Desktop personal computers are an amazing technological advancement. Laptop technology is even more amazing. Multiplayer online RPG (Roll Playing Games) games have become increasingly popular with the advent of laptop computers and high-speed Internet connections that allow a large number of people to play together online.
Is multiplayer online RPG gaming popular? Well, there are more than 500,000 game servers that are hosted in the United States alone. Nobody knows how many are hosted around the world. So, yes, multiplayer online RPG gaming is very popular.
It is possible to connect and play in multiplayer online games with a dial-up connection, but it really isn't very practical. Dial-up connections are slow. Delay between actions of players being relayed (called "lags") happen and are not conducive to seamless game play. Multiplayer online games require a virtual environment (called a "game server"). These virtual servers interconnect gamers with each other, and this allows for real-time, and often fast-paced, action.
Of course, like all entertainment mediums, online gaming is not without its critics. Violence has been blamed on online gaming. It's difficult to say whether there is any real credence to the accusations. Hundreds of thousands of online gamers play online computer games every hour of every day, and only a tiny fraction of those players take the violence of online gaming with them into the brick-and-mortar worlds that they live in.
Still, some evidence supports the theory that the violence of online gaming has been responsible for some very violent acts out in the real world. The American Psychological Association has concluded that the extreme violence of online computer games cause children to become more aggressive.
Another problem with online gaming is the claim by many that it is addictive and is thus accompanied by health risks to online gamers who are addicted to playing computer games online.
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Computer Games
Personal computers themselves provide us with entertainment of a sort, but when you add a real computer game to the mix, you get entertainment at its best!
A computer game is a game that is played on a personal computer rather than on a game console or on an arcade machine. Early computer games, like early personal computers, were awkward and not very sophisticated. That's changed — a lot!
In a sense, success almost destroyed the computer game industry before it had a chance to even get going. By 1980 the market was overrun with poor-quality computer games. Overproduction of high-profile game releases also contributed to the problem. By 1983 the computer game industry was said to be "in the toilet." Many companies went bankrupt, while others just folded their tents and slipped away into the night. Times were TOUGH!
Of course, all of the computer game companies didn't fold. The big guys weathered the storm. They battened down the hatches and rode it out. They posted large losses over several years, but they survived.
Astounding advancements in personal computer technology and capability breathed new life into the computer game industry.
Personal computer games are delivered to the public generally in one of two ways — physical delivery and online delivery.
Personal computer games that are delivered as physical products come most often in the form of DVDs. The user buys the game and downloads it from the DVD to his computer.
When a computer game is delivered online, the user downloads the game directly from the game website to his own personal computer. Online multiplayer games have gained popularity as more and more users are acquiring high-speed Internet connections. Broadband connections prevent game "lag" on multiplayer online computer games.
A computer game is a game that is played on a personal computer rather than on a game console or on an arcade machine. Early computer games, like early personal computers, were awkward and not very sophisticated. That's changed — a lot!
In a sense, success almost destroyed the computer game industry before it had a chance to even get going. By 1980 the market was overrun with poor-quality computer games. Overproduction of high-profile game releases also contributed to the problem. By 1983 the computer game industry was said to be "in the toilet." Many companies went bankrupt, while others just folded their tents and slipped away into the night. Times were TOUGH!
Of course, all of the computer game companies didn't fold. The big guys weathered the storm. They battened down the hatches and rode it out. They posted large losses over several years, but they survived.
Astounding advancements in personal computer technology and capability breathed new life into the computer game industry.
Personal computer games are delivered to the public generally in one of two ways — physical delivery and online delivery.
Personal computer games that are delivered as physical products come most often in the form of DVDs. The user buys the game and downloads it from the DVD to his computer.
When a computer game is delivered online, the user downloads the game directly from the game website to his own personal computer. Online multiplayer games have gained popularity as more and more users are acquiring high-speed Internet connections. Broadband connections prevent game "lag" on multiplayer online computer games.
Theme Parks
Traveling carnivals have been around for several centuries. Stationary amusement parks have been around for several decades. Theme parks are relatively new to the amusement park portion of the entertainment industry.
I think we all have the late Walt Disney to thank. He had an amazing insight into what comprised entertainment, particularly entertainment for children and for families with children. Mr. Disney first gave us Mickey Mouse, and then he gave us a whole host of make-believe characters that tickled our fancy. Then he gave the world Disneyland and Disney World, which are built around the Disney cartoon and storybook characters that we all love. There are a lot of imitations, but none of them even come close to measuring up to the original.
