1.   And Microsoft recently launched a free gaming site, which will include a few pay-per-play games.

2.   As a result, gaming sites such as Pogo.com are taking off.

3.   All operators of online gaming sites have been searching for ways to pay for expensive game development through fees and advertising, while keeping a substantial number of players.

4.   But not all the earliest online gaming sites have abandoned their hard-core roots.

5.   But relying on ads is a risky proposition for any Web site, particularly specialized gaming sites.

6.   Gamecenter was shuttered because ZDNet had Gamespot.com, a more popular gaming site.

7.   Instead, it makes money by selling the CD-ROMs and by selling advertising on its gaming site.

8.   Mplayer, another gaming Web site, does the same thing.

9.   Segasoft Entertainment Networks in Redwood City, a spin-off of Sega of America, is launching a free gaming site in June called Heat.net.

10.   SegaSoft of Redwood City recently launched a free gaming site called HEAT.NET.