The Amazing Growth of Online Skill Games Life used to be so simple, didn't it? If you wanted to speak to someone, you'd pick up the phone (or even go visit them); if you wanted shopping, you'd wander downtown and make your purchase' and if you wanted to play poker or roulette, you'd go down to your local casino. How things change.
Although still simple, instead of the phone you have online instant messaging with Yahoo, or AOL; instead of going to the supermarket, you do your shopping online and the supermarket comes to you; and instead of going to the casino, you play poker, roulette and many other skill games online.
And it's this growth in online skill games, where money exchanges hands just like it would in "real life", that many experts believe is only just reaching the tip of its proverbial iceberg.
What Is An Online Skill Game? In its simplest terms, an online skill game is anything where you pit your wits against either another human user, or a sophisticated software program that takes the place of human opponents. Although there are skill games that are free, the ones that have seen the biggest explosion in popularity are the paying ones.
Popular online skill games include poker, roulette, virtual slot machines and similar, although there are other types. For instance, video gaming is now becoming just as popular as the more "traditional" online skill games, and there are even worldwide competitions where PC and console gamers can come together to battle each other at a number of pre-chosen games for cash prizes, which can be as much as $250,000!
Why Is It So Popular? Apart from the usual enjoyment that you'll get from playing a game you enjoy playing with your buddies on the occasional weekend, online poker is so huge for one simple reason - the amount of money it creates. ? Online skill games are growing four times faster than any other online subject ? The market is due to grow from being worth $5.2 billion today, to $13 billion by the year 2011 (or the equivalent of $412 per SECOND!).
With no signs of slowing down, and new companies joining in the fun for a slice of the extremely profitable pie that online skill games offers, you can see why the prizes are so enticing to get you on board in the first place.
Now where's my credit card?
Skill games online require you to pit your wits against other human beings or against a sophisticated software program that will replace the human user. Most of these games can be enjoyed for free but there are an ever increasing number of online gamers worldwide who choose to challenge one another for cash prizes.
The main difference between online skill games and more traditional gambling pastimes is that the outcome of a skill game is based on players' ability and performance, with any elements of luck either eliminated or greatly reduced. This is critical, in order to be legal and avoid falling under anti-gambling statutes.
So what are some of the different types of skill games that you can play?
You will find an incredible choice of games as you begin to delve through the multitude of skill gaming websites at your disposal.
The games are generally simple with just a few rules to learn, are often enjoyable and highly addictive. These games offer something to suit all tastes and include the following popular examples:
Board games like draughts and backgammon; Sports games like pool, golf and basketball; Puzzle games like jigsaws and word games; Arcade style games such as shooting games.
The skill games online arena is growing at a faster rate than any other web market today. In fact, this entertainment sector is actually growing four times faster than the rate of overall internet growth and experts predict the market to grow from $5.2 billion USD in 2007 to $13 billion by the year 2011.
This example will highlight just how much this industry sector has developed and how it now carries enormous mass market appeal. In June 2006, 7.6 million British people (28% of the UK online population) visited the online games sector, with the average visitor playing games for an hour and a half at a time.
The online skill games market has been identified as the next step in the evolution of entertainment online and people of all ages, from all over the world, are currently playing in their millions. Some of the larger game networks have hundreds of thousands of players playing these games at any one time.
With this industry growing at such a rapid rate, the choice of games and the quality of sites available has never been so good. So get on the internet today and lose yourself in hours of online fun.
Both Johny Rider & Gavin Evans are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.