Chapter 1: The Internet Does Games

I remember as a child my grandfather bought me a book entitled 50 Card Games for Children (by Vernon Quinn). I can still recall the awe of having so many choices of what to play-all with a simple deck of cards and this magical book. A few years later, at age 12, the similar feeling returned while I sat with this warm black Colecovision unit on my lap and a mountain of game cartridges at my side. Little did I know then, that something would come along and bring the entire world of gaming to my fingertips-the Internet.

This international assembly of interconnecting networks has taken the accessibility of knowledge to new exciting levels never before imagined. Due to the Internet's overwhelming size and prowess, the world of gaming has grown so fast, and in so many directions, that we need to analyze and organize its rapid development. This book is designed to introduce what computers and cyberspace have to offer the gamer-what exactly there is out there, how to find it, and how to use it.

First, let us take a brief chronological look at the history of gaming as a whole-this way we can put the Net's presence and impact into perspective. From there we will discuss the young history of gaming on the Net itself and the various styles of gaming available to satisfy all tastes.

Mahjongg Tiles to Pinball Isles

The oldest game in history dates as far back as 3,000 B.C. The tile game of UR originated with the Sumerian people located in the region of the Tigres-Euphrates valley (or, by modern maps, only 100 or so miles from the Persian Gulf). As early as 2,000 B.C., one century later, we find a wall painting in an Egyptian tomb depicting two people playing a game of pieces later to be identified as Senet, a predecessor to Backgammon. However, the ancient Chinese board game Mahjongg is possibly the best documented and most widespread multi-player game which dates back between 3,000-3,500 years ago. Four players would collect engraved tiles to make matched sets before their opponents did.

In years to follow other tile and wood games such as variations of checkers, dice, and dominos became prevalent in many other Eastern societies. Chess was said to have been introduced to Persia as early as 531 A.D.

Internationally recognized card collector Ben Bornstein maintains that Persian, German, and Italian royalty would pay artisans to hand-paint wooden cards since they were the only ones that could afford such a luxury. But it wasn't until the 15th and 16th centuries when manufactured paper became widespread that playing cards would become available to the common man.

The 20th century gave birth to cardboard and plastic board games such as 1935's Monopoly, which has sold over 160 million copies since its debut. More importantly for our discussion, the first coin-operated pinball game also emerged out of the 1930s. Starting with Gottleib's historical debut of Humpty Dumpty, the pinball industry continued to boom into the 1950s and 1960s and became a multimillion dollar industry. The rise of electric and magnetic pinball machines opened the doors to modern day gaming rooms, or arcades.

This was the calm before the storm, for just around the corner was the first of the two most exciting turning points in the history of interactive entertainment-electronic video gaming. This revolution in the 1970s occurred simultaneously in both arcades and home systems where games could be played right on your television.

From Pong to Donkey Kong

Pong was invented in 1972 by Atari corporation's Nolan Bushnell.

This simple game-with "paddles" and a white "ball"-led to the video arcade explosion of the late 70s and early 80s which etched a place for itself in the annals of pop culture. Before fighting games ruled the digital scene, arcade faves-like Space Invaders, Missile Command, Galaxian, Asteroids, Defender, Centipede, Frogger, Zaxxon, Q-bert, Robotron, Donkey Kong, and of course, the mega-hit Pac-Man-swallowed millions of quarters from red-eyed teenagers. These instant classics soon became household words and could only be rivaled by other types of games in the 80s such as Rubick's Cube and Trivial Pursuit.

On the Home Front

Pong was released for home use in 1974 and over 100 variations were cloned and distributed by companies such as Coleco, Radio Shack, and Magnavox. But the breakthrough was the Atari 2600. With hundreds of cartridges to choose from Atari modified the way we looked at gaming by offering a wide selection of titles right at our fingertips. In the years that followed, 1979's Intellivison and 1982's Colecovison dominated living room floor space. Both the arcade and home gaming industry suffered from a mid-decade dry spell until the advent of the 16-bit Nintendo and Sega competitions in the latter half of the 80s.

(Atari), (Intellivision)

Compactibility (Nintendo Gameboy vs. Sega GameGear) and 32-bit capability (Sega Saturn, Super Nintendo, 3DO, Sony PlayStation) laid the groundwork for TV gaming units in the 1990s. These gaming consoles remain popular today, but 64-bit newcomers are edging their way into homes slowly proving the preference for superior quality graphics and fast 3D rendering.

It wasn't until the past couple of years that our home computers could be used as an advanced gaming system. Many text-based and graphically weak games came from computers in the late 80s and early 90s but it just couldn't compete, or excel, against TV gaming consoles. That is, until now.

The rise in the presence of computers in the home allowed for bigger budgets for computer entertainment manufacturers, which ultimately meant better games. The processing speed of PCs improved, as did graphic quality (CGA and EGA to VGA and SVGA), hard disk space and RAM increased, and digital sound became the mainstay.

Then in 1992 a small little-known Texas company by the name of id Software released a breakthrough game entitled Wolfenstein 3D. This radical new gaming engine put the player in a completely 3D environment so it appeared as if one was looking out of the soldier's eyes. To this day it also remains the biggest shareware hit (the try-before-you-buy software philosophy originated from the mind of developer Jim Knopf). Shareware is based on the honor system-the user is expected to send the company money if he continues use of the product or wishes to request the full version. Shareware, or freeware, marks an important echelon in our look at Internet-related computer gaming. One year later the folks at id Software did it again with Doom-another momentous game for yet two other reasons. First, this was the first game of its genre where the player could play head-to-head against others who had the same game. Computer AI (artificial intelligence) could now be replaced with real human strategy and discernment. Secondly, gamers could create and exchange their own levels so the possibilities for gameplay were endless. Many subsequent "3D perspective" games followed in the footsteps of Doom by supplying level editors for free to their players.

