gamespy arcade

Imagine a huge games arcade where thousands of dedicated game players can gather to do battle. That’s what GameSpy Arcade attempts to offer in a virtual world where game is the name and variety is the aim.

GameSpy Arcade (GSA) started life by simply helping Quake users find a functioning sever to log onto but today, it has developed into a world of gaming in its own right. The developer claims that millions of gamers meet online on GSA to play the hundreds of online multiplayer games and free demos it's linked to. They also claim the all-in-one interface offers the fastest game servers available – up to 60% faster than in-game browsers. Plus, it already features integrated texting, voice chat and instant messaging – eat your heart out SecondLife.

Gaming on a PC still pretty much equals the experience you get on a console, even on one of the next generation like the PS3 or XBox 360, thanks to all the software that you can use.

We won't be talking about emulators here, even though PCs offer all sorts, from DOS classics to N64 or Playstation. Instead let's see what kind of software can widen your gaming experience.

• Game Optimizer - What's the biggest worry of any serious gamer? If your PC can handle the requirements of your game. This application optimizes memory, game speed, frame rate and many others. You can also set hotkeys to bring up the optimizer any time.
• Hamachi - Anybody who's been to a LAN party knows how important it is to have a good, safe connection. Hamachi lets you configure a P2P connection between computers easily and securely.
• mIRC - This chat client is prized by gamers because of its advanced scripting language. If you feel comfortable with it you can customize mIRC according to your needs. The downside to it is that, if you don't know how to use it properly, it can open up your PC to malicious attacks.
• Kquery - Browse through game servers to dig up gamers stats, rules, maps, settings and more. Can become quite addictive so you should really limit yourself to searching for information that you really need.
• Fraps - Capture videos or screenshots of any game and perform benchmarks to measure the frame rate of your games. The tool of choice of any serious game tester.
• The All-Seeing Eye - Search for all the best game servers online. Features an advanced filtering tool to only list the best servers and most popular online games.
• GameSpy Arcade - A world of gaming of its own, this server based platform lets you connect with thousands of gamers to play hundreds of games online. If you can make with all the advertising and have enough CPU to handle it, GameSpy Arcade is a great way to make new friends and test out new games.
• M.U.G.E.N - If you're feeling adventurous, create your own video game with M.U.G.E.N. You'll have to know DOS programming, but if you're resilient, you could be the creator of the next biggest fighting game on PC!