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 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

---

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.

More on [ Online game ]

About.com Internet Games: What's Hot Now

Siege at Gludio
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:05:45 -0000
Screenshots of the MMORPG Lineage 2.
Ice Spell
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:05:45 -0000
Screenshots of the online game Wizard101 from KingsIsle Entertainment
Cheating in Online Games
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:05:45 -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.
Multiplayer RPGs
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:05:45 -0000
Highly graphical multiplayer RPGs have become a trend in online gaming that has been impossible not to notice in recent years. These games typically don't come with persistent worlds or monthly fees, but they do provide a considerable variety of Internet play options.
Dragonspyre
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:05:45 -0000
Screenshots of the online game Wizard101 from KingsIsle Entertainment
Free Online Mahjong
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:05:45 -0000
Mahjong (or Mah-jongg) is a tile-matching game that originated in China over a century ago. Today it is played all over the world, and like many other traditional games, there are now a multitude of free online variations of Mahjong you can play in a Web browser. These are some of the better free Mahjong games I've come across so far.

Subscribe to Online RSS feed