Talk:GameHouse

Please expand
It appears Gamehouse is no more. For nearly a week it has been impossible to log on to gamehouse.com using either iMac or Windows 7 an attempt results in a blank page. I called RealNetworks and got a phone operator who said there no longer was any link between RealNetworks and Gamehouse and they did not service Gamehouse. She suggested writing to help.gamehouse.com - that resulted in another blank page. It would appear RealNetworks/RealArcade no longer has any connection with Gamehouse, and Gamehouse.com is off line either because the URL is canceled or they have a massive and continuing equipment failure. I tried GoDaddy, where the site is listed and they knew nothing. I no longer can access any support or information. Draw your own conclusions. ≈≈≈≈

Please expand this article. But please keep it balanced. I've heard mostly bad things about RealArcade; but there must be a few good things too, so mention some. :) Things I would love to find out about in the article:


 * I saw in reviews online that there used to be an old version, and now it's been being phased out. What's the difference between the old and new version? The new version allows you to "unlock" the game after purchase with one click of your mouse, and not have to scroll through multiple screens to unlock the purchased game.  Also, the unlocking process is a lot faster, seconds as opposed to minutes.


 * An infobox. That can show things like: Does RealArcade work on Vista?

Yes, real arcade is complete compatible with Vista.

You don't have to be online to play them, they function independently from the web, so yes, in that sense, they are yours. You also often times have the option of purchasing the cd for a bit of extra cash. Also, the purchase history is available in your account which you can access at any time and re-download any game, for any reason.... ie, you got a new computer. The most common types of games are Hidden Object Games, sequential games (Diner Dash type) and match & shoot (Zuma-type) games. Here are the categories they currently list: Puzzle, Mahjongg, Hidden Object, Card, Board, Arcade, Action.
 * Are the games you buy really yours, or is it DRMed so that they can stop working (e.g. if RealNetworks discontinues the RealArcade service?)
 * What kinds of games are available?

The membership per month is $9.99. This includes one "pass" for a game... and that "pass" expires at the end of your monthly cycle. Basically, you are paying $9.99 to download one game per month and try whatever other games you want. The trial period on almost all games is 1 hour, which is enough to give you a decent feel for the game or "hook" you.
 * What's the pricing structure?

You do not have to be online to play. They are not played in a webpage. They install to your desktop or destination of your choice, and you open them from there.
 * About the games you can play for free: do you play them in a webpage, or do they get installed to your Start menu? Do you have to be online to play them?


 * Are all of RealArcade's games exclusive to RealArcade, or can you get them elsewhere? No, actually.. they are games from PopCap, Reflexive, etc... you can usually find them elsewhere.


 * How convenient is RealArcade compared with going to www.download.com, looking for games, and downloading them yourself?

It is extremely convenient. The Real Arcade homepage shows the latest games available for download, or you can click through the screens to get complete lists of games available in each sub-category, for instance, puzzles.


 * I've heard allegations that RealArcade contains spyware. Is it true? Also, does RealArcade install search toolbars in your web browser or do other annoying stuff?
 * What is RealArcade's main competition? Do any other companies offer similar services?

A note: Everything I have written here is opinionated. Feel free to ignore it. :)

cheers, --unforgettableid | talk 04:06, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Gamehouse and RealArcade are merging
And as appropriate, it was announced that RealArcade will be redirecting to gamehouse.com when the merge is complete, should we do the same to Real Arcade and add appropriate information into the Game House article? JasonHockeyGuy (talk) 05:52, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 3 external links on GameHouse. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110715161501/http://www.realarcade.com/gamehouse to http://www.realarcade.com/gamehouse
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20081010160539/http://www.realarcade.com/gamepass to http://www.realarcade.com/gamepass
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20091001102355/http://www.gamehouse.com:80/free-games? to http://www.gamehouse.com/free-games

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Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 14:57, 7 January 2017 (UTC)

Is GameHouse copied from PopCap Games
I had no idea why GameHouse had copied PopCap Games. --Apollo C. Quiboloy fans (talk) 04:20, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

RealArcade Games Preservation Project links added
Quoting my last contribution details:

"A link to the RealArcade Games Preservation Project was added to the external links. The purpose of the RGPP is to preserve all possible versions of the games client and its demo games, so users can understand the development of the Web Games marketplace in the early days of Internet, everything through empirical usage".

We have a great opportunity to preserve a SaaS for the future which still works alongside its distribution packages, including the games that were made during the golden age of web games.

To clarify, all the files uploaded on the RGPP are still the 60-minute demos that this wiki talks about. In essence, these files also act as a primary information source. Nicolas2121 (talk) 12:54, 24 December 2020 (UTC)

Notable people
Paul Thelen seemed to be associated with Real Arcade at which at one point he left Real Networks to form Big Fish Games. I don't know much more about this. 2601:642:4400:9F00:F922:B646:BEE7:4878 (talk) 16:10, 30 July 2022 (UTC)