Video+Game+Communities

=Online Communities= toc

Since the early 1990s video game popularity has grown progressively moving for a subculture to the mainstream. Gaming is on the forefront of the new media revoluation a ten billion dollar industry. With more people focusing on gaming it is no surprise that the industry is growing this fast. Surprising is the fast that the average gamer is 29 and spends more time on gaming then other forms of traditional entertainment, according to Software Association latest survey. The true gaming revolution came with online gaming starting first with the computer then moving to consoles. Now millions of people are online in giant communities playing in their own realities. with different genres players play with and against each other in different game play formats. With online chat and VoIP programs ([|Teamspeak], [|Ventrilo]) gamers can communicate to each other thus allowing communities to develop and grow. Online chat in the gaming environment is quick and to the point often using acronyms and slang to communicate, 1337 speak and internet slag. Communities in the gaming world take many forms clans, guild, tribes and other groups. These groups range in diversity from close friends to professinal gamers. These groups often grow beyond the game itself; into websites, forums, and face to face interactions.

=Multiplayer Experience=

The first "killer app" for online gaming that really started the whole thing, was Quake for the PC. Quake was a FPS (first person shooter) wherein the user took control of a space marine and faught the evil, half human, half machine, Strogg. Several sequals came from this game, including Quake 3: Arena, which once again revolutionized the gaming world. Quake 3: Arena featured a completely multiplayer experience, with no single player game whatsoever, as many traditional PC games had. Other notable FPS games with this style of play geared towards a multiplayer experience are Unreal Tournament, Unreal Tournament 2004, Counter Strike. Within these games, players can create their own communites or "clans" as they are referred to as online. Within these clans, you and your team can compete in game matches (or deathmatches as they are called) and work together to build up a team score and rank.

There are of course other styles of games that focus on online communities. One of the more popular is the RPG (role playing game). Some RPG's operate exclusively online and are referred to as MMORPG's or massively multiplayer online role playing games. These games function by allowing thousands of players to inhabit a virtual online world, where players can team up and battle together, or even fight agains eachother. One of the most popular MMORPG's is World of Warcraft with over 12 million people registered and growing.

Now with console games moving online, a new level of online experience can be acheived. Microsoft's Xbox Live encouraged gamers to play together and work together as a team and even communicate with a headset that is shipped with the Xbox Live Subscription (aprrox. $50 CAN per year).

Beyond Gaming
Gaming was long though to be a subculture of geeks. There were some gaming magazines dedicated to gaming and the people involved. Now the gaming culture has completely changed with gaming entering the mainstream. [|E3] (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is a primary industry gaming conference started in 1995 and continues today to shows the cutting edge of gaming development. The expo is only open to the gaming industry professinals and journalists. On the other scale there are lan parties which are groups of gamers that gather together to play on a lan connection. With increasing popularity of videogames there has been a number of webcomics that relfect the gaming culture like [|Penny Arcade], [|VGCats] and [|Red vs Blue]. In South Korea the most wired country in the world some 35 percent of the population plays games. Internet cafes are used as gaming centers, with gamers living on fast food and noodles barely sleeping or washing. This is not surprising in country what offers big rewards for gaming; even the government is embracing gaming "E-sports". Some professional gamers can earn up to 100,000 a year.

Internet Slang
IMHO: in my humble opinion OMG: oh my god LOL: laugh out loud ROFL: rolling on floor laughing WTF: what the fuck

Work Cited
Game Studies.” __Gamestudies____.__ 23 February 2006. Game Studies, Inc. [|www.gamestudies.org] Internet Slang.” __Wikipedia.__ 25 February 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. [|"www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_slang"] Video Games.” __Wikipedia.__ 24 February 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. [|"www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game"]