Online play - and more

Although the internet has been around for over ten years, only now online gaming is truly coming of age. It has become a major feature in all next-generation consoles, and this mode of play has never been more popular in its original breeding ground – personal computers.

More importantly, online gaming is now supported by the major games companies. Microsoft provides the Xbox Live Arcade service for both the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles; Nintendo offers its Wi-Fi Connection for Nintendo DS users, and will be providing it for the Nintendo Wii upon its launch; and Sony has its own PlayStation 3 Network plans, which will be available when the console hits the stores of Japan and the United States this month.

All three networking services will offer comprehensive features, such as storing friends’ lists, providing email and enabling players to access special events, tournaments and promotions. The commercial and online possibilities of this wave of consoles are not lost on developers and publishers either.

The main reason behind this online boom in the video games industry is, of course, the proliferation of cheap broadband internet access in many developed countries, creating a market so big, companies find it hard not to dive in. The massively multiplayer role-playing game World of Warcraft alone has over seven million subscribers worldwide and thousands of active players at any given time. According to the Office of National Statistics, 57 per cent of UK households had internet access on April 2006 – and of those, almost 70 per cent had a broadband connection.

Next-generation online strategies

For the next-generation of consoles, game downloads are a big part of the marketing strategy. Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360 allows players to download a number of games, including arcade classics such as Pac-Man and newer titles such as Mutant Storm Reloaded. The company is investing heavily on the service and 2007 will see bigger games such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night available to download, among various others.

Microsoft’s system also allows gamers to communicate online with Windows users, and even play games with friends on PCs, provided both have the same title for their respective machines.

Not to be bested, Nintendo will offer a sizeable library of its own with its Virtual Console service for the Wii. For a few points, converted from cash transactions, players can gain access to a number of titles from Nintendo's NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 game libraries, as well as titles from the Sega Genesis and Turbo-Grafx 16 systems. The full lists of titles available haven't been defined yet, but Nintendo has confirmed a few big names for the November’s launch of the service, including Super Mario 64 and Super Mario World.

Fundamental shift in the industry

Sony has a few plans of its own in offering game downloads. The Sony PSP will soon see a downloading service for gamers that will provide them with access to classic PlayStation games on its system, and the PlayStation 3 Network plans to hook up gamers with several games similar to that of Xbox Live Arcade's offerings.

In his keynote lecture at the London Games Summit in October, Sony Worldwide Studios VP Michael Denny highlighted the importance of service for the industry: “Downloadable content is where we can extend the life of a product,” he said, explaining that add-ons provided a cheaper, episodic option to consumers that would compliment games sales. He added that the online purchase of extras could also discourage trade-ins.

"It is becoming unlikely that any new computers purchased will not be used standalone, without the internet," said Denny. "This is how we feel about the PlayStation 3."

Because of that, he believes downloadable demos and additional content must be a part of game design and product development from the start, also incorporating player feedback.

"We need to inspire new gamers, connect new gamers in new ways, and extend both the gameplay and value of our game franchises," said Denny. "This requires the most fundamental shift that our industry has ever seen."

Advantages for small and budding developers

Denny isn’t the only one at Sony who bets on the power of the online market. Jamie MacDonald, Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, also stressed the importance of the internet for the next-gen consoles during the London Games Summit: "PlayStation 3 is network-enabled out of the box," he said, adding that online games are growing around 40 per cent annually. And with a broadband penetration forecast of 60 per cent in the US and 55 per cent in Europe by 2009, the market will only get bigger and better.

MacDonald also emphasised Sony’s E-Distribution Initiative (EDI) for the PS3, the company’s equivalent of the Xbox Live Arcade. Its goals are to deliver content straight to owners of PS3 and PSP consoles and to encourage new developers by providing a cheap and easy showcase for originality.

Although the EDI has just recently been launched, Sony has high hopes that it will "be able to encourage new talent and innovative ways of creating games," according to MacDonald. Denny added that the initiative, first announced at this year’s Develop conference, has been met with an "overwhelming" response from developers.
 
When it comes down to it, the ultimate winner is the user, who will have new and creative gaming avenues open to his or her entertainment. So play on and play online.

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