A long time ago, AOL was a major internet service provider. Today, it’s a company that specializes in games, media and technology. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, AOL was a dial-up service that dominated the market with its popular “AOL Games.”
These games were usually played on a PC but can now be found on your smartphone or tablet.
AOL Games have evolved to include more features and content. However, if you’re new to this whole thing, you may be wondering: how do I even play? It’s a daunting task at first – there are so many buttons and it’s hard to remember which one does what! But don’t worry – this beginner’s guide will teach you everything you need to know about playing AOL Games today.
What are AOL Games?
AOL Games refers to the various games that AOL offers. These are all free to play, but you need a subscription to use the service. These games can be played on your computer, tablet or smartphone and they include puzzle games, card games, board games and more.
How to Play AOL Games
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, AOL was a dial-up service that dominated the market with its popular “AOL Games.” These games were usually played on a PC but can now be found on your smartphone or tablet.
AOL Games have evolved to include more features and content. However, if you’re new to this whole thing, you may be wondering: how do I even play? It’s a daunting task at first – there are so many buttons and it’s hard to remember which one does what! But don’t worry – this beginner’s guide will teach you everything you need to know about playing AOL Games today.
Play by choosing a game from the list, select the difficulty level, then click “PLAY.” This option is mostly for experienced players who are looking for something specific.
If you just want to get started quickly and explore all of the available games, I would recommend selecting “Quick Play” instead. With Quick Play, you’ll be able to start playing right away without having to make any decisions beforehand.
What You Need to Play AOL Games
To play AOL Games, you’ll need a PC or laptop, internet connection and AOL software. You can download the latest version of AOL at www.aol.com/downloads/aol-desktop.
Why Play AOL Games?
AOL Games are fun! They’re a great way to pass the time and spend some quality time with friends. You can play games either by yourself, or with your family and friends. They’re not just for kids – adults enjoy them too (they’re like a virtual board game).
A lot of these games also have chat features, so you can talk with people in real-time while you’re playing. And if you really want to get into the game, there’s no better feeling than winning an intense round!
Learning the Basics
Each game has its own set of controls – there are a few universal, though. You’ll want to start by learning the three buttons that you’ll be using the most: Play, Pause and Fast Forward.
- The play button starts and pauses the game. It also restores your position if you were watching a video or listening to music.
- The pause button pauses the game so that you can take a break or watch a video or listen to music.
- The fast forward button speeds up the video so you can get through it quicker if you’re on a tight schedule.
Getting Started
The first thing you need to do before playing is download the software. You can find links to four different versions of the AOL Games client on their website: AOL Games, AOL Plus, America Online Deluxe, and Verizon Broadband.
The first three are the same service with a few different features that suit different needs. If you have an internet connection, we recommend using the AOL Games client.
Some of the most popular AOL Games are:
The most popular games on AOL are Tetris, Scrabble and Solitaire. People love these three games because they’re easy to play and have a wide variety of options. Tetris is a puzzle game that’s played with blocks that can be rotated and moved vertically to create rows of blocks without gaps.
Scrabble is a word game where players try to score points by placing letters on the board, while avoiding words that are already present on the board. Solitaire is the classic card game that’s played with one deck of 52 cards in which players use all cards to build up sequences in suit from King down to Ace.
These three games may seem intimidating at first, but don’t worry – we’ll teach you how to play them all!
How to find AOL Games
AOL Games can be found on the AOL website. You can play them directly in your browser or download the AOL app to play on your phone.
Game Controls and Buttons
One of the first things you’ll want to do before playing an AOL Game is to familiarize yourself with the game controls and buttons. They’re pretty simple once you get the hang of them! Basic Controls
1. The left arrow key moves your character or cursor up one space.
2. The right arrow key moves your character or cursor down one space.
3. The space bar lets you pick up a power-up or enter a room, hallway, etc.
4. The tab button pauses the game and brings up the menu screen where you can save and quit, etc.
5. The enter button picks up objects in your inventory (if any).
6. The escape key exits from a room or computer screen to go back to gameplay mode.
# Advanced Controls
1) Esc: Quits out of a game or goes back to previous screen without picking items up
2) Alt + S: Pauses or unpauses the game
3) Ctrl + W: Resets your zoom so that everything on your screen is at normal size
4) Alt + TAB: Switches between different windows
5) F8: Shows FPS on screen
6) F9: Brings up options menu
7) F10/F11: Zooms in/out
8) Numbers 1-6 correspond to numbers 1-6 on the keyboard
Touch Screen Controls
AOL Games are played with a touchscreen, so you don’t need to worry about all those buttons anymore. Simply tap, swipe and pinch your way through the game. The specific motions will vary depending on the type of game you’re playing, but it’s typically a more intuitive way of controlling your character than using a keyboard.
Playing AOL Games
AOL Games can be played on your PC, smartphone or tablet. To play on a PC, you’ll need to download the AOL Games app from the AOL website. Once installed, you can sign in using your email and password. If you’re playing on a smartphone or tablet, you’ll just need to go to the App Store (for iOS devices) or Google Play (Android) and download the game that way.
Once you’ve signed up for the service, it’s time to start playing! The first thing you’ll see is a list of games available to play – but don’t worry, they’re all free!
