ONLINE GAMING

CONTENTS
Introduction. History (1970s) (1980s) (1990s) Present Situation. Advantages. Disadvantages.

ONLINE GAMING:
An online game is a game played over some forms of computer network. At the present, this almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology; but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the internet, and hard wired terminals before modems. Online gaming is a technology rather than a genre; a mechanism for connecting players together rather than a particular pattern of game play. "Online games are played over some form of computer network, now typically on the Internet.

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The expansion of online gaming has reflected the overall expansion of computer networks from small local networks to the Internet and the growth of Internet access itself. Online games can range from simple text based games to games incorporating complex graphics and virtual worlds populated by many players simultaneously. Many online games have associated online communities, making online games a form of social activity beyond single player games.

HISTORY: (1970'S)

The origins of online gaming can be traced back to textbased games that ran on private servers (usually at a university) and dialup bulletin board systems in the 1970s. One of the first examples was a multi-user dungeon game (MUD) developed by Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw in 1978 at Essex University on a DEC PDP-10. Players could typically connect to the game using a TELNET client, and by typing in commands, they would enter a dungeon, fight monsters, gain experience and acquire loot. Other similar games such as Oubliette and Moria were also developed in the late 70s; Oubliette was so difficult that it could not be successfully played by a single person on their own, and players had to run in groups in order for to survive (i.e. a multi-player game).

(1980'S)

In 1983, a text-mode networked computer game called Snipes was created by SuperSet Software. It is thought to have been the first network game ever written for a commercial personal computer and is officially credited as being the original inspiration for Novell NetWare. Along with Spasim (a 3d multiplayer space simulation for time shared mainframes) and Maze War (a networked multiplayer maze game for several research machines), Snipes is recognised as the forerunner to multi-player games such as Doom and Quake.

(1990'S)

The first graphical MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) was released in 1991 for PC owners on AOL (then called Quantum Computer Services). The game (called Never winter Nights) also marked the first appearance of online player versus player (PvP) combat in multiplayer RPGs. After the release of Id Software's 1996 game Quake, Internet multiplayer capability soon became an essential part of almost all first-person shooter (FPS) games. Other genres also began to offer online play, including real time strategy (RTS) games such as Blizzard's Warcraft series and Microsoft's Age of Empires, and turn-based games such as Heroes of Might and Magic.

PRESENT SITUATION:

Other online gaming included the introduction of web browser plug-ins such as Macromedia Flash and Java for simple single player or multiplayer browser-based games. These small games could be downloaded quickly and played from within a web browser without installation. Their most popular use was (and still is) classic arcade games, puzzle games, card and board games. By the turn of the century, game companies were eager to capitalise on the new online gaming market, with role playing games and their ability to 'suck in' the player becoming the most financially promising.

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However, by far the most popular and most-widely subscribed game of the new millennium so far is Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft (WoW), released in November 2004 for the PC. World of Warcraft takes place within the world of Azeroth in the Warcraft Universe, a fantasy setting introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994. WoW immediately overtook all other games upon release, dwarfing all previous monthly-fee MMORPGs by attracting a total of over 8 million customers.

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Within massively multiplayer games such as World of Warcraft and EverQuest you can explore sprawling fantasy universes, interact with other players from around the world, fight fantastic creatures, and essentially live as your character online. Beyond that, the term game itself no longer applies to environments such as Second Life and Entropia. These applications have evolved beyond the gaming element to become virtual spaces for living, hanging out with friends, even starting a business or a political movement. Though of course if you do want to chuck missiles about and turn your friends into a fine red mist, there's still always Counter-Strike...

THIS IS GOING TO BE BIG

5000 4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

Online Gaming Revenues ($M)

Source: Datamonitor

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

TYPES OF ONLINE GAMES:

Categorization by Genre : First-Person Shooter (FPS) Role-Playing Game (RPG) Real-Time Strategy (RTS)

FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER (FPS)

Game world
Player character Weapons Aim + shoot

Call of Duty, Activision / Infinity Ward

ROLE-PLAYING GAME (RPG)

Game world
Player character Weapons Accomplish task, Improve (virtual) ability, accomplish harder task, etc.

Diablo II, Blizzard Entertainment / Blizzard North (?)

ANOTHER RPG (SORT OF)

Game world
Player character Accomplish task, Improve (virtual) ability, accomplish harder task, etc.

REAL-TIME STRATEGY (RTS)

Game world
Units Explore, build, combat

Rise of Nations, Microsoft

ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE GAMES

There are few advantages of playing free online games: One of this is that, you dont need to go somewhere else during your free time or if you want to have fun. If you have your own computer and if you are connected to the world wide web, then all you have to do is sit on your pc chair, start your internet browser and find sites that allows you to play free online games and then play. The 2nd advantage is its free so you dont need money at all and you can also choose what kind of game you want to play. Well, if you find the game boring and lousy then all you have to do is stop the game and look for a new one. Unlike with token operated game machines where if you feel like your loosing on the game, you cannot stop it right away, you have to wait until the game is completely game over.

DISADVANTAGES OF ONLINE GAMES

The most common disadvantage of this free online games as we all know is that, teens prefer to come online rather than doing their homeworks or studying their lessons. Plus, some of the games are having bad impacts on the mind of the players like for instance, violent games. So it is good that we know where to find good games which is challenging, educational and fun. Online gaming is also a cause of the lack of communication and family interaction. Another disadvantage of online gaming is the fact that it can be a gateway platform to gambling problems.

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