How Video Games Can Be Incorporated Into Your Next Company Party

Historically, video games have been seen as an alternative to social activity; a place where those who lack basic conversational skills could thrive without the need to communicate with anyone. Beginning with the Wii, and subsequently with the Playstation Move, and the Xbox 360 Kinect, a new genre was created: the casual game.

Casual video games are defined within this article as any game that is intuitive and user-friendly, typically focusing more on the movement of the player to control the game play. Nintendo's Wii Sports is the prototypical casual game, with options such as tennis that don't require a single button to be pushed once the match begins. Since these new-generation games are able to be picked up and played by just about anyone, they make a perfect addition to any company party.

There are several different ways that you can go about incorporating video games into your event. If you are planning to have families invited but wanted to have more mature entertainment, such as casino games, you can have a separate "kid-friendly" area with lots of age-appropriate video games for all of the kids. You may find that many of the adults end up spending their time in the kids' area though. Another option is to choose from many different video game party themes. This can be as simple as having Wii Sports set up in different stations for a sports themed party, or as extravagant as having full racing simulators brought in to complement your Nascar theme. Best of all, you can just allow the games be the focus of the party.

The next trick is convincing people that have never played video games in their life, that not only will they be able to play, but that they will undoubtedly have a lot of fun. Contests can be a great way to accomplish this. Break your group into teams and have them compete in a few of the games for the chance to win a prize. Not only will this encourage team-building amongst your fellow employees, but it will get everyone involved in the games and having a great time. Another strategy would be to grease the wheels a little bit by waiting until the guests have had a drink or two before moving on to the games. If that is still not enough, having dedicated event staff on hand to encourage and coach everyone on how to play the games can get even the most reluctant employee to give it a go.

As new and entertaining casual games continue to come out for the all three of the main consoles, video games will only continue to grow in popularity as the second highest priority at your next company event, just behind the open bar.

Top 10 Multiplayer Games!

Multiplayer games are so much fun because they challenge the players to play with or other players, create a strategy and new tactics in different settings. Create an empire, fight aliens, defend you city are only a few of the fun reasons people love to play multiplayer games. With their popularity, there are many bad copycats of the best games and it can be difficult to differentiate the best for the bad ones. Here are the top ten multiplayer games.

Starcraft - With over 40 games awards, needless to say that StarCraft is one of the most played multiplayer game ever. Real time strategy combat at its best.

Warcraft III - Be an orc, a humans, an undead, or become a night elf, in this world where only the ruthless survive.

Diablo II - Join million of players to destroy the demon in this diabolical world. Engrossing story line that may cost you many nights of sleep!

Half-Life - Half Life brings gaming to a new level. Immerse yourself in this intense game experience, with scary and frightening moments and twists.

Tribes 2 - Our readers have applaud both the quality of gaming offered by Tribes and Tribes 2, but the sequel leads with a strong unanimity over the original game. Good graphics, excellent gameplay with tons of complex and varied strategies and tactics is what makes this multiplayer game one of the best on the market.

Age of Empires II - In the age of knights and princesses, the player is King. A true classic every multiplayer gamers should own.

Battlefield 1942 - This WWII FPS multiplayer games will make you wonder why you lost so much time trying other games... Choose your field of action: North Africa, South Asia Pacific, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe.

Unreal Tournament - First person shooter has never been more action-filled and bloodier! A mind-bogglingly story, where you ambush the enemy and gang up on them.

Total Annihilation - Some call it the next RTS generation of its time. Use medium to long-range planning to battle on ground or on waters with submarines and destroyers.

Counter Strike - Best team-based gameplay that creates a matchless FPS game with a depth of realism yet to beat. A must have item FPS gamers.

My Top 10 SNES Games

Here is a list of the top 10 best SNES games ever, From the golden age of my childhood

10 - Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting - This game probably made it to number one on any best SNES games list that was created by someone who loves fighting games. It is arguably the best fighting game for the SNES. With the addition of the Super Turbo feature, this game took the Street Fighter series to a whole new level.

9 - EarthBound - Although not very successful in the United States, EarthBound was extremely successful in Japan. It was praised there for its humorous depictions of American culture (can't imagine why it sold poorly in the US) and parody of the RPG genre. Since then, it has become a cult classic.

8 - Final Fantasy II - By some, the graphics were considered outdated at the time of release. But FFII was praised for its length and bonus content and shipped over 1.28 million copies within five years of its initial release. It is considered one of the best Final Fantasy games and a great Final Fantasy game for the SNES.