Theme parks are wonderful vacation destinations for families with children as well as for just adults who are still young at heart. While theme parks are wonderful, they are definitely not cheap.
There's a lot of advice out there about cutting costs so that a family can enjoy a theme park destination on a budget. Some of this advice is: eat before you go, because in-park food is expensive; and take your own water, because in-park soft drinks are expensive. You're advised to leave and eat your meals at eateries outside the theme park. You can eat for a fraction of the cost.
Theme parks provide an entire day or even an entire week of fun and entertainment for the entire family. Often one charge is made that provides admission to all park rides and shows. Some theme parks charge a low admission price but then charge for admittance to rides and shows within the park.
Prices are generally cheaper during "off" seasons for the areas where the theme park is located. For example, it costs less to go to Florida and visit Disney World during hurricane season, when fewer people visit and the weather is much warmer.
I think we all have the late Walt Disney to thank. He had an amazing insight into what comprised entertainment, particularly entertainment for children and for families with children. Mr. Disney first gave us Mickey Mouse, and then he gave us a whole host of make-believe characters that tickled our fancy. Then he gave the world Disneyland and Disney World, which are built around the Disney cartoon and storybook characters that we all love. There are a lot of imitations, but none of them even come close to measuring up to the original.
Theme parks are wonderful vacation destinations for families with children as well as for just adults who are still young at heart. While theme parks are wonderful, they are definitely not cheap.
There's a lot of advice out there about cutting costs so that a family can enjoy a theme park destination on a budget. Some of this advice is: eat before you go, because in-park food is expensive; and take your own water, because in-park soft drinks are expensive. You're advised to leave and eat your meals at eateries outside the theme park. You can eat for a fraction of the cost.
Theme parks provide an entire day or even an entire week of fun and entertainment for the entire family. Often one charge is made that provides admission to all park rides and shows. Some theme parks charge a low admission price but then charge for admittance to rides and shows within the park.
Prices are generally cheaper during "off" seasons for the areas where the theme park is located. For example, it costs less to go to Florida and visit Disney World during hurricane season, when fewer people visit and the weather is much warmer.
The Record Industry
The record industry has come a long way from those first recordings that were cut directly onto wax discs. Microphones were directional. Artists had ONE chance to get it right.
Advancements in the recording industry happened faster than in many other industries, though. The double-sided 78 RPM shellac disc was the standard musical consumer format from the 1910s to the late 1950s. It didn't take a long time for records to shrink in size from the big 78 RPM shellac discs to 45 and 33 1/3 RPM vinyl discs.
Recording sound to vinyl tape was the way that most all sound recordings were made between the 1950s and 1960s. Eight-track tapes followed closely by cassette tapes changed the music industry forever. While recordings made to vinyl discs could not be duplicated easily, taped recorded music could be easily transferred from one tape to another. And tape recorders became smaller and cheaper over the same period of time.
It wasn't long before everybody owned not only a tape player but a tape recorder as well. It didn't bode well for the recording industry.
Then as Internet use became commonplace and electronic development seemed to explode with MP3 players and other handheld devices, the music industry began to suffer significant financial losses. It's still a problem today and nobody has come up with a solution to the problem. Music is easily shared between computer users all around the world. Record sales have plummeted and nobody in the music industry can see a light at the end of the tunnel.
What will happen to the music industry? Nobody really knows right now except that the entire industry is relying more heavily on live performances now than it ever has in the past.
Advancements in the recording industry happened faster than in many other industries, though. The double-sided 78 RPM shellac disc was the standard musical consumer format from the 1910s to the late 1950s. It didn't take a long time for records to shrink in size from the big 78 RPM shellac discs to 45 and 33 1/3 RPM vinyl discs.
Recording sound to vinyl tape was the way that most all sound recordings were made between the 1950s and 1960s. Eight-track tapes followed closely by cassette tapes changed the music industry forever. While recordings made to vinyl discs could not be duplicated easily, taped recorded music could be easily transferred from one tape to another. And tape recorders became smaller and cheaper over the same period of time.
It wasn't long before everybody owned not only a tape player but a tape recorder as well. It didn't bode well for the recording industry.
