Learn About Freeware Games

What Are Freeware Games?

Gaming is often a somewhat expensive habit. However, some games are available for free. These games are known as “freeware.”

Though it may be difficult for users to understand why someone would put so much time and effort into something free, Game developers have many and varied reasons for releasing freeware games.

Many developers, release these games as an effective method of marketing. Freeware games carry no financial obligation and are usually easily accessible. If a freeware game is widely downloaded and well-received, the developer will gain a good reputation that will allow him to sell other games in the future or increase the likelihood that he will be hired for a programming position with a gaming studio.

Other developers release freeware games for different reasons. Some, for instance, release them as part of university programming projects. Others release them as a means of artistic expression, wanting to share their work with as many people as possible.

The History of Freeware Games

Although the term “freeware” had not yet been coined, free computer games first circulated in the late 1970s. Some games were originally free, only costing money when their developers realized how well-liked their games were. Others started as pay software, but were later released for free.

Andrew Fluegelman was the first person to use the term “freeware.” He used it to inaccurately describe the method he employed to sell his program “PC-Talk,” though this method is known more accurately as “shareware” because users were required to pay for PC-Talk in order to continue using it after a trial period.

The term came to be used during the 1980’s as a blanket term for freely distributed programs. At first, these free programs were only distributed as “executable files,” and the users were unable to modify the source code.  The “Open Source” movement started during this period, with the goal of making free programs available for wide-scale user modification and customization.

Though free computer games were in circulation much earlier, most notable freeware games seem to have been developed in the 1990’s and 2000’s. This could be because many game creators often felt like they needed to be reimbursed for the large amount of time and effort generally required to make early games. Though the game development process is still long and involved, especially for major commercial release games, developments in gaming and programming technology have made creating smaller-scope games much easier, ensuring that producers of freeware games feel less cheated by submitting their work for free.

Examples of Freeware Games

Scorched 3D, an updated freeware version of the earlier artillery game “Scorched Earth,” was created in 2001 by developer Gavin Camp. Camp had enjoyed playing Scorched Earth while attending university, and wanted to update the classic game with 3D graphics and improved gameplay. The game is being constantly updated, with version 43 being the latest and most stable one.

GeneRally, a freeware top-down racing simulator, was developed in 2002 by Hannu and Jukka Räbinä, two brothers from Finland. GeneRally is primarily a multiplayer game, though not network-based. Instead, up to six players can race using one computer.

Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory is a a freeware first-person shooter that was released by Activision in 2003. It was originally designed to be an expansion pack for “Return to Castle Wolfenstein,” but was eventually released as a standalone multiplayer game due to problems with the single player mode. In “Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory,” players join one of of two teams, the Axis or Allies, and battle each other in various maps. Players have different classes with unique weapons and abilities to choose from, and may increase their character’s abilities by gaining experience points. A player’s experience level determines his or her rank in the game.

America’s Army is another freeware first-person shooter and army life simulator, originally released by the U.S. Army in 2002. “America’s Army 3” was released in 2009. America’s Army is notable for being one of the highest quality freeware to be released, as well as being one of the most accurate representations of modern infantry warfare. The games incorporate elements of real Army training, real-world physics, and realistic gun-fighting to create an amazingly true-to-life Army simulation. Given the amount of realism the U.S. Army put into these games, it is unsurprising that they are used as an out-of-game recruitment tool.

Although the games mentioned so far in this guide have all been originally developed as freeware, there are some that were originally for purchase, and have only recently been re-released as freeware games. Notable examples of these types of games include: “Railroad Tycoon,”“Beneath a Steel Sky,” “Command and Conquer,” “Grand Theft Auto,” “Out of the Park Baseball,” and"Hidden and Dangerous.”

Railroad Tycoon was a railroad sim originally released in 1990 by Microprose. It is currently free to play.

1994 saw the release of “Beneath a Steel Sky,” a story-based point and click adventure game developed by Revolution Software and published by Virgin Interactive. “Beneath a Steel Sky” is a post-apocalyptic game set in a future version of Australia. It was re-released in 2003 as a freeware game.

Command and Conquer, a futuristic real time strategy game, was released by Westwood Studios in 1995. The game was very influential in the RTS genre, spawning a series of hit sequels. The original game was released as freeware in 2007 to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the series.

“Grand Theft Auto,” a non-linear crime simulator, was released by Rockstar Games in 1997. It was very popular, encouraging Rockstar to develop it into a famous and highly controversial series. Rockstar Games made the original “Grand Theft Auto” available as a free download from their website in 2004.

“Out of the Park Baseball” was a text-based baseball simulator originally released in 1999 by Out of the Park Developments.

Hidden and Dangerous was a World War II tactical shooter released in 1999 by Illusion Softworks. It was later re-released as an updated freeware version entitled “Hidden and Dangerous Deluxe.”

Who Would Like These Games?

Anyone who likes to play games but doesn’t like spending money will enjoy freeware. It isn’t really a genre of its own, but encompasses games from many different genres. For this reason, nearly everyone should be able to find a freeware game to suite their tastes.