A recent survey on infocomm usage in 2003 revealed that 48.4% (up from 44.0% in 2002) of Internet users download or play online games. With figures this high, it is no surprise that Singapore was chosen as the ideal location to host and manage regional digital games and services.

But what are online games? What caused the growth of this worldwide phenomenon?

Online games are games that allow multiple players to interact with each other within the game environment. These games started out as turn-based games where players took turns to make a move. Today, online games have evolved to allow multiple players to access the game environments at the same time.

For most gamers, the era of online games started with the release of the four-player game Doom in 1994. However, the very first multiplayer game was actually developed in 1969 by Rick Blomme who wrote a two-player game. Then, in 1979, Roy Trubshaw and Rich Bartle developed the first multi-user dungeon (MUD) interactive game. MUDs were role-playing computer games that run on a bulletin board system or Internet server. Through MUDs, players see textual descriptions of rooms, objects, other characters, and computer-controlled creatures in a virtual world. The introduction of MUDs saw the taking off of online gaming in the late 80's to early 90's.

The creation of the World Wide Web in December 1990 by a CERN1 scientist Tim Berners-Lee's marked the next major milestone in online gaming, allowing players to move from MUD servers to the Internet. As computer systems became more powerful and allowed for 3D graphics and lightning-fast multiplayer capabilities, online gaming became more appealing, even to those without much technical knowledge.

The modern era of online gaming began in 1997 with the release of Ultima Online for play across the Internet. Despite some initial teething problems with bugs and gameplay lag, the game soon had over 50,000 paying customers within the first three months. Ultima Online proved there was a large pool of gamers waiting for massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs). Soon, games like EverQuest and Asheron's Call began to fight for the dollars of gamers.

You can now play everything from online first-person shooters2 to real-time strategy3 games against your friends or even someone on the other side of the world. This is a far cry from having only the computer as an opponent or having to wait your turn in old turn-based games.

"Connection to Server Lost"- Common Problems with Online Gaming

Online games have indeed come a long way, but there are still some kinks to be ironed out. For instance, one of the more common problems online gamers face is "lag". Lag occurs when your computer or console is unable to get information from the game server fast enough. Online games are run from a server that contains all of the game codes determining where the enemies are, what they are doing and where your character is. Your computer or console is really just used to display the graphics of the game. The server could be housed across town, on the other side of the country or even another continent.

Lag causes things to happen in the game that you are simply not aware of. Enemies can hit you before you even have a chance to see them, much less avoid them. Similarly, you can try to attack enemies that are not really there. Sometimes, you can move to a new location when suddenly the game just pops you back where you were a few seconds ago because it didn't "know" that you were moving. All of this can be extremely frustrating to a gamer.

Some would argue that the biggest problems are the other players! Some players often take things too far in the online world as they might do in the real one. There are reports of gamers who do not feel the need to follow the rules spoiling the game for the other players who abide by the rules or even becoming addicted to playing a game.

"Game Over"- Conclusions & The Future of Gaming

Nowadays, you are not limited to a personal computer (PC) to play online games. Gaming consoles like Microsoft's Xbox, Sony's Playstation 2 and Nintendo's Gamecube all offer you the chance to play with your friends online. The difference lies in their licensing and charges. Each console manufacturer has a different method of charging for access to their online gaming site.

While it may be tempting to categorise online games as only MMORPG and sports, there are also a number of websites offering family-friendly games or games of chance. Quiz, trivia, card games and board games like Backgammon, Poker, Hearts, Chess, and Bingo are some of the more popular online games.

Online gaming has moved far beyond mere child’s play. The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) held in the United States showcases the next big things in gaming and is one of the more popular events in the gaming calendar.

According to a research report from DFC Intelligence, it is forecasted that 114 million people worldwide will be playing online games by the year 2006. The report also discusses how top online games are now able to generate revenue in excess of $100 million each. With a future this bright, it is definitely game on for gamers and game manufacturers alike.

Notes:

1 Short for "Conseil Europeen pour le Recherche Nucleaire" or "European Laboratory for Particle Physics", this research laboratory headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland is primarily involved with nuclear physics research but became well-known thanks to Berners-Lee's work.

2 First-person shooters (FPS) — games where the view of the game is seen from the first person's perspective (i.e. as though you are looking through the game character's eyes). The objective is often to work together as a team to complete a mission, often involving using weapons to kill an opposing team.

3 Real-time strategy (RTS) — games that became popular after the release of Dune 2 by Westwood. It involves the player building large armies to destroy an opponent while gathering resources on a map.

