Online Gaming: Genres, Advantages and Disadvantages

A modern gaming platform, online gaming, is now an enjoyable pastime of individuals from teens to adults. It is an electronic and digital game. In other words, it is played through the Internet and computers. Others use laptops and game consoles with high-end earphones. 

Years ago, multiplayer gaming was only limited to participants in the same room, using the same gaming console. This platform has evolved and become more popular with the birth of the global broadband Internet. Today, it allows multiple gamers to play together in a digitized or virtual manner.

Understanding the genres of online gaming

Online gaming spans many categories and startups including first-person shooter (FPS) video games like Maze War. It has its focus on warfare and other weapon-based battles. The first-person shooter is a player who can experience the actual digitized action with a circulating idea of being a hero. 

Additionally, there is a strategic video game, known as a real-time strategy (RTS) that focuses on skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. Herzog Zwei, developed by Technosoft and published by Sega, is the first RTS game.

Coming next is the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) whereby each player controls a single character. The strategy is usually done on a map having equal dimension views. A team of multiple players is competing against another team of players. Defense of the Ancient 2 is not the first MOBA game but one of the most played and has been listed by multiple publications as one of the greatest video games of all time. In fact, it is one of the highest-grossing games in 2018 on Steam, the biggest platform in PC gaming. 

The next big thing is RPG. It is a role-playing game in which the players assume the roles of various characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out the roles parallel to a storyline, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making regarding character development. As an example, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) was published in 1974 by Gygax’s TSR. 

The online game with a large number of players, typically from hundreds to thousands, using the same server falls under the massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) category. It usually features a huge, persistent open world, although some games differ. The first graphical MMOG, and a major milestone in the creation of the genre, was the multiplayer combat simulation game known as Air Warrior, created by Kesmai of GEnie online service. The subgenre that pioneered the category, is the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Its most popular game in the World of Warcraft which has 5 million active players to date.

Advantages

Online gaming can boost mood, promote relaxation and prevent anxiety. It is obviously entertaining for a lot of people who play it. But it is important to choose quality games that also limit the time screen. Various types of gaming offer different benefits. Each game can only help improve a certain set of abilities, based on the tasks a person needs to perform. No single game can improve someone’s cognition in a holistic way. It still depends on how a person actively uses and assesses the benefits.

Disadvantages

There is a tendency that a person can become less social, hiding his personal issues behind the monitor as what other people say. Due to the fact that personal interaction lessens when too much time is given to Internet-based playing, it is lethargic in nature. It can result in poor academic and can even lead to weight gain. Sitting for a long period of time with less body movement affects one’s health. Possible health problems may arise such as increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels that make up metabolic syndrome.

Extreme gaming on the web can cause eye distress, blurry vision, headaches and other related issues. Many games require complete focus which is why it’s so easy to get completely engaged to the point that taking breaks is not done.

There are also other gaming concerns such as violence, sexual content, cyberbullies and privacy issues. These are just a few of the negative effects of this popular gaming. A game enthusiast should be aware of these things.

Futuristic idea

Gaming on the web has changed a lot over the span of several years. As the quality of this platform continues to rise, more and more innovative games will be created. Therefore, it can be a perfect way to build something like “on-the-move gaming” to match the busy lives of the millennials. Virtual reality and artificial intelligence technology are the future of gaming. We can’t wait to try these new online games. Check this for some of the best VR/AI games.