Don't Pay to Play

Why shell out up to $15 every month to play online games like World of Warcraft or Everquest when there are plenty of free alternatives?

No matter whether you're into pirates, zombies, soldiers, or basketball stars, you'll find something to suit your taste in the world of free online multiplayer games.

Plus, you'll have the opportunity to branch out and meet people in fun environments without even leaving the comfort of your own home.

Here are some of our freebie favorites.

VISIT SITE

Second Life

More a freeform online world than a "game," Second Life has made many headlines over the last few months. Potential Democratic presidential candidate and Virginia governor, Mark Warner, made a speech online in Second Life last August. Sweden opened an embassy in May. Nissan is even selling its cars there. Its players (or perhaps "residents" is a better word) are free to create new objects by assembling basic shapes into complex arrangements -- cars, clothes, houses, hot air balloons -- and writing simple programs to afford their creations interactivity.

Basic Second Life accounts are free, but if you're looking to buy creations made by other players, you'll need a supply of the game's currency, the Linden dollar. You receive Linden dollars at an online currency exchange, just like buying vacation money. Having a real basis for its currency means if you can create desirable or popular objects, you can make real-world money, and for a handful of Second Life residents, the game is a full-time, paying job. It doesn't have to be, though, and most players are content to explore, create and socialize without spending big bucks. Check out the segregated Teen Grid, too -- it's a separate Second Life world where younger players can build without harassment.

VISIT SITE

Anarchy Online

Sci-fi themed Anarchy Online was originally a full-priced massively multiplayer release like World of Warcraft or Everquest, and although it was a real mess when it first came out, it has matured into a stable and well-supported game. You can download the game and play for free, although you'll see ads for real products on in-game billboards unless you shell out $14.95 per month for a full account.

Anarchy is more complex than the other games on this list, including player-versus-player combat, trade skills for crafting armor and weapons from raw materials, and a deep character progression system. In other words, it's just as fully featured as Warcraft, it has a cool sci-fi look instead of the same tired old fantasy nonsense -- and it's free. How can you go wrong?

VISIT SITE

Urban Dead

Is your skin turning green? Have any of your limbs ever fallen off? Do you have an irresistible lust for human brrrrains? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, Urban Dead is the game for you. It's a classic tale of (oh-so-tasty) humanity struggling to defend itself against a horde of living dead -- and whether you play the zombies or the humans is up to you.

Urban Dead runs in your web browser, so it doesn't require big downloads or broadband net connections. Freeloaders get a limit on the number of Urban Dead pages they can view per day, but throw the developer $5.00 and the limit goes away. The game features a list of character classes that would do a full-priced massively multiplayer game proud, a tight community, and plenty of opportunity for sneaky raids, barricade building, and backstabbing.