UFASocial that allows multiple players to interact with each other online. They may be played on computers and laptops, handheld devices or game consoles – or, with increasing frequency, mobile phones and tablets. They can range from the simple, single-player solitaire to massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) with whole virtual universes that can be explored, where users can interact with other users and make transactions – often for points or game enhancements but sometimes for real money.
Online gaming took off in the 1990s as Internet technology matured and games developed to take advantage of it. LAN parties became commonplace and first-person shooter games such as Doom, Quake and the later Island of Kesmai were the precursors to modern MMORPG’s. In 1996, id software introduced an update to its Quake engine called QuakeWorld that used client-side prediction to improve performance on high latency connections. It also made use of the newly introduced network-based input and output (NICE) feature to provide online gaming functionality for players on high-latency connections.
Gaming Revolution: The Evolution of Online Games
The wildly popular Minecraft allows groups of up to eight players to meet online and collaborate to build vast blocky worlds together – think of it as a cross between a Lego set and a fantasy adventure. It’s one of the most social online games around and has spawned an entire culture of ‘Minecrafters‘.
Board games are still popular online, with many of them based on classic favorites such as Chess and Texas Hold’em but with the advantage that shuffling and rules interpretation can be done virtually. Some of them, like Board Game Arena, even offer a way to play virtual versions of classic table top games with strangers.