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Online Games - The land of Britannia has about 230,000 citizens. They are
Online Games - The land of Britannia has about 230,000 citizens. They are
people of all sorts--soldiers, tailors, blacksmiths, and musicians. They wage
war, build cities, open shops, get married, and die. Yet, this particular
Britannia does not exist in reality. It is a virtual medieval world, a place
where network players compete and interact with one another simultaneously --
a form of online games or computer game, called an online games, that has
become increasingly popular and is expected to be the "next big thing" in
computer gaming. Launched in 1997, Ultima Online--which includes the
fantasyland Britannia--was the first Internet-based online games. Since then,
many other online games have arisen, and more are in the works.
What is different about this type of game? The various characters you meet in
the game are controlled, not by a computer, but by other players acting
simultaneously over the Internet. Thousands of people can participate in the
same game. For example, Ultima Online is said to have had players from 114
countries participating at the same time. The popularity of these online games
may depend a lot on the social contact involved. Players can chat with each
other and thus feel that they are part of a global community.
Big Business
The electronic-game industry is very optimistic about its future. By 1997 the
annual income from the American computer- and video-game industry reached $5.3
billion, and the worldwide sales were at least $10 billion. This trend shows
no signs of losing momentum. The market is expected to increase by 50 to 75
percent during the coming five years.
Every day, according to Forrester Research, over a million people log on to
different Internet-based online games, and it is said that interest in online
games will increase with the spread of broadband, a type of high-speed
Internet connection. Children who have grown up playing computer games show no
sign of stopping when they get older. One long-time player says: "Playing
computer games has become a way of associating with friends from all over the
world."
Are all such online games harmless entertainment, or are there risks involved?
Let us see.