The History of Online Games

Online games may have gained more public notice as late as 1994 or 1995, but that was not the beginning. The first of the online games came in or around 1969 with a two-player version game that began as an experiment. Eventually that game morphed into a system that could allow up to 1,000 players at one time. Multi-player and single player games took off from that platform, and just as they do today adapted movies and characters of the time to game play.

A role-playing game begins in the mid-late eighties and is technically credited with being the first professional, fee based online gaming service, with a cost of about $40 per month. One of the games that remained in play, even in 2000 began service as a game service that was priced at just above ten dollars per gaming hour. Thankfully, times have changed, games have improved and the prices have dropped dramatically. This billion-dollar industry now features monthly fees around the ten-dollar mark for a basic membership with some additional fees for increased features.

From those first online games to the modern versions that are more realistic, with better sound, graphics and special effects, online gaming has been an industry that will survive because it continues to evolve. Each time a new upgrade is available in the computing world, a new game will develop to take advantage of them. New movies will spawn new games that simulate or take that movie even further. The bigger the box office haul, the more popular the online game version is liable to be.

Of course, online gaming has battled its detractors for years, and one of the many ways that it has done so has been by citing the many educational titles for both children and adults. New scientific information does bear up the premise that games that stimulate the mind and memory may lessen or offset dementia based diseases in older adults, so the industry is not way off base here. But, there are more aspects to the gaming world than just memory building or educational play, there can be financial rewards as well.

Gaming sites offer tournaments, or the chance to be paid for playing the games. Lucky gamers can be selected to try out new versions or older games, or the latest game creation and then write reviews and even offer suggestions to improve play. Tournament play can be found for nearly every game that is available online, but be aware of the rules, the entry fees or other information that could prove to be a nasty surprise for the unwary gamer.

Online gamers may also find financial rewards with casino games, but again, you must be careful with these as well. Know what the rules are with these casinos, what the pay off limits are, and how pay offs are completed.