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Any game that takes place over a networked environment, such as the Internet, is known as online gaming. There are many types of games that vary from two player shooters through to browser based games and online role playing games.
As technology made things more possible game designers started to realize the potential in the 1990s. Initially first person shooter games offered a head-to-head option over a local networked or Internet connection. This added an angle to the game that gave them the competitive edge.
Developments in HTML and Flash technologies resulted in the growth of browser based games. As soon as the technology was established many games quickly appeared. Social networking grew alongside these games with many gamers joining social networks to play them.
The first text only role playing games were known as Multi-User Dungeons or MUDs. As well as RPGs the technology was also used for more educational and social based games but the RPGs were the most popular and lead to the inception of MMORPGs.
Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games were established on the foundation of MUDs. MMORPGs have revolutionized both gaming and the Internet. Players build up characters that become their online personas and take a huge amount of time to develop. All of this makes the game highly addictive with players becoming concerned about the welfare of their characters when they are not playing. In addition to RPG games there are also first-person shooters, strategy and social games.
Some games integrate the benefits of browser-based games and MMORPGs and, although technically inferior, share the financial benefits as their addictive counterparts. By design they are a graphical version of MUDs with a more advanced the social interface. These games attract a huge number of players due to being able to play them on almost any computer without needing to install additional software. The majority of the profit comes from in-game purchases that offer a gaming advantage to those who are prepared to pay more money.
Governance is a complex area. Users typically sign an End User Licence Agreement (EULA) that they agree to behave in a certain way however this does not stop the chat features of the games and character actions in many games to be tantamount to bullying. This moves the burden of governance to the organization that governs the game and their complaints procedures, the quality of which is variable and with some games very strict and others almost non-existent.