History of Online Gaming

The history of online gaming includes contributions by many different companies and entities. Online gaming began as multiplayer gaming, but has evolved to include online gaming servers and massively-multiplayer online game settings.

Multiplayer games started in 1972 with PLATO.

PLATO was a joint project of the University of Illinois and Control Data Corporation, which enabled students to interact with other terminals for the purpose of education and computer-aided learning. In 1972, new interfaces enabled students to begin creating games, and the world of multiplayer gaming began.

MUD was the first network game.

MUD in 1978 spawned a genre of network-based games, enabling players on the network to interact and explore the MUD game world. MUD games ultimately paved the road for MMORPGs, with the concept of a shared world.

MAD on BITNET was the first worldwide multiplayer game.

In 1984, MAD appeared, and it was the first game to enable worldwide connectivity. MAD was a MUD accessible to anyone on the worldwide computer network, and it lasted for two years.

Maze War fueled development of server-host gaming.

Simultaneous to the development of MUDs and BITNET, a game called Maze War, which originated with NASA in 1973, was helping to fuel development of server-host gaming. In its various incarnations, Maze War paved the way for two computers connecting directly in a peer-to-peer connection, computers connecting to a server and games hosting on the server with local ports at local workstations. This server-host evolution proved integral to the future of online gaming.

Neverwinter Nights was the first graphical MMORPG.

Launched to AOL customers in 1991, Neverwinter Nights was the first graphical MMORPG. It was integral to the development of future MMO games.

Doom paved the way as a first-person shooter multiplayer game.

Doom made major landmarks as a first-person shooter game with multiplayer capabilities in 1993. You could connect and play with others via local network, or you could direct dial to other folks via your modem. Doom also spawned the creation of DWANGO, an independent service that matched players up online to promote multiplayer gaming.

Quake paved the way for modern multiplayer gaming.

Quake was similar to and followed Doom in 1996, but it was revolutionary for the development of one extremely important bit of technology: client-side prediction. Quake itself was full of lag, but Quake developers came up with new technology in Quakeworld to solve this problem. Before Quakeworld refined this concept, online multiplayer games were plagued with lag as players had to wait for actions to register on the online gaming server before they'd show up on the screen. Quakeworld introduced the concept of client-side prediction, which drastically reduced lag and made it possible for multiple players to game simultaneously without significant server delays.

Ultima Online was the beginning of MMOs.

Massively multiplayer online games really took off with the release of Ultima Online. Quakeworld refined the technology, and Ultima Online introduced a game world where players could freely interact and pummel each other. Today's online gaming owes much to these predecessors.