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Multiplayer video game

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"Multiplayer" redirects here. For other multiplayer games, seeGame § Multiplayer.

Amultiplayer video gameis avideo gamein which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time,[1]either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via alocal area network,or via awide area network,most commonly theInternet(e.g.World of Warcraft,Call of Duty,DayZ). Multiplayer games usually require players to share a single game system or usenetworking technologyto play together over a greater distance; players may compete against one or more human contestants, workcooperativelywith a human partner to achieve a common goal, orsuperviseother players' activity. Due to multiplayer games allowing players to interact with other individuals, they provide an element of social communication absent from single-player games.

The history of multiplayer video games extends over several decades, tracing back to the emergence of electronic gaming in the mid-20th century. One of the earliest instances of multiplayer interaction was witnessed with the development ofSpacewar!in 1962 for theDECPDP-1computer bySteve Russelland colleagues at theMIT.During the late 1970s and early 1980s, multiplayer gaming gained momentum within the arcade scene with classics likePongandTank.The transition to home gaming consoles in the 1980s further popularized multiplayer gaming. Titles likeSuper Mario Bros.for theNESandGolden Axefor theSega Genesisintroduced cooperative and competitive gameplay. Additionally, LAN gaming emerged in the late 1980s, enabling players to connect multiple computers for multiplayer gameplay, popularized by titles likeDoomandWarcraft: Orcs & Humans.

Non-networked

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Some of the earliest video games were two-player games, including earlysports games(such as 1958'sTennis For Twoand 1972'sPong), earlyshooter gamessuch asSpacewar!(1962)[2]and earlyracing video gamessuch asAstro Race(1973).[3]The first examples of multiplayer real-time games were developed on thePLATO systemabout 1973. Multi-user games developed on this system included 1973'sEmpireand 1974'sSpasim;the latter was an earlyfirst-person shooter.Other early video games included turn-based multiplayer modes, popular intabletop arcade machines.In such games, play is alternated at some point (often after the loss of alife). All players' scores are often displayed onscreen so players can see their relative standing.Danielle Bunten Berrycreated some of the first multiplayer video games, such as her debut,Wheeler Dealers(1978) and her most notable work,M.U.L.E.(1983).

Gauntlet(1985) andQuartet(1986) introduced co-operative 4-player gaming to the arcades. The games had broader consoles to allow for four sets of controls.

Networked

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Ken Wasserman andTim Strykeridentified three factors which make networked computer games appealing:[4]

  1. Multiple humans competing with each other instead of a computer
  2. Incomplete informationresulting in suspense and risk-taking
  3. Real-time play requiring quick reaction

John G. Kemenywrote in 1972 that software running on theDartmouth Time Sharing System(DTSS) had recently gained the ability to support multiple simultaneous users, and that games were the first use of the functionality. DTSS's popular American football game, he said, now supported head-to-head play by two humans.[5]

The first large-scale serial sessions using a single computer[citation needed]were STAR (based onStar Trek), OCEAN (a battle using ships, submarines and helicopters, with players divided between two combating cities) and 1975's CAVE (based onDungeons & Dragons), created by Christopher Caldwell (with artwork and suggestions by Roger Long and assembly coding by Robert Kenney) on theUniversity of New Hampshire'sDECsystem-1090. The university's computer system had hundreds of terminals, connected (via serial lines) through clusterPDP-11sfor student, teacher, and staff access. The games had a program running on each terminal (for each player), sharing a segment ofshared memory(known as the "high segment" in the OS TOPS-10). The games became popular, and the university often banned them because of theirRAM use.STAR was based on 1974's single-user, turn-orientedBASICprogram STAR, written by Michael O'Shaughnessy at UNH.

Wasserman and Stryker in 1980 described inBYTEhow to network twoCommodore PETcomputers with a cable. Their article includes atype-in,two-playerHangman,and describes the authors' more-sophisticatedFlash Attack.[4]SuperSet Software'sSnipes(1981) uses networking technology that would becomeNovell NetWare.[6]Digital Equipment Corporationdistributed another multi-user version ofStar Trek,Decwar,without real-time screen updating; it was widely distributed to universities with DECsystem-10s. In 1981 Cliff Zimmerman wrote an homage toStar TrekinMACRO-10for DECsystem-10s and-20susing VT100-series graphics. "VTtrek" pitted fourFederationplayers against fourKlingonsin a three-dimensional universe.

Flight Simulator II,released in 1986 for the Atari ST and Commodore Amiga, allowed two players to connect via modem or serial cable and fly together in a shared environment.

