Question about using Parallels, etc., for playing Windows games

Hello! I'm new to the forums and have had my first Mac for a little over a year (15" MBP, 2.53 Intel i5, 8 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive), and I have a question about playing Windows-only games on my Mac.

I have a pile of PC games sitting around that are going to waste, and I understand that there's a way to play them on my Mac. If I purchase one of the programs that lets you use PC games (Parallels or a different one, recommendations appreciated), am I then able to just insert a PC game CD and play it through the program? Also, am I able to download digital versions of PC games (like through the game website) directly through one of the programs onto my computer to play them on the PC virtual application?

I'm just trying to understand the program better before committing to one or another. I don't want to buy one and find out I can't use a game.

Thanks for your help!

If you're going to be playing games, you really need to go with Boot Camp. Virtualization products such as Parallels, VMWare Fusion and VirtualBox don't give you direct access to the hardware on the machine. With Boot Camp however, since you actually install Windows, you get access to all the hardware.

Does Bootcamp require me to purchase anything or is everything included as part of the purchase of the Mac? Also, does it take up a lot of room on my hard drive? And, finally, is it reversible (if I decide I don't want to dedicate such a large portion of my hard drive to it anymore).

Thanks.

The Boot Camp assistant only prepares your machine for installing Windows. You will need to purchase a legal copy of Windows - and it must be a full install version not upgrade.

The amount of space you'll need depends on how many Windows games and applications you wish to install. It's the same rule of thumb for space as if you were using a Windows computer.

And yes, you can easily remove the Boot Camp partition and Windows using the Boot Camp assistant in OS X. Be sure to read and print out the Boot Camp assistant instructions first.