by Tess Whitehurst

Created on: May 23, 2008

Ok, let's get to the fun stuff. Each gaming experience is as unique and diverse as the great minds that seek them. With the added social and occasional financial rewards, one would be silly not to explore the worldwide resources available. A simple google search for "free online games" returns nearly 25 million options. Even an advanced search for "Free online chess" in quotations returns over a million. So where to start? Oddly, the worst pitfall in running a little trial and error is finding yourself mindlessly popping colored balloons for hours until you "win, or get it out of your system". Come on, admit it you've done it too.

The best way to approach your personal game nirvana is to weed out the things you don't want.

1. Never download anything from a site you are not familiar with.

This means, start out with the big gaming sites from the names you know. Yahoo, Shockwave, MSN, AOL and even Google all have a wide variety of free games. Each also has a unique chat experience that is often categorized by age, interest or location and typically warns if the chat leans toward adult only conversation.

Your computer should warn you each time you download an .exe (executable) file/game, be cautious. These files can contain adware, spyware, trojans and viruses. You're always safe playing games that don't require any download.

You'll also possibly need to download the latest versions of Flash, Shockwave or Java to play some games. Most plug-in's greatly enhance your gaming experience and download speed, but again be cautious. Read the fine print, even well known sites like Google and Yahoo will slide an extra toolbar or taskbar icon in with your download. It's usually just a little box that needs to be UNCHECKED, as they've so graciously checked it for you.

2. Avoid giving away your email, phone or home address to potential spammers, junk mail and phone solicitors.

The simplest way to avoid unwanted spam is to simply open a second email account specifically for gaming/surfing/research etc. Ideally the gaming site offers "no login required", but eventually you may want to have your own account to keep up with friends, accrue points, or cash in on the jackpot you just won! Again, read all the way to the bottom before pushing the "submit info" button. Checking or unchecking those little boxes at the bottom of the page can save you an email box full of spam. It should raise some flags if any site asks for personal info. And to date, I don't know of any laws that will prosecute you for filling in bogus information. Trust me, if you win something big they'll be contacting you to confirm where to send it.

3. Don't settle for hamburger when you could be having steak.

While there is clearly something fulfilling about becoming the greatest undefeated checker champion AOL Games has ever seen, you may be missing out on bonus or cash awards had you played at another site. Maybe you adore playing a relaxed game of Spades at Yahoo but are outraged by the foul language of the youngsters that frequent that particular room. Move! Try another room, or another site entirely. Experiment and venture out of your comfort zone. Once you find a site that you feel like, look around. Many sites offer daily cash drawings and sizable weekly and monthly drawings. Navigate within the site looking for contests and tournaments, many games offer leagues that post outside the site.

Finally, by all means, learn to chat. While it may be a real treasure to discover that you can line up little diamonds into groups of five better than any on the planet, the real gem is to find a new friend that shares your interests and can make you smile.

Here are few of my faves:
www.pogo.com
www.slingo.com
www.gsn.com

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