MakeUseOf Directory » Games

GamesForCats: iPad Games For Cats

abhijeet — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:01:13 +0000

People say that playing games on an iPad is an entirely different experience than doing it on a computer. And it looks like the fun isn’t just limited to humans. This iPad app called Games for Cats actually has games for cats. They say that the iPad screen can easily tolerate your cat’s claws and hence there’s no reason why humans should have all the fun.

So this app has some cool HTML 5 games which have been built after a lot of researching and testing so that the cats actually enjoy it even though humans might not.

The homepage of the site has some games listed on the sidebar with “play in browser” links to let users try it out (or I should say let their cats try it out) before going about installing the app from the App Store. The games work well on the iOS Safari browser.

Features

Browser based iPad games for cats.
Built using HTML5, Javascript, etc.
Researched and tested for cat fun.

Check out GamesForCats @ www.gamesforcats.com (By Abhijeet from GT Mobiles)

PlayThru: Game Based CAPTCHAs For Your Site

TehseenBaweja — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:01:48 +0000

All of us have been proved non-human at some point or another by rogue CAPTCHAs. They are often unreadable and almost always annoying. PlayThru is a great alternative to traditional CAPTCHAs where instead of words or phrases, the CAPTCHA requires you to complete a 2-3 second game. Once you complete the dead simple game, you can proceed to the actual webpage.

For website owners, it comes as a fresh breeze since it increases user satisfaction and also keep the bots away, hence cutting down on spam. For brands and advertisers, this is another great chance to embed their messages in this new form of CAPTCHA. The website also has a ‘Rogues Gallery’ where it shows the wall of fame for some really ugly traditional CAPTCHAs.

Features:

Use simple games as CAPTCHAs for your website.
Increases user satisfaction and prevents bots.
Similar tools: VidoopCAPTCHA, NuCaptcha, MailHide ReCaptcha and WhySpamMe.
Also read related article: 5 Ways to Protect & Hide Your Email to Stop Receiving Spam.

Get PlayThrough @ www.areyouahuman.com

What’s Outt: Check Out The Latest Movie, Music, Books & Game Releases

Umar — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:01:09 +0000

When you have to check the latest media that has been released lately, you normally have to jump from one site to the other. For example, you will visit one site for movies, another for music, another for books, and a different one for games. Here to provide all such releases in the same place is a site called “What’s Outt”.

What’s Outt is a user-friendly website that shows its visitors the latest releases in movies, music, books, and games. You need not create any account on the site; simply visit its homepage and check out the latest releases that are sorted categorically. You can use further filters to find releases over the previous week, previous two weeks, or just the current week. Placing your mouse pointer over the thumbnail image of a release reveals its Amazon link where it can be purchased.

Features:

A user-friendly web service.
Shows you the latest releases.
Covers movies, books, games, and music.
Provides purchasing links.
Similar services: TrackNewBook, and Music2Mail,

Check out What’s Outt @ www.whatsoutt.com (By Umar from AllThatIsApple)

NobelPrizeGames: Educational Games For Noble Prize Winning Topics

TehseenBaweja — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:01:00 +0000

Topics or works that have won a Nobel prize are unquestionably very important. The Nobel prize organization has come up with around 30 educational games through which kids can learn about these topics without having to read a lot of text or study articles. Each game is designed in such a way that besides being fun, it also makes the player understand the concept behind it.

The games cover main prize categories including physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. Most of the games have embedded descriptions that give an overview / understanding of the concept. Each game can be rated, commented on or shared with others easily. The games are all web based and don’t require and any download or plugin installation.

Features:

Learn about Nobel prize topics through educational games.
Over 30 games in 5 different categories.
No registration required.

Visit NobelPrizeGames @ http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/all_productions.html [Via FreeTech4Teachers]

Wanderplayer: Turns Your Smartphone Into A Game Controller

Israel Nicolas — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:01:07 +0000

The smartphone touchscreen interface opened up new possibilities for input controls. With a touchscreen, you can have a keyboard with different languages as easy as switching your settings. There are also apps that can turn your touchscreen into a remote control or a trackpad. But Wanderplayer is one of the first apps that allows you to turn your smartphone into a desktop game controller.

To start using Wanderplayer, you will need to download the desktop console app and connect it with your iPhone or Android app and make sure that the console app is connected to the mobile app through the same wi-fi network. Instead of applying Wanderplayer in locally installed games, Wanderplayer takes the next step by allowing users to play their favorite supported games online.

There are currently 150 games that Wanderplayer supports. Soon it will run on an AppleTV so that your iPhones and iPod touches can play and control movies in your HDTV for an immersive experience.

Features:

Turn your mobile device into a game controller.
Work with Apple TV.
Offers multiplayer support.
Available for iOS and Android.

