Video games are something that are generally played in teenager’s bedrooms. You buy them a games console when they’re ten and then they disappear for hours at a time, emerging infrequently to load up on snacks and fizzy drinks.

However, that all changed when the Nintendo Wii console was released. The Wii was a console for the living room rather than the bedroom. There are a number of reasons for this.

Firstly, the special motion sensitive controllers used by the Wii means that games are played in a much more intuitive manner. So it is easier to learn games – you don’t need to remember that the X button is to punch, the Y button controls your laser and the Z button launches your rockets. As a matter of fact, Wii games are so simple to learn that even adults can pick them up in just a few minutes.

There is also a certain amount of exercise involved in playing Wii games due to the physical element of the game control. It’s not just games like Wii Fit, which are designed to give you exercise of course – almost all Wii games require you to get moving about to a greater or lesser extent. That means that you need space to play them in.

For some reason, which is difficult to quantify precisely, Wii games and the Wii console seem to have a more social element than has been seen up to now with other PC or console games. You can “play the computer” if you want of course, but Wii games tend to be much more fun as part of a group of gamers.

It might be the fact that you need to jump about waving your hands in the air, and generally make yourself look a bit daft. For whatever reason, the Wii gives most enjoyment when performed as a group activity.

Even if it is a bit of a hackneyed expression, the Wii really is fun for children of all ages. Wii games can be a social event, they can help you to exercise and lose weight and they are a lot of fun. Most important of all, the Wii has taken video games out of teenager’s bedrooms and planted them fairly and squarely in the family living room.

Maybe that’s why Nintendo had such great success when they released a black Wii console bundle in Europe just before Christmas. It turned out to be an extremely popular choice with consumers, possibly because a black games console goes better with the TV, the DVD player, the cable box etc. Currently, the black Wii option is unavailable in the States – but it should be arriving soon.

See the black Wii – and have a look at some of the great Wii games available .

It seems reasonable to say that the three main video games consoles – the Xbox, the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii – all have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. Individual gamers will have their own personal favourites and it’s an exercise in futility to try and persuade them that one of the other consoles is even worthy of consideration, far less that it might, for certain applications, be better.

Many modern households will have more than one, and possibly all three, of the big three games consoles. Don’t forget the mobile gaming devices such as Sony’s PSP and Nintendo’s DS. These are also very popular. Most of the consoles can also be used as DVD or blu-ray disc players.

Putting the question of which console is “best” to one side for the moment, it seems fairly obvious that the Wii is the console which most encourages social interaction. Whilst the PS3 and the Xbox can often be found in teenager’s bedrooms, it’s really not uncommon to find that the Wii is given pride of place in the family living room. Even although the Wii is less powerful than the other two and has much simpler graphics, it is still the console that is most likely to be hooked up to the large screen TV in the family living room.

One explanation for this is the fact that, when using the Wii’s motion sensitive controllers, even although the graphics are less detailed, it’s much more difficult to keep track of the action on a small TV when you’re bouncing around the room waving your arms in the air. Another factor is that it’s more intuitive to learn Wii games due to the control system. In fact, it’s so easy that even adults can do it – which makes it possible for all of the family to take part.

Another consequence of all that bouncing about during game play is that gamers need more space to play the Wii when compared to other consoles which generally involve sitting fairly still and pressing buttons. This also tends to make the living room a better option than the average teenage bedroom, where you would most likely be tripping over piles of unwashed clothes, half eaten snacks and empty coke tins.

The physical element to game play on the Wii is a good thing. It means that there’s a certain amount of exercise involved when playing Wii games. On the other hand, you do need to take it easy at first. It’s all too easy to wake up with a sore arm or stiff legs after an evening playing Wii Sports for the first time.

The fact that so many homes have a Wii in the living room now could be one explanation for the success of the black Wii. Nintendo released this in Japan during the summer of 2009 and it went on sale in Europe just before Christmas 2009. It was a very popular choice with consumers – quite possibly because it goes with the TV, the cable box and the DVD player better than the original white version.

Discover the black Wii for yourself and also have a look at the wide range of Wii games available.

There are many video game lovers in the world. If you’re one of them, you may have wondered if it’s possible to get paid to play video games. It is, in fact! It may sound too good to be true, but there are jobs out there where you get paid to play games all day as well as other related opportunities. But don’t think it’s so easy that anyone can do it.

When you become a paid gamer, your hobby becomes your job. A first step to getting your foot in the door in this industry is to become a beta tester. As a beta tester, you will get to play unreleased games so that you can find any glitches, errors or bugs in the game. The creators of the game will take your findings and tweak the game so that it is ready for launch. As a beta tester, you will gain valuable experience, you may get to keep the game and you may even get paid for your time, but not always.

If you’re serious about earning real money playing video games, you should consider attending a technical school such as ITT or Devry and submitting your resumes to top video game production companies. There are other ways to potentially get paid to play video games as well.

You can enter a tournament and play for money. Video game tournaments are hugely popular world-wide and many have cash prizes. Some of the downsides to this are the travel expenses involved, the possible entry fees and the fact that you walk away with nothing if you do not win. The gamers who win tournaments spend hours practicing to ensure that they are virtually unbeatable.

Still another option in getting paid to play is to become a video game reviewer. You can provide video game reviews for websites, magazine and other publications. When you become a video game reviewer you test out games before they launch or when they first come out, depending on your employer and you write detailed reviews about the game.

These reviews should include things like the story of the game, the characters involved, the graphics, the controls or other pertinent information. If you’re going to become a video game reviewer you must be absolutely passionate about playing video games, not mind playing for long hours, and possess at least basic writing skills. But, yes, it is indeed possible to get paid to play video games.

Learn how to get paid to play video games. Find out how to become a video game tester here. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.

Creating a new video game involves a tremendous amount of work. Writers, illustrators, animators, code writers and hardware specialists may spend months or even years developing an incredibly challenging, exciting video game. However, no game can be launched without having been played thousands of times by regular people in an effort to discover any problems and imperfections that the video game may have. In order to assist with quality assurance, video game testers are employed from early on in the process.

The only way creators can be sure they have not overlooked something is by having the game played thousands of times through all possible avenues. Video game testers will spot any glitches, bugs or problems with graphics. If you have a console and love to play video games, you too can become a video game tester! Some testers need to be highly experienced gamers but there is room for beginners as well since novices make mistakes that experienced players would not. This is why gamers of all skill levels are valuable and needed.

Becoming a video game tester is not a huge secret. You may often find ads seeking video game testers with various skill levels. But if you can’t find those ads, a quick route is to join a video game testing site. When submitting information about yourself, be honest about your skills. And keep in mind that video game testing involves much more than just sitting around playing games all day. It is, in fact, a job and should be treated as such. It’s important to be professional in your discussions when applying for this job.

What are the expectations of those working in video game testing ? You will receive a video game in early stage of development. It may possibly be the “alpha” or first stage or it may be in later stages of development. Along with the game, they will provide a description and instructions on what to look for and any feedback they would like to receive. Attention to detail is very important when you play.

You may find small issues with the game such as graphics or some larger issue that may be difficult to document. This will require you to write a detailed explanation and may involve several paragraphs. It is very important to utilize good grammar and spelling and be clear in your explanation. Now that you have some idea of what it takes to be a video game tester, it’s time to start working on the job of your dreams!

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