In the years to follow games became much bigger, supporting more graphics, better quality sound, and eventually full-motion video. CD-ROMs soon replaced floppy diskettes as a means of holding all this data (which held up to 500 times more information), and Compact-Disc quality audio also enriched the gaming experience. Games were soon programmed to support multiplayer activity involving network play, direct PC-link, modem-to-modem, and eventually Internet play.

Although the latest trend in computer gaming includes Virtual Reality (VR) headsets and 3D acceleration cards, these new toys are microscopic in comparison to the impact of how this new global communication has changed the face of gaming.

Gaming and the Internet

As previously mentioned, the integration of electronics was the first of two key turning points in the history of modern gaming. The second, of course, was the emergence of the online world; Bulletin Boards, online services, and the Internet.

Before the Internet was what it is today, localized online Bulletin Boards (BBS) offered text-based chat groups, electronic mail, and minimal file-transfer. These systems were based on a single PC or Macintosh attached to one or more modems which allowed people to call in via their phones and computers. In 1978, Roy Trubshaw, a University of Essex student in England, wrote the game Mazewar which became the first multiple-user dungeon (or domain) games (MUDs)-see Chapter12 for a look at this genre of game. It was a multiplayer version of the text game DUNGEN whereby players would type in commands and try to find, and kill, other players trapped in the same maze. MUDs are still popular today and are widely available. Non real-time e-mail games (mainly war games and trivia) were also played regularly and still have a small but faithful following.

Around the same time BBSs became more prevalent, Usenet groups, or discussion forums, were used by students at Internet-linked universities to communicate to one another. Soon after games appeared; but it wasn't until the late 80s and early 90s that more advanced larger services were offered on a national, then international scale. Online pay-networks such as the Imagination Network, American On-line (AOL), Genie, CompuServe, and Prodigy all offered their own exclusive games. These companies varied in prices and services and they still remain popular today, although the continued growth of the Internet (primarily, the World Wide Web) has been giving them a run for their money. Why pay when you can PLAY!?

The Internet, in its infancy, was primarily a text-based web of information including smaller networks like Usenet newsgroups, FTP archives (file transfer protocol), Gopher, and Archives sites-all of which are still around today and are discussed later in this book.

The dawn of the World Wide Web (WWW or Web) really opened up the world of gaming on a global scale. The WWW is the universe of hypertext servers (HTTP) which are the servers that allow text, sound, graphics, animation, and video to be mixed together. The Web did to the Internet as what Windows did to DOS-it added a user-friendly graphical interface whereby clicking on colorful icons executed a given action or command. Internet application software, or browsers are the Web surfer's window to the online world. Mosaic was the first successful graphical browser developed by the NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Applications), responding to a growing demand for a user-friendly point-and-click interface. Popular browsers today like Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer share one of the most recent additions to hit the Net for gamers-free plug-ins to add to your existing software. Popular add-ons to date are Java and Shockwave (interactive animation and sound), Real Audio and Crescendo (sound and music), and Quick-Time and VDOLive (video).A visit to a Web site equipped with any of these plug-ins overall enhances the surfer's multimedia experience. What this means to gamers is that they can now play games, in real time, without downloading first to their hard drive.

There are many ways an online subscriber can use the Internet as a tool to satiate his or her gaming needs. However, two main distinctions must be clarified first. Single-player games are games for one person only that can either be downloaded and played off the hard drive or played in real-time online. Multiplayer games include head-to-head gaming with one other or many other players (either online or with your favorite CD-ROM game, but also in real-time), or non real-time games such as e-mail games.

The newest, and most exciting trend on the Web are multiplayer gaming networks such as The Entertainment Network (TEN) or M-Player where one can now play a favorite CD-ROM against others anywhere in the world. Even graphically intense games such as Duke Nukem 3D, Command & Conquer, Warcraft II, or Quake are now coded by their manufacturers to allow head-to-head Internet play. Multiplayer play is also available if the game supports it, whereby hundreds of players can take part in the same virtual environment. As with Doom, the spontaneity and diversification of real human opposition can now replace programmed artificial intelligence-an important step in the continuing evolution of computer gaming.

Statistics predict that by January 1, 1998, there will be approximately 3,500 CD-ROM titles released that will be able to support Internet multiplayer action.

Modem speeds are continuing to increase with the presence of ISDN lines (Integrated Services Digital Network) and Cable modems promising up to 400,000 Bps (bits per second). With these lightning speeds on the horizon we may witness yet another exciting turn for the future of Internet gaming including real-time video and faster real-time online games with even better graphics and sound.

There are, of course, also sources on the Web where one can access information about non-Internet games including hints, walkthroughs, patches/upgrades (program fixes), add-on levels, discussion forums/chat groups, and FAQs (frequently asked questions files). Up-to-the-minute reviews and free downloadable demos are also available to the game enthusiast to assist them in their future purchases.

The Internet Games Resources Directory is an exhaustive roadmap to finding the most comprehensive gaming resources on the Net. This book is designed to illustrate the many facets of gaming available online encompassing both the various single-play and multiplayer games worldwide. Gigantic archives containing thousands of free game demo sites will be provided in the pages to follow, along with online magazines (or e-zines), discussion forums and chat groups, gaming manufacturing directories, and game strategies and tips for all the hottest titles today.

Think of this book as your manual to a tremendous adventure game with many possibilities and outcomes. Like slowly peeling off the layers of an onion skin you will unravel this massive Internet playground, and enjoy your journey-you have the entire world at your leisure!