5 Concepts That Redefined Online Gaming

Ever wondered what's changed about online gaming in the recent past? Well here's 5 experiences to get you started

1) Good Old Games




Unlike Steam, the massively backed game distribution platform created by Valve, Good Old Games is just a place to download DRM-free “good old games” on the cheap. To date, GOG.com has partnered with publishers like Activision, Codemasters, Epic Games, Ubisoft and others to bring some of the most nostalgia-inducing games straight to your PC.

Releases from Good Old Games are more like limited edition DVDs and include compliments like soundtracks, avatars and wallpapers. Couple this with cool community features and an incredibly engaged forum population, and you get a compelling social gaming experience.

The downside? GOG.com games currently work only on PC.

2) Minecraft

It’s well enough that in a little over a year, Minecraft has raked in $3.8 million through its unique online distribution model. But when your indie game gets a pair of back-to-back Penny Arcade comics devoted to it, you don’t need to check your bank account to know you’re doing well.

If that got you interested, let me issue a word of caution: Minecraft is like a drug. It could ruin your life, but you’ll probably have some fun along the way. This sandbox game might not pack the prettiest graphics, but it allows gamers to control every aspect of the world by creating tools, homes and, of course, “mining.” Gamers can create and destroy as they please.

What makes Minecraft a marvel of online gaming is the method in which it’s been developed. Despite having over 300,000 users, the game isn’t actually finished. Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson is developing the game in the open. Rather than a final release, users can play the game as Persson tweaks, adds, or deletes game features in an organic way.

The Minecraft community is engaged in the creation of the game, making its actual development a social experience. Minecrafters respond to Persson’s proposed updates and modifications and actually influence the game trajectory. It’s an unprecedented model and it’s obviously paying off for Persson and his fans.


3) Battle.net



Perhaps the most hotly anticipated game of the decade, Star Craft II: Wings of Liberty had an almost impossible task: Living up to the Star Craft franchise. But Blizzard doesn’t mess around, and the game has been almost universally lauded for its efforts.

Now, the reason Wings of Liberty appears on this list is as controversial as it is an achievement in online gaming. Star Craft is the largest competitive gaming platform in the world. The game is considered a sort of national pastime in South Korea and even has a couple of TV channels devoted to it.
When Star Craft II was released, Blizzard opted not to include LAN play in the game. Since most professional tournaments are conducted via LAN, the decision has thrown the professional gaming community for a bit of a loop.

In order to accommodate all Star Craft II multiplayer games moving online, Blizzard completely revamped its premium online gaming community, Battle.net. While it might not be the best thing for pro-gaming, it gives gamers of any skill level the ability to find an appropriate match online at any hour of the day.

4) Steam



Steam is a platform for digital distribution, digital rights management and multiplayer, which means it hits most of the online gaming bases. Basically anyone who has played a PC game in the past 10 years has used it at one point or another. The reason it’s on this list is because 2010 saw the release of Steam for Mac. While OS X is a long way from being a gaming powerhouse, the addition of Steam was like an adrenaline shot to its gaming heart.

As mentioned above, Steam is a juggernaut of a gaming platform. Valve currently has partnerships with virtually every major developer or publishing house.

While there are plenty of casual gaming titles on Steam, the service has titles catering to every type of gamer. What’s more, Steam games don’t sell out and, except for rare circumstances where bandwidth is limited, the only waiting you’ll have to do is for the download bar to hit 100%.

5) Quake Live



If you’re looking to cause some carnage, Quake Live is as good a place to start as any. After building DOOM, id Software was one of the biggest rock stars of game development. The release of Quake in 1996 essentially created professional gaming, while its sequels, Quake 2 and Quake 3 Arena, were both major milestones in the first person shooter genre.

Quake Live is the latest installment to the series, and it’s set its sights on online gaming. Quake Live is not a goofy flash game — it’s a full, competitive platform contained entirely within a browser. What’s amazing is that Quake Live is essentially an extension of Quake 3, a game that, in its day, required massive amounts of computing horsepower.

Quake Live is free for the standard version, while the premium and pro packages add additional features for $2 and $4 respectively. It’s playable from modern browsers on PC, OS X and Linux.

So there we have it...5 of the most inspiring online gaming innovations to have impacted our current standards...what do you think? Wish to add to this list? Or perhaps even remove any of these? Do let us know in the comments below