Yahoo! Games was a section of the

Yahoo! Yahoo (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web portal that provides the search engine Yahoo Search and related services including My Yahoo, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, y!entertainment, yahoo!life, and its a ...

website A website (also written as a web site) is any web page whose content is identified by a common domain name and is published on at least one web server. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, educatio ...

, launched on March 31, 1998, in which Yahoo! users could play games either with other users or by themselves. The majority of Yahoo! Games was closed down on March 31, 2014, and the balance was closed on February 9, 2016. Yahoo! announced that "changes in supporting technologies and increased security requirements for our own Yahoo! web pages, made it impossible to keep the games running safely and securely". It was then announced by Yahoo! that its games section would be dissolved completely on May 13, 2016. However, the Yahoo! games service is still available on

Yahoo! Japan is a Japanese web portal. It was the most-visited website in Japan, nearing monopolistic status. According to ''The Japan Times'', as of 2012, Yahoo! Japan had a footprint on the internet market in Japan. In terms of use as a search engine, ...

, along with Yahoo! Auctions.

Features

The games on the web site were typically

Java applet Java applets were applet, small applications written in the Java (programming language), Java programming language, or another programming language that Compiled language, compiles to Java bytecode, and delivered to users in the form of Ja ...

s or quick Flash games, although some titles required a local download. Many of the games that required a download contained TryMedia Adware. Yahoo! Games also included Yahoo! Video Games, which provides news, previews, and reviews of currently available or upcoming First Party games–and Yahoo! Games on Demand–which provided free demos and full-size downloads of full PC games for a charge. The site featured an "''All Star''" system for users, in which a user could pay to get an ''All Star'' username. ''All Star'' users were able to get extra privileges on Yahoo! Games sites such as disabling pop-up ads. ''All Star'' users did not have playable games without downloading. Yahoo! Games was built on Yahoo!'s acquisition of ClassicGames.com (created by Internet entrepreneur Joel Comm and programmer Eron Jokipii) in 1997. The last used Yahoo! Video Games section of the site was formerly known as Games Domain, from back when Yahoo! acquired the web site in 2003. As of May 14, 2016, Yahoo! Games held over 1,400 games, most of which were developed externally.

Games

Board games

Playable online (PO), Downloadable (D), Mobile (M), Skill (S) *

Backgammon Backgammon is a two-player board game played with counters and dice on tables boards. It is the most widespread Western member of the large family of tables games, whose ancestors date back at least 1,600 years. The earliest record of backgammo ...

PO * Bingo PO * Catan D *

Checkers Checkers (American English), also known as draughts (; English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), is a group of Abstract strategy game, strategy board games for two players which involve forward movements of uniform game ...

PO *

Chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

PO *Chessmaster Challenge D *Chester S * Chinese Checkers PO * Dominos PO, M * Dots PO *Emperor's mahjong D * Go PO *JigWords D, PO *Jigsaw: Great Art D *Jigsaw: Landscapes D *Jigsaw: Medley D *Jigsaw: Pet D *Car Games *Literati PO *Luxor Mahjong D * Mah Jong PO *Mah Jong Adventures D *Mah Jong Garden D *Mah Jong Jade Expedition D *Mah Jong Medly D, PO *Mah Jong Towers Eternity D, PO *Mah-Jomino D *Mahjong Escape D, PO *Mahjong Match D *Mahjong Treasure S *Mahjong Fortuna S *Midas Mahjong S *Monopoly 3 D *Naval Command PO *Poker Pop D, PO * Reversi PO *Saints and Sinners Bingo D, PO *Sudoko: Latin Squares D *Super Mah Jong D *Word Slinger D Up until March 2014, Yahoo! Games included a popular Internet chess server. Ten years earlier, in 2004, James Eade had recommended Yahoo! Chess as the best of Internet chess, writing that "action is to be found there at all times".Eade, James (2004). ''The Chess Player's Bible: Illustrated Strategies for Staying Ahead of the Game''. Yahoo! Chess differed from more contemporary Internet chess servers in its complete lack of oversight regarding user conduct or chess engine use.

Card games

Playable online (PO), Downloadable (D), Mobile (M), Skill (S) *All-in-One Solitaire , PO *Addiction Solitaire D, PO *Aloha Solitaire D, PO *Aloha TriPeaks D, PO *Ancient 4 in 1 GamePak D *Ancient Hearts and Spades D *Ancient Tri-Jong D *Ancient Tripeaks D * Blackjack PO *

Canasta Canasta (; Spanish language, Spanish for "basket") is a card game of the rummy family of games believed to be a variant of 500 rum. Although many variations exist for two, three, five or six players, it is most commonly played by four in two par ...

PO *

Contract Bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking game, trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two Team game, competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each othe ...

PO * Cribbage PO *Deuces Wild Video Poker PO *Double Down Video Poker PO * Euchre PO *Five Card Deluxe D, PO *Freecell Solitaire D PO * Gin PO * Go Fish PO * Golf Solitaire D, PO * Go-Stop PO, S * Hearts PO, M * Hold 'Em Poker PO *Honey Combo S *Hotel Solitaire D * Klondike Solitaire D, PO * Pinochle PO * Poker Superstars II D, PO *Pyramid S *Pyramids PO, M * Sheepshead PO *Solitaire 13 D, PO * Spades PO *Super Solitaire D *Super Solitaire 2 D *Tornado 21 PO, M *Turbo Solitaire D, PO

Other games

Playable online (PO), Downloadable (D), Mobile (M), Skill (S) * Mushroomer PO * Pac-Man D * Pool PO * TextTwist D, PO * Tradewinds D * Tradewinds 2 D, PO * Tradewinds Legends D, PO * Word Racer PO * Yahoo! Graffiti PO * Yahoo! Towers PO * Treasure Hunt 2D, PO

In popular culture

Yahoo! Chess was the subject of a song by the British rock band

Half Man Half Biscuit Half Man Half Biscuit are an English rock band, formed in 1984 in Birkenhead, Merseyside. Known for their satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs, the band comprises lead singer and guitarist Nigel Blackwell, bassist and singer Neil Cr ...

on their 2008 album '' CSI:Ambleside''. Entitled "Bad Losers on Yahoo! Chess", the song references a fictitious player, Dennis Bell of Torquay,

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, who on losing a chess game signs out from the Yahoo! Chess server "Good game, Sir, do you want another bout? But Dennis ain't replying 'cos he's just signed out." The song also references Deep Blue.

Relaunch

In around September 2023, Yahoo launched a redesigned Yahoo! Games section that is available for players in the United States only. The updated platform features a selection of classic games, like Jigsaw, Mahjong, Solitaire, Word etc.

References

Bibliography

*Eade, James (2004). ''The Chess Player's Bible: Illustrated Strategies for Staying Ahead of the Game''. * http://www.usgamer.net/articles/yahoo-games-shutting-down-in-may-ending-a-major-piece-of-game-history {{Software digital distribution platforms Browser-based game websites Internet properties disestablished in 2016 Online video game services Video game news websites Games Yahoo!