Free Computer Games

Is it true? Is there really no such thing as a free lunch? Well, buddy, not in video games.

Why?

Games are like movies. They’re a powerful pop cultural medium. Everyone wants to make movies. Everyone wants to make games. Some people make movies with no funding, no buyers, and no realistic hope of distribution. They do it because they love movies and they’re passionate about their project. Same goes for games.

How Do They Survive?

So many games, so little time. Have you ever found yourself saying that? Many others are in the same situation. And when you have too much supply and not enough demand, the price of less-desirable product goes way, way, way down.

In the case of Cheap Computer Games, sometimes it hits ground zero.

Many makers of free computer games will never turn a profit. Others ask for donations, or hope that you’ll upgrade to better version or newer products. Even more free computer games are paid for by companies who want to win your loyalty and promote a product or service.

Where Do You Find Them?

Everywhere, and they’re not terribly difficult to locate. Some video games are even given away as freebies in boxes of breakfast cereal. Sure, they’re never particularly current, and they can be crappy, but you get what you pay for. Since old games lose their value so rapidly, sometimes you’ll get a fairly decent older game for nothing.

If you just have to be playing the latest game, try going to the publisher’s website and looking for a demo. Demos are short tasters of the full product, constructed by the developer to help you decide how to spend your hard-earned ducats. They’re completely free, and some of them will give you enough of a fix that you don’t even need to spend your time and money on the full thing. However, if you’re passionate about your games, you may find that demos can compel you to spend more than you’d planned!

Another great source for free games is shareware and freeware sites like Tucows and Shareware.com. Just search for games and look for free games. Shareware games will ask for donations or will force you to pay before you can play. Freeware games are just that – games that are made entirely for your enjoyment and perhaps an email of thanks to the maker.

Id Software is particularly generous with its games. If you’re technically-minded, you can go here and download the full source code for many of their games – even some relatively recent ones. Then you can toy with the code – or just compile it and enjoy it, free of charge.

Notable Free Games

Occasionally full versions of good games will be released to the public for one reason or another. America’s Army is one such example – search for it on the web and you’ll see that this product, sponsored by the U.S. Army, is a bit of a recruiting tool, but is also a popular shooter.

The impressive Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, a legitimate multiplayer first-person shooter, also was released on the internet for no cost due to a mix-up with the publisher. And the classic role-playing game Betrayal at Krondor can now be downloaded for free thanks to the generosity of publisher Sierra. The game’s not pretty by today’s standards, but the story and the challenges still enthrall.

Lastly, it’s important not to ignore communities of low-budget gamemakers who cluster around sturdy older technologies. Two such examples are the text adventure builders and the makers of Lucasarts/Sierra-style adventure games such as those created in Adventure Game Studio. There’s a lot of quality homebrew gaming out in these parts.

No-Budget Gamers Can Be Entertained Too

Not quite the bleak picture you might have been expecting, is it? Pipin’ hot free gaming really does exist. Download and enjoy.
[tag]free,games,computer[/tag]