Then as Internet use became commonplace and electronic development seemed to explode with MP3 players and other handheld devices, the music industry began to suffer significant financial losses. It's still a problem today and nobody has come up with a solution to the problem. Music is easily shared between computer users all around the world. Record sales have plummeted and nobody in the music industry can see a light at the end of the tunnel.
What will happen to the music industry? Nobody really knows right now except that the entire industry is relying more heavily on live performances now than it ever has in the past.
The Opera
The first opera (Dafne by Jacopo Peri) was performed in Italy in the late 16th century. Opera as an art form and as entertainment quickly spread throughout Europe.
An operatic performance includes singers, musicians (an orchestra most often), scenery, costumes (sometimes elaborate), and occasionally even dance. The story lines of operas are most often about tragic or dramatic circumstances but comedic operas have been written as well.
Opera is often performed in "opera houses" — buildings that are constructed for the main purpose of presenting operatic performances. But operas are also presented in performing arts centers that house other forms of entertainment.
A stage, a backstage area, an orchestra pit and audience seating are necessary parts of a building used to stage operatic performances.
The center of the opera universe in America is generally considered to be the Metropolitan Opera, usually simply referred to as "The Met." The Met is 125 years old now.
The first Metropolitan Opera House was built on Broadway and 39th Street in 1893 by a group of wealthy businessmen who wanted their own opera house. It was clear from the beginning that the Metropolitan Opera House was inadequate for staging operas. But the Metropolitan Open insisted on going it alone and simply couldn't afford to upgrade its facilities. It wasn't until 1966 when the Metropolitan Opera joined with other performing arts groups and built the Lincoln Center that the facilities were upgraded.
The newer version of the Metropolitan Opera House opened at Lincoln Center in September 1966. It was equipped with the finest technical facilities of the decade, but that was 42 years ago. Those modern facilities of 1966 are outdated. The place is drafty and more space is needed. It's time to upgrade again!
An operatic performance includes singers, musicians (an orchestra most often), scenery, costumes (sometimes elaborate), and occasionally even dance. The story lines of operas are most often about tragic or dramatic circumstances but comedic operas have been written as well.
Opera is often performed in "opera houses" — buildings that are constructed for the main purpose of presenting operatic performances. But operas are also presented in performing arts centers that house other forms of entertainment.
A stage, a backstage area, an orchestra pit and audience seating are necessary parts of a building used to stage operatic performances.
The center of the opera universe in America is generally considered to be the Metropolitan Opera, usually simply referred to as "The Met." The Met is 125 years old now.
The first Metropolitan Opera House was built on Broadway and 39th Street in 1893 by a group of wealthy businessmen who wanted their own opera house. It was clear from the beginning that the Metropolitan Opera House was inadequate for staging operas. But the Metropolitan Open insisted on going it alone and simply couldn't afford to upgrade its facilities. It wasn't until 1966 when the Metropolitan Opera joined with other performing arts groups and built the Lincoln Center that the facilities were upgraded.
The newer version of the Metropolitan Opera House opened at Lincoln Center in September 1966. It was equipped with the finest technical facilities of the decade, but that was 42 years ago. Those modern facilities of 1966 are outdated. The place is drafty and more space is needed. It's time to upgrade again!
Magazines, Music, and You
You don’t have to be a musician to enjoy the music magazines available today. Music magazines are much more than just a source for musicians to learn all about the current state of the music industry; they are also a great source to find out about all the latest CD’s that are being released and to read reviews about them before you buy. Magazines, music or otherwise are a great source for getting information about current events and music just happens to be one of the most popular things that exist so you will find plenty of magazines music related and arts related. There are many magazines about music to subscribe to if you wan to get the latest news on music as well as read artists interviews and reviews of albums that the artists have recently released.
You can also read magazines, music or otherwise if you wan to find out about what is popular in the younger generations. While the printed forms of magazines still exist as an option when getting magazines, music magazines are now also available in e zine form or online magazines. People who love to do everything from their computer even order pizzas will find it most convenient to get their magazines online. Due to never having to haul the books around with them and having numerous magazines available to them any time they wish to read them.
The printed forms of the magazines, music, and art magazines are available to those of us who still like to actually hold a magazine in our hands when reading them and to smell the perfume samples that are on the ends of the page. For those people these parts would be missing if they changed over to getting their magazines electronically. Both ways to get music magazines are great and will keep you up to date on all the latest news in the music world as well as listings of where your favorite songs are on the charts.
