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Play games:
read the article below on online games.
Online game
Online games refer to video games that are played over some form of computer
network, most commonly the Internet. 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.
Early online games
Online games started in the 1980s with MUDs, simple multiplayer text-based
games, often played on a BBS using a modem. These games were frequently
based on fantasy settings, using rules similar to those in the role-playing
game Dungeons & Dragons. Other styles of games, such as chess, Scrabble
clones, and other board games were available. Since continuous connectivity
was often expensive as access was frequently charged on a per-minute basis,
some games were set up as play-by-email games.
First-person shooter games
During the 1990s, online games started to move from a wide variety of LAN
protocols (such as IPX) and onto the Internet using the TCP/IP protocol.
Doom popularized the concept of deathmatch, where multiple players battle
each other head-to-head, as a new form of online game. Since Doom, most
first-person shooter games contain online components to allow deathmatch/arena
style play.
Real-time strategy games
Early real-time strategy games often allowed multiplayer play over a modem
or local network. As the Internet started to grow during the 1990s, software
was developed that would allow players to tunnel the LAN protocols used by
the games over the Internet. By the late 1990s, most RTS games had native
Internet support, allowing players from all over the globe to play with each
other. Services were created to allow players to be automatically matched
against another player wishing to play.
Browser games
As the World Wide Web developed and browsers became more sophisticated,
people started creating browser games that used a web browser as a client.
Simple single player games were made that could be played using a web
browser via HTML and HTML scripting technologies (most commonly JavaScript,
ASP, PHP, and MySQL). More complicated games would contact a web server to
allow a multiplayer gaming environment.
The development of web-based graphics technologies such as Flash and Java
allowed browser games to become more complex. These games, also known by
their related technology as "Flash games" or "Java games", became
increasingly popular. Many games originally released in the 1980s, such as
Pac-Man and Frogger, were recreated as games that could be played using the
Flash plugin on a webpage. Most browser games have limited multiplayer play,
often being single player games with a high score list shared amongst all
players.
Browser-based pet games are also very popular amongst the younger generation
of online gamers. These games range from gigantic games with millions of
users, such as Neopets, to smaller and more community-based pet games.
More recent browser-based games use web technologies like AJAX to make more
complicated multiplayer interactions possible.
Massively multiplayer online games
Massively multiplayer online games were made possible with the growth of
broadband Internet access in many developed countries, using the Internet to
allow hundreds of thousands of players to play the same game together. Many
different styles of massively multiplayer games are available, such as:
* MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game)
* MMORTS (Massively multiplayer online real-time strategy)
* MMOFPS (Massively multiplayer online first-person shooter)
Browser-Based MMORPGs
Advances in browser-based technologies have allowed the creation of
browser-based MMORPGs, using similar as other browser-based games.
Due to current technology limitations, browser-based games cannot bring the
same graphical or sound quality that custom-client MMORPGs can.
Browser-based MMORPGs tend to be a little cheaper than full-blown MMORPGs.
A profitable industry
The rising popularity of Flash and Java led to an Internet revolution where
websites could utilize streaming video, audio, and a whole new set of user
interactivity. When Microsoft began packaging Flash as a pre-installed
component of IE, the Internet began to shift from a data/information
spectrum to also offer on-demand entertainment. This revolution paved the
way for sites to offer games to web surfers. Many games like World of
Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI, and Lineage II, charge a monthly fee to
subscribe to their services. Many other sites relied on advertising revenues
from on-site sponsors, while others, like RuneScape, lets people play for
free while leaving the players the option of paying, unlocking new skills
for the members. After the dot-com downfall in the early years of the 21st
century, many sites solely relying on advertising revenue dollars faced
extreme adversity.
Despite the decreasing profitability of free online games websites, some
sites have survived the fluctuating ad market by offsetting the advertising
revenue loss by using the content as a cross-promotion tool for driving web
visitors to other websites that the company owns.
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