Computer game buying tips

Introduction
Computer games are most often used for an entertainment value, but can also be educational. Below we have listed several considerations to look at when purchasing a computer game.
Considerations

Demo	Today, a large majority of computer games that are released are also released as a demo and are available through computer game magazines or off of the Internet. If you are purchasing the game for yourself and have not seen or played the game, you may consider playing the demo (if available) before purchasing the game. The demo is found from the developer's web site.
Mass multiplayer	Mass Multiplayer games are an excellent choice for any advanced or new game player. These games are games where the player joins thousands, sometimes millions, of other players from all over the planet and build up their character, fight creatures, develop skills, fight other players, talk, and much more. While these games are fun and can be played sometimes for years, they do require a small monthly fee. This fee can be anywhere from $10.00 to $20.00 a month and help to maintain the servers, help with updates and maintain your account. These games are also only available when connecting to the Internet and do not offer a single player option.
Multiplayer	Multiplayer is similar to Mass Multiplayer; however, these games allow the players to play with a few players (2 - 20 players). These are still fun and excellent games, and are games where you must either shoot and frag other players, or develop an online character by fighting creatures.  Unlike the Mass Multiplayer games, these games are quick and do not require hundreds of hours of game play and can be played as Multiplayer or Single Player.
Piracy	Piracy, unfortunately, is very commonplace in the computer gaming industry and Computer Hope highly recommends that it not be considered. While it has been easy in the past, gaming piracy has become more difficult. Users who pirate games may be forfeiting the ability to play with their friends online, not be able to receive updates for the games, and more importantly are not supporting the company of the game. Users who let their friends pirate their games may also be forfeiting the same above rights. If you share your serial or ID number with a friend you may be giving up your right to play on-line as your number will likely become invalid.
Rating	The ESRB rating of a game determines how violent the game is; below is a listing of several of the ratings found on the majority of all games today. See the ESRB definition for additional information on ESRB and a listing of each of the ratings. Computer Hope has no place in giving recommendations to parents on what games they should or should not purchase for their children and believes that it is up to the parent to decide what is OK or not OK for their children to play.
Type	There are several different games. These games can vary from first person shooter to sports. Visit our game page for a listing of computer games and game types as well as a description on each of the game types.
Upgrade	When purchasing a software game, ensure that it is not an upgrade to an early version of the game. Many of the available updates will require that the previous version of the software be already installed on the computer.