The last few years we have seen more people game as a hobby than anything else of all ages and both genders for these gamers. It is almost like this new mark has slashed into our history books and will be noted down the line for many to come. There are those who play games only on consoles. Things like The Magnavox Odyssey; when it first came out paved the way for others to follow this first generation of video gaming systems. Now we are in the seventh generation of consoles out there with Xbox 360, Playstation 3 & the Nintendo WII.



The gaming world is so vast it is almost hard to put into a snippet of times. Those consoles are just a small piece of this large world that we know as gaming. We also have RPG (Role Play Games) like Dungeons & Dragons that allow one to play in freeform, live action or back to the consoles with the use of electronic gaming systems.

There are many variations of table top games/board games (again D & D comes to mind for many); just like any other game that one might play in their spare time. One of the largest to come into play has been burst the MMORPG games that are still springing up all over the world and have since the early 90's. Games like World of Warcraft, Warhammer, Ultima Online, Age of Conan and Final Fantasy are just a few of the long list when it comes to the popular MMORPG's.

Most gamers all love a couple of key points about their game of choice: The story behind it, the interaction with other players and the freedom of being in "another world".

How much of this in any fashions is only played in the spare time of the gamer though? Many people dedicate specific days/weeks/months only for their game time. Some adults will work fulltime and in their spare hours only game when they can, families will have a game night or a gaming weekend, friends will have land parties (for those who play PC games only).

It seems in this day and age, anyone can be a gamer. So is one gamer better than another? Not necessarily. Anyone can enjoy playing games. You could be a video gamer, a table gamer or the mix between both if you so enjoy it. Some are casual and only play part of the time; some are hardcore and play as much as they can. You could be retro and enjoy collecting and playing older games, a pro and maybe do this for a living but everyone starts out as a newbie (noob for short).

You have found a game and think you want to keep going with it? Does this game have a clan system or a guild so that you can play alongside others or are you going to solo it? There are so many games to choose from why stop at just a couple? Get a collection going and swap it up a little. Remember, happy gamers are always enjoying their time spent. Those who play too hard, too long and get burnt out are those who end up thinking of it as a job, not a hobby. Happy gaming!