Since the Internet was first introduced, nerds have flocked to it. The opportunity to communicate with people from around the world was simply revolutionary. Many of these Internet users were also avid gamers, driving the growth of the Internet through an uncontrollable urge to frag their friends and enemies in online competition.

In recent years the same technology has been implemented to bring more advanced games to both PCs and home consoles alike. Fans of gaming online ourselves, we at Nerd Alert love the opportunity to play our favorite games in new, innovative ways. The future of gaming, one way or another, will undoubtedly be tied to online interconnectivity.

Ryan:

A true revolutionary, SEGA’s ill-fated Dreamcast broke through many barriers. Online gaming on a console was certainly one of them, as gamers could both surf the Internet and play titles like “NFL 2K1” and “Phantasy Star Online” using the system.

Since that first baby step, other console developers (with the exception of Nintendo, as usual) were quick to take note of fan approval. The opportunity to play beloved titles with anyone, anywhere and at anytime was almost too good to be true for gamers. But it was a reality, much to the delight of video game fans everywhere.

In keeping with the Xbox’s feeling of being a PC’s ugly cousin, Microsoft made its console capable of connecting to the Internet right out of the box (no pun intended). Xbox Live offers a robust experience, allowing members to message one another while playing completely different games in addition to providing what is the most friendly and smooth interface in all of online gaming. The downside of Xbox Live is the yearly fee of $50 that users are charged for the marvelous service. But really, it’s well worth it.

Sony, in an attempt to make online gaming available for people too cheap to pay for it, released a network adaptor long after its PS2 entered the market. They left the choice of whether or not to include an online component in games up to developers, resulting in a lack of initial support. As time passed and people voiced their enjoyment of the new way to play their games, developers began to include online game modes into their titles.

Now, an online component is customary for most games, though popular online games on consoles do differ from those of the PC world. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games are slowly making their way to consoles, though they have not found the same success that PC fanatics gave them. First-person shooters (such as “Halo 2”) are just as successful on consoles as they are on PCs, as are sports titles. In fact, if a sports game is released without some sort of online mode, it’s instantly jeered by critics for falling behind the standard.

Next-generation consoles will undoubtedly focus on online connectivity, as every entrant into the races will likely be able to hook up to the Internet immediately. I can only hope that Sony and Nintendo take note of the amazing service that Microsoft offers with Xbox Live and make online gaming an amazing experience on all consoles, even if that means paying a few bucks for it.

Zach:

While the online experience on consoles has just barely begun, the PC has long been the home of online competition. Thousands of players from around the world remember the early days of deathmatch in “Duke Nukem 3D” and devoting days of their lives to “Quake II.” Battle.net, Blizzard’s online matchmaking service, was one of the first successful attempts at bringing the online experience to a mainstream, simplifying the process of finding opponents and teammates to the point where anyone could do it.

But even before the days of capture the flag, the Internet had formed games in a vastly dorkier fashion — Multi-User Dimensions. These MUDs, as they are commonly called, were essentially fancy chatrooms in which users could interact according to the rules particular to that game. MUDs such as GemStone (now in its fourth iteration, Gems) or DragonRealms were essentially fantasy games that played out in the text you read, dependent upon the commands you input. Essentially, the player types “attack kobold,” the game prints out “So-and-so hits Kobold for 12 damage.”

And that, for the most part, was the game — not very fun on its own, but what kept people coming back was the large sense of community. Something that had never been achieved in online games before thrived in these MUDs — a feeling that you could actually have a conversation with other players, working with them toward a common cause. The only thing missing, however, was some visually entertaining graphics and inspired gameplay. Enter the MMO.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, otherwise known as MMORPGs, are the natural evolution of increased computing power and the community-based gaming of MUDs. By creating a large, 3D world for players to interact within, developers can take the good aspects of these MUDs and integrate them with exciting gameplay.

This combination has proven to be so successful that it has spawned an entire genre of games set in locations as varied as the fantasy worlds of “Everquest” and “World of Warcraft,” the comic book-like nostalgia-inducing “City of Heroes,” as well as the sci-fi settings of “Star Wars Galaxies” and “The Matrix Online.”

Sadly, these games have found little refuge in the console world — only two major MMOs exist on consoles thus far, one being “Everquest Online Adventures” and the other being “Final Fantasy XI.” However, the momentum toward persistent online worlds forming the foundation of online play is growing faster and faster. Don’t be surprised if soon there’ll be a “Grand Theft Auto” of sorts featuring massively-multiplayer online play, with rival gangs facing one another, or a sort of cops and gangsters player-vs.-player setting.

All of this is just the beginning of a coming-of-age in gaming, moving players toward a more interactive role in gaming steeped in community, far removed from the isolation previously central toward gaming. Just another example of the world rapidly shrinking.

Ryan Gauthier ([email protected]) and Zach Stern ([email protected]) are bordering on being pathetically addicted to video games. Zach just finished “Jade Empire” and loved it, and is now focused on beating “Final Fantasy IX” once again. Ryan has been pimping his ride in “Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition.”