Since Windows XP, There have been several Internet games included in   
   your Start Menu: Internet Reversi, Internet Checkers, etc.   
      
   One thing you may have noticed is that these game client programs can   
   very quickly find another active human player, from Microsoft's online   
   gaming network, for you to begin a game, at any time. The very large   
   number of Windows XP users may explain this phenomenon, but if you   
   think from another side: How do you tell if your opponent is really a   
   human?   
      
   We often like to play with a human (we believe) than with a computer,   
   just like why we like to play with an opposite sex than with a special   
   machine or with oneself. Therefore, believing your Internet Checkers   
   opponent be a human can bring "more value" to the whole thing.   
      
   But what if Microsoft partially or completely uses a computer algorithm   
   to play against you in such games? This is technically possible, and   
   may have real reasons, e.g. that the server can't manage to find any   
   active human player for your type of game, or that Microsoft want to   
   save some server workload, or that Microsoft simply want to demonstrate   
   to you "how large its user base is" by assigning you a computer   
   opponent if the server can't find a human opponent in 5 seconds.   
      
   Why is it technically possible? (1) The computer can already do well in   
   games of this kind, and easily (randomly) simulate humanlike delays   
   between each move, and intentionally simulate a less perfect move. (2)   
   During a gaming session there could also be "dialogues" made of fixed   
   sentences (e.g. "Hello!") between the two players. The reason why free   
   talk is not implemented may seem to be language barriers, but it could   
   also be that your opponent is sometimes a computer algorithm which   
   fears to take a Turing test. In this case, the computer could keep   
   fooling you by "talking less" (e.g. just say hello at the beginning)   
   and "talking general" (e.g. say "nice move" occasionally).   
      
   Can a computer imitate your partner in a telesex? I will remain this   
   question to the reader...   
      
   Yao Ziyuan   
      
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