Unfortunately PC games are expensive and many gamers find new games to be far beyond their price range. Not only are new games expensive, many of them do not warrant the price tag and aren’t able to keep players engaged for longer than a few playthroughs.

As such, when your budget only allows for a few new titles a year, many gamers start looking for games that are free to play as alternatives for continuously spending outrageous amounts of cash on the ‘big releases’.

In order to point our PC gamers in the right direction, we’ve compiled a list of the best free to download and play games to keep you busy for plenty of hours to come.

Ascent Infinite Realm

Those who are familiar with PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) will be surprised to hear that the next game from Bluehole is a free-to-play steampunk MMORPG which takes place in the sky – which is rather fitting seeing as Ascent Infinite Realm is abbreviated as AIR.

While it may look similar to Tera, we can assure you that the similarities end at both games being MMO’s developed by the same company.

Dota 2

All PC gamers have undoubtedly heard of or played Dota 2 over the years, but it’s worth a mention as it’s one of the most popular free-to-play games of all time.

This top-down arena battler is outrageously active and attracts multi-million dollar prize pools for serious e-sport tournament players – it’s almost as popular as the multitudes of real money slots! While Dota 2 has intricate gameplay mechanics, it’s certainly not just for the obsessives, and it’s just a matter of time before you’re hooked too!

Star Wars: The Old Republic

This game took over from the original Star Wars MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies in 2011, but it wasn’t initially a free release. Fortunately for us, it has since adopted the highly popular free-to-play model.

Subscriptions are however still available which give you more in-game potential, but all the story missions are available without paying a cent. It’s worth playing simply to experience the Star Wars universe from many different perspectives such as the Imperial Agent and Bounty Hunter.

Everquest

The future of Everquest was uncertain for a brief moment not too long ago following the sale of Sony’s entertainment division back in February 2015, but now the game is back with bigger expansion packs and continued support by Daybreak Game Company.

Everquest was released in 1999 as an MMORPG with a 3D game engine – the first of its kind to succeed commercially – and features consistently released expansion packs to new areas, races, and classes.

Warframe

If you like the sound of third-person co-op shooters, then Warframe is one of the best free games for you. You’ll join one of three factions – Tenno, Grineer, or Corpos – after which your soldier will be decked out in a Crysis-esque exosuit complete with guns or melee weapons.

Warframe is certainly shinier and better-looking than your average free-to-play shooter game and there is plenty of fun to be had with its player versus enemy raids.

50 years ago, being trapped inside would have been torture for kids, these days being sent into the great wifi less outdoors would be torture for kids. So now that everything involves being indoor with wifi or having limitless data, how do we entertain our kids without them turning into faux Emo’s (i.e. very pale and skinny but without the eyeliner).

Pinterest, it is my saving grace!  I cannot tell you how much Pinterest has to offer, it is a limitless resource of ideas. (And not just for kid’s games – so much more from home DIY to fashion FYI).

Insert a few search terms into pinterest and you get immediate results, sift through them, pin those that you could get your little Emo’s to do and try not get stuck in the scroll.

So when you need a breather and and are waiting to see if you’ve won big at betting NZ sites, try out the below suggested activates.

(Hot tip – I set a timer for when I must stop scrolling through Pinterest – otherwise it never ends and I never sleep!)

Here are my top Pinterest suggested activities:

Kids Science Experiments

• Elephant toothpaste – this science experiment makes a wonderful “explosion” and is great outdoor fun for kids

The ingredients:  Hydrogen peroxide, yeast, soap and Food colouring.

• DIY Bouncy balls – making these balls with your kids is a great chance to make toys you can use together after

The ingredients: Cornstarch, Food Colouring, Borax, White Liquid Glue and water

–      Fluffy slime – the name says it all, this experiment is literally guaranteed to ensure your kids      have ours of fun

Ingredients: Baking soda, food colouring, Saline solution, White school glue

• Moon sand – This is a win for both you and the kids, as this sand is easy to clean up! This sand is super quick to make, and keeps kids occupied with the making and with playing with it after making it

Ingredients: Flour and baby oil (and food colouring if you wanted some extra pizzazz)

*remember to always supervise kids when you use any chemicals for these experiments!

