Future of the Internet

¶ … Future of Internet Gaming The Internet has come along way from the days of UNIX commands, and inter-office emails. Beyond suffering through endless SPAM mail, the Internet has become a staple in households across the world where one can shop from the comfort of their own home, and enlighten themselves on world events and cultures. In the new millennium though, with the evolution of technology occurring almost everyday, it is online gaming that is growing at an alarming speed (Bahlmann, 2002) and isn't showing any signs of slowing.

According to CNet (Becker, 2002a) the current $210 million gaming industry will reach $1.8 billion by 2005. Interestingly enough, there isn't one single dominant company in online gaming, and this is assuring to a public that already finds themselves limited in their Operating Software options. It's no secret that electronic games are a big business. Last year $6.35 billion worth of video- and computer games were sold at retail.

An additional $196 million came from subscription fees to online games (Croal, 2002a) It's hard to imagine the economy is in a decline when the gaming industry is posting these incredible figures. The long-term effects the gaming industry will have on overseas travel and box office sales will probably fluctuate over the next few years, with other factors related to job preservation deciding for people where and how they will spend their money.

The onset of Broadband has helped open the options to such elite game companies like EA and Sony who are already entering the online gaming arena with their user friendly gaming websites and the Playstation 2's ability to connect to the Internet. Sony's "EverQuest" series recently received media attention in it's connection with the death of 21-year-old Shawn Woolley who committed suicide minutes after playing the game (Miler, March 2002).

One would expect early negative attention to thwart public interest, but EA already find they are spending twice as much on a game than they did six years ago (Salter, 2002), and their revolutionary approach to graphics is gathering fans of their sport and one-shooter simulation games. Nevertheless, Online Gaming is growing. Casinos are finding themselves offering gaming options online, while popular sites like Yahoo! And MSN offer free and Pay-to-Play games that include popular board games as well as multiplayer arenas for store bought PC games.

Here, players can connect with other players around the world, usually to kill each other in games like "SWAT3" and the very popular "Half-Life Counterstrike" or race to the finish in "Hot Pursuit." lot of service providers have joined the ranks, including AOL who launched a service that will allow it's members to exclusively play new releases before they are available to the general public (Moran, 2002).

Unlike the services offered by Yahoo! And MSN, these games are specifically online and no doubt, will encourage avid gamers to join AOL in order to play their games. Casinos like the MGM Mirage, recently launched a website based in the Isle of Man to entice gamblers online hope to increase their revenues with popular adaptations of games found in their casinos. In 2000, Nevada approved online gambling, and Atlantic City quickly followed in 2001 (Mariano 2001).

MGM found themselves shutting down their theme-park, MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park (Smith, 2001) and their advance on to the Internet is just the start as other big casinos discover the earning potential of the Web. According to the eProductivity Summit held in 2001, the United States will account for the majority of online gaming revenue (Statistics, 2001) with women representing over 50% of gamblers online (Morrison, 2002). Hollywood has long since noticed the potential of gaming and the Internet.

George Lucas' LucasArt Entertainment already teamed up with Microsoft to bring the power of Star Wars to the Internet in 1997, and most marketable movies, like Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers have games released before the movie has hit the big screen (GameStop, 2002) or at the same time, as was the case with Harry Potter: The Chamber of Secrets. It seems the sky is the limit for games online, as more companies compete to come out with better graphics, and playability.

As the X-Box and Playstation 2 consoles become wired to the Internet, it will be all other companies can do to stay afloat in an easily dominated industry. Sony's Playstation 2 will account for 72% of global console sales by the end of 2002 (Greenspan, 2002) with the average user being 23 years old. Games are currently being marketed towards an age bracket that includes teenagers, and within the next few years it will be evident what age group is dominating Internet usage, and namely, online gaming.

Teenagers will probably continue to be a viable source of income, as more and more DVD releases are held in conjunction with game releases, like Reign of Fire, which conveniently has a T. rating. So what can we expect from online gaming over the next five years? Along with an increase in game options, a lot will depend on technology advances and the economy.

Games already launched, like The Sims, require a subscription service of $10 a month and though it will rely on it's established popularity to grow online, most of its success will depend on the members and their enjoyment. In the case of movie crossovers, games will have to be challenging and visually attractive, as well as having a movie-like atmosphere.

LucasArts Entertainment and other powerhouse studios like Dreamworks are already using their cinema technology in creating realistic graphics and authentic themes, like Spielberg's Medal of Honor series set in World War II. Needless to say, the possibilities these types of games could lead to are endless and will only be a matter of time before big studios produce more elaborate game designs that will require more advanced consoles and computers.

It is a self-perpetuating industry that relies on the gaming experience being, at often times, just as good as a movie experience. Companies are striving to keep gamers interested and this leads to increased research and spending on graphics and storylines. Broadband and DSL have made it easier to play high-resolution graphics online, and companies like Sony and Microsoft are making Internet gaming more accessible to it's console markets (Becker, 2002b).

More than likely we will see a large crossover of console games appearing on the Internet, where games will be available for free (Burnham, 2002). How this will affect the cost of console games vs. PC games remains to be seen. The recent issue of Newsweek (Croal, 2002b) highlights the emergence of The Sims Online, a game that has.