It’s no secret that we’re a bunch of Flash addicts here at CG. We love it so much we’ve taken it upon ourselves to get as many people as possible into Flash gaming. To that end, Will has put together a great list of five simple ways we can all improve our Flash experience.

#5. Expand Your Horizons

It’s easy to rely upon one or two sites for entertaining flash games. If a primary source begins to feel a little dull, don’t accept a decrease in satisfaction by playing a mediocre game that you’ve avoided and aren’t really interested in. Try looking for a new site to increase your flash game supply. Most flash gamers know about Kongregate, Armor Games, and Addicting Games. However, there is also MiniClip, ArcadeAddikt and ArcadeGames. Some really fantastic games are hosted on private sites instead of a portal, such as Robokill

#4. Play With Friends

Humans (even introverts, like myself) are social creatures. Some games that seem terrible when played alone become a lot more fun when you invite a friend over to play with you. The competition can get steep when you turn Jumpcat into a drinking game (with sour milk, of course). Every time you bounce exactly twice before hitting a spike… etc. Make your own rules.

#3. Use A Gamepad

Many flash games require mouse input. However, some games (even ones that do require some mouse input) can be played with a gamepad. Depending on the gamepad, you might even able to replace the mouse with the joysticks. Some prefer gaming with a mouse and keyboard. Call me old fashioned but it just doesn’t feel right to play a game using a giant keyboard and mouse. Gamepads provide that good old fashioned SNES feeling. 360 controllers work great. There are many apps to use to set the key configuration such as Joy2Key and XPadder.

#2. Zoom, Zoom, Zoom…

If you use Mozilla Firefox 3.0 or higher to play flash games, you can zoom in on the action by pressing the control key and plus simultaneously (CTRL and +). You could also click on view on the menu bar, then zoom, then zoom in. This can be done repeatedly until you’ve reached the desired level. I use a 1440 x 900 resolution and I increase most games to be half the size of the screen. It enhances the visual pleasure and increases the immersion. Do yourself a favor and give this a shot. To zoom back out, press control and minus.

#1. Don’t Abuse, Appreciate

Gaming appeals to the visual and aural senses. Pay attention to the character model details and the background art. Notice the slick user interface. Listen to the stunning sound track and sharp sound effects. Some flash developers do a fantastic job of creating an outstanding experience through their choice of sound and animation. It’s not always about the high score or even beating the game. There are several factors that contribute to the value of all games, flash or console. It’s sad to read reviews that say “2 out of 5, can’t get past second level” when the music is originally composed and animation is done by the same individual who did all the code as well. Games are a work of art and can be enjoyed at an intellectual level.