AKICIDW: Problems with video games -- all, not just one

I recently purchased a hidden object game from Big Fish Games (please don't judge).

When I start the game, it appears to be loading, and the game icon appears in the taskbar, but all I see is a black screen for a second or two and then it returns to Windows. I've updated Flash and Shockwave, and tried adjusting the compatibility settings to run in XP-compatible mode, but nothing helps.

I'm running Windows 7 on a desktop machine. Given that this game is from 2011, there shouldn't be any system or compatibility problems.

I sent a query to BFG tech support, and they sent me the same generic links I'd already found and tried, plus a coupon code for a free game. Which is nice, but doesn't fix the problem.

But then the mystery deepened. I went back to one of my tried-and-true games that I've played several times, and it had the exact same problem -- it appeared to open properly, then bounced back to the Windows screen. I had no problem when I played it last, maybe a year or so ago.

The only general system thing I can think of that's changed is that I'm now running Sophos instead of McAfee as my antivirus program. But Sophos has been very discreet and well-behaved, so I'm wary about blaming that for the problem.

Any idea what the problem could be? And, of course, how to fix it?

Video game problem solved!

I tried updating everything I could, and the last thing I tried was a recent Java update. Last, because that apparently did the trick. I haven't tried the new game yet, but the old one is working properly now.

I thought Java was primarily for web-based use, but apparently not.