Kid’s outdoor games

• Colour scavenger hunt – This colour coded scavenger hunt gets the kids outside, using a simply made chart (crayons of different colours on white A4 paper). The kids then need to find matching coloured items outside – think leaves or flowers or rocks. This easy to make game keeps your kids occupied in the fresh air for hours.
• Paper plates ring toss – this is another simple game to make with recycled items from your home and will keep you kids occupied outside. Using paper plates to make rings, and use empty paper towel holders for the ring toss stands.
• Giant bubbles – kids love bubbles, so giant bubbles would be even more thrilling! Find a easy recipe to make the bubble mixture (water, dish soap, cornstarch, baking powder and glycerine) fill up a little kiddies paddle pool with the bubble mixture, grab a hula hoop and make some giant bubbles – over your kids!

All the in depth instructions and ingredients for these ideas can be found easily on Pinterest when you search for any of these terms.

Almost everything that we do today is done using technology. The Dr Seuss books that we read and loved as children are accessible on tablets today, complete with a swiping action on the touchscreen to turn the page. Our kids love the words just as much, but they interact with what has been written and drawn in a completely new way.

The idea of merging old, worthwhile ideas with our brand-new technology is not new, but it is as exciting and important as ever. As parents, this is especially important as we try to equip our children to deal with a world that is constantly developing while we try to keep up with the changes.

Technology impacts every part of our lives including how we interact with our children; if we don’t stay up-to-date, we won’t be living in the same world as them and could find really connecting with them impossible.

As always, and with everything, living with technology is all about balance. Use it to enhance your life, not overwhelm it, and don’t be afraid of learning more about what’s out there. To illustrate this point, we’ve listed a few more areas of life that have moved from offline to online that you probably find very convenient already.

Absolutely Everything Online

Rather than calling to make a reservation at a restaurant, check the movie schedule or order a meal delivery, we hop onto the Internet and do it online. Looking for a recipe? Search for specific chefs or methods online, or browse to see what you can make with the ingredients you have on hand.

Students who need to do research go online instead of checking out reference books from the library, and there are YouTube videos on how to do anything from specialised DIY products to professional-looking makeup application.

The dying art of letter writing has been replaced with emails or ecards, or even in some cases social media. As for television, most people simply tune into streaming networks such as Netflix or Hulu these days. You can come back to your favourite shows whenever you’re ready or able to, and never have to endure advertisement breaks, two very important positive points for any busy parents. Soon we’ll even be able to turn on lights and other appliances remotely, thanks to the Internet of Things.

No more calling your neighbour to nip over and switch on the lights when you’re going to be late!  Playing the pokies New Zealand players love so much is now also possible online, thanks to virtual casinos.

Enhancements, Not Replacements

Along with embracing the changes that all new technology brings, it’s important to remember that there are many things that are simply better in real life.

The fact that it is possible to take an online virtual tour of the Louvre is amazing, and until you can get to Paris it’s a worthwhile way to bring all of that culture into your home, but it will never replace travelling to the City of Love and seeing the magnificent gallery for yourself. Nor, quite frankly, should it.

While the internet is a veritable playground of all things entertainment and distraction, there is one pastime which is easily the most popular one of all: online slots. With such a wide variety of different online slots to enjoy – the best online casinos will have hundreds of variations – there truly is something for everyone. No matter your budget or amount of free time available, there is an online slot for you.

Here we discuss the different types of online slots, the range of themes you can expect to come across, as well as some handy tips to increase your chances of online slots success.

Different Types of Online Slots

Traditional slots: also known as classic slots, these are usually 3-reeled slots that use fruit, bars, and diamonds are symbols, and are generally very light on bonus features.

3-Reel Slots: an online slot with 3 reels.

5-Reel Slots: an online slot with 5 reels.

