Some people wonder if there are any benefits for a hobby such as playing online games. Of course, to spend countless hours of senseless games is just a waste of time. However, not all games are created equal. There are literally thousands and thousands of games on the Internet. And all of them differ in some way or other. To reap the true benefits of playing games, perhaps the wisest route to take is to choose games that will help stimulate your brain.

We are referring to thinking games such as puzzles or highly strategic games. These games present a challenge to the gamer and force them to think. They have to come up with a solution or a strategy to overcome the obstacles that are presented to them. Therefore, throughout the game, the brain remains active. This is good exercise for the mind. Here is a quick example.

On the Internet, you can easily find a game by the name of Phage Wars. This is a free game that is gaining popularity very quickly. The concept is simple - you are a parasite, and your job is to infect all forms of cellular life. The goals is to overtake all other parasites, and become the dominant species. This is a rather funny but interesting concept, and the game has attracted thousands of players from all over the world.

You start the game by choosing from 8 types of parasites. Each type of parasite has different levels of speed, strength and agility. When in the game, each cell displays a number in its middle. The higher the number, the more difficult it is to infect the cell. The different strains of cells are shown in different colors. Smaller cells can gang up to attack another cell. You can combine up to 8 cells in a single attack. Obviously, when you do that, there is a much greater chance of success. When you have successfully infected all the cells, you become the dominant species, and you have reached your ultimately goal. On screen, it shows that all the cells have become one color. And the game will also congratulate you by displaying the texts "Dominate Species" across the screen.

This game can take hours to complete, so you may wish to pause it if you need to. You can do so by pressing the space bar. To unpause the game, simply press the space bar again, and you can continue your cell domination war.

You can play the game online (require Flash 10) without having to download anything. All you need is your computer, your browser, and an internet connection. The game can be found on many Flash gaming sites. Some sites even offer a chat application by the side of the game. If you need some help, you can always ask for help in the chat room. You may be surprised to find dozens of other players playing the same game as you at the same time!