It’s summer (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) and you might have some more time to relax a bit. If you don’t want to drop $50 or more on a new video game, why not check out some open source game projects?
NetHack
We’ve covered this one before, but it’s worth mentioning once again because NetHack is one of the best games ever created, even though it doesn’t have any graphics. The gameplay is rich and completely flexible.
FlightGear
FlightGear is a community developed flight simulator that provides something different from the standard Microsoft Flight Simulator. For one thing, it’s available on platforms besides Windows. You can download lots of different maps and aircraft. Some enterprising users have built their own flight simulators (like the kind real pilots train on), using it for the visuals.
BZFlag
This is a fun and addictive multiplayer tank game that’s been around forever. The premise is simple, you drive aorund in a tank and shoot the other tanks. The “BZ” comes from the classic arcade game “BattleZone,” and the gameplay is similar.
Battle For Wesnoth
Battle For Wesnoth is a turn-based strategy game that features some great 2D graphics. The main campaign revolves around the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Wesnoth’s attempt to regain the throne.
Sauerbraten and Nexuiz
If you like FPS games, you’ll love the fast-paced deathmatch action in these Sauerbraten and Nexuiz. Or if you’re like me, get killed.
FreeCiv
If you love the Civilization series you’ll love this free version. You can connect to servers and play with your friends around the world!
Emulators
If you like classic video and computer games, chances are there’s an emulator for you. If you’re a fan of Atari 2600 games, Stella is the best bet. If you pine for the Commodore 64, check out VICE. If you spent your youth pumping quarters into arcade machines, you’ll love MAME. Wikipedia has a list of lots more emulators. Of course, you’re on your own finding the actual games.
There are more games than we can cover in one article. This list of open source games on Wikipedia might help. If you can program or do artwork, music and you like one of these games, why not contribute your skills back to the project?
For more open source fun, check out 5 Little-Known Open Source Operating Systems. We also covered NetHack in 6 Best Text-Only Applications.
