HELP: Games on Kindle

[charlie_82]

So I just bought a Kindle 3G + Wifi for my mum's birthday. This is such a cool toy! But for the life of me, I can't seem to get any games on it.
I know the little SHIFT+ALT+M trick to get the two hidden games that come pre-installed, but I would like to get some of the other games on the Kindle store (both free and paid):

Monopoly: http://www.amazon.com/MONOPOLY/dp/B004EUSZCW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304578019&sr=1-1-catcorr
Scrabble: http://www.amazon.com/SCRABBLE/dp/B003P2QCE8/ref=pd_sim_kinc_2
Etc, etc...

I can't seem to get any of these from Amazon store on my PC or via the Kindle Store on the Kindle. Is this because of geolocation restrictions or am I being a n00b?

 

[kissingmybbgoodbye]

Cool didn't know you could play games on your kindle

 

[oronte]

I think those games are just for Kindle US store, well I've never seen them in our store (Africa).

 

[charlie_82]

That sucks - it was one of the reason I opted to get a Kindle instead of a tablet :-/

 

[oronte]

The kindle isn't a gaming device, it's a reader, that's really all it is.

 

[charlie_82]

My mum loves reading and she loves Scrabble... and she's rather technologically challenged so the Kindle seemed perfect.
It's a pity that these games are not available on the device - would have made an ideal gift if she could take a break from a heavy book with a quick round of Scrabble.

Regardless of what the device was intended for, there are games available for it

 

[charlie_82]

Ok well I used a US address on my Amazon account and I was able to download all the free games and the paid for ones. Mum's gonna be thrilled with Scrabble

 

[Terencek]

I can confirm after having actually queried Amazon some time ago, that all the games they offer for the Kindle are only available in the USA 'for copyright reasons'. Some people have indeed reregistered their Kindles to a US address, accessed the games then registered the Kindle back to their local address and the games still work.

I have actually tried 'sideloading' (i.e. copying via USB cable) some of the Kindle games US users have downloaded, but I've had no luck in getting them to work. So until Amazon sorts out its copyright issues unfortunately it looks like we won't get games.

BTW, lots of good stuff for the Kindle, and all the tips and tricks you can possibly imagine, from a free download booklet (in Kindle or plain format) from an enthusiast: http://blog.diannegorman.net/

 

[charlie_82]

Thanks for the link Terencek - cool stuff!
I found that changing my address got me all the games beside Scrabble - I guess this is because the WhisperNet can tell your Kindle's IP.
So instead of sending the game straight to the Kindle, I opted to download it to the PC from the Amazon site. From there, I sideloaded it onto the Kindle and it works 100%