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'{{Short description|Video game of multiple players}} {{redirect|Multiplayer|other multiplayer games|Game#Multiplayer}} A '''multiplayer video game''' is a [[video game]] in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ([[couch co-op]]), on different computing systems via a [[local area network]], or via a [[wide area network]], most commonly the [[Internet]] (e.g. ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', ''[[Call of Duty]]'', [[DayZ (video game)|''DayZ'']]). Multiplayer games usually require players to share a single game system or use [[Mobile network|networking technology]] to play together over a greater distance; players may compete against one or more human contestants, work [[Cooperative video game|cooperatively]] with a human partner to achieve a common goal, or [[Gamemaster|supervise]] other players' activity. Due to multiplayer games allowing players to interact with other individuals, they provide an element of social communication absent from single-player games. The history of multiplayer video games extends over several decades, tracing back to the emergence of electronic gaming in the mid-20th century. One of the earliest instances of multiplayer interaction was witnessed with the development of ''[[Spacewar!]]'' in 1962 for the [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] [[Programmed Data Processor|PDP-1]] computer by [[Steve Russell (computer scientist)|Steve Russell]] and colleagues at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]]. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, multiplayer gaming gained momentum within the arcade scene with classics like ''[[Pong]]'' and ''[[Tank (video game)|Tank]]''. The transition to home gaming consoles in the 1980s further popularized multiplayer gaming. Titles like ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] and ''[[Golden Axe]]'' for the [[Sega Genesis]] introduced cooperative and competitive gameplay. Additionally, LAN gaming emerged in the late 1980s, enabling players to connect multiple computers for multiplayer gameplay, popularized by titles like ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' and ''[[Warcraft: Orcs & Humans]]''. == Non-networked == Some of the earliest video games were two-player games, including early [[sports game]]s (such as 1958's ''[[Tennis For Two]]'' and 1972's ''[[Pong]]''), early [[shooter game]]s such as ''[[Spacewar!]]'' (1962)<ref name="NGen19">{{cite magazine|date=July 1996|title=Getting Connected|url=https://archive.org/details/Next-Generation-1996-07/page/n29/mode/2up|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|issue=19|page=29|quote=There have been multiplayer electronic games since the dawn of computing. ''Space War!'', the first real videogame, programmed by Steve Russell on the PDP-1, was an exclusive two-player game. So was Nolan Bushnell's pioneering coin-op ''Pong''.}}</ref> and early [[racing video game]]s such as ''[[EVR Race|Astro Race]]'' (1973).<ref>{{KLOV game|6949|Astro Race}}</ref> The first examples of multiplayer real-time games were developed on the [[PLATO (computer system)|PLATO system]] about 1973. Multi-user games developed on this system included 1973's [[Empire (PLATO)|Empire]] and 1974's [[Spasim]]; the latter was an early [[first-person shooter]]. Other early video games included turn-based multiplayer modes, popular in [[tabletop arcade machine]]s. In such games, play is alternated at some point (often after the loss of a [[Life (gaming)|life]]). All players' scores are often displayed onscreen so players can see their relative standing. [[Danielle Bunten Berry]] created some of the first multiplayer video games, such as her debut, ''Wheeler Dealers'' (1978) and her most notable work, ''[[M.U.L.E.]]'' (1983). [[Gauntlet (1985 video game)|''Gauntlet'']] (1985) and [[Quartet (video game)|''Quartet'']] (1986) introduced co-operative 4-player gaming to the arcades. The games had broader consoles to allow for four sets of controls. ===Networked=== Ken Wasserman and [[Tim Stryker]] identified three factors which make networked computer games appealing:{{r|byte198012}} # Multiple humans competing with each other instead of a computer # [[Incomplete information]] resulting in suspense and risk-taking # Real-time play requiring quick reaction [[John G. Kemeny]] wrote in 1972 that software running on the [[Dartmouth Time Sharing System]] (DTSS) had recently gained the ability to support multiple simultaneous users, and that games were the first use of the functionality. DTSS's popular American football game, he said, now supported head-to-head play by two humans.