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

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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 tabletop 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 shooters

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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.

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About.com Internet Games: What's Hot Now

Free Tower Defense Games
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:05:55 -0000
Tower defense games have been growing in popularity at a rapid rate ever since the success of Flash Element Tower Defense and Desktop Tower Defense in 2007. Essentially, you have to destroy multiple waves of oncoming hostiles (creeps) by placing defensive towers on the map. These towers can typically be upgraded and in some games, used to force the enemy to take a longer path. Here are my favorite free browser-based tower defense games.
WoW Compared to EQ2
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:05:55 -0000
It's not often that two blockbuster MMORPGs hit store shelves within weeks of each other, and it presents people who don't have unlimited time and money for online games with a tough decision. Both World of Warcraft and EverQuest II promise to be exceptional games, so here is a quick comparison between the two that might make it easier to figure out which one is for you.
Cheating in Online Games
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:05:55 -0000
In a perfect world, you could trust the people you game with online to follow the rules, but in this world, it takes an extraordinary effort to keep a game free of cheaters, whether it's an Olympic event or a Counter-Strike match. I get quite a few questions about the extent of cheating in online games and what is being done about it, so here are the details.
Aion Characters
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:05:55 -0000
Screenshots of the online game Aion: Tower of Eternity.
Web Games 101
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:05:55 -0000
Casual board, card, arcade, and puzzle games have become extremely popular on the Internet. Many text-based games are also now playable in any major Web browser. Most of these games are easy to learn and don't require the latest computer hardware.
Equipment
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:05:55 -0000
Screenshots of the MMOG Tabula Rasa.

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