A Look At The Best FREE Ways To Pass The Time Online

One of the great things about the Internet is just how much it can broaden all of our horizons, providing us with plenty of outlets for our free time that we would never have had access to before; as great as these benefits of the Internet are, however, one of the major drawbacks to the Internet is the fact that most of these "great outlets" are not exactly "free." While this may seem like a small issue in the moment, the simple fact is, the dollar you spend here and the 99 cents you spend there end up really adding up - and so, here is a look at some of the TRULY free things you can do online to pass the time, and to enjoy all the great things the Internet has to offer.

1) YouTube videos: While there are a whole lot of YouTube videos that are going to make an effort to subtly get you to buy new things, and while many popular YouTube videos are now ad-supported (all of which, of course, can ultimately lead to you spending money you did not plan to spend!), YouTube itself is still entirely free to use, and what this means for you is simple: you can still enter the "YouTube vortex" and spend hours and hours watching all sorts of videos, from educational videos to entertaining videos to music videos to comedy - getting your fill and more!

2) Social media: One of the greatest areas in which the Internet has ended up broadening our horizons is through social media, as the vast majority of social media outlets not only enable you to keep up with people from years ago (people, more often than not, that you long ago lost touch with, and that you thought you would never be able to chat and catch up with again!), but also put you in a position to meet and interact with people from all over the world; this can provide you with an opportunity to learn new things, engage in interesting discussions, and expand your view of the world - all without spending any money at all!

3) Online games: Remember when choosing to play video games used to require you to spend huge chunks of money for each and every new game you wanted to play? Well, with the wonderful power of the Internet, this is not the way things work anymore; now, instead of having to spend a big chunk of money each month on video games, you can find websites that provide you with tons of free video games - or, as most people simply call them now, "free online games.

 By Allan Dyring

Return of Space Simulation Games

In this time of mundane games, repetitive gameplay and overly exploited genres, it feels good to have some fresh air with some of the old genres resurfacing once again. The credit, of course, goes to the chivalrous indie developers who, still in this world of capitalist gaming industry, light up our hearts with their spirit of creativity. One such genre that is gaining momentum by leaps and bounds is the 'space simulation' genre. This time alone in E3 2014, there were a few groundbreaking titles that truly inspired awe - quite an achievement given the nature of mediocre games these days.

Although it was a delight for me to experience all the latest games that are going to hit the market eventually, the one that truly turned my head and left me speechless was 'No Man's Sky'. This game literally beggars all description as no one has ever attempted to build or even conceive a game of such scale. This is basically a procedurally generated massive game, which may sound simple, but, as the saying goes, you got to see it to believe. The mesmerizing vistas and the bizarre environment teeming with unique flora and fauna on a seemingly alien planet are just the beginning of the story. This vast exploration game takes you on the journey to explore countless planets, and the best part is: you get to have your own space ship to fly off into space and back into different planets. How big is the size of the world you ask? Well, would it impress you if I were to tell you that every single player will be starting off on a different planet of his/her own? Can you now imagine the scale of this game? Besides the expansive universe, the vibrant visuals and dynamic environments are just sight of sore eyes.

What happens when you marry the genre of space simulation with first person shooter? You get a game called 'Dreadnought'. This free-to-play action space simulation game is just what the E3 had been missing all along. We have all played fast paced action games where little thinking and more reflexes are required. We have also seen previous space simulation games where your little pea sized craft sometimes gets into a pathetic situation with a gigantic mother-ship of some kind, and you die wishing that only if you had one of those humongous ships at your command. To fill this void in your little world of gaming, 'Dreadnought' fills right in. This free-to-play massively online game puts you in a team battle where you fight off against the enemy ships using skills and tactics (not reflexes). Ever played 'World of Tanks'? If so, then you will know exactly what I am talking about.

These are just a few titles of space simulation games that are going to leave a good long lasting mark on this genre; however, a game that will not only revitalize the genre to the backbone, but also revolutionize the gaming industry itself is 'Star Citizen'. Star Citizen is the largest crowd funded Kickstarter project to date. With Chris Roberts, the chief developer of ever green titles such as Freelancer and Starlancer, at the helms, Star Citizen is on its way to becoming one of the largest PC exclusive game in the industry. The reason why this game is PC exclusive is quite simple: the consoles just cannot handle the demand of the graphics that are being run on this game. Using modified Cry Engine 3, this game is set in an open universe with tons of exploration to be done, battles to be fought and places to be conquered.

There are many other games from this genre that are in development and very few in market such as EVE Online, Kerbal Space Program, Elite: Dangerous and Limit Theory and it all just goes to show the rebirth of the long lost genre. It is high time that the developers put on their creative hats and the gamers open up their mind to new stuff. Only then will genres like these truly flourish, proliferate and prosper.

 By M Qazi