Online gaming

Online gaming is a type of video game playing performed through the internet. Players need a high-speed internet connection and a console or device on which to play the games, such as a computer or gaming system, to participate in online gaming. Technology allows players worldwide to connect online and play video games against one another. However, a person must pay for an internet connection as well as a fee for accessing video game software. Into the twenty-first century, the online gaming industry is rapidly changing to accommodate the influx of advanced technology, such as smartphones and virtual reality.

Brief History

The first gaming system was introduced in the United States in the late 1960s. Known as the Brown Box, the system was purchased by Magnavox who released it as the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972. Atari appeared a few months later and became a very popular gaming system. The company continued to release several different models into the next decade.

Up until the 1970s, individual players usually played games by themselves or against the computer. The first multiplayer games debuted in the 1970s when several US restaurants installed video games. The games allowed several players to compete against one another to become the top scorer, but players were limited to competing on the same screen.

Around this time, the University of Illinois began using the PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations) computer-based teaching system. A video game known as Empire (1973) was created for use on the system, becoming the first game to allow several players (up to eight) to compete against one another on separate screens. In 1974, the game Spasim was released for use on PLATO. Known as the first 3-D multiplayer game, it allowed up to thirty-two players to compete against one another. Access to PLATO was limited, and only those who could connect to the system and afford computers could play these types of games. However, it represented the early beginnings of online multiplayer gaming.

By the 1980s, Macintosh computers and gaming systems, such as Atari ST, allowed users to connect their consoles with those of other players. The 1987 Atari ST game MidiMaz allowed up to sixteen people to play against one another by linking their consoles. Games played on systems such as these were very slow, especially when large numbers of devices were connected.

Online gaming took off in the 1990s with the advent of the internet and local area network (LAN), a group of computers that could be linked to a server. These allowed gamers to connect and interact from different computers. The introduction of Flash and Java computer programs led to a surge in gaming websites. Gaming also became a social activity, and the internet allowed players to connect to other players and compete against one another without having to be in the same location. Doom (1993) and Quake (1996) were examples of multiplayer online games popular during this time.

Several gaming companies, such as Atari, Sega, and Nintendo, had popular gaming systems by the new millennium. They began to release consoles capable of online gaming in the 1990s by using cable providers for internet access. Most of these systems were failures because of how slow internet access was at the time. In 2000, Sega introduced Dreamcast, the first internet-ready console equipped with a modem. The system was considered a failure, doomed by expensive internet access.

Topic Today

Computer technology advanced into the 2000s, and internet access became much more affordable to many people. This helped to advance the online gaming community. The industry was further advanced by the release of the game RuneScape in 2001. The game was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that allowed millions of players from all over the world to connect and play online. World of Warcraft, released in 2004, became one of the most popular MMORPGs of all time.

Gaming companies such as Microsoft and Sony then began to copy the Dreamcast model and released consoles, such as Xbox and PlayStation, equipped with online functionality that allowed users to connect and play with other players online or by themselves off-line. Nintendo introduced the Wii, which tracked players' movements by the use of a handheld remote controller.

Computer technology advanced at a rapid rate, and the gaming industry kept up with this pace, releasing consoles with numerous features and games with advanced graphics and designs. In addition, the cost of internet access continued to drop, which widened its reach, and technology enabled access to become faster. Online stores such as Xbox Marketplace and the Wii Shop Channel allowed users to purchase and download games directly to gaming consoles.

Into the 2010s, companies continued to release new generations of gaming systems that not only were used for gaming but also for steaming television shows and movies from companies such as Hulu and Netflix. Smartphones, which had gained popularity during the end of the previous decade, began to change the way people played games and allowed new companies, such as Apple and Google, to enter the video game industry. Smartphone users could download games from app stores and play directly on their mobile devices. However, the small screen size and limited operating capabilities of smartphones were not conducive for all game play. Although faster phones and tablets with larger screens have since been introduced.

Companies such as Oculus VR (later purchased by Facebook) and Sony introduced virtual reality (VR) technology, which provides users with simulated 3-D worlds through headsets. The VR devices allow users to enter an interactive, virtual gaming world. They are well suited for MMORPGs in which players immerse themselves in games and interact with one another. Other companies such as Google and IBM pursued language-processing artificial intelligence that could allow computers to understand and respond to commands through voice recognition. These and other technological advances will continue to have an effect on the online gaming industry.

Bibliography

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