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 ...

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, 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 Yahoo! Auctions is a service set up by the online search giant Yahoo! in 1998 to compete against eBay. There are currently only two localizations of the service active iTaiwananJapan Yahoo! has discontinued the service in the United States, Canad ...

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 Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult 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 Pop-up ads or pop-ups are forms of online advertising on the World Wide Web. A pop-up is a graphical user interface (GUI) display area, usually a small window, that suddenly appears ("pops up") in the foreground of the visual interface. The pop- ...

. ''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 Eron may refer to: * Eron Riley (born 1987), American football wide receiver * Eron Hodges, front office executive for the 2018 Purdue Boilermakers football team * Leonard Eron (1920–2007), American psychologist * Keith Van Eron Keith Van Eron ...

) in 1997. The last used Yahoo! Video Games section of the site was formerly known as

Games Domain Games Domain was a video game website founded by Dave Stanworth and based in Birmingham, UK. In the late 1990s, it was at one time mirrored in seven countries and had a tumultuous history of being purchased by different corporations over its 11-y ...

, 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 Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers ** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland ** B ...

PO *

Catan ''Catan'', previously known as ''The Settlers of Catan'' or simply ''Settlers'', is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It was first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlag (Kosmos) as ''Die Siedler von 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 Chinese checkers (US) or Chinese chequers (UK), known as ''Sternhalma'' in German, is a Abstract strategy game, strategy board game of German origin that can be played by two, three, four, or six people, playing individually or with partners. The ...

PO *

Dominos Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called '' pips'' or ''dots'') ...

PO, M *

Dots Directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS, also known as TB-DOTS) is the name given to the tuberculosis (TB) control strategy recommended by the World Health Organization. According to WHO, "The most cost-effective way to stop the spread of ...

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 Mahjong (English pronunciation: ; also transliterated as mah jongg, mah-jongg, and mahjongg) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is played ...

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 Reversi is a strategy board game for two players, played on an 8×8 uncheckered board. It was invented in 1883. ''Othello'', a variant with a fixed initial setup of the board, was patented in 1971. Basics Two players compete, using 64 identi ...

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 James V. Eade (born March 23, 1957) is an American chess master, chess administrator, chess tournament organizer, and chess book publisher. He holds the title of FIDE Master. He is best known for the books ''Chess for Dummies'' (1996) and ''The ...

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 Blackjack (formerly black jack or ''vingt-un'') is a casino banking game. It is the most widely played casino banking game in the world. It uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as " twenty-one ...

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 Cribbage, or crib, is a card game, traditionally for two players, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points. It can be adapted for three or four players. Cribbage has several distinctive features: the cribbage ...

PO *Deuces Wild Video Poker PO *Double Down Video Poker PO *

Euchre Euchre or eucre ( ) is a trick-taking game, trick-taking card game played in Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, Upstate New York, and the Midwestern United States. It is played with a deck of 24, 25, 28, or 32 standard playing cards. There are no ...

PO *Five Card Deluxe D, PO *Freecell Solitaire D PO *

Gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...

PO *

Go Fish Go Fish or Fish is a card game for approximately two to five players, often played by children. It might be similar to a game called ''Andare e piscere'' which was current in Italy at the end of the 15th Century, of which no contemporary descrip ...

PO * Golf Solitaire D, PO *

Go-Stop Go-Stop (), also called Godori (, after the winning move in the game) is a Korean Card game#Fishing games, fishing card game played with a Hanafuda, Hwatu () deck. The game can be called Matgo () when only two players are playing. The game is ...

PO, S * Hearts PO, M * Hold 'Em Poker PO *Honey Combo S *Hotel Solitaire D * Klondike Solitaire D, PO *

Pinochle Pinochle (), also called pinocle or penuchle, is a trick-taking ace–ten card game, typically for two to four players and played with a 48-card deck. It is derived from the card game bezique; players score points by trick-taking and also by ...

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 ''Pac-Man,'' originally called in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The pla ...

D *

Pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...

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 Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignt ...

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 Deep Blue may refer to: People, figures, and characters * Deep Blue (musician), electronic and drum and bass musician * Deep Blue (DC Comics), a superhero in the post-Crisis DC Universe * Deep Blue (''Tokyo Mew Mew''), a character from ''Tokyo ...

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 A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...

Yahoo!

Features

Games

Board games

Card games

Other games

In popular culture

Relaunch

See also

References

Bibliography