ast time I introduced to you the topic of PC-gaming, that is ? the playing of games-console-like games on your PC.

Today we?re going to extend that topic, looking at hardware items that will make the game-playing experience better.

Those amongst us who are going to be occasional game-players, will not need to invest as we discussed last time, in a PC with enough ?grunt? to meet our game-playing demands.

However, those who are going to become (or already are) serious game-players should not overlook the fact that having got a system that is powerful enough to play these games, investment in additional hardware to enhance the game-playing experience, can turn out to be a very good investment.

I?m talking of course about such items as joysticks, controllers, steering wheels and VR-helmets.

Let?s explain: A Joystick is an item of hardware, similar to an aircraft rudder-control that you would find in a cockpit, that will cause the game environment on the PC, to respond to its movements.

Thus if you grab it and move it to the left, the gaming scenario will steer you left, or turn you left, through the game environment.

Of course, joysticks usually have a ?Fire? button of some sort, directly beneath the thumb, which will, indeed, fire, if your game has you carrying a weapon, and in non-shoot-em-up games, this button will usually do something less spectacular but equally important.

What is referred to as a games ?controller?, is a small control pad with approximately six buttons or switched on that is used to direct the movement of your character in the game environment.

A steering wheel is probably the most obvious item of PC gaming equipment and is clearly going to be used vehicle racing games.

A VR-helmet is probably the most futuristic element of these items, and is indeed a helmet, with several attachments that allows you fully to immerse your vision and hearing into the game environment.

Thus the helmet has a screen inside that projects the gaming environment, and if you turn your head, the attachments, which plug directly into the PC, will register the movement and render the gaming environment details to you as if you had just turned your head within the game.

This uses extremely powerful technology called Virtual Reality (VR), which is designed to bring our physical bodies closer to the gaming environment, and as graphics technology continues to explode, this technology will begin to overtake the gaming industry more and more.

As for costs for these gaming peripherals, well, the quality and brand names vary so widely, that it?s almost impossible to price them accurately ? for example, the most inexpensive joystick I could find was just $12.99, whereas the most expensive was $840.00!!

Like most hobbies, the real enthusiasts will spend hundreds where tens would suffice for most Earthlings.

Though I?m not a gamer myself, I have plenty of colleagues and friends who are, and it can be a very interesting and rewarding hobby.

For most of us, the occasional dabble with a PC game when our child wants a competition, or our friends want to show their new toy, is probably the extent to which we will become involved. Nevertheless, there will be Earthlings out there who really want to get involved and become a hobbyist, and I hope this outline has been helpful in getting them started.