Online games: Fragging On The Net
By Don Shults

Online games spoken casually or formally normally refer to video games that are played on a computer using an Internet connection. There are video games that are played online using devices such as video consoles (Playstation, X-Box) and mobile phones, but online games generally mean PC games that can be played only when you are connected to the Internet.

These games kicked off in the 1980s even as Internet connectivity was slow and expensive. The earliest versions of these games were simple multiplayer text-based games. In the 1990s these games started getting popular, and today they feature high-end graphics, virtual communities, and lots more.

Types Of Online Games

Online games can be of the following types

(i) First-person shooters: Here the players battle with each other head-to-head. In most first-person shooters games, there are online components that allow deathmatch/arena style play. In these games the view you see in the gameplay is the one seen from your characters eyes.

(ii) Real-time strategy games: These are games where you have to develop a combat strategy or gameplan by building resources and making a strong army so that you are able to fight with other Internet players.

(iii) Browser games: These are simple, small, and quick pastime games that can be played on your browser. They are developed using the popular Shockwave or Java technologies.

(iv) Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG): These are online games that can support thousands of players from all over the world simultaneously, playing with or against each other in a giant virtual world and also interacting with each other. Here a person has to keep leveling up till he reaches the maximum possible level written for the game. These games can keep a gamer engaged for months or even years!

How Online Games Make Money

Today, every game is playable online. The question before the company that is making these games is how to make money. Most companies make single-player games that can be played at home. In these games the player has to overcome the artificially intelligent enemies. These games feature an online multiplayer gameplay model, using which a user can play with or against other Internet players.

These companies make their money by selling their game CDs/DVDs [Examples: Warcraft 3, Counter Strike]. The browser game companies survive by revenues generated from advertising and promotions.

Many MMORPG companies keep adding content by developing new patches in their games and they charge a monthly fee from the players [Example: Everquest 2, World of Warcraft]. Some of them do not, and survive because of their CD/DVD sales [Example: Guild Wars].

One last thing about the title: Fragging in game jargon stands for finishing off a player or an artificially intelligent enemy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Don Shults writes about Online Gaming
Check out his website: http://www.wizkidsmania.com

Ps - I posted her article cause she ripped off one of my articles - so I found one which I thought is useful and posted that one.