MIDI Maze,an early first-person shooter released in 1987 for theAtari ST,featured network multiplay through aMIDIinterface beforeEthernetand Internet play became common. It is considered[by whom?]the first multiplayer 3D shooter on a mainstream system, and the first network multiplayer action-game (with support for up to 16 players). There followedportsto a number of platforms (includingGame BoyandSuper NES) in 1991 under the titleFaceball 2000,making it one of the first handheld, multi-platform first-person shooters and an early console example of the genre.[7]

Networked multiplayer gaming modes are known as "netplay". The first popular video-game title with aLocal Area Network(LAN) version, 1991'sSpectrefor the Apple Macintosh, featuredAppleTalksupport for up to eight players. Spectre's popularity was partially attributed[by whom?]to the display of a player's name above their cybertank. There followed 1993'sDoom,whose first network version allowed four simultaneous players.[8]

Play-by-emailmultiplayer games use email to communicate between computers. Other turn-based variations not requiring players to be online simultaneously arePlay-by-post gamingandPlay-by-Internet.Someonline gamesare "massively multiplayer",with many players participating simultaneously. Two massively multiplayer genres areMMORPG(such asWorld of WarcraftorEverQuest) andMMORTS.

First-person shooters have become popular multiplayer games;Battlefield 1942andCounter-Strikehave little (or no) single-player gameplay. Developer and gaming siteOMGPOP's library included multiplayerFlash gamesfor the casual player until it was shut down in 2013. Some networked multiplayer games, includingMUDsand massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) such asRuneScape,omit a single-player mode. The largest MMO in 2008 wasWorld of Warcraft,with over 10 million registered players worldwide.World of Warcraftwould hit its peak at 12 million players two years later in 2010, and in 2023 earned theGuinness World Recordfor best selling MMO video game.[9]This category of games requires multiple machines to connect via the Internet; before the Internet became popular, MUDs were played on time-sharing computer systems and games likeDoomwere played on a LAN.

Beginning with theSega NetLinkin 1996,Gamein 1997 andDreamcastin 2000, game consoles support network gaming over LANs and the Internet. Manymobile phonesandhandheld consolesalso offer wireless gaming withBluetooth(or similar) technology. By the early 2010sonline gaminghad become a mainstay of console platforms such asXboxandPlayStation.[citation needed]During the 2010s, as the number of Internet users increased, two new video game genres rapidly gained worldwide popularity –multiplayer online battle arenaandbattle royale game,both designed exclusively for multiplayer gameplay over the Internet.

Over time the number of people playing video games has increased. In 2020, the majority of households in the United States have an occupant that plays video games, and 65% of gamers play multiplayer games with others either online or in person.[10]

Local multiplayer

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A LAN party

For some games, "multiplayer" implies that players are playing on the same gaming system or network. This applies to allarcade games,but also to a number ofconsole,andpersonal computer gamestoo. Local multiplayer games played on a singular system sometimes usesplit screen,so each player has an individual view of the action (important in first-person shooters and inracing video games) Nearly all multiplayer modes onbeat 'em upgames have a single-system option, but racing games have started to abandon split-screen in favor of a multiple-system, multiplayer mode. Turn-based games such as chess also lend themselves to single system single screen and even to a single controller.

Multiple types of games allow players to use local multiplayer. The term "local co-op" or "couch co-op" refers to local multiplayer games played in a cooperative manner on the same system; these may use split-screen or some other display method. Another option ishot-seat games.Hot-seat games are typically turn-based games with only one controller or input set – such as a single keyboard/mouse on the system. Players rotate using the input device to perform their turn such that each is taking a turn on the "hot-seat".

Not all local multiplayer games are played on the same console or personal computer. Some local multiplayer games are played over a LAN. This involves multiple devices using one local network to play together. Networked multiplayer games on LAN eliminate common problems faced when playing online such aslagand anonymity. Games played on a LAN network are the focus ofLAN parties.While local co-op and LAN parties still take place, there has been a decrease in both due to an increasing number of players and games utilizing online multiplayer gaming.[11]

Online multiplayer

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Online multiplayer games connect players over awide area network(a common example being the Internet). Unlike local multiplayer, players playing online multiplayer are not restricted to the same local network. This allows players to interact with others from a much greater distance.

Playing multiplayer online offers the benefits of distance, but it also comes with its own unique challenges. Gamers refer tolatencyusing the term "ping",after a utility which measures round-trip network communication delays (by the use ofICMPpackets). A player on aDSLconnection with a 50-msping can react faster than a modem user with a 350-ms average latency. Other problems includepacket lossand choke, which can prevent a player from "registering" their actions with a server. In first-person shooters, this problem appears when bullets hit the enemy without damage. The player's connection is not the only factor; some servers are slower than others.

