Gaming communities are basically groups of individuals who are working for a specific goal or are supporting other individuals who share the same passion for a video or an online game. Today, games such as FPS's and MMPORGS's and other RTS or real-time strategy games are the ones that are able to develop larger online communities because of faster computers that are capable to support a lot more options for more players.

These players make use of the collective power to influence others by setting examples for a particular games or by promoting certain views or perspectives, playing strategies or techniques, or a certain set of rules in the online gaming scene. You would sometimes see tags on the beginning or on the end of the names of players to show that they belong to a certain community or to signify that they are a member of a particular gaming group. Such tags could also signify that that particular player follows that community's code of conduct, for example, wanting to promote fair play in the gaming world. Tags also generally represent the smaller communities, as the larger communities typically have sub-groups like clans.

A lot of gaming communities exist throughout the online world. These gaming communities could vary from just a couple of friends who simply want to play together to the hundreds or thousands of gamers like MLG.

Some gaming communities are entirely online while there are others that organize frequent and regular meetings of their members that are typically through the form of LANs. Gaming communities could be joined by individuals due to the shared interest of players on a particular game and there are others who just enjoy the idea of ​​belonging to a community with all the social interaction. An example would be those gaming communities that have forums full of chat rooms and discussion boards of any topic you could think of – from the tactics to who the best gamers are to general chat. There are times when the forum regulars themselves do not really play the games, but just enjoy the wonderful and warm sense of community it brings about. …

A Christmas party for elementary school age kids is not complete without those fun and silly parlor games they so love. Read on to get some really enjoyable Christmas party activity ideas, and get your prizes ready and your digital camera too.

The best way to kick off any party is to have an activity that will surely get the elementary school age kids on their feet. In a fill the stocking game, you need to provide stockings, bowls of cigarettes and plastic spoons. Secure each stocking next to each other on the wall at the far end of the room. Divide the children into teams, depending on how many stockings you have, and give each member a team a plastic spoon. On your cue, the first person of each team should place the tip of the plastic spoon's handle in his or her mouth, and try to scoop a candy in the bowl. With the plastic spoon still in mouth, he or she should rush to the stocking on the wall and place the candy inside. The next person of each team then repeats the same thing. The game ends when the bowls are empty. And the winners will get to take home the candies.

Your kids will definitely find a game of unwrapping gifts really worth a lot of cheering for their teammates. You need empty boxes wrapped in colorful gift wrappers, trash cans, and a bunch kids who can not get to wait to get their hands on the gifts to unwrap them. Pile all the gifts in one corner of the room. Divide the kids into two groups. When you say "go" each team will send a member running to get a gift, unwrap it, and try to shoot the wrapper inside the trash can. If he or she fails to do so, the kid should run back and place it inside, before the next team takes a turn at unwrapping a gift.

After a few rounds of tiring parlor games, the elementary school kids might want to play something while just sitting. For this next game, you will need a large tray with a cover, and at least 20 different items that has something to do with Christmas. Arrange the items on the tray, which may include anything from a candy cane, a Christmas tree ornament to a miniature reindeer. Give each team less than a minute to look at and try to remember the items on the tray. Cover the tray and have the kids immediately write down all the items that they can recall. The team with the most number of correct items listed is the winner.

Another less tiring game but just as exciting is a game of word hunt. Hand each team a pencil and a sheet of paper. Write a long word or two on the chalkboard – anything that's related to Christmas. For instance, if you write the word "North Pole", the elementary age kids should list words from …

Kids video games are awesome gift ideas. Whether you are looking for that perfect gift for a girl or boy, ages 4 or 10, kids video games are the way to go.

Kids video games are not only tons of fun for a child, but can also be very educational. There are so many gaming system’s out for every age group. Your child can start learning with video games as early as age 2. They will learn good hand-eye coordination while having lots of fun. Video games can teach an array of skills by teaching children letters, numbers, shapes, and words. For older kids they can learn things such as reading and writing.

Most children love to watch TV and play video games. While that time should be limited, the time they spend playing games can be jam packed with learning and fun. Video gaming systems are made for all ages and skill levels. For young children the Leapster and Vtech are great ways to go. For older kids there are PlayStation and Xbox. There are also game consoles, such as the Nintendo Wii, that are encouraging people to get up and move around while playing their video games. The Wii offers a motion sensor approach to game playing , rather than the basic hand held controller with all the buttons. You can even learn exercise techniques with this awesome new game system.

Video games come in every category imaginable. Their is never ending opportunities when it comes to kids video games. For the child that already has a game system, there are some great game rental places online that you can buy gift certificates for. This allows them to choose their own games to play, and is an excellent gift idea.

If you are looking for a great gift for a kid, video games are always a great way to go!…

The popularity of the new Wii console has led a lot of us to wonder if we can download Wii games. A quick search online turns up lots of sites offering Wii game downloads and talking about the possibility of getting these games. However, it can be hard to tell which sites are reliable, safe from viruses, and provide quality games.

A good Wii download site will offer both older games and new releases. The Wii’s support for classic Nintendo games means that you have the ability to download your old favorites, as well as the flashiest new games. If you want to download Wii games, look for a site that offers a good variety. Don’t give your information or money to any site you don’t trust, or that feels shady. Stick to well designed sites that won’t sell your information or fill your computer with malware.