Gamer's Glossary
Your guide through gaming jargon.

Singapore Games Bazaar

Singapore's standing as an ideal location to host and manage regional digital games received a further boost as the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) launched the 'Games Bazaar' today. The Games Bazaar is a scalable hosting platform that allows games companies, publishers and distributors to test and deploy their games titles regionally faster, at greater ease and without facing high initial capital costs.

The Games Bazaar partners with major telecommunications and hosting provider, SingTel EXPAN, and leading technology provider, Hewlett Packard Singapore, to help reduce the costs for the games deployment by offering a 'pay-as-you-use' hosting platform. Games companies will enjoy the flexibility of Games Bazaar to pay for hosting services and bandwidth based on what they use.

Mr Thomas Lim, Director, Games and Entertainment, IDA Singapore said, "We welcome games players to trial online and mobile games with Singapore's Games Bazaar. The Games Bazaar provides utility pricing and scalability so that games companies can now customise their requirements and scale-up as the market demands. With this, games companies can gain market access rapidly to tap into the growth of Asia's online gaming market that is expected to hit US$1 billion by 2005."

As an additional boost for the games industry, over the next two years, IDA together with HP and SingTel EXPAN, will help companies to defray up to 80 per cent of the hosting costs during their first six months of trial with the Games Bazaar.

"At HP, we are looking at adapting utility computing technology to host and operate online games as part of our Adaptive Enterprise @ Singapore2 industry development initiative. Our approach is to help game developers and service providers build an adaptive business model that flexes with their IT needs so that multiple games can reside on the same infrastructure, dramatically cutting hosting costs and reducing hardware capital outlay. Cost management is critical for these games companies which face volatile market demand acceptance," said Mr Tan Choon Seng, Managing Director of HP South East Asia and Singapore.

"The Games Bazaar is supported by SingTel's world-class data centres and extensive pan-Asian Internet connectivity and points of presence. Besides its attractive and flexible pricing scheme, games companies can benefit from a one-stop IT service and high quality network connectivity with SingTel. They can also enjoy peace of mind and focus on their business as they leverage on Singapore as a springboard to access the regional market," said Mr Yeo See Kiat, Director (Sales & Marketing Support), SingTel, Managed Hosting Services.

At its launch today, the Games Bazaar has already signed up two online games service providers, iGames Asia and PAN*iMX. iGames Asia is regional distributor for a wide range of interactive entertainment software via an extensive distribution network of retailers and LAN Centres. Pan*iMX specialises in providing solutions and services for multimedia online games, communications as well as applications.

Mr Jonathon Sze, Technology Manager of iGames Asia said, "Games Bazaar provides a stepping stone for iGamesAsia's venture into the provision of online entertainment content. What makes this intiative enticing to us is the fact that this setup can effectively serve the rest of South East Asia."

Dr Woo Kang Wei, Managing Director, PAN*iMX said, "Games Bazaar Singapore enables PAN*iMX to realise its vision as a leading Regional Game Service Provider. PAN*iMX is excited about working jointly with key partners like IDA, SingTel and HP to develop Singapore as a Digital Exchange for Games."

The Games Bazaar is an initiative under IDA's Digital Exchange strategy. This strategy aims to extend Singapore's hub status into the digital realm by processing, managing and distributing digital assets, such as online games, through Singapore into the rest of Asia.

IDA is also looking at developing the games industry through government-to-government partnerships. IDA recently signed a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) with Korea IT Industry Promotion Agency (KIPA) to formalise a co-operation framework to promote the games industry. The scope of co-operation will include bilateral exchanges to help both Singaporean and Korean games companies to deploy games using the Games Bazaar as a regional market testbed. Further details of this co-operation will be announced by end 2004.

"IDA seeks to work with both local and regional content-rich partners to manage and distribute digital games through the Games Bazaar. We are excited with the opportunity to partner with Korea to develop the games industry. Korea is one of the fastest growing games markets in the world and it is well-known for its vibrant and content-rich domestic industry. In the first half of 2004, the Korean domestic games industry has already developed more than 200 online games titles. We believe that this will be a win-win partnership for both the Singaporean and Korean infocomm industries," said Mr Thomas Lim, Director, Games and Entertainment, IDA Singapore.

"KIPA is very pleased to co-operate with IDA for the online game industry promotion in the South East Asian region. We believe that the Games Bazaar combined with KIPA's promotion programme shall give good opportunities to Korean game developers who are interested in the Southeast Asian market. We are willing to share our experiences, and eager to exchange ideas for the long-term success in this market," said Mr Jeong-Soo Kim, Executive Director of Game Business Division, KIPA.

