And to think it was only a few years ago that most of us got stuck with Solitaire, MineSweeper, and Hearts. There’s nothing wrong with those games, surely, however, with more and more widespread Internet access and connection speeds increasing every day, the average computer user can now play thousands of games online. And yes, those three classics are still available.

Most online gaming sites allow you to play using Flash, which is a type of software that enables animation and interaction. Flash is the same program that’s responsible for many of the flashy banners and banners you see on websites. Most browsers such as Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera can be Flash-enabled, so it’s usually a matter of how fast your connection speed is that determines whether you can play these games.

Most people now use DSL or better to connect to the Internet, so there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this right now, you might be playing a game. Gaming sites traditionally organize their games in different sections. For example, the standards are Action/Adventure, Strategy, Puzzle, Fighting, Racing, etc. Games based on cartoons or even older systems are also popular, as are arcade classics like Galaga and Asteroid.

Of course, there are also the immensely popular massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). You’ve probably heard of World of Warcraft (WoW), a game played by more than 11 million people around the world. Players log in from anywhere and can interact with each other to complete quests or quests, as well as trade items and currency. In fact, entire economies have been built around buying and selling virtual items for real money.

If the thought of joining an MMORPG sounds daunting, stick with the tried-and-true classics and simple flash games available everywhere.