A server that is geographically closer to the player's connection will often provide a lower ping.Data packetstravel faster to a location that is closer to them. How far the device is from an internet connection (router) can also affect latency.[12]

Asymmetrical gameplay

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Asymmetrical multiplayer is a type of gameplay in which players can have significantly different roles or abilities from each other – enough to provide a significantly different experience of the game.[13]In games with light asymmetry, the players share some of the same basic mechanics (such as movement and death), yet have different roles in the game; this is a common feature of themultiplayer online battle arena(MOBA) genre such asLeague of LegendsandDota 2,and inhero shooterssuch asOverwatchandApex Legends.A first-person shooter that adopts the asymmetrical multiplayer system isTom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege.Giving players their own special operator changes every player's experience. This puts an emphasis on players improvising their own game plan given the abilities their character has.[14]In games with stronger elements of asymmetry, one player/team may have one gameplay experience (or be in softly asymmetric roles) while the other player or team play in a drastically different way, with different mechanics, a different type of objective, or both. Examples of games with strong asymmetry includeDead by Daylight,Evolve,andLeft 4 Dead.[13]

Asynchronous multiplayer

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Asynchronous multiplayer is a form of multiplayer gameplay where players do not have to be playing at the same time.[15]This form of multiplayer game has its origins inplay-by-mail games,where players would send their moves throughpostal mailto a game master, who then would compile and send out results for the next turn. Play-by-mail games transitioned to electronic form as play-by-email games.[16]Similar games were developed forbulletin board systems,such asTrade Wars,where the turn structure may not be as rigorous and allow players to take actions at any time in a persistence space alongside all other players, a concept known as sporadic play.[17]

These types of asynchronous multiplayer games waned with the widespread availability of the Internet which allowed players to play against each other simultaneously, but remains an option in many strategy-related games, such as theCivilizationseries.Coordination of turns are subsequently managed by one computer or a centralized server. Further, manymobile gamesare based on sporadic play and usesocial interactions with other players,lacking direct player versus player game modes but allowing players to influence other players' games, coordinated through central game servers, another facet of asynchronous play.[17]

Online cheating

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Main article:Cheating in online games

Online cheating (in gaming) usually refers to modifying the game experience to give one player an advantage over others, such as using an "aimbot"– a program which automatically locks the player's crosshairs onto a target – in shooting games.[18][19][20]This is also known as "hacking" or "glitching" ( "glitching" refers to using aglitch,or a mistake in the code of a game, whereas "hacking" is manipulating the code of a game). Cheating in video games is often done via a third-party program that modifies the game's code at runtime to give one or more players an advantage. In other situations, it is frequently done by changing the game's files to change the game's mechanics.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Dictionary | Meanings & Definitions of English Words".Dictionary.2024-04-18.Retrieved2024-04-22.
  2. ^"Getting Connected".Next Generation.No. 19.Imagine Media.July 1996. p. 29.There have been multiplayer electronic games since the dawn of computing.Space War!,the first real videogame, programmed by Steve Russell on the PDP-1, was an exclusive two-player game. So was Nolan Bushnell's pioneering coin-opPong.
  3. ^Astro Raceat theKiller List of Videogames
  4. ^abWasserman, Ken; Stryker, Tim (December 1980)."Multimachine Games".BYTE.p. 24.Retrieved18 October2013.
  5. ^Kemeny, John G. (1972).Man and the Computer.New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 32–37, 41–42.ISBN9780684130095.LCCN72-1176.
  6. ^White, Bradford Morgan (2018-01-26)."The History of Novell".Abort Retry Fail.Retrieved2024-04-19.
  7. ^Parish, Jeremy,The Essential 50: Faceball 2000Archived2004-08-20 at theWayback Machine,1UP,Accessed April 24, 2009
  8. ^"Doom - electronic game".
  9. ^"Best-selling MMO videogame".Guinness World Records.20 April 2024.Retrieved2024-04-20.
  10. ^Fitzgerald, Dylan (15 July 2020)."2020 Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry".Entertainment Software Association.Retrieved2021-04-16.
  11. ^"Why Couch Co-Op Games Are Dying Out".CBR.2020-06-29.Retrieved2021-04-16.
  12. ^Dobbin, Jolene (20 January 2020)."Lag! Top 5 Reasons your Ping is so High".Retrieved20 April2024.
  13. ^abBycer, Josh (2019-02-25)."Asymmetrical Game Design".Medium.Retrieved2021-04-16.
  14. ^Janca, Ben (23 February 2024)."Rainbow Six Siege - Official Year 9 Cinematic Trailer".GameSpot.Retrieved2024-04-22.
  15. ^Kelly, Tadhg (9 August 2011)."Opinion: Synchronous or Asynchronous Gameplay".gamasutra.Retrieved2021-04-16.
  16. ^Nicolau, Gaspar Pujol (2010). "Enriching online board games: an anthropological perspective".Videogame Cultures and the Future of Interactive Entertainment.Brill. pp. 1–10.
  17. ^abCash, Bryan; Gibson, Jeremy (October 5–8, 2010).Sporadic-Play Game Update.2010Game Developers Conference.Game Developers Conference.
  18. ^"Cheating".Dictionary.RetrievedDecember 19,2012.
  19. ^Thompson, Clive (December 19, 2012)."What Type of Game Cheater Are You?".Wired.Retrieved2009-09-15.
  20. ^"How To Hurt The Hackers".RetrievedJune 1,2017.
  21. ^Carter, M. & Gibbs, M. (2013) "eSports in EVE Online: Skullduggery, Fair Play and Acceptability in an Unbounded Competition". In Proceedings of FDG'13. ACM
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