The video game industry generates billions of dollars per year, which makes it as powerful an entertainment sector as movies and music. Video games, in its relatively short existence, have gone from a nerd hobby to a near-ubiquitous form of entertainment that has become as significant part of our digital lifestyles as smartphones and laptops.
These days, you can play video games on just about every device that can run an app. Home consoles and portables may immediately come to mind but you can also game on phones, tablets and, of course, on PCs—both as installed apps and inside Web browsers. The Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo 3DS, and Playstation Vita represent the traditional video game platform experience, but mobile devices have made big in roads into the gaming space.
Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Phone 7 all have respectable marketplaces that allow you to download games (which are typically priced between free and $15). The initial batch of mobile games was very casual in nature (Angry Birds, for example), but as the GPU power increased and designers learned the ins and outs of various handsets and tablets, more "core" titles (such as 9MM) have appeared.
In the hype surrounding new tablet, phone, console, and portable hardware and software launches, the PC is often overlooked as a viable gaming platform. PC gaming has a few advantages over console gaming. The first being that you have more control over your gaming experience; you can upgrade your CPU, GPU, RAM, and HDD at any time—you don't have to wait five years or more for console manufacturers to produce new hardware.
Although PC gaming carries the stigma of being an expensive hobby due to the cost of high-end gaming rigs from the likes of Alienware, you can very easily build a capable machine for $500. Plus, you can save some cash by purchasing titles online through services like the Editors' Choice award-winning Steam (Free, 4.5 stars), which offers mid-week and weekend sales ranging from 20 to 75 percent of regular prices. Steam also has larger, seasonal sales that include discounts on publishers' entire libraries or bundles of their top game.
Whether you're a PC, console, or mobile gamer, there are plenty of gaming options. Check out the links below which showcase the best titles in each category.
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