Amid the overwhelming popularity of video games, the gaming revolution has expanded to the far reaches of the online world.
Gaming consoles, such as Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s Playstation 2, have developed and released technology that allows gamers to compete with other gamers anywhere in the world.
Sony launched the online gaming movement in August 2002 with the release of the Playstation 2 online adapter.
This allows gamers to play selected games such as “Madden 2004,” “Twisted Metal: Black” and “SOCOM 2: U.S. Navy Seals.” In conjunction with major Internet service providers, gamers can play certain Playstation 2 titles against one another via the internet.
According to Janette Barrios, a PR specialist at Sony Computer Entertainment, online gaming has grown “by leaps and bounds.”
Barrios said over the 2003 holiday season, gamers spent more than 10 million hours of play on “SOCOM 2: U.S. Navy Seals” alone. Barrios also said there are about 2.4 million people connected to Playstation 2 online consoles in North America.
“We want to bring an overall entertainment experience,” Barrios said.
Now, the Playstation 2 offers nearly 50 game titles that support online play.
In April 2003, Microsoft released its response to the PS2’s online capability with its own online gaming service for the Xbox, called Xbox Live. Heidi Schulz of Edelman Seattle who represent Microsoft, called XBox Live “a community based system.”
This service allows gamers to compete with each other over a high-speed broadband connection. It also allows gamers to communicate with each other verbally via a headset and voice chat features on all Xbox Live-enabled games.
According to a Microsoft press release, the Xbox Live gaming community has grown to more than 500,000 users. Nine percent of all Xbox owners have purchased an Xbox Live starter kit in an 11-month time period.
While the online features of both systems have revolutionized video gameplay, there are some differences.
The Playstation 2 network adapter offers both dial-up and broadband services, whereas the Xbox offers only broadband service and requires a subscription.
A notable difference is that the Xbox Live service offers voice chat features on all games, whereas Playstation 2 offers voice chat only on certain titles.
On the Nintendo front, the Gamecube offers more limited online gameplay.
“Nintendo GameCube is fully equipped to support broadband online play, although at this time, we are letting individual game publishers take further lead in this development,” said Colleen Quinn of Golin/Harris International, a PR firm that represents Nintendo.
The ability to play games online offers students many opportunities to play against each other.
“I think that it’s a really great concept to allow someone to play any person anywhere in the world,” said David Link, a graphic design sophomore. “The ability to physically talk to someone while you play them online is fascinating.”
Jonathan Palmisano, a graphic design sophomore, said that online playing makes games more challenging.
“It’s more challenging to always be playing people that you don’t know than to always beat the computer opponent.”