| Originally a black and white game that just played | | | | publishers and game development studios afloat. |
| table tennis, it's sometimes hard to see the steps in | | | | From the gamer's perspective, the development into |
| evolution that lead from PONG to a Wii or Playstation | | | | massive multiplayer online games meant whole new |
| Console games took something of a back seat to | | | | vistas were opening. No longer was it just random |
| personal computers when the Apple II came out, and | | | | death matches, or solo play, but an opportunity for |
| later the higher priced IBM PC. Both machines had | | | | the computer game to become a social outlet. You |
| considerably more RAM and could deliver greater | | | | gamed online to hang out with your friends, whether |
| performance than the console games of their time | | | | they were in the same city as you (or even your |
| period, and it wouldn't be until the early '90s that the | | | | roommate) or if they were around the world from |
| performance crown would go back to console | | | | you.and emphasized team building and socialization. |
| gaming. | | | | These two trends combine nicely the subscription |
| Where games used to differentiate on graphics and | | | | model means the games get revised over time, and |
| hardware, they now have to differentiate on | | | | expanded on, keeping the publishers and developers |
| playability and network capability, the total user | | | | in business (though there are notable exceptions, and |
| experience. Video game consoles like the Wii have | | | | bumps in the history Ultima Online being a good |
| shown that game play still matters more than the | | | | example of a game that made the transition, found |
| hottest graphics capabilities, though those matter as | | | | its niche and foundered later). From the player's |
| well. | | | | perspective, more and more players are spending |
| The last major advance in computer gaming came | | | | their entertainment time online, whether or not |
| from the rise of the Internet. While networked | | | | there's an actual game involved. |
| games date back to the first person shooter, where | | | | If you go to any MMO game, from World of |
| players would lug their PCs around and set up Local | | | | Warcraft to EVE Online, you'll discover a set of |
| Area Networks to play with each other, the | | | | players who go there mostly to explore, show off |
| widespread rise of the Internet, and the rollout of | | | | new costume pieces to each other, and hang out. |
| broadband access in college dorms allowed these | | | | Indeed, the current hottest trend in online gaming is |
| games to get more immersive and interactive. | | | | Second Life, and it has very little actual game play at |
| Eventually, this lead to EverQuest, the first Massively | | | | all. No quests, no leveling up, no explore, expand, |
| Multiplayer Online game; this genre up-ended the | | | | exploit, exterminate options it just gives you the |
| games marketing business, as it turned games into a | | | | chance to make your own 3-D animated avatar and |
| subscription service, and allowed communities of | | | | hang out with other people online, building real estate |
| hundreds of gamers to get together to play online. | | | | that gets sold virtually and can be converted back |
| From a game publisher's experience, what this meant | | | | into real money. Second Life has become such a |
| was that instead of releasing a game that would hit | | | | phenomenon that manufacturers like Sony and |
| the market, and go through a 9 to 18 month product | | | | Toyota are looking at it as a major marketing venue |
| cycle, the games could be generate a constant | | | | for product placement and advertisement! |
| revenue stream every month, in return for constant | | | | The evolution of online entertainment is moving away |
| development, expansion and patch upgrades. Given | | | | from hardcore geeks and gamers and more towards |
| the complexities of developing games,3-d game | | | | people just wanting the equivalent of going to a bar |
| worlds, and the like, this was a way to keep game | | | | online. |