First I'll give you the obligatory happy New Years. So thoughtful, I know.
Here is a series I am doing on various things in video games and video gaming. I originally thought on just gaming in general including such things such as board games, but that's a whole topic on it's own. So here we are with "Gamers Paradise."
Trying to research the history of flash games and flash gaming, it's hard to find much on the history of flash gaming. But I have found a couple of sources. It's not necessarily what I was looking in terms of the type of sites they are, but it's a start.
From what I'm reading, flash gaming got it's start way back in 1995. It started with a company known as Macromedia. In 1996, the company started using their software on websites. The purpose was to give websites animation and interactive aspects. The software producers recognized his usefulness and improved its functionality in a variety of ways. Macromedia started creating web based games. This turned out to be a popular way for casual gamers to game. It brought a new face to casual gaming. The original games were simple, free, and child-friendly. Although, tons of flash games are still free.
As time went on, the games evolved. Other flash game producers started popping up. They would not just create original games, but they developed flash version of classic console games like "Super Mario," "Sonic the Hedgehog," "Asteroids," and many others. Even early mobile phone classics such as "Snake" made it's way onto the web and has become a popular game. The landscape of flash gaming is always changing and evolving.
Getting a sort of history out of the way, I have always liked flash gaming. It is a great way to pass the time. But that is only one thing, I like about it. Comparing flash gaming from when I first played them to now, they are constantly evolving. There are some really good games! I'm not just saying that. The flash gaming fans are saying this. This one day, my friend Mark and I spent a day playing flash games. We were on Skype while playing them. Some of the games we were playing are really good. Some of them were not as good of course. But here are some great games that I've found that I recommend you try.
1. Deep Sleep
2. Deeper Sleep
3. A Small Talk at the Back of Beyond
4. The Last Door: Prologue
5. The Last Door - Chapter 1: The Letter
6. The Last Door - Chapter 2: Memories
7. Reincarnation Series
8. Musaic Box
9. Gold Miner
Those are just a handful of games I've enjoyed. You can find tons of other games that you may like. All you have to do search for sites and find what sites you enjoy because flash gaming is over saturated with sites that host games. Here are some reasons why you should look into flash gaming and flash games.
1. Storylines - Great storylines in a number of games. The developers took the time to write a great storyline. If the first six games had a shit storyline, than it wouldn't be worth playing because their is nothing backing the rest of the game. A good storyline is key in certain types of games to get a person hooked.
2. Graphics/Animation - There are a variety of graphics that are used in flash games. "The Last Door" series has pixel style graphics. You might think that's stupid. But it works well for that series. Other games has different style of animation or graphics. They work well for those games. So don't dismiss a game because of the graphics. Yes graphics have evolved in video gaming in general, but give a game a chance. Don't judge a book by its cover. Or in this case, don't judge a game by the graphics/animation.
3. Music/Sounds - Some flash games may not have the most up-to-date sounds and or music in them. But that's part of what makes them great. The midi sound is nostalgic. Sure it's good to have to sounds and music that is more modern in gaming, but flash games don't have to fit into that mold. That is what is makes them great.
As stated above, there are lots of sites that you can play flash games on. Hell, even some social media sites have games that you can play. But one of my favourite sites is Kongregate.com. It has a ton of flash games. But the beauty is that you can earn badges which give you points that help you in leveling up. It's a site that I've been on for a number of years and you can a lot of time playing games with and without badges. That is one site I highly recommend.
Another I have known about and played on at various times is FreeArcade.com. It has tons of games that are both single player and multiplayer. It has a great selection for you browse. They are always adding new games.
Other sites include MiniClip.com. It has been a popular site for sometime with a lot of popular games. NewGrounds.com is a site that was at the forefront of flash gaming. It was created in 1995 and has put some popular games of their own.
Tom Fulp, founder of NewGrounds.com, created a wildly popular flash game Alien Hominid. Since it's initial release, it has been released on various consoles and handheld gaming devices between 2004-2007. This proves that popular flash games can become a popular title outside of the flash game realm.
Flash games are great way to do something different in gaming. It might not be a popular way to game with everyone and it doesn't always get the same respect as console, handheld, or computer gaming. My friend Mark says he'll try any game even if it's flash gaming. I'm into a variety of different styles of gaming and flash gaming is one of them. I find it enjoyable and great way to find a good series of games. What I'm waiting for is part three of the "Last Door" series and I know it's not been announced, but I would love "Deepest Sleep."
Give flash gaming a try. You might find you like it as much or even more than I do.