Singapore as Ideal Location for Games

Singapore is an ideal location to host and manage regional online games and services. It is the most connected city in Asia with more than 10 Gbps of extensive and direct Internet connectivity to over 20 countries. This comprises 4 Gbps to the USA and over 140 Mbps to Asian cities such as Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Taiwan and China. In addition, Singapore's direct Internet connectivity to major ASEAN countries is at least 70 Mbps.

Singapore's network infrastructure is also particularly well-suited for digital delivery of data centre space with its 21 Tbps of submarine cable capacity and international and regional telecoms connectivity to more than 100 countries. Today, Singapore is Asia's first neutral Peering Point for GPRS Roaming.

Recently, Singapore was ranked first in Asia for Intellectual Property Rights Protection by PERC 2004 and Global Corruption Report, 2003, making it an excellent location for companies to securely store and distribute digital gaming content. Singapore is also rated the Number One Business Environment in Asia Pacific, according to EIU, 2002.

Manhunt Banned & Removed

The title is already banned in New Zealand and is now being removed from every store in the Computer Chain in UK. The reason stems from the murder of Stefan Pakeerah, whom often played the videogame Manhunt with his older friend. His murder has been blamed on his friend's obsession with the violent title Manhunt.

While it has no problem with men gutting thousands of orcs on film, New Zealand doesn't take too kindly to men killing their fellow men in games. The sale of the PlayStation 2 game Manhunt is not allowed to be sold to all age groups. Calling the Rockstar North-developed game "gruesome," the OFLC filled a 12-page report with descriptions of its brutal levels and various weapons (which include garroting wire and plastic bags).

WCG

World Cyber Game 2004

The World Cyber Games, an international tournament (an event organised by ICM of Korea) for the best and the baddest of hardcore competetive gamers, will hold its Grand Final Tournament this year in San Francisco, California, USA from October 6 to 10. The game will mark the first time the event has been hosted in the United States. The event will bring 700 gamers from 64 countries into four days of heated competition. Young gamers are already competing to reach the Grand Final where a $400,000 prize. Games played in the Tournament are StarCraft: Brood War; WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne; Counter-Strike Condition Zero; Need for Speed Underground; FIFA Soccer 2004; Unreal Tournament 2004; Halo; Project Gotham Racing 2. Read on...

Update: Singapore will play host to the 2005 World Cyber Games. The WCGC expects some 700 cyber athletes to descend on Singapore next year for the biggest game contest on the planet.
Update: Shuttle XPC To Power WCG 2004 Grand Finals.

Classic Gamer Magazine

Classic Gamer Magazine is now online as a freely downloadable PDF from http://www.classicgamer.com/. The cover story for this issue discusses the history of James Bond videogames, but that's just the beginning, as this issue is chock full of gaming articles, reviews, classic ads, and much more."

Captain Kirk, there is no such thing as a gamer

The chief scientist, Dr David Kirk, behind some of the world's most powerful graphics cards has declared that the 'gamer' no longer exists in today's society. He said games had become so pervasive in the modern world that the 'gamer' label was no longer relevant. While gaming enthusiasts still existed, Dr Kirk said the mainstream adoption of games, and women's increased participation, had given rise to the 'casual gamer'. Movie merchandising, for instance, had been a major factor that had taken gaming to the masses, according to Dr Kirk - You can have a Spiderman ring-tone on your cell phone. Watch the Spiderman movie. You can have a Spiderman game! Surely he must be speaking in the context of a marketing man rather then that of a Gaming Guru.

Win Ninja Gaiden Contest, Win a Trip to Japan.

Be the Ultimate Ninja Gaiden Master (In Europe) and win a trip for two to Japan. Are you the greatest Ninja of all time? Would you jump at the chance to go to Japan to prove you are the one and only Ninja Master? If the answer is yes, then prepare to use your razor sharp skills and release your inner Ninja by competing in the first ever tournament on Xbox Live featuring Ninja Gaiden from Tecmo. The tournament takes place from 2nd August to 2nd September and there are over $4,500 worth of prizes to be won. You can register from today, 26th July until 26th August at here.

Asian online gaming market

Asia's market for online gaming is set to cross US$1 billion as early as next year, with much of the growth coming from China and South Korea. The just-released estimate from IDC Corp is more bullish than that of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), which in late March quoted analysts as saying the region will cross the US$1 billion mark only in 2006. more...