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Gaming is lots of fun.

Playing computer games is enjoyed by people all over the world.

There are games for all interests and all ages including adults, young people and children.

We can play games on lots of digital devices including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs and games consoles.

Lots of people buy and download games from the internet or pay to play them online. There are free online games, but they usually have adverts, or may ask you to buy things inside the game.

Some games are sold as a cartridge or blu-ray disc that can be loaded into a games console and played offline.

Computer games can be divided up into different types or genres.

Here are some examples of popular game genres.

What genre is your favourite game?

Can you think of any other game genres not in our list?

One of the earliest computer games was called Pong. It simulated table tennis with two players trying to hit a ball across the net.

It was very simple with two lines for the bats that could be moved up and down using a joystick.

Even though today it looks like a really simple game, people back then thought it was very new and exciting!

Computer games can be very complicated. They are made up of many different parts or elements.

The computer game designers have to think of ideas for every part of the game. Then it can be put together and made into a game we can play.

Here are some elements they need to think about.

• The story, plot or puzzle - What do the game characters have to do?

• The setting - What kind of place and time is the game set?

• The characters - Who are the heroes? What about the villains?

• The graphics and artwork - Do they bring the characters and setting to life?

• Game controls - How is the game played? What controls are used?

• Games goals - How do you win or lose the game? What is the aim?

Games should be fun and entertaining or we just won't play them!

How it feels when we play the game is just as important as how it looks.

A game can have fun characters and look great, but if it's too hard it can make us feel frustrated and we might give up.

If the game is too easy we could get bored and stop playing too. The challenge has to be just right.

When playing, we need to know how we are doing and what to do next.

The game needs to give clear instructions and tell us our score. It also must let us know when we win or lose. This is called player feedback.

It's great fun to design your own computer game. There's lots of apps and tools that can help you make it.

The first thing to do is come up with the idea for your game. You could start with a character and build a story around them.

Or you could start with a place or setting and think about who may live there.

Maybe you have always wanted to make a platform game about dinosaurs and doughnuts!

Whatever your idea is, you'll need to think about all the elements we have looked at. It's a good idea to make some notes. Then you can make a plan for your game.

Remember to include these elements in your plan:

The most important part of a computer game is the computer program that sets the rules and controls the way the game is played.

The computer program for the game will tell the characters what to do when a player does something.