Michael recently sent me this great list of the 101 best free online games for 2009 (WARNING FOR STUDENTS: these will make for increased tendency to procrastinate!!): link here.

I quickly went through the 'WTF' section and one jumped out at me, which now has me slightly addicted: TypeRacer. This is one of those really simple ideas that is really effective (and I wish I'd thought of): it's basically like a typing test, except you are 'racing' live against other people over the internet. The stuff they get you to type is good too: it's usually taken from movies, books, TV shows and alike.

It's surprisingly fun and nervewracking, and i think it's also a pretty good tool to get a basic WPM count on how fast you type. My average speed is usually between 50-55 WPM, which i think is pretty good for a three-fingered typist. There's people in the 'High Score' list that average 150+ WPM, which makes me feel very inferior...

Another game I got recently was Flower on the PS3, which is a downloadable game costing $12.95 from the Playstation Store. It's quite a unique and amazing game, and also ridiculously hard to explain myself in text, so i'm going to quote wiki:

Each level takes place in a different flower's dream as it sits on the windowsill of a dull city apartment. As the player progresses through the game, the apartment and city gradually becomes more vibrant and colourful. The player guides a petal through brightly coloured, abstract fields by tilting the motion-sensitive controller, pressing any button on the controller gives a speed boost. The aim is to guide the petal into other flowers in the field, triggering an explosion of colour that spreads through the game world.

The visuals in the game are spectacular, and the gameplay and controls are really simple (you only have to press one button (any button!)). The gameplay and especially the visuals and music make Flower probably one of the most relaxing and uncomplicated games I have ever played. For the price, if you own a PS3 and have it internet-connected, you'd be crazy not to get this game.