Gobman, Advance Cricket, Need for Speed et al, geeks now have a range of games to indulge in. The Hulk is the latest to hit the ever-expanding geek market.
Providing fast-paced and non-stop action, one type lets you play as the Hulk, the other as his alter ego, Bruce Banner.
The Hulk levels are mindless smashing fun. You have to smash everything that gets in your way, reveals Rukesh. The fact that the player builds strategies and outwits the enemy is a high feeling in itself.
Beat'em Up series remains hugely popular among boys, girls and adults. Tekken has pitch-forked its way to the top of the pile. It's sheer martial artistry. Jumps, spins, kicks, punches, jolts and jerks. WarCraftIII:
The Frozen Throne game's audio and sound are great. "The best thing about it is it lets the player see which new evil is creeping into the world," the sprightly 60-plus Amarnath smiles. More often than not, the geek feels a part of him in the character.
Suresh of Anand Computech says despite competition from the likes of Hulk, The Sims has become one of the successful games. The Sims uses a combination of 3D and 2D graphics, which is appealing to the eye. In Tomb Raider series, `The Angel of Darkness' takes the cake.
The game has some real cool lighting effects and the character animations are excellent. "You will love Lara's strength and her ability to jump, engage in hand-to-hand combat and move around in stealth mode," Julien, the spin-doctor, avows. Apart from DJing, Julien's pastime is jamming it with cyber games.
Games like Populous (a game where you are a God and grow powerful as people worship you) and Civilisation (where you advance people from cavemen times to setting up colonies in space), which came in the early Nineties, have many takers. "There are so many possibilities in the games that they keep me tickling. There is a lot of unpredictability," Kapilesh, Area Business Manager, Glaxo, explains. Kapilesh, who has been into games from his teen days, however, says newness wears off if there aren't many levels. His five-year-old son is already into gaming.
"There are some good online games at funschool.com which are educative and informative for kids," Kapilesh comments.
Though card games like Poker, Backred, Keeno have huge gaming bases in the United States, it may take another three years to find a base here, geeks observe. Casino games are a big hit in America, but they are not available here as legal and ethical issues are involved, avers Atreya.
There are financial games on money matters and stocks. If real-time strategy games like Command and Age of Mythology are a hit among 21-35 year age group, teens go crazy on first person shooters like Quake III and FIFA.
Though Sony Play Station games, similar to Microsoft games, are expensive, they give a virtual feel. "When you start playing you get hooked onto the games and there is no looking back," Kailash, MBA student at ICFAI, says.
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