<ref name="kemeny1972">{{Cite book |last=Kemeny |first=John G. |url=https://archive.org/details/mancomputer00keme/page/32/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Man and the Computer |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |year=1972 |location=New York |pages=32-37, 41-42 |isbn=9780684130095 |language=en-US |lccn=72-1176}}</ref> The first large-scale serial sessions using a single computer{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} were STAR (based on ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]''), OCEAN (a battle using ships, submarines and helicopters, with players divided between two combating cities) and 1975's CAVE (based on ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''), created by Christopher Caldwell (with artwork and suggestions by Roger Long and assembly coding by Robert Kenney) on the [[University of New Hampshire]]'s [[DECsystem-10]]90. The university's computer system had hundreds of terminals, connected (via serial lines) through cluster [[PDP-11]]s for student, teacher, and staff access. The games had a program running on each terminal (for each player), sharing a segment of [[Shared memory (interprocess communication)|shared memory]] (known as the "high segment" in the OS TOPS-10). The games became popular, and the university often banned them because of their [[Server hog|RAM use]]. STAR was based on 1974's single-user, turn-oriented [[BASIC]] program STAR, written by Michael O'Shaughnessy at UNH. Wasserman and Stryker in 1980 described in ''[[BYTE]]'' how to network two [[Commodore PET]] computers with a cable. Their article includes a [[type-in program|type-in]], two-player [[Hangman (game)|Hangman]], and describes the authors' more-sophisticated ''Flash Attack''.<ref name="byte198012">{{cite news | url= https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-12/1980_12_BYTE_05-12_Adventure#page/n25/mode/2up | title= Multimachine Games | work= BYTE | date= December 1980 | access-date= 18 October 2013 |author1= Wasserman, Ken |author2= Stryker, Tim | pages= 24}}</ref> [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] distributed another multi-user version of ''Star Trek'', [[Decwar]], without real-time screen updating; it was widely distributed to universities with DECsystem-10s. In 1981 Cliff Zimmerman wrote an homage to ''Star Trek'' in [[MACRO-10]] for DECsystem-10s and [[DECsystem-20|-20]]s using VT100-series graphics. "VTtrek" pitted four [[United Federation of Planets|Federation]] players against four [[Klingon]]s in a three-dimensional universe. ''[[History of Microsoft Flight Simulator|Flight Simulator II]]'', released in 1986 for the Atari ST and Commodore Amiga, allowed two players to connect via modem or serial cable and fly together in a shared environment. ''[[MIDI Maze]]'', an early first-person shooter released in 1987 for the [[Atari ST]], featured network multiplay through a [[MIDI]] interface before [[Ethernet]] and Internet play became common. It is considered{{by whom|date=January 2017}} the first multiplayer 3D shooter on a mainstream system, and the first network multiplayer action-game (with support for up to 16 players). There followed [[Porting|ports]] to a number of platforms (including [[Game Boy]] and [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]]) in 1991 under the title ''Faceball 2000'', making it one of the first handheld, multi-platform first-person shooters and an early console example of the genre.<ref>Parish, Jeremy, [http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3133741 The Essential 50: Faceball 2000] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040820221008/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3133741 |date=2004-08-20 }}, ''1UP,'' Accessed April 24, 2009</ref> Networked multiplayer gaming modes are known as "netplay". The first popular video-game title with a [[Local area network|Local Area Network]](LAN) version, 1991's [[Spectre (1991 video game)|Spectre]] for the Apple Macintosh, featured [[AppleTalk]] support for up to eight players. Spectre's popularity was partially attributed{{by whom|date=January 2017}} to the display of a player's name above their cybertank. There followed 1993's [[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]], whose first network version allowed four simultaneous players.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/932958/Doom|title=Doom - electronic game}}</ref> [[Play-by-mail game|Play-by-email]] multiplayer games use email to communicate between computers. Other turn-based variations not requiring players to be online simultaneously are [[Play-by-post gaming]] and [[Play-by-Internet]]. Some [[online game]]s are "[[massively multiplayer]]", with many players participating simultaneously. Two massively multiplayer genres are [[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPG]] (such as ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' or ''[[EverQuest]]'') and [[Massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game|MMORTS]]. First-person shooters have become popular multiplayer games; ''[[Battlefield 1942]]'' and ''[[Counter-Strike]]'' have little (or no) single-player gameplay. Developer and gaming site [[OMGPOP]]'s library included multiplayer [[Browser game#Plug-in|Flash games]] for the casual player until it was shut down in 2013. Some networked multiplayer games, including [[Multi-user dungeon|MUD]]s and massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) such as [[RuneScape]], omit a single-player mode. The largest MMO in 2008 was ''World of Warcraft'', with over 10&nbsp;million registered players worldwide. ''World of Warcraft'' would hit its peak at 12 million players two years later in 2010, and in 2020 earned the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness World Record]] for best selling MMO video game.