Online games can be a great diversion. They allow you to play against opponents from different areas around the world. Most of my experience with online gaming has been done through Yahoo.com. Through Yahoo you can play various board and card games. I took my chances with playing chess and reversi ( othello). Each game type allows you to pick a skill level to enter into. You can choose from beginner, intermediate, and expert levels. You also have the choice of just watching some games that are going on. I started out playing a few games of reversi. My first game I was doing great. Halfway through the game, it was pretty clear I was going to win. My opponent did not concede the game but "left the table" . My forthcoming victory was snatched away. Very frustrating! I played two other games that I lost pretty badly. I am not sure that my opponents should have been in the beginner's room.
    Next, I tried playing chess. I won my first game in a pretty tough match. I sent a message to my opponent stating that it had been a tough game. My opponent, jjsox, congratulated me on my victory. My second game was against a different opponent. Our game made it to the middle stages, when my opponent had to leave the room. In a game of chess, you put so much effort and thought into each move that it is very frustrating when someone just leaves. I prefer just to play against the computer in chess. That way, I know my opponent will not quit and if I have to go I can save the game until later.
    Last year I had participated in a different type of online gaming, fantasy baseball. This was a free game offered again through Yahoo. I was in a league with 10 other people. Our league used only national league players. About half of the screen names in our league identified who that person's favorite team was: Rockyrich, metarama, and giant_head. The league was fun. It did get a little long and it was evident that some people in our league were not participating after July. Their roster would have 7 injured players in their starting lineup.
    All in all, I would say my experiences with online games have been fun. I will not play chess again online because I do not want someone to walk out of the middle of our game. I do plan on participating in fantasy football this fall through Yahoo. I hope I do better than I did in baseball last year.