<s>
Online	B-Application
games	I-Application
are	O
video	O
games	O
played	O
over	O
a	O
computer	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
evolution	O
of	O
these	O
games	O
parallels	O
the	O
evolution	O
of	O
computers	O
and	O
computer	B-Architecture
networking	I-Architecture
,	O
with	O
new	O
technologies	O
improving	O
the	O
essential	O
functionality	O
needed	O
for	O
playing	O
video	O
games	O
on	O
a	O
remote	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	B-Application
video	I-Application
and	I-Application
computer	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
NIMROD	B-Application
(	O
1951	O
)	O
,	O
OXO	B-Application
(	O
1952	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Spacewar	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Later	O
in	O
the	O
1960s	O
,	O
computers	O
began	O
to	O
support	O
time-sharing	B-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
multiple	O
users	O
to	O
share	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
computer	O
simultaneously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Systems	O
of	O
computer	B-General_Concept
terminals	I-General_Concept
were	O
created	O
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
operate	O
the	O
computer	O
from	O
a	O
different	O
room	O
from	O
where	O
the	O
computer	O
was	O
housed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soon	O
after	O
,	O
modem	B-Application
links	O
further	O
expanded	O
this	O
range	O
so	O
that	O
users	O
did	O
not	O
have	O
to	O
be	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
building	O
as	O
the	O
computer	O
;	O
terminals	O
could	O
connect	O
to	O
their	O
host	O
computers	O
via	O
dial-up	O
or	O
leased	B-Architecture
telephone	I-Architecture
lines	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
1970s	O
,	O
packet-based	B-Protocol
computer	I-Protocol
networking	I-Protocol
technology	O
began	O
to	O
mature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Between	O
1973	O
and	O
1975	O
,	O
Xerox	O
PARC	O
developed	O
local	B-General_Concept
area	I-General_Concept
networks	I-General_Concept
based	O
on	O
Ethernet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
LANs	B-General_Concept
and	O
WANs	O
allowed	O
for	O
network	O
games	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
game	O
created	O
and	O
received	O
network	O
packets	O
;	O
systems	O
located	O
across	O
LANs	B-General_Concept
or	O
the	O
Internet	O
could	O
run	O
games	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
in	O
peer-to-peer	O
or	O
client	B-Operating_System
–	I-Operating_System
server	I-Operating_System
models	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
1960s	O
,	O
Rick	O
Bloome	O
implemented	O
SpaceWar	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
as	O
a	O
two-player	O
game	O
on	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
early	O
1970s	O
,	O
the	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
time-sharing	I-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
,	O
created	O
by	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Illinois	O
and	O
Control	O
Data	O
Corporation	O
,	O
allowed	O
students	O
at	O
several	O
locations	O
to	O
use	O
online	O
lessons	O
in	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
earliest	O
systems	O
for	O
computer-aided	O
instruction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1972	O
,	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
IV	I-Operating_System
terminals	O
with	O
new	O
graphics	O
capabilities	O
were	O
introduced