online gaming

The existence of games as a source of interaction and individual stimulation have always been linked to the technological availability of the time and place. With the transition to a information-based society, computers and computer games have evolved from monstrous room-sized computing machines, to complex multi-use personal computers. By 1962, the first computer game called “Space War” (created on the DEC PDP-1 computer), revolutionized the use of the computer as a form of artificial intelligence, compared to its early basic computing purposes. The game involved two players, each controlling a spaceship, in which the goal was to shoot the other before being shot yourself. In 1974, Intel had created the 8080 microprocessor ( 8-bit, 2 MHz computer) which was considered to be one of the early usable microprocessors ( personal computers). Intel’s microprocessor together with Xerox’s introduction of the 100-workstation LAN, allowed for the creation of multiplayer gaming.
In 1979 computer interaction developed with the first Multi-User-Dungeon (MUD), which was developed at Essex University, UK. This multi-user environment included a series of rooms and corridors, which could endlessly be explored through player communication. With the unleashing of the ARPANET ( the first military use of an internet based system ), the explosion of MUD’s enabled players worldwide to join games and interact in early text-based virtual worlds.
A new shift in computing had been witnessed with the launch of the Intel Pentium processor in 1993, enhancing the ability to view complex multimedia such as video and photography. At the same time, the game Doom had been released as a generational shift in online games, representing the powerful new Pentium computer engine. Doom’s virtual environment, allowed for various PCs to link up and compete against one another, introducing communication and social interaction as a main component of online gaming.
In 1997, Intel had introduced the Intel Pentium II processor, which allowed for the emergence of Sierra’s game Half-Life. It is at this time in which MMORPG’s (Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games) are introduced. The idea in half-life, is that it allows for countless numbers of people to interact and work together to create a massive virtual representation of reality. Also at this time, games allow for the creation of Mods (Half-Life being the first) in which gamers can manipulate elements of the game and ultimately become the creator. For example, the player can choose the type of clothing or insert a desired face for their character.
With the creation of more complex technologies like Intel’s Pentium 4 processor in 2000 and their extreme edition with HT technology in 2004, games have begun to take upon photo-realistic virtual worlds which become substitutions for physical reality. Cases of gaming addiction are relevant with the increase of these virtual worlds, in which broadband capabilities instigate social interaction and communication. (reference 8)

The existence of games as a source of interaction and individual stimulation have always been linked to the technological availability of the time and place. With the transition to a information-based society, computers and computer games have evolved from monstrous room-sized computing machines, to complex multi-use personal computers. By 1962, the first computer game called “Space War” (created on the DEC PDP-1 computer), revolutionized the use of the computer as a form of artificial intelligence, compared to its early basic computing purposes. The game involved two players, each controlling a spaceship, in which the goal was to shoot the other before being shot yourself. In 1974, Intel had created the 8080 microprocessor ( 8-bit, 2 MHz computer) which was considered to be one of the early usable microprocessors ( personal computers). Intel’s microprocessor together with Xerox’s introduction of the 100-workstation LAN, allowed for the creation of multiplayer gaming.
In 1979 computer interaction developed with the first Multi-User-Dungeon (MUD), which was developed at Essex University, UK. This multi-user environment included a series of rooms and corridors, which could endlessly be explored through player communication. With the unleashing of the ARPANET ( the first military use of an internet based system ), the explosion of MUD’s enabled players worldwide to join games and interact in early text-based virtual worlds.
A new shift in computing had been witnessed with the launch of the Intel Pentium processor in 1993, enhancing the ability to view complex multimedia such as video and photography. At the same time, the game Doom had been released as a generational shift in online games, representing the powerful new Pentium computer engine. Doom’s virtual environment, allowed for various PCs to link up and compete against one another, introducing communication and social interaction as a main component of online gaming.
In 1997, Intel had introduced the Intel Pentium II processor, which allowed for the emergence of Sierra’s game Half-Life. It is at this time in which MMORPG’s (Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games) are introduced. The idea in half-life, is that it allows for countless numbers of people to interact and work together to create a massive virtual representation of reality. Also at this time, games allow for the creation of Mods (Half-Life being the first) in which gamers can manipulate elements of the game and ultimately become the creator. For example, the player can choose the type of clothing or insert a desired face for their character.
With the creation of more complex technologies like Intel’s Pentium 4 processor in 2000 and their extreme edition with HT technology in 2004, games have begun to take upon photo-realistic virtual worlds which become substitutions for physical reality. Cases of gaming addiction are relevant with the increase of these virtual worlds, in which broadband capabilities instigate social interaction and communication.