PCs are also good for playing games

PCs are also good for playing games

JAKARTA (JP): Do you really need a Pentium II processor in
your PC?

If what you do is create text documents, access the web, send
and receive e-mail messages, manage your personal finances and
maintain your schedules and appointments, you probably don't need
a Pentium II.

A classic pentium running at 166 MHz and Windows 95 would do.
We all know that, and Intel knows it, too.

But Intel also knows that some of its best-selling
applications, for which people give very solid reasons to cough
up US$ 2,000 and more for a new, powerful desktop PC, are games.

That was why when MMX, streaming SIMD and other new
technologies were added to generations of their processors, talk
centered around games. Indeed, new computing technologies enter
game software probably much faster than common business
productivity tools such as word processors, spreadsheets, and
personal information management (PIM).

These include technologies such as 3-D rendering, frame-buffer
and lighting capabilities.

Of course, at least an equal amount of computing power is
required to create these games in the first place. Besides, other
applications such as desktop publishing, graphic design, CAD and
CAM as well as programming and application development can
benefit from the extra horsepower that Pentium II, III and now 4
offer.

But it is funny that so many people judge the real benefits of
more computing power in terms of how well the system runs Doom,
Quake III Arena, Unreal Tournament, Diablo II, etc.

Believe it or not, new technologies in graphic display have
been driven largely by the needs of games to display screens
smoothly in millions of colors. Take a look at the specifications
of graphic chips such as GeForce GTS2, and you will see that it
is designed to meet the needs of truly heavy-duty game software.

And it is also interesting that among the first types of
programs to become available when Palm PDAs became popular-- and
people would immediately download them from the web -- were also
games. The same was true with the pocket PC-based PDAs. So, even
though we have Nintendo and PlayStations, games have basically
become inseparable from personal computers.

And it is not really a sin to keep a game or two on your PC.
Windows users are familiar with solitaire, and have probably
spent hundreds of hours on this game alone. Another game that
comes with Windows 9.x is FreeCell. This one is not so popular,
because it requires more mental exercise to solve. Other common
but less challenging games include Pac-man, Mine Sweeper,
Tic-tac-toe and collections of other puzzles.

Serious PC games, which require serious machines and a
broadband internet connection, include online games such as Roger
Wilco that let you play against an opponent on the other end of
the internet.

Serious machines are needed to create an environment that can
really immerse the players with realistic sights and ear-
shattering sounds. In fact, immersion is the keyword, because
many of the games are simulations of real-world activities. On
your PC, for example, you can race a Formula One, play ping-pong,
billiards, golf, hockey, football, pinball and basketball,
participate in combat, fly an aeroplane or a spacecraft, enter
pyramids, explore Planet Mars, you name it.

One thing to remember is that, although games can be
addictive, not all of them are bad.

Some, are educational and can be intellectually challenging.
Read the reviews on the web before you buy an original game
software package for your children, and look for the age target
of the product on the box.

Better still, download demo versions from the internet before
you go out and buy them. (Zatni Arbi)