Palm Harbor Entrepreneur Launches Free Gaming Website

A Palm Harbor man is hoping to cash in on the popularity of online games with his website Advergames.com.

The site is loaded with free internet-browser games that Tony Giallourakis, 52, has handpicked and tested himself. He describes the site as a directory of free games that you won't find anywhere else.

Giallourakis says more people are playing games online because of the growing popularity of smartphones, tablets and laptop computers. 

"Gaming is the second or third most popular function online now, email and watching videos are right up there at the top with it." 

The married father of two says he learned a lot about video games, digital assets and the internet during his 21-year career as a stock broker and research analyst. He also loves to play games himself and so do his sons, Michael, age 20 and Matthew, age 17.

Giallourakis only includes advergames on his site. Advergames is a term that he coined to describe video games that advertise products. Giallourakis is credited with creating the term on Wikipedia.

"I think in 2010 or 2011 it was added to the American Dictionary as an actual word," he said. "I found it on accident, that was really cool."

His website features a wide variety of free advergames from companies like Coca-Cola and Proctor and Gamble, to products like Old Spice, the popular Angry Birds game and there's even an advergame from Howard Stern TV.

The games are not complicated and do not require a special membership or special software to play. There is nothing to download. Games can also be played in a short time frame.

"It's more casual, it tends to be game snacking, a few minutes," said Giallourakis. "They're 100 percent free, which is the best part."

Giallourakis checks 25 websites a day in his search for new advergames to add to his site. 

He reviews about 10 to 20 advergames a week. Of those games, only 2 to 3 are good enough to be added to his site.

"They're the best They're the games I'd wanna play the most or you'd want to play the most."

The site was designed by a gamer, so it is fast and is very reliable. Users can play one game at a time, or they can open up the website using multiple browser windows and play multiple games at a time.

He plans to make money by selling "featured" placement on the site to companies that distribute advergames.

Giallourakis thinks advergames will become an even more popular way for companies to advertise. He says with advergames, the consumer is in control and can pick the advertising he or she will look at, as opposed to having advertising like pop-up windows and commercials forced upon them. 

"It gives the consumer a choice of what advertising they want to engage in; when the want to do it, how long they want to do it and whether they want to share it with other people. So, it is a more equitable relationship between the advertiser and the consumer."

•  Advergames.com

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