Editing Online game (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of online games}}
 
The history of online games dates back to the early days of [[packet switching|packet-based computer networking]] in the 1970s,<ref name=Woolley>{{cite web | url=http://thinkofit.com/plato/dwplato.htm | title=PLATO: The Emergence of Online Community | author=David R. Woolley | publisher=thinkofit.com | access-date=October 12, 2013 | archive-date=September 4, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130904151631/http://thinkofit.com/plato/dwplato.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref> An early example of online games is [[Multi-user dungeon|MUD]]s, including the first, ''[[MUD1]]'', which was created in 1978 and originally confined to an internal network before becoming connected to [[ARPANet]] in 1980.<ref name=Patrovsky>{{cite book|last1=Mulligan|first1=Jessica|last2=Patrovsky|first2=Bridgette|title=Developing online games: an insider's guide|date=2003|publisher=New Riders Publ.|location=Indianapolis, Ind. [u.a.]|isbn=978-1-59273-000-1}}</ref> Commercial games followed in the next decade, with ''[[Islands of Kesmai]]'', the first commercial online [[role-playing game]], debuting in 1984,<ref name="Patrovsky"/> as well as more graphical games, such as the [[MSX]] LINKS [[action game]]s in 1986,<ref>[https://www.msx.org/wiki/The_LINKS_(Network) The LINKS (Network)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611181022/https://www.msx.org/wiki/The_LINKS_(Network) |date=June 11, 2021 }}, MSX Resource Center</ref> the [[flight simulator]] ''[[Air Warrior (video game)|Air Warrior]]'' in 1987, and the [[Famicom Modem]]'s online [[Go (game)|Go]] game in 1987.<ref name="How the Famicom Modem was Born">{{ cite magazine | first=Masaharu | last=Takano | title=How the Famicom Modem was Born | date=September 11, 1995 | magazine=Nikkei Electronics | language=ja }} [http://www.glitterberri.com/developer-interviews/how-the-famicom-was-born/developing-the-famicom-modem/ English translation by GlitterBerri]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703101914/http://www.glitterberri.com/developer-interviews/how-the-famicom-was-born/developing-the-famicom-modem/ |date=July 3, 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:Sierra-Interaction-Magazine---Ad---SierraNetworkModem.jpg|thumb|1991 advertisement for [[The Sierra Network]]]]
The rapid availability of the Internet in the 1990s led to an expansion of online games, with notable titles including ''[[Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds]]'' (1996), ''[[Quakeworld]]'' (1996), ''[[Ultima Online]]'' (1997), ''[[Lineage (computer game)|Lineage]]'' (1998), ''[[StarCraft]]'' (1998), ''[[Counter-Strike]]'' (1999) and ''[[EverQuest]]'' (1999). [[Video game console]]s also began to receive online networking features, such as the [[Famicom Modem]] (1987), [[Sega Meganet]] (1990), [[Satellaview]] (1995), [[SegaNet]] (2000), [[PlayStation 2]] (2000) and [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] (2001).<ref name=Hachman>{{cite web|last1=Hachman|first1=Mark|title=Infographic: A Massive History of Multiplayer Online Gaming|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2390917,00.asp|website=PC Magazine|access-date=October 6, 2015|archive-date=October 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008053910/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2390917,00.asp|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Donovan>{{cite book|last1=Donovan|first1=Tristan|title=[[Replay: The History of Video Games]]|date=2010|publisher=Yellow Ant|location=East Sussex, England|isbn=978-0-9565072-0-4}}</ref> Following improvements in connection speeds,<ref name=Rouse>{{cite web|last1=Rouse|first1=Margaret|title=Gaming|url=http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/gaming|website=WhatIs.com|access-date=May 13, 2015|archive-date=April 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423000611/https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/gaming|url-status=live}}</ref> more recent developments include the popularization of new genres, such as [[Social network game|social games]], and new platforms, such as [[mobile games]].<ref name=TechopediaMobileGame>{{cite web|title=Mobile Games|url=http://www.techopedia.com/definition/24261/mobile-games|website=Techopedia|date=March 4, 2012 |access-date=May 13, 2015|archive-date=June 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611182511/https://www.techopedia.com/definition/24261/mobile-games|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=September 2018}}