Generally, you’ll find that there are two different kinds of sites on the web offering Wii game downloads. Some charge a price per file download. Others allow you access to an unlimited number of games for a flat fee. Which you choose will depend on how many games you need. If you want to download Wii games extensively, an unlimited site will be your best choice. If you are just looking for that one special game you can’t find anywhere else, however, paying by the download will be cheaper.

To download Wii games, some sites may require you to download special software. This software will either connect to the site’s main server, or to other users of the site, allowing you to download the Wii games you want. Remember, to play downloaded games on your computer, you’ll also have to be able to find an emulator that operates the way the Nintendo console would.

If you want to download Wii games, it’s easy to find a place that offers them. However, choosing where you want to download from can be a little bit harder. Look carefully at all the available sites offering games for download before you pick one. You could be downloading the latest Wii games, or your old favorites, within a few minutes of registering.…

Electronic money is a recent invention which means that currency with real value can be exchanged for traditional cash; it is instead entirely virtual or digital. It is a new invention in the history of money and commerce. Electronic money only exists in digital format and is primarily based on the internet or smart cards that have a record of their stored value. The transactions which are electronically done are known as electronic money. Similar names for electronic money are electronic cash, e-money, digital money, digital currency or digital cash.

The computer age has made the creation of money possible. It began back in the 1960s when IBM and American Airlines created a system called SABRE (Semi-Automatic Busines Research Environment), this allowed offices of American Airlines fitted with terminals connected to telephone lines and helped agencies to check flight times, seat availability, and then make reservations electronically that could be paid by using a system of credits.

Banks in America and Europe has started using mainframe computers by the 1970s, it helped them track transactions. It was a system that proved to be a success internationally when currency exchange was needed.

Consumer uptake of electronic money was first noticed in France in 1982 with the introduction of the Minitel service. The US and UK had developed basic tele text service that helped televisions to display text directly onto the television screen like news, program guides, game show results or weather update. The teletext was a very useful and simple one way service.

The French Minitel service used a dumb terminal with built-in modem, the service operated over standard telephone lines and the terminals were equipped with full AZERTY keyboards. The subscribers typed messages or searched queries. These Minitel terminals were given for free to more than 9 million households to encourage business entrepreneurs. Payment could be made through credit card or charged to the telephone account. This marked the first use of electronic money in the consumer market.

In 1979, a slightly similar service was launched in the UK named Prestel. It supported equipment was costly and it required customers to call and arrange payment over the phone. A service known as Homelink started in 1983 with the support of the Bank of Scotland and Nottingham Building Society. The account holders could subscribe to a special Prestel service that allowed online banking. This marked the first recorded use of electronic money.

The year 1991 saw the introduction of internet in consumer market and the disbanding of the Arpanet network. It wasn’t long until 1992 when America Online took advantage of the new Internet and started offering retail services directly to their subscribers who could pay using a credit card.

The year 1994 took a leap of faith that internet would help businesses. Pizza Hut adopted a same model that was used by Peapod for allowing online pizza ordering with the choice of payments like credit card via internet or in cash on delivery.

Late 1990s proved to be an essential …

Baby shower games happen only once in a while and are a great occasion for having fun. After all, a baby shower is sort of a welcome party for the bundle of joy and fun himself or herself, the soon-to-be-born baby. Aside from the moms-to-be, close friends and relatives like grandparents and godparents make themselves available for such an occasion. And how else can one brighten up the party but play group games? People enjoy playing games. Games give people occasion to relate to others and develop friendships among themselves. Baby shower games are also a way of paying homage to the mother for bearing the child.

Here are some of the more common baby shower games and the brief descriptions of how they are played:

Sing it, baby!

Participants position themselves into a round formation. They may either stand up or sit down. When his or her turn comes, each participant will sing several lines from a song that contains the word “baby”. Somebody from the group of participants will have to be designated as starter. The next player to his or her right will have ten seconds to do the same after the starter has finished singing. The next player to the right follows until only one person is left who is able to sing a “baby” song. A song cannot be repeated. Those who repeat a song and those who cannot sing a “baby” song within ten seconds when their turn comes boot themselves out of the game.

Measuring up mommy

The mom-to-be becomes the center of attention in this game. A facilitator will need some two rolls of sanitary tissue for this game. Players will be asked to guess the size of mommy’s girth with the use of the tissue. They will cut the tissue to a length of the paper which they think will approximate the size of mommy’s round belly. Each player will then wrap around mommy’s belly with the tissue he or she cut to determine the winner. The one whose guess is closest to the actual belly size wins it.

Looking at you, kid!

It is fun looking at pictures taken when we were toddlers, right? That is what this game is all about. To get this going, those who are attending the party must be asked earlier (that is, before they come to attend the party itself) to bring with them pictures of themselves when they were kids. The more amusing the pictures look, the better. Upon arrival of participants, party hosts will collect the pictures and assign numbers to them. At game time, the pictures will be laid on a table and each participant given paper and pen. The task is to identify or recognize as much picture as one can by writing the identities on the paper. The participant who gets to identify correctly the most number of kids wins the game.

Don’t say baby

This game will refrain oneself (in the spirit of fun) from saying the word …