Check out Wanderplayer @ http://www.wanderplayer.com

Bfxr: Create Game Sound Effects Online

TehseenBaweja — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:01:19 +0000

Bfxr is a feature-rich online tool that lets you create sound effects for video games. The tool has a lot of pre-set sound effects that can be used as-is including actions such as jump, explosion, coin drop, hit, blip, select, randomize and more. You can also create a totally new sound effect by playing with the various parameters provided such as compression, harmonics, speed, depth, etc.

Once you like what you have created, you can export it as a WAV file and insert in any game. You can also save your sound effects as an SFX file and then load them again to resume editing. You can also use the mixer to layer around parameters in order to create a unique sound effect. The tool is a bit complex to use, but has amazing functionality once you get a hold of it.

Features:

Generate game sound effects.
Use tons of preset effects or create your own.
Over a dozen parameters to customize sound.
No registration required.
Similar tools: AudioExpert and as3sfxr.

Visit Bfxr @ www.bfxr.net

Hooked: Decide Which Games To Play Next [Android 2.2+]

MOin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 23:01:50 +0000

If you own a smartphone you will be frequently trying to decide which game to try out next. One way to get this question answered would be to find out what your friends are playing. Here to help you find that out is an Android phone app called Hooked.

Sized at 1.2 MB, this app helps you decide which games to play next. This is accomplished by letting you find out what games your friends are playing. Once you have installed the application you can start adding your friends who are using the app. Friends are connected to you automatically as well after you answer a few questions about yourself.

Once you see the active popular games list you can easily decide which game would interest you most.

Features:

A user-friendly phone application.
Compatible with Android devices.
Helps decide which game to play next.
Helps find out games your friend are playing.
Similar tools: Decide-o-Tron, GameJump and CoolGorilla.
Also read related articles:

Check out Hooked @ market.android.com/details?id=gamook.apps.toro (by MOin from Urban Savior)

Email Game: Transforms Email Into A Game

Hammad — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:01:47 +0000

The Email Game is a useful web application which can change how we read and reply to emails. It transforms the traditional email system into an addictive game where you get points for reading and replying to emails. The service is currently compatible with Gmail and Google Apps accounts only. If you want to use it with other email providers, you can sign up for a Professional or Enterprise plan which provides Outlook/Exchange support.

Once installed, you must give the application authorization to access your Gmail account. Then it will redirect you to Emailga.me where it will open unread emails from your inbox one by one. Your task is to read and respond to it within 90 seconds. You can either reply to the email, skip it, archive, delete or boomerang it (boomerang archives the email and brings it back after an allotted time defined by the user).

If you complete the task before the timer is zero, you get points. If you want to stop the game, you can click on the pause button in the top left corner and close the tab/window. One thing which I don’t like about the application is that it automatically adds an email signature about the Email Game.

The service offers Professional and Enterprise plans starting from $10/month with more exciting features.

Features:

Free and easy to use.
Works with Gmail and Google Apps account
Read and respond to emails in a productive manner
Offers professional and enterprise plans

Check out The Email Game @ http://emailga.me or from Chrome Web Store @ https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ehbobaphhmjpchjknfpcnlhcbkjbclge?hc=hp-pr&hcp=pr1-3

WikiGuess: A Fun Wikipedia Game To Tests Your Knowledge [Android]

MOin — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:01:28 +0000

If you consider yourself to be somebody with extensive Wikipedia knowledge, then you will find WikiGuess thoroughly enjoyable. It is a fun wikipedia game that lets Android owners test their knowledge of Wikipedia articles.

WikiGuess is a free smartphone app for Android devices. Sized at 159KB, the app requires Android 1.6 or later. The app is basically a game that asks you to guess the Wikipedia article it displays. The article being displayed usually has a picture and the article’s keywords. You need to guess the article name in the give time. The more you score, the more Wikipedia know-how you can boast of.

Features:

A user-friendly game.
Compatible with Android devices.
Makes you guess Wikipedia articles.
Displays article picture and keywords.
Also read related articles:

Check out WikiGuess @ www.wikiguess.com/wikiGuess (by MOin from ThumbPress)

KidMode: Put Your Android Into Kid Mode

abhijeet — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 03:01:43 +0000

If you own a smartphone and have kids at home then you’d know the minute you leave your phone unattended, it is likely to end up with one of your kids who will do all kinds of experiments on it to satisfy their curiosity. Well, why not help them use it in a better way? Kid Mode is a free Android app that has educational games for kids of age 8 and under. It also locks the home button to prevent the child from messing with the phone.

You will need Flash for the games to run. Without Flash, kids can only watch videos. The app also has things like storybooks, art studio and video mail so it is likely to keep your kid busy for considerably long periods of time. Games are customized for different age groups, and you also get weekly activity email reports on what your kid’s been playing.

Features

Educational games for kids.
Locks the home screen automatically.
Flash needed.

Check out KidMode @ market.android.com/details?id=com.zoodles.kidmode (By Abhijeet from GT Mobiles)