7 - Mega Man X - This game was the second series for the Mega Man franchise and debuted on the SNES. It was intended to give a new image for the Mega Man series and it did. The game spawned over half a dozen follow-up games as well as another series, Megan Man Xtreme, and a spin-off series, Mega Max X: Command Mission.

6 - Chrono Trigger - Considered by some to best the best RPG of all time on the SNES, Chrono Trigger has also made the number slot on many other overall lists as well. Its primary competition in the RPG category comes with the Final Fantasy series, specifically Final Fantasy III. But Chrono Trigger is definitely one of the best games of all time on any console.

5 - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - A hybrid game that was part adventure and part role-playing game, the Super Mario RPG was the final Super Mario game on the SNES. It has received very good reviews since its release and was consistently featured in many "best game of all-time" lists.

4 - Super Mario World - This is often considered the best platform game for the SNES. The Super Mario series is the captain of platform games and Super Mario World is no exception. It was the best selling game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System with over 20 million copies sold worldwide.

3 - Final Fantasy III - Probably the best game of arguably the best RPG series of all time, Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy III had great 2D graphics, an incredible soundtrack, and was a massive success in both Japan and the United states. The game appealed to both hardcore RPG players and newcomers to the RPGs.

2 - Super Metroid - Although the Metroid series did not originally reach the commercial success that some of its counterparts did, Super Metroid was given near-universal acclaim upon release. It is considered by many to be one of the best, if not the best, 2d action adventure game ever.

1 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - This game may not be number one on every list of the best SNES games ever, but for any fan of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System it absolutely must make the list. Both the Zelda series and the character of Link remain some of the most popular game icons in video game history. The game is considered to be one of the greatest video games, of any console, of all time.

Top Free iPhone Games

The Apple iPhone was a revolutionary device when it was released in June of 2007, and it is still arguably the best phone on the market today. One aspect of the iPhone which is surprising to many people is the robustness of its portable gaming capabilities. With its full multi-touch display, its "accelerometer" which can detect which way the device is being held and moved, and 3D graphics, the iPhone has proven itself to be a major competitor to both Sony and Nintendo in the portable gaming market.

There are tens of thousands of free games in Apple's App Store, but most of them are either really bad, or they are merely "demo" games of a higher priced paid version. However, there are definitely some real gems if you are willing to mine for them. Here are some of the top free iPhone games to help get you started.

1. Tap Tap Revenge II

If you've ever watched someone play Guitar Hero, then you know the basic concept of this game. Instead of a guitar, you "tap" on the screen to the beat of your favorite music. You can rack up a high score by tapping many notes in a row without missing any.

2. Sol Free Solitaire

This is a simple solitaire game like you might find on your Windows PC. Actually, there are many solitaire games like this one on the iPhone, but Sol Free Solitaire stands head and shoulders above the rest. The graphics are clear and crisp, and the cards are extremely responsive to the touch of your finger as you drag them from pile to pile.

3. Real Racing GTi

Real Racing GTi is a full-fledged arcade racing game which several years ago could only be found in a mall arcade or on a home console. The graphics are top-notch and realistic, and the smooth controls lets you feel like you are really in a race car. There are three game modes: quick race, time trial, and cup championship. This is undoubtedly the best arcade racer on the iPhone.

4. Chess with Friends / Words with Friends

These are two games from a company called NewToy. What makes these games unique is that they can be played over any length of time. Chess with Friends is (obviously) a chess game, and Words with Friends is a variant of Scrabble. After you make your move, you can turn the game off and go about your daily business. When your friend has made their move - hours or days later - you can open the game and make your next move. Simple gameplay, elegant graphics, and their inherent social nature have made these games extremely popular.

5. TapDefense

This is a popular game in the "tower defense" game genre. Tower defense games have become popular as simple online games. A swarm of enemies come out of an entrance and head in a line toward an exit which you must defend by constructing a series of towers to defend the exit. Although there are a multitude of games like this in the App Store, TapDefense is unique because it is not only top-notch, but also free.

6. iBowl

This is another social game. If you've ever played bowling on the Nintendo Wii with your friends, then you might be able to imagine what this game is all about. You throw your bowling ball by literally swinging your arm, and the iPhone tracks your arm's movement. Your friend across town (or across the world) can watch your ball roll down the lane, and then they can take their turn. It's a fun and competitive game for people who like to play games without pushing a lot of buttons.