Entering into the 2000s, the cost of technology, servers, and the Internet has dropped so far that fast Internet was commonplace,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Chikhani|first=Riad|date=December 31, 2015|title=The History Of Gaming: An Evolving Community|url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/10/31/the-history-of-gaming-an-evolving-community/|access-date=July 18, 2020|website=TechCrunch|language=en-US|archive-date=February 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222031950/https://techcrunch.com/2015/10/31/the-history-of-gaming-an-evolving-community/|url-status=live}}</ref> which led to previously unknown genres like [[massively multiplayer online game]]s (MMOs) becoming well known. For example, ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' (2004) dominated much of the decade.<ref name="poly 10s">{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/features/2019/11/11/20947872/decade-in-review-online-games-as-a-service | title = The decade when online video games changed everything | first = Cass | last = Marshall | date = November 11, 2019 | access-date = November 11, 2019 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | archive-date = April 23, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210423210322/https://www.polygon.com/features/2019/11/11/20947872/decade-in-review-online-games-as-a-service | url-status = live }}</ref> Several other MMOs attempted to follow in ''Warcraft''{{'}}s footsteps, such as ''[[Star Wars Galaxies]]'', ''[[City of Heroes]]'', ''[[WildStar (video game)|Wildstar]]'', ''[[Warhammer Online]]'', ''[[Guild Wars 2]]'', and ''[[Star Wars: The Old Republic]]'', but failed to make a significant impact in ''Warcraft''{{'}}s market share.<ref name="poly 10s"/> Over time, the MMORPG community has developed a sub-culture with its own slang and metaphors, as well as an unwritten list of social rules and taboos.

Separately, a new type of online game came to popularity alongside ''World of Warcraft'', ''[[Defense of the Ancients]]'' (2003) which introduced the [[multiplayer online battle arena]] (MOBA) format.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How Warcraft 3's modding community paved the way for League of Legends and Dota 2|url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/warcraft-iii/warcraft-3-mods-dota-league-of-legends|access-date=September 6, 2020|website=PCGamesN|date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-GB|archive-date=June 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615065300/https://www.pcgamesn.com/warcraft-iii/warcraft-3-mods-dota-league-of-legends|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Walbridge|first=Michael|title=Analysis: Defense of the Ancients - An Underground Revolution|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/109814/Analysis_Defense_of_the_Ancients__An_Underground_Revolution.php|access-date=September 7, 2020|website=www.gamasutra.com|date=June 12, 2008|language=en|archive-date=October 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019231703/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/109814/Analysis_Defense_of_the_Ancients__An_Underground_Revolution.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''DotA'', a community-created [[Mod (video gaming)|mod]] based on ''[[Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos|Warcraft III]]'', gained in popularity as interest in ''World of Warcraft'' waned, but since the format was tied to the ''[[Warcraft]]'' property, others began to develop their own MOBAs, including ''[[Heroes of Newerth]]'' (2009), ''[[League of Legends]]'' (2010), and ''[[Dota 2]]'' (2013).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=September 1, 2014|title=The history of MOBAs: From mod to sensation|url=https://venturebeat.com/2014/09/01/the-history-of-mobas-from-mod-to-sensation/|access-date=September 11, 2020|website=VentureBeat|language=en-US|archive-date=April 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420145319/https://venturebeat.com/2014/09/01/the-history-of-mobas-from-mod-to-sensation/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Blizzard Entertainment]], the owner of ''Warcraft'' property, released their own take on the MOBA genre with ''[[Heroes of the Storm]]'' (2015), emphasizing on numerous original heroes from ''Warcraft III'' and other Blizzard's franchises.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ausgamers.com/features/read/3564332|title=From Warcraft III to Heroes of the Storm, Talking Art and Blizzard's Long History with Samwise Didier - AusGamers.com|website=www.ausgamers.com|access-date=January 8, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806100904/https://www.ausgamers.com/features/read/3564332|url-status=live}}</ref> By the early 2010s, the genre had become a big part of the [[esports]] category.<ref name="poly 10s"/>

During the last half of the 2010s, [[hero shooter]], a variation of shooter games inspired by multiplayer online battle arenas and older class-based shooters, had a substantial rise in popularity with the release of ''[[Battleborn (video game)|Battleborn]]'' and ''[[Overwatch (video game)|Overwatch]]'' in 2016''.''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wood|first=Austin|date=October 25, 2016|title=What the strange evolution of the hero shooter tells us about the genre's future|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/what-the-strange-evolution-of-the-hero-shooter-tells-us-about-the-genres-future/|access-date=July 12, 2021|website=PC Gamer|language=en-US|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141210/https://www.pcgamer.com/what-the-strange-evolution-of-the-hero-shooter-tells-us-about-the-genres-future/|url-status=live}}</ref> The genre continued to grow with games such as ''[[Paladins (video game)|Paladins]]'' (2018) and ''[[Valorant]]'' (2020).

A [[battle royale game]] format became widely popular with the release of ''[[PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds]]'' (2017), ''[[Fortnite Battle Royale]]'' (2017), and ''[[Apex Legends]]'' (2019). The popularity of the genre continued in the 2020s with the release of the ''[[Call of Duty: Warzone]]'' (2020). Each game has received tens of millions of players within months of its releases.<ref name="poly 10s" /><ref name=":0" />