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Best-selling MMO videogame|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/106828-best-selling-mmo-videogame|access-date=2021-04-16|website=Guinness World Records|date=5 March 2020 |language=en-GB}}</ref> This category of games requires multiple machines to connect via the Internet; before the Internet became popular, MUDs were played on time-sharing computer systems and games like ''Doom'' were played on a LAN. Beginning with the [[Sega NetLink]] in 1996, [[Game.com]] in 1997 and [[Dreamcast]] in 2000, game consoles support network gaming over LANs and the Internet. Many [[mobile phone]]s and [[handheld console]]s also offer wireless gaming with [[Bluetooth]] (or similar) technology. By the early 2010s [[Online game|online gaming]] had become a mainstay of console platforms such as [[Xbox]] and [[PlayStation]].{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} During the 2010s, as the number of Internet users increased, two new video game genres rapidly gained worldwide popularity{{snd}}[[multiplayer online battle arena]] and [[battle royale game]], both designed exclusively for multiplayer gameplay over the Internet. Over time the number of people playing video games has increased. In 2020, the majority of households in the United States have an occupant that plays video games, and 65% of gamers play multiplayer games with others either online or in person.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fitzgerald|first=Dylan|title=2020 Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry|url=https://www.theesa.com/resource/2020-essential-facts/|access-date=2021-04-16|website=Entertainment Software Association|date=15 July 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref> ==Local multiplayer== [[File:Lyon E-Sport 9 - Palais des sports de Lyon - LAN party (detail).jpg|thumb|right|A LAN party]] For some games, "multiplayer" implies that players are playing on the same gaming system or network. This applies to all [[arcade game]]s, but also to a number of [[console game|console]], and [[personal computer game]]s too. Local multiplayer games played on a singular system sometimes use [[split screen (video games)|split screen]], so each player has an individual view of the action (important in first-person shooters and in [[racing video game]]s) Nearly all multiplayer modes on [[beat 'em up]] games have a single-system option, but racing games have started to abandon split-screen in favor of a multiple-system, multiplayer mode. Turn-based games such as chess also lend themselves to single system single screen and even to a single controller. Multiple types of games allow players to use local multiplayer. The term "local co-op" or "couch co-op" refers to local multiplayer games played in a cooperative manner on the same system; these may use split-screen or some other display method. Another option is [[Hotseat (multiplayer mode)|hot-seat games]]. Hot-seat games are typically turn-based games with only one controller or input set{{snd}}such as a single keyboard/mouse on the system. Players rotate using the input device to perform their turn such that each is taking a turn on the "hot-seat". Not all local multiplayer games are played on the same console or personal computer. Some local multiplayer games are played over a LAN. This involves multiple devices using one local network to play together. Networked multiplayer games on LAN eliminate common problems faced when playing online such as [[lag (video games)|lag]] and anonymity. Games played on a LAN network are the focus of [[LAN party|LAN parties]]. While local co-op and LAN parties still take place, there has been a decrease in both due to an increasing number of players and games utilizing online multiplayer gaming.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-29|title=Why Couch Co-Op Games Are Dying Out|url=https://www.cbr.com/couch-co-op-video-games-dying-out/|access-date=2021-04-16|website=CBR|language=en-US}}</ref> == Online multiplayer == Online multiplayer games connect players over a [[wide area network]] (a common example being the Internet). Unlike local multiplayer, players playing online multiplayer are not restricted to the same local network. This allows players to interact with others from a much greater distance. Playing multiplayer online offers the benefits of distance, but it also comes with its unique challenges. Gamers refer to the term "ping" named after a utility that measures round-trip network communication delays (by the use of [[Internet Control Message Protocol|ICMP]] packets). A player on a [[digital subscriber line|DSL]] connection with a 50-[[Millisecond|ms]] ping can react faster than a modem user with a 350-ms average latency. Other problems include [[packet loss]] and choke, which can prevent a player from "registering" their actions with a server. In first-person shooters, this problem appears when bullets hit the enemy without damage. The player's connection is not the only factor; some servers are slower than others. Gamers refer to the phenomenon such as adin ross he can rizz up livvy Dunne and baby Gronk so he can sing skibidi toilet in sussy life is roblox ==Asymmetrical gameplay== {{One source|section|date=October 2021}} <!-- There are a list of references at WP:Articles_for_deletion/Aysmmetric_Video_Game --> Asymmetrical multiplayer is a type of gameplay in which players can have significantly different roles or abilities from each other{{snd}}enough to provide a significantly different experience of the game.