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The world of online games has received a fillip ever since the Internet revolution began and made its mark in the lives of regular people. We can still recall a time when we were limited by slow computers with crawling dialup speed. Back in those days, one could never even have thought of the way in which the online gaming industry would soon be developing. Today, online games are very advanced.

In the world of today, gaming has advanced to an amazing degree. Things like streaming 3-D animation graphics with superb surround sound stereo now have the ability to make us all addicted to gaming.

Playing online games is so much more different than playing games in a single player mode where your only challenge is to beat the computer. The great thing about online gaming is that one can actually test one's skills against the best in this arena. In fact, certain game platforms cater to this by having rankings to determine the champions. There can be no doubt that with this ranking system, gamers have become very motivated to win.

And most gamers take this ranking system quite seriously. Whether it is RPG (role playing games), shooting or strategy games, it is not surprising to see that online gaming is not just a teenage obsession. Online gaming now has a fan following that reaches across all boundaries.

Nowadays, online games are so popular that we can even see annual game tournaments being organized around the world. Professional gamers and amateurs come here lured by the big prizes. Some of these tournaments are so well organized that they are comparable to the high standards of other international sports tournaments with big sponsors and advanced facilities. As a result, the numbers of professional gamers has been increasing.

Their job is to hone their skills and pursue gaming just like any other sports person would. The emergence of online games also created many opportunities for gamers to increase their income. Many people do not realize that with the market becoming so huge and with the race to be at the top, people are actually willing to pay to obtain these virtual online characters. This act is known as "farming", whereby you develop a character and sell it.

At the same time, online gaming has a number of negatives as well. The world has become so attached to online gaming that many people prefer to interact only through games. They loathe the idea of social interaction. This, of course, is not advisable. In fact, some also link this trend to unhealthy lifestyles because it also means sitting in one position all day without much activity. The greatest victims of online games are young people who cannot fight their obsession for this sit-down sport.

However, one cannot ignore the benefits of gaming either. For instance, by limiting gaming to a certain number of hours a day, there can actually be some positive effects. Scientific studies have found that online games can train the human mind to be agile and alert. Gamers are always exposed to conditions whereby they have to learn to adapt and develop certain strategies in order to survive. As with everything, even gaming has its good and bad effects. Whether you let yourself be affected positively or negatively is your call.