Editing PC game (section)

==== Local area network gaming ====
{{See also|LAN party}}

[[Multiplayer video game|Multiplayer gaming]] was largely limited to [[local area network]]s (LANs) before cost-effective [[broadband Internet access]] became available, due to their typically higher [[bandwidth (computing)|bandwidth]] and lower [[latency (engineering)|latency]] than the dial-up services of the time. These advantages allowed more players to join any given computer game, but have persisted today because of the higher latency of most Internet connections and the costs associated with broadband Internet.

LAN gaming typically requires two or more personal computers, a [[Router (computing)|router]] and sufficient networking cables to connect every computer on the network. Additionally, each computer must have its own copy (or [[Spawn installation|spawn copy]]) of the game in order to play. Optionally, any LAN may include an external connection to the Internet.