From Pong to massive online gaming communities like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars, multiplayer gaming has evolved significantly over the years. The early days of two-player local play moved to real-time, online multiplayer gaming between connected computers with LAN parties, and the development of asynchronous multiplayer games brought players from across the globe together in vast online worlds that operated even when they weren’t logged on. The rise of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) enabled larger player counts than ever before and allowed players worldwide to play together in real-time. Online gaming communities are vibrant and interweaving and often translate to real-world friendships as well.
A History of Multiplayer Gaming: From Pong to Online Gaming Communities
Introduction
Multiplayer gaming has come a long way since the days of Pong. Today, millions of people from all over the world come together to participate in massive online gaming communities, engaging in complex, interactive worlds that encompass a variety of different genres and styles. But how did we get here? In this article, we’ll take a look at the evolution of multiplayer gaming and explore the many technological advances and social changes that have made it into the bustling, vibrant world it is today.
The Early Days of Multiplayer Gaming: Local Play
One of the first forays into multiplayer gaming came in the form of simple two-player games like Pong, released in 1972. Pong utilized a basic local system, in which players would sit next to each other and control paddles on opposite sides of the screen, trying to hit the ball back to each other while avoiding missing the ball.
Moving forward, games such as Space Invaders and Pac-Man, released in 1978 and 1980 respectively, allowed for two players to compete on the same machine, with players taking alternating turns.
As advances in technology continued to happen throughout the 1980s and 1990s, developers began to create games that could support more players, moving away from the 1-to-1 model of local play.
Synchronous Multiplayer Games: The Rise of LAN Parties
In the early 1990s, networking technologies developed to the point where multiple computers could be connected together and share resources. This led to the rise of LAN (Local Area Network) parties, where groups of people would bring their computers to a central location, set up a network, and play multiplayer games together.
Games like Doom (1993) and Quake (1996) built on this technology, allowing for real-time, online multiplayer between connected computers. These synchronous multiplayer games enabled players not just to play together, but to experience a sense of community interconnectedness, with the added benefit of being able to chat with one another while playing.
Asynchronous Multiplayer Games: Early Online Gaming Communities
The mid to late 90s saw a number of new developments that changed the face of multiplayer gaming dramatically. One of these was the development of asynchronous multiplayer gaming, exemplified by games like Ultima Online (1997), EverQuest (1999), and more.
These games had players log into central servers and control an avatar or character, with virtual skills and abilities within a vast, online world. Players could interact with each other in real-time, but the game world continued to operate even when a particular player wasn’t logged on, allowing for more spontaneous connections with others.
These early online gaming communities also allowed for the creation of guilds, essentially groups of players that banded together to tackle complex tasks or conquer opposing groups. The sense of community was palpable, with players forming friendships and cooperating in ways that were previously impossible.
Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs): The Modern Era
The rise of MMOs in the early 2000s enabled massively larger player counts than ever before. Games like World of Warcraft (2004) and Guild Wars (2005) had multiple servers with thousands of players at once. These games typically involved creating a character, exploring a massive world for quests, leveling up and upgrading gear and weapons, as well as completing instances and fighting boss monsters with a team.
These games allow for players all around the world to log in and play together in real-time, with no need for physical proximity like LAN parties. These communities are vast, spanning from groups with a few dozen members to massive sprawling worlds with hundreds of thousands of players.
Finding Community Through Multiplayer Gaming
While it is easy to dismiss multiplayer gaming as just people wasting time in front of their computers, it is clear that there is much more to it than that. Multiplayer gaming has brought people from across the globe together in ways that would have been impossible even a few short decades ago. These online communities are vibrant and interweaving and often translate to real-world friendships as well.
From pong to MMOs, multiplayer gaming has grown from simple local games into truly massive online communities, with endless possibilities for connection, communication, and community building in the future.