GAMES

Games are played by people of all ages and not just children and are now a mainstream activity, just like music and films. Games are played by people of all ages, so it is likely that either you, a member of your family, some of your friends, or your work colleagues, play computer games regularly. That is why every game published in the UK has an age rating clearly displayed on the packaging to help ensure that the right games are enjoyed by the right players. This site is sponsored by the games companies which publish games in the UK who are as keen as any parent to ensure only suitable games fall into the hands of children and young people. The way games are played today is shifting drastically - and rapidly. Originally most games were just for one player and played on one computer or games console. But the advent of the high speed internet and the ease with which computers can 'talk' to one another means that increasingly people are playing games 'online.' Not only are they playing other humans instead of AI (artificial intelligent) opponents, they are playing in games where tens even hundreds and thousands of other human players are competing. One such genre, where more often than not it is thousands of players competing in the same world, is called MMOGs - which stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Games. Another emerging world is the social gaming arena - which is as much entertaining chat room as actual game. Key components of games are goals, rules, challenge, and interaction. Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and often both. Many games help develop practical skills, serve as a form of exercise, or otherwise perform an educational, simulation, or psychological role. According to Chris Crawford, the requirement for player interaction puts activities such as jigsaw puzzles and solitaire "games" into the category of puzzles rather than games.

COMPUTERS
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem. Conventionally a computer consists of some form of memory for data storage, at least one element that carries out arithmetic and logic operations, and a sequencing and control element that can change the order of operations based on the information that is stored. Peripheral devices allow information to be entered from external source, and allow the results of operations to be sent out. A computer's processing unit executes series of instructions that make it read, manipulate and then store data. Conditional instructions change the sequence of instructions as a function of the current state of the machine or its environment. The first electronic computers were developed in the mid-20th century (19401945). Originally, they were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PCs). Modern computers based on integrated circuits are millions to billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy a fraction of the space.[2] Simple computers are small enough to fit into mobile devices, mobile computers can be powered by small batteries. Personal computers in their various forms are icons of the Information Age and are what most people think of as "computers". However, the embedded computers found in many devices from MP3 players to fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are the most numerous.

History of computing
In 1613, referring to a person who carried out calculations, or computations, and the word continued with the same meaning until the middle of the 20th century. From the end of the 19th century onwards, the word began to take on its more familiar meaning, describing a machine that carries out computations.

Limited-function early computers

The history of the modern computer begins with two separate technologiesautomated calculation and programmabilitybut no single device can be identified as the earliest computer, partly because of the inconsistent application of that term.