The History Of Online/Video Gaming Technology
You may have heard the phrase “online games” thousands of times, but have you ever thought about what it refers to? And how actually it started?
The term online games refers to video games that are played entirely or partially through the internet on any device like PC, laptop, tablet, mobile phone or gaming console. It all started back in the 1970s and with time, they have massively evolved. In 2019, the revenues generated by this industry reached up to $16.9 billion. It is because online games are easy to play and do not need the player to involve in any physical activity.
These games are designed differently and can range from simple text-based to complex graphics and virtual characters. Most of these games create their own community, especially those which involve multiple players such as link sbobet or the ones closely related to real-life, for instance, cricket or volleyball. You can also follow your favourite characters, such as jumpforce dlc characters.
History of Online Gaming
PCs
The history of online games dates back to the early days of computer networking in the 1970s. By the late 1970s many universities in the US were linked by ARPANET, a precursor to the Internet. The structure of ARPANET allowed users to connect their computers or terminals to a central mainframe computer and interact in what was close to real-time.
In 1980 ARPANET was linked to the University of Essex in England where two undergraduate students had written a text-based fantasy adventure game that they called MUD or “multiuser dungeon.” When the first outside users connected to MUD through ARPANET, online gaming was born.
Commercial games followed in the next decade, with Islands of Kesmai, the first commercial online role-playing game, debuting in 1984. Since the turn of the century personal computers have been designed to play games on a large scale and bring them to a broader community.
Consoles
Initially, many engineers tried their best to utilize telephone lines to transfer information between consoles. For example, GameLine was a dialup game distribution service for the Atari 2600 developed and operated by Control Video Corporation (CVC).
Subscribers could install the proprietary modem and storage cartridges in their home game console, accessing the GameLine service to download games over a telephone line. GameLine had an exclusive selection of games, and its pioneering business model eventually gave rise to Amerca Online.
However, the high price of the games and technical difficulties meant that the service ended in 2003.
Modern Gaming
It was with the Sega Dreamcast, the world’s first Internet-ready console, in 2000, that real advances were made in online gaming as we know it today.
The Dreamcast featured a web browser and, making Internet-based gaming a core part of its setup rather than just an add-on used by a minority of users. Since the early 2000s, Internet capabilities have exploded and computer processor technology has improved at such a fast rate that games, graphics and consoles are getting better all the time.
We’ve come a long way since the first online games of the 1970s.
