The net and how it has affected gaming and those who play games

[Fe 26]

I think we all know this, but I don't think we have had a public discussion on the changes that the net has caused to gaming and those who play games.

A lot of things have changed from being able to play mulitplayer games with people across the world to general attitudes and behavior of video game "nerds".

I'm curious what everyone else has noticed change through the years.

NOTE: I’d like real observations, and not puked up shit from books you’ve read like “Game Over”.

[NeoZeedeater]

I can see three major ways the internet has affected gaming and gamers.

1)Online games.

Some of these merely replace existing offline multiplayer styles with playing an opponent, like with a fighting game one on one. Some offer the ability to play more opponents than offline would allow, like playing a 10+ person FPS match without the piss off of splitscreen or lugging a bunch of TVs together.

But the biggest advancement would be massive multiplayer games. The whole persistent world concept doesn't exist offline. These games continue to go on as living societies when you're not playing. I'm not into these so far but the concept is fascinating and the possibilities are endless.

2)Information.

The internet offers instant access to gaming news, message boards/chat rooms, websites devoted to anything gaming past or present. This has made magazines lessen in worth considerably but offers gamers access to so much knowledge that wasn't attainable before.

3)Emulation and mods.

Emulation has done more to keep gaming's past alive than any books or all the compilations out there ever could. Also being able to download modifications for games whether it's a translation patch, new levels or new games is made easy by the internet.

Overall I think the internet is one of the best things ever to happen to gaming.

[Drewbacca]

I've never heard so many people sing on headsets before in my life. And every game of Crimson Skies or Mech Assault I played was seemingly booked up with southerners, many of them also aspiring vocalists.

[Fe 26]

gaming is about the only thing to do in the south D=

[gamevet]

The internet has had a huge impact on gaming as a whole, but the biggest impact on publishers, has been the availability of information on a bad game.

Companies like Akklaim got away with releasing crappy games, based on licenses for years and and succeeded. Not so anymore and now Akklaim is no more.

People have information on most games, before they ever hit retail. They no longer have to wait for a review of a game, that is already selling in stores.

Online gaming has made an impact on many titles, but sports games now seem to benefit the most from this. NFL2K was a decent selling title, but when Sega released NFL2K1 with online play, it's sales blew away the older title. Now you have Madden with online play and it is one of the best sellers of this generation. Online play has made a huge impact on players' buying decisions.

[toxic]

All my free time I used to spend on gaming, I spend on the internet. So, I don't play 1/4 of what I used to.

[kuro]

As far as gaming goes, the main thing I've learned is that a lot of online gamers are dicks. I'm not saying that to be mean, that's from all the PSO I've played starting from day one on DC and a little on GCN, and all the people that bitch about CvS2, 3s and Halo 2 on Xbox Live.

[Jeremy]

toxic, that's happened to me, and thankfully, it comes and goes. The internet has changed many aspects of games for the better, and thanks to services like the DC's online gaming service and Xbox Live, online gaming has pretty much become standard, especially with Xbox games.

[Changeling]

I learned that I am not as good as I used to think that I was ! : )

Actually, The sad truth is that playing random people can be great or it can be shit. Lots of people cheat or use exploits. Its commonplace. The internet is good for gaming with friends that live far away from you, but the random player experience isnt all that its cracked up to be.

Emulation, for me, is wonderful. Not posible without the makers of the emulators or the internet. Its great to play arcade games that I would have never played otherwise. Playing the games with Kaillera is great(If you got a good connection). All of these things wouldn't be possible without the internet.
As NeoZeed said: having so much information at our fingertips about videogames is great. Everything is out there. Old, new, good or bad.

Gaming online is less personal than going to the arcades of the past, but there are more challenges out there online than at any arcade.

Oh, and without the internet, I wouldn't have been able to find a translated version of Secret of Mana 2 and would have never got to play it. I love the internet!

[Thief Silver]

Aye, the internet can have fun with your ego if you have one.

But it also gives us the ability to earn more out of our games, and getting more out of games is always a good thing.