by SymphonieVideo games have been providing boundless entertainment for humanity for almost a century. Throughout the decades, video games have evolved from the simplistic Tennis for Two oscilloscope to the eerily life-like graphics of the new FPS game from Studios DRAMA, Unrecord. However, despite the palpable improvements in aesthetics, gameplay, and complexity, none has been so drastic as the ability for video games to go online.
Game Status: Online
The internet is hailed to be the most revolutionary invention in human history. Its arrival has literally changed how the world works and has opened new avenues that none have even thought of possible. Game developers realized the potential of having the internet serve as a network for countless players from every continent to come together and play in real-time, and thus came the birth of online games.
There are a multitude of benefits for a game to go online, even for a single player game as being an online game allows the developers of the game to continue monitoring their game for bugs and release patch fixes and content updates. Online multiplayer games enjoy the same benefit as the previous entry, but boast a more social and collaborative experience. The social aspect is one of the key contributors to a game’s success. The cooperative, and especially the competitive aspect, offers a more dynamic and engaging experience to players, and the most popular and intense esports tournaments also take place on multiplayer games such as Valorant. Multiplayer games let players from all over the globe play together or against each other in an epic showdown of one versus one duels to full-on battle royales where hundreds of players strive to be the last one standing. Even RPGs with a huge focus on solo content such as Elden Ring have online features, such as co-op and PvP.
Casinos adopted the same tactic and began conducting their games online to expand their player base. Online casinos are just as thrilling and rewarding as traditional casinos, except their players can access their services from anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection. Online casinos even boast bigger bonuses than their physical counterparts due to the fiercer competition online, which are all listed in CasinoReviews for the players’ convenience, along with ratings and comprehensive details about each game.
Game Status: Live
Nowadays, almost every video game being developed has online functionalities. This made it possible for the game developers to continue to improve their game while profiting from it long after its initial release, giving rise to the Games as a Service Model. This set-up started with World of Warcraft and included iconic games such as Genshin Impact, Pokémon Go, and Fortnite. Games that are wildly successful, both financially and in popularity.
A reason why live-service games perform so well may have something to do with the model itself. The majority of players hesitate to shell out cash for a game they aren’t sure whether or not they will like enough to warrant paying for it. However, live-service games are often free, which entices players to try it without cost, and those interested enough in the game tend to invest resources in it to get the full experience. Revenue is generated from microtransactions for in-game unlockables or boosts such as cosmetics or in-game currency, and monthly subscriptions like game and season passes. The income then encourages the developers to add more quality updates to the game, further enticing more players to purchase the newly released content. These updates often include time-limited events, exclusive banners, and other unique additions that encourage players to spend money on the game, providing them new game content while letting the developers profit from it long-term. This cycle extends the longevity of a gamer’s interest in the game and the monetization duration as traditional games tend to be a single-purchase, one-time play session thing before it gets shelved after the play goes through the all the game has to offer, while live-service games routinely gets new content to keep their players’ interest and the developers’ efforts well-rewarded.
This business model has proven itself to be so successful that even major titles are transitioning to live-service games such as the renowned Assassin’s Creed series. Ubisoft is rather stingy with the details so far, but a new live-service game called Assassin’s Creed Infinity is officially in the works and is expected to be a game changer, not only for the franchise, but for all the past and future entries of the game. If even AAA game titles are shifting into a games as a service model, it won’t be too surprising if live-service will soon be the norm in the future of online gaming.