To get started with one of these games, click on it and then choose “Play Now.” You’ll be taken directly into that game where you can start controlling things like your avatar’s movements and appearance.
Each game has controls specific to its gameplay. But, no matter what game you decide to play (or what device), there are three buttons that will always be present: the left-hand arrow key which moves your avatar leftward; the right-hand arrow key which moves your avatar rightward; and the space bar which stops all movement and pauses the game. These are universal controls for any game in any session of AOL Games.
The Gameplay
AOL Games are based on the classic arcade games of the 1980s and 1990s, but they’re easier for new players. The most popular games on AOL Games are probably Tetris, Pac-man and Solitaire. While these games have been around for decades, AOL has updated them to be more user-friendly.
The gameplay is pretty simple: as you move your mouse around, a cursor appears and you click in an area of the screen. You can also drag things with your mouse. When you first start playing, you’ll notice that there are buttons at the top of the screen that allow you to do things like pause or go back to the main menu.
The Controls
AOL Games are played using your computer keyboard. The game screen consists of a single row of 5 squares that represent games you can play on AOL. On the right-hand side of the screen, there is also a list of all the games you can play. The controls are as follows:
The Graphics
The graphics for AOL Games have evolved a lot since the 1990s. Although there’s no longer any requirement to download games, you can still find games like “Oregon Trail” and “You Don’t Know Jack” on the site.
Newer games are more interactive and allow you to select what happens in the game. For example, when playing “Hangman,” you can choose which word to guess and how many letters to use while guessing.
Game Controls and Buttons
The first thing to know about AOL Games is the controls. There are only six buttons on the game controller and each one has a specific function. The control sticks on an Xbox 360 controller, for example, are analog sticks that control the player’s movement. These can be pushed forward or pulled back to move in that direction.
The A button is what players use to jump. The B button activates certain power-ups and this can vary depending on the game. The X button is used to speed up or slow down as well as reverse direction in some games – it’s also used to select things like menus and options. Finally, the Y button will activate certain power-ups as well but with different effects than the B button.
Keyboard Controls
To start off, you’ll need to know about the keyboard controls for AOL Games. These are the buttons that allow you to move your cursor and interact with the environment.
|| The Arrow Keys
These four buttons control your movement in the game – up, down, left and right. They’re directly beneath the ‘QWERTY’ section on your keyboard.
|| Space Bar
The space bar is what opens doors and chests, or presses buttons. It’s also used to jump off a ledge if you’re standing close enough to one.
|| A & D Buttons
These two buttons control your camera view. Use ‘A’ to zoom out and use ‘D’ to zoom in. If you’re playing a game with a first-person perspective, these two buttons will change your point of view to third-person instead.
|| Z & X Buttons
Z lets you zoom out on part of the map so you can see it in its entirety while X zooms in on any given area of map so that you can explore it more closely. You can also use these two buttons to adjust the window size of your screen while playing an AOL Game – just hold them both down at once!
Controller Controls
The controller is the main way to play AOL Games, and there are two types: analog and digital. The analog control has a joystick that you can use to move your character in any direction by pressing on it.
This is the type of control you will see on PCs. The digital controller is more like a typical console game controller with buttons that correspond to your character’s movements. If you have an Xbox or PlayStation, for example, this is what you would use for your AOL Games.
Many people who play AOL Games prefer the analog control because it allows them to move their character more naturally.
However, some people might find themselves getting frustrated with trying to remember which button does what and which direction they need to go in. If this sounds like you, then try using the digital controller instead. You won’t have to remember which buttons do what – they’re all laid out in front of you!
What you need to enjoy your games
First, you need to download the AOL Games app. This is a free app that can be found on iTunes or Google Play and offers you all of AOL’s games in one place. Second, you’ll need an active internet connection.
That’s because the game comes with an internet browser that you will use to play your games –- so it has to be on for it to work. If you have an old PC lying around, feel free to use it as well! Third, make sure you have some time on your hands – these games take some time to load up and learn how to play them!
Now that we’ve gone over what’s needed for a good gaming experience, let’s go over the different ways your games can be played:
1) You can play AOL Games in their full browser experience. The browser displays 8 web pages at once, each with its own game board with various pieces. The keyboard controls allow you to move the cursor around these boards and select whichever piece (such as a word or letter) they want.
2) You can also use the app’s virtual keyboard instead of your PC keyboard when playing games in the browser. All you have to do is press “enter” after selecting a letter or piece of text and it’ll automatically show up on the board instead of having to press “enter.”
3) You can also play in full screen mode by pressing “F4″ on your keyboard and clicking ”
Navigating the Controls
The controls for AOL Games depend on what type of game you’re playing. If you’re playing the classic “AOL Games” (which can be accessed by going to play.aol.com), you’ll use your keyboard to navigate through the game. If you’re playing a different type of game, like a racing or puzzle-based game, then you’ll use the arrow keys and other combinations of the keys to navigate.
Conclusion
The game controls and buttons can be accessed in a wide variety of ways so you can enjoy your games with any gaming device. The way you navigate the controls will depend on the device you are using, so it is best to explore the different options before settling on one.
Experimenting with the different options will allow you to find your preferred navigation method and discover which gaming device suits your needs.
