Internet Gaming - From the MUD to the Arcade
Twenty years ago, I sat in my brother-in-law's den watching
five year old Philip soundly trounce his grandmother at his
favorite game - Pac Man. After his third successive win, Phil
gave his grandmother a puzzled look and asked, "Geeze, Grammy,
didn't you play Pac Man when you were a kid?"
I know that I didn't play Pac Man as a kid. I'm from the Pong
generation. I did get my chance to brush up on my ghost-eating
skills for a quarter a game in the Student Union in my freshman
year at college. By the time little Phil was cheating his
grandmother (sly little runt had set her on Advanced while he
played Easy - and forgot to mention to her that you had to EAT
the power pills in order to eat the ghosts), the world of gaming
was on a roll that simply gathers more momentum with each
passing month. Companies like Nintendo and Sony started off by
translating the arcade games to console - but soon took off in
their own directions. In just ten years, the gaming industry has
become one of the fastest growing and most profitable sectors of
the technology industry. Interconnectivity took gaming to new
heights - connecting to the Internet expands your base of
competition from your neighborhood arcade to the entire world.
But connectivity didn't necessarily mean the World Wide Web. One
of the problems with playing console games written for the
Playstation, the GameCube or the Xbox is that you have to OWN a
console in order to play. Enter Macromedia Flash and Sun Java,
the two most popular plug-ins for web browsers. Java was created
to be a cross-platform programming language designed to run in
your browser no matter what operating system you're using.
Macromedia's Flash animation program is possibly the most
universally supported and installed browser plug-in in the
world. In just a few short years, both platforms have come a
long long long way from flat bouncy ball type graphics to
absolutely stunning 3-D graphics.
Not surprisingly, the first wave of web browser games powered by
Flash and Java have been rewrites of some of the old favorites -
from standards to retro - and some engaging if silly games like
Swat the Clown. They include those that captivated many of us
during those golden years of the late 70s and early 80s, and
feed the current appetite for all things retro, but they're not
the only games to play online.
In fact, you'll find everything from classic board games like
Stratego to casino games to puzzles and shoot'em-ups. Some are
multiplayer - many more are designed for one player against the
computer - just like PC games and console games. What are the
most played games online these days?
Casino Games top the ranks, with online interactive poker being
one of the most popular activities on the web. It's hard to
resist the chance to gamble, and online casinos are cashing in -
in spades. Still, there are plenty of places to test your skills
in poker, blackjack and other casino games without spending a
cent.
Retro Arcade Games are a close second. Following the trend for
all things retro, a whole new generation is discovering the fun
of trying to maneuver falling blocks into place before they
stack to the top of the screen, and shooting up Asteroids as
they get close to your space ship. If that doesn't float your
boat, there's still Prince of Persia, Frogger, Donkey Kong and
dozens of other games that once graced arcades and barrooms
everywhere.
Puzzle Games overlap the classic arcade games, with such
classics as Tetris, Connect 4 and Stratego straddling the line
between classic board games and the best of the arcade games.
They run from the fun of lining up marbles in a row to flipping
over coins to wipe out an entire board of your opponent's coins
with one move in Reversi.
Sports Games never stop being fun. While fantasy football and
baseball leagues keep the tycoons busy, some of us can still
spend hours playing Mini Putt Golf and Pong. You can step into a
batter's cage and hit a few out of the ballpark with one of the
baseball games, or go for the gold in racing, skateboarding or
tennis. If you're in a silly mood, you can play drafts with
penguins as sliders, or whack-a-mole with your mouse.
No matter what your taste or pleasure, chances are that you'll
find a game to suit it online. Just fire up your browser and
point it to http://www.excessively.net , and enjoy a trip back -
and forth, and sideways and round and round the mazes.