Video slots: these look more like video games and have cut scenes, animations, and bonus rounds which all make these much more fun to play.

3D Slots: these look just like video slots, but all the graphics and animations are in 3D. Don’t worry, you don’t need 3D glasses!

Progressive Slots: online slots which have massive jackpots you could win by betting the minimum amount and hitting the winning combination. The jackpot grows every time you spin the reels as a portion of your bet is added to the total. Progressive are a casino NZ favourite!

Fixed Jackpot: most online slots have fixed jackpots which do not grow or change no matter how many people play.

Penny Slots: online slots which can be played for as little as 1c per line per spin, and all online penny slots have multiple paylines which can be activated.

Dollar Slots: these require a minimum bet of $1 per spin, per payline. These generally have fewer paylines than penny slots which means fewer chances of hitting a payout, but the payout percentages are much higher.

High Limit Slots: these are the same as the online slots mentioned above, apart from the fact that you can bet much higher – anywhere from $100 to $100,000 per spin.

Mobile Slots: these are slots which can be enjoyed from your mobile phone.

Amazing Variety of Online Slots Themes

The types of online slots is just the beginning of the decision making process as each slot machine has its own theme as well! Combine these themes with the different types of slots and you suddenly have hundreds, if not thousands, of different online slots to choose from and we haven’t even considered the number of software providers.

Here are some of the most common online slots themes:

• Movies
• TV Shows
• Celebrities
• Animals
• Cars
• Video Games
• Pop Culture
• Game Shows
• Superheroes
• Horror
• Retro
• Pirates
• Romance
• Wild West
• Sports
• Money
• Ancient Lands
• Action
• Fairy Tales
• Food
• History
• Mystery

Handy Tips for Increased Success

• Play for fun and don’t take it too seriously
• Join the customer rewards programme for exclusive offers
• Practise intelligent bankroll management
• Play slowly

We live in an incredible age of technology, where we have access to computers and mobile devices that allow us access to any piece of information or knowledge on the planet, as well as entertainment media, social media, and so much more.

Never before have humans been more connected, and this would not be possible without the Internet. The Internet started out as a small network in the United States, and many realised its vast potential.

It grew quickly and today it spans the entire planet, allowing people to chat to each other in real time, but also allowing many to get involved in activities that would otherwise be impossible.

There are a lot of online activities and pastimes that people take part in, and the internet has given us the chance to not only explore what kind of activities there are in the world, but to also make those activities part of our lives, and to enjoy them whenever we have some free time on our hands.

Some Popular Online Activities

This is a broad spectrum, as there are so many things that you can do on the internet. Some like to take the time to study, using correspondence companies to earn diplomas or degrees without having to leave their house.

Others prefer spending their time on websites like YouTube, where they watch or upload videos of every shape and size. This extends further, where some have even made a living making entertainment videos for people to enjoy.

Some others might enjoy online casinos, which have negated the need to drive out to the nearest casino in order to enjoy the odd slot machine. The chance to win money or earn rewards from casino bonuses NZ has kept the online casino industry thriving for over two decades.

Video Games

Without a doubt, however, the fastest-growing recreational activity in the world is video games. Once confined to a smaller group of people, video games have quickly risen to claim the crown as a favourite among many, and today there are thousands upon thousands of different video games to choose from.

Many of these can be played online, known as Massive Multiplayer Online games; these allow players to enjoy their game while also interacting with people from around the world.

Video games have changed the world, and now thanks to virtual reality technology, players have the chance to truly enter new and exciting places, and it won’t be long before VR becomes an important part of the online world, potentially allowing people from all corners of the world to inhabit their own little online realms in person.

The future is uncertain for many things, but video games are one of the few industries in the world that have seen constant growth over the last thirty years.

Enjoying What The Internet Has to Offer

As online services like Netflix, Hulu, and Facebook continue to grow, the more people will continue to turn to their computers for their entertainment and recreational needs. To this end, it has never been a better time for those looking to fill their spare time.