Sports Gaming

In the gaming world theres only one year to year consistent brand of gaming. Sports. Like sports in real life multiple people may be required to play sports games. Sports games have become a standard in gaming sales. With year-to-year releases sports games remain one of the top multiplayer game types out. EA Games subdivision - EA Sports exists as the top sports gaming company, although Take-Two Interactives 2k sports reigns in basketball with the NBA 2k series and Sony rules in Baseball with the Playstation exclusive MLB the Show. Of course as all games do you can get an amazing clean performance out of the single player in these games. But its the multiplayer that keeps these games thriving. From playing against one another in one household with multiple controllers to online games where, as in NBA 2k, 10 players can control each individual player and work as a team (wishful thinking for people like me) to win games. Madden NFL, known as John Madden football prior to 1993 (Wow I wasn't alive that long ago) is one of the long standing constants in the sports gaming world. People year to year spend their 59.99 + tax on the updated version of this game to stay current. Each year Madden remains a top selling video game. That method of selling has been motto'd by all sports games these days, as a simple roster update and some tweaks to the game can suffice to consumers. The reason these games can stay successful is because they create a replica of the real world that the consumer wishes to be in. Many wish they had the ability to be on the field, court, or ice along with their favorite players but don't, these games manage to satisfy that need for gamers. Without multiplayer these games might have some level of success but what are sports about? Competing. People spend entire days playing sports games online vs one another to get that thrill they can't receive through real life. A former High School pitcher can go online and pitch against other competitors an throw in the Major Leagues as they do in they're dreams. Honestly without the combination of sports and multiplayer the gaming world would be missing a lot of dollars. Without sports games the gaming industry would be out millions upon millions of dollars and many systems wouldn't even be in households. I personally have multiple friends, almost all, that barely ever play their gaming systems unless they're competing in a sports game online. Its the nature of many men to compete and play sports. And in todays technological/[lazy] society, sports gaming the closest thing to it without actually participating in it.

PC Multiplayer

In the world of PC gaming, multiplayer gaming can be intense. On PC gamers can customize and edit the worlds they play in to the extreme. An example of this customization can be seen in many games. In my experience I've seen Call of Duty maps in the desert turned into Christmas themed winter wonderlands, NBA 2K15 games featuring real life television broadcast presentations that don't come with the game, and custom articles of clothing in Grand Theft Auto. PC multiplayer is a different world. An online game that has a historic following is World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft has had over 100 million accounts created since the games release. World of Warcraft is classified as a "massively multiplayer online role-player game" or "MMORPG." In April 2008 it was estimated to hold 62% of all MMORPG gamers In the game gamers create a character and join a realm. Players must choose a profession, form secondary skills, and form guilds with other players. This is an example of the power of PC multiplayer gaming. Another example is minecraft, although minecraft would later be released on consoles. Minecraft is a completely player created world, btw you can find some of the most hilarious gaming videos online of people playing minecraft. Players can construct their own worlds and play different game modes against each other. This isn't the first game where a player can create their own world but its a good example of one. People love the feel of customization and often like to share their work with others. PC gaming is a beloved way to play multiplayer games but many push it under the rug for the seemingly more simple console gaming. In my belief the PC Multiplayer world is one that can't be match by consoles.

Online: Feat. Call of Duty

One great example of a multiplayer game series that I must have in this series of blogs is my personal favorite, is Call of Duty. Call of Duty uses the basic multiplayer setup. With multiple players in one room theres split screen mode. There are up to 4 players, and online games can go up to 18 players. This multiplayer shooter was revolutionary to the gaming world. "COD" became the one of the best selling game's of all time.

In multiplayer shooters, players either fight in free for all's or in team based games. In the past players would sit around one TV and play in split screen battles. Now you'll find most people with their own TV's playing online with each other. The impact of Online was huge for multi-playing games. Online, players can add friends and play together as teams to become the best in the world. Stats are maintained in an online database, where players can go to keep up with how they rank against others in the world. Nowadays if you aren't playing campaign mode, your most likely going to be online, competing with or against friends.

Ive found that the most memorable times I've had playing video games were with friends. Sometimes around one TV, but that can't compare to the countless hours of time I put into playing online with those same friends and also strangers. Ive maintained an online friendship with multiple people over video games, mainly Call of Duty. Ive found myself in racial debates online and funny conversations. Not only does online gaming connect players to play a game, but its a social platform. In Call of Duty players talk to one another to win. In serious competitive battle, without communication your team will be less effective in what it can achieve.

Online completely changed the landscape of video gaming, similar to what its done to the world. Its created a powerful connected world between gamers, and made multiplayer gaming loads better. Now there's always the negatives like paying for every little thing through DLC's, but thats another story. For the gaming world, it couldn't continue to grow without multiplayer online.

Multiplayer Gaming: Premise

In the many years of gaming, multiplayer and single player gaming has almost split into 2 completely different areas. Game developers nowadays either create a single player game, multiplayer, or take the time to create both. It is not known exactly which game was the first multiplayer game created. An early example of a multiplayer game that can be used is Pong. Whoever lasts the longest hitting the pong ball back and forth wins. Pong simply set up a way for 2 people to compete with each other, which is the basis of what multiplayer gaming is.

Fast forward from the what i'll call the "pre-historic gaming era," into the 90's, where gaming systems became huge compared to arcade games. Multiplayer games began to expand into a bevy of different areas. People not only competed against each other, but began to play together as teams. Systems from Playstation, Nintendo, and Sega would each create multiplayer games that would change the way gamers play forever. Improved graphics and faster processors allow gamers to experience games in a way never seen before. 3D gaming has allowed players to put themselves inside a game world. A great example of a revolutionary multiplayer game is 007 Golden Eye. I remember as a child playing 007 multiplayer. (Yes it was T for teens and I was about 5 or 6 when I played, but this was the 90's.) In Golden Eye, split screen mode was huge, the use of split screen would become major for multiplayer gaming. In the coming weeks, this blog will entail examples of some games that revolutionized the multiplayer world and also explain the impact of certain features in games that have expanded and bettered the multiplayer gaming experience.