Never be left in the dark again as to what songs are hot this week or what artists are dating which actors when you subscribe to the best of the magazines music has to offer. Finding out which magazine has all the features you enjoy is easy to do if you take a trial offer of the magazine to see if it fits you, if it doesn’t then you move on to another one. Once you find the perfect music magazine for your tastes you will always be informed about the world of music.
You can also read magazines, music or otherwise if you wan to find out about what is popular in the younger generations. While the printed forms of magazines still exist as an option when getting magazines, music magazines are now also available in e zine form or online magazines. People who love to do everything from their computer even order pizzas will find it most convenient to get their magazines online. Due to never having to haul the books around with them and having numerous magazines available to them any time they wish to read them.
The printed forms of the magazines, music, and art magazines are available to those of us who still like to actually hold a magazine in our hands when reading them and to smell the perfume samples that are on the ends of the page. For those people these parts would be missing if they changed over to getting their magazines electronically. Both ways to get music magazines are great and will keep you up to date on all the latest news in the music world as well as listings of where your favorite songs are on the charts.
Never be left in the dark again as to what songs are hot this week or what artists are dating which actors when you subscribe to the best of the magazines music has to offer. Finding out which magazine has all the features you enjoy is easy to do if you take a trial offer of the magazine to see if it fits you, if it doesn’t then you move on to another one. Once you find the perfect music magazine for your tastes you will always be informed about the world of music.
How to Get Published for Music Magazines
You are wondering how to get published for music magazines and what exactly you need to do before you even try. There are many ways you can begin to get your work ready to get published in a music magazine. The first thing you need to do is practice so you can easily write down facts or ideas when is comes to your writing about music. You can begin to practice writing about music by listening to music at home and writing down everything you think about it, you can then begin to make sure the writing is good enough to get noticed.
Your next step is to establish contacts with people who are writers for magazines or with editors and this will help you when you have something ready to send in for publishing consideration. You can ask them how to get published for music magazines specifically in case there is a particular procedure for music magazines that is different from just any other type of magazine. The contacts you make will be able to give you advice as well as let you know if your work is ready to try to submit somewhere. If they say you are not quite ready yet then you know you need to work harder and practice more before you even begin to submit anything. You can also ask if any editors you have met and know will look over your work before you send it in and edit it for the grammar and content of the article. You might also want to find out what standards are required for submitting for consideration to a magazine and then follow those guidelines exactly. Most people reviewing work for consideration in publishing will not even look at something submitted that doesn’t fit certain standards for submission.
Once you have begun to get your foot in the door you will need to try to attend networking groups for magazines and see what types of information as well as what new contacts you can make while at the group. The groups are another answer to how to get published for music magazines because you will have access to so much experience and advice there. The main idea is you need to have good quality work which requires practice, and also you need to know someone who can give you advice on how to get published for music magazines based on their experience.
When you have done these things you will have a much better chance of answering your question of how to get published for music magazines. With all your hard work and advice you will stand a better chance of even being considered for having your work published.
Your next step is to establish contacts with people who are writers for magazines or with editors and this will help you when you have something ready to send in for publishing consideration. You can ask them how to get published for music magazines specifically in case there is a particular procedure for music magazines that is different from just any other type of magazine. The contacts you make will be able to give you advice as well as let you know if your work is ready to try to submit somewhere. If they say you are not quite ready yet then you know you need to work harder and practice more before you even begin to submit anything. You can also ask if any editors you have met and know will look over your work before you send it in and edit it for the grammar and content of the article. You might also want to find out what standards are required for submitting for consideration to a magazine and then follow those guidelines exactly. Most people reviewing work for consideration in publishing will not even look at something submitted that doesn’t fit certain standards for submission.
Once you have begun to get your foot in the door you will need to try to attend networking groups for magazines and see what types of information as well as what new contacts you can make while at the group. The groups are another answer to how to get published for music magazines because you will have access to so much experience and advice there. The main idea is you need to have good quality work which requires practice, and also you need to know someone who can give you advice on how to get published for music magazines based on their experience.
When you have done these things you will have a much better chance of answering your question of how to get published for music magazines. With all your hard work and advice you will stand a better chance of even being considered for having your work published.
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