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Bycer|first=Josh|date=2019-02-25|title=Asymmetrical Game Design|url=https://medium.com/super-jump/asymmetrical-game-design-2d3ccbc2b4ab|access-date=2021-04-16|website=Medium|language=en}}</ref> In games with light asymmetry, the players share some of the same basic mechanics (such as movement and death), yet have different roles in the game; this is a common feature of the [[multiplayer online battle arena]] (MOBA) genre such as ''[[League of Legends]]'' and ''[[Dota 2]]'', and in [[hero shooter]]s such as ''[[Overwatch]]'' and ''[[Apex Legends]]''. In games with stronger elements of asymmetry, one player/team may have one gameplay experience (or be in softly asymmetric roles) while the other player or team play in a drastically different way, with different mechanics, a different type of objective, or both. Examples of games with strong asymmetry include ''[[Dead by Daylight]]'', ''[[Evolve (video game)|Evolve]]'', and ''[[Left 4 Dead (series)|Left 4 Dead]]''.<ref name=":0" /> ==Asynchronous multiplayer== Asynchronous multiplayer is a form of multiplayer gameplay where players do not have to be playing at the same time.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kelly|first=Tadhg|title=Opinion: Synchronous or Asynchronous Gameplay|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/126424/Opinion_Synchronous_or_Asynchronous_Gameplay.php|access-date=2021-04-16|website=www.gamasutra.com|date=9 August 2011|language=en}}</ref> This form of multiplayer game has its origins in [[play-by-mail game]]s, where players would send their moves through [[postal mail]] to a game master, who then would compile and send out results for the next turn. Play-by-mail games transitioned to electronic form as play-by-email games.<ref>{{cite book | last = Nicolau | first = Gaspar Pujol | chapter = Enriching online board games: an anthropological perspective | title = Videogame Cultures and the Future of Interactive Entertainment | pages = 1–10 | publisher = Brill | year = 2010 }}</ref> Similar games were developed for [[bulletin board system]]s, such as ''[[Trade Wars]]'', where the turn structure may not be as rigorous and allow players to take actions at any time in a persistence space alongside all other players, a concept known as sporadic play.<ref name="sporadic play gdc"/> These types of asynchronous multiplayer games waned with the widespread availability of the Internet which allowed players to play against each other simultaneously, but remains an option in many strategy-related games, such as the [[Civilization (series)|''Civilization'' series]]. Coordination of turns are subsequently managed by one computer or a centralized server. Further, many [[mobile game]]s are based on sporadic play and use [[social network game|social interactions with other players]], lacking direct player versus player game modes but allowing players to influence other players' games, coordinated through central game servers, another facet of asynchronous play.<ref name="sporadic play gdc">{{cite conference |title = Sporadic-Play Game Update | first1 = Bryan | last1 = Cash | first2 = Jeremy | last2= Gibson | conference = 2010 [[Game Developers Conference]] | date = October 5–8, 2010 | publisher = [[Game Developers Conference]] }}</ref> ==Online cheating== {{main|Cheating in online games}} Online cheating (in gaming) usually refers to modifying the game experience to give one player an advantage over others, such as using an "[[aimbot]]"{{Snd}}a program which automatically locks the player's crosshairs onto a target{{Snd}}in shooting games.<ref>{{cite dictionary|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cheating|title=Cheating|dictionary=Dictionary.com|access-date=December 19, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/commentary/games/2007/04/gamesfrontiers_0423|title=What Type of Game Cheater Are You?|last=Thompson|first=Clive|date=December 19, 2012|access-date=2009-09-15|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3149/how_to_hurt_the_hackers_the_scoop_.php|title=How To Hurt The Hackers|access-date=June 1, 2017}}</ref> This is also known as "hacking" or "glitching" ("glitching" refers to using a [[glitching|glitch]], or a mistake in the code of a game, whereas "hacking" is manipulating the code of a game). Cheating in video games is often done via a third-party program that modifies the game's code at runtime to give one or more players an advantage. In other situations, it is frequently done by changing the game's files to change the game's mechanics.<ref>Carter, M. & Gibbs, M. (2013) "eSports in EVE Online: Skullduggery, Fair Play and Acceptability in an Unbounded Competition." In Proceedings of FDG'13. ACM</ref> ==See also== * [[Game server]] * [[LAN gaming center]] * [[Massively multiplayer online game]] * [[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game]] * [[Matchmaking (video games)]] * [[Online game]] * [[Spawn installation]] ==References== {{reflist}} {{Multiplayer online games|state=uncollapsed}} {{video game gameplay}} {{Video game genre}} [[Category:Multiplayer video games| ]] [[Category:Video game design]] [[Category:Video game terminology]]'