So what’s so good about Steam? First and foremost, joining the Steam network is free. It’s buying games that costs you money, though that should be a given. (Or is it? There are actually a couple of games on Steam that are completely free). Gamers use the online “Steam Store” to digitally purchase computer games. These games become permanently attached to the user’s Steam account. The Steam Store actually offers discounts that you might not find anywhere else. Many games released on Steam include special offers such as pre-release discounts or free-play weekends.

Valve originally made Steam to create a platform that would update games automatically to fix those nasty patches and to put in place better anti-piracy and anti-cheat methods, and that’s exactly what it does. The games that you purchase off of steam are updated automatically, saving you quite a bit of hassle. The makers of Steam have done their best to protect users against hijacking of accounts with Steam Guard. Users have the ability to lock their accounts to specific computers. Steam Guard was implemented in March 2011.

Another important aspect of Steam that can’t be overlooked is the Steam Community, which includes over 10 million Steam users. Create your own profile and connect with friends or join groups of gamers with similar interests. You could host or take part in a chat where you might find someone to play against. During game-play, with a simple keyboard command, you can draw up some Steam options, which includes chatting with friends.

You don’t need a supercomputer to run Steam; System requirements include 512 MB RAM and a 1 Ghz or faster processor. Windows XP, Vista, or 7 will do just fine, and Steam was also recently made available to Mac users. You really just need a computer good enough to run the game in which you’re interested. And chances are, with the 1,100 games available for download, purchase, and play on Steam, you can find plenty of those.

Released on June 23, 1991 to critical acclaim, Sonic the Hedgehog ushered in a new era of video games and spawned the greatest rivalry in the industry. With its fast-paced gameplay, beautiful stage art, unique characters, and easy accessibility, Sonic changed the way we thought about side-scrolling platformers. Up until then, platform games were defined by the likes of Pitfall, Super Mario Bros. and Mega Man. These games, while fun and brilliant in their own right, lacked something critical that Sonic brought to the table – chaotically fast gameplay.

The premise is simple. You play as Sonic, a hedgehog with an ability to run super fast. You are tasked with rescuing your fellow woodland creatures from the evil Dr. Robotnik (later named Dr. Eggman) who is transforming the animals into robotic slaves. Your power and abilities come from collecting rings and other various power ups that give you an edge over the various robot enemies you encounter in the game. Apart from simply destroying the robots and rescuing the animals, you must traverse many different locales filled with various hazards and pitfalls. The trick is, you must do all this while cruising at a blazingly-fast speed.

Sonic the Hedgehog was just the first in a long line of games, which saw the decline of the series begin in 1996 with the release of Sonic 3D Blast. For how quickly the series rose to prominence, it tanked just as fast. By 2000, it appeared as though Sega had forgotten what Sonic was all about, and had abandoned the 2D gameplay that made Sonic stand out from the crowd (save for releases on portable game systems). This seemed to change with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, which was released on consoles and portable systems alike.

The original game that spawned several generations of inventive (and often times lackluster) games, Sonic the Hedgehog was brilliance and innovation exactly when it was needed.

The answer is that I am completely fascinated by the very idea of 3D gaming; so much so, in fact, that I’m seriously pondering a pre-order of the 3DS (for those unaware, I’m staunchly against pre-ordering when it comes to video games). You see, 3D movies and television doesn’t impress me. I don’t care about filmmakers having knives or characters jumping out at me. Don’t ask why — it just doesn’t impress me. However, the idea of being able to actually interact with a 3D object instead of just watching it? That excites me. If done properly, we may see the big gaming companies usher in a new era of gaming. Instead of being a dumb gimmick, this could really turn heads and make games truly revolutionary as a form of entertainment.

I’d like to tell you about an idea I had a few years back for a game on Nintendo’s Wii system. The idea was simple: A massive, multiplayer, online role-playing game done in first person (with a 3rd-person option). You control the left and right hands with the Wii remote and nun-chuck and battles are in real-time. You would have employees devoted to the maintenance of the gaming world and the managing of new and old quests. The game would be ever-expanding, and would be supported with a monthly subscription fee. Given the proper amount of story-telling and quest-incentive, this could be a very lucrative and fun project. Why hasn’t this happened yet? The Wii is perfect for this kind of thing and it pains me to see an opportunity like this wasted. But how awesome would this game be in 3D?

My hope is that the next iteration of consoles (or the current consoles, if technology allows), will embrace 3D as a real means of immersion and run with it. Making concept games won’t cut it; if you talk a big game, you’d better bring it.

Since its release, Tetris has become available virtually everywhere. You can find the program for computer operating systems, gaming consoles, cellular phones, or even graphing calculators! If you are in the mood for a round right now, you could visit tetris.com and follow the links to play one of the many variants of Tetris (or, of course, the original).

Some interesting information:

• The name Tetris has two roots. As you may have guessed, part of it comes from the Greek numerical stem tetra-, meaning four, because all of the pieces in Tetris are made of four blocks. The suffix comes from tennis. Why tennis? Tennis was Pajitnov’s favorite sport; it’s as simple as that.
• Tetris is played in more than 50 countries and translated for those 50 different languages.
• The falling pieces are technically called Tetrominos; although, in the earliest versions they were called tetrads. The pieces can be referred to as I, J, L, O, S, T, and Z because of their resemblance to each.
• The maximum number of lines you can clear with a single Tetronimo is four (using the I piece to fill in a vertical gap); this is called a Tetris and earns you bonus points.
• Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer’s Edition ranks Tetris #2 on the “Top 50 Console Games of All Time.” (The winner was Super Mario Kart.)
• From the official Tetris Website, “Tetris has even been played on the sides of buildings! The record for the world’s largest working game of Tetris belongs to the Dutch students of the Delft University of Technology, who in 1995, lit up 15 floors of their Electrical Engineering Department.”

For a fun video involving people that recreate the game of Tetris click here to see The Original Human Tetris Performance by Guillaume Reymond.

To think, all this originated from a puzzle-loving Russian who started the frenzy 25 years ago. Thank you, Alexey Pajitnov, and happy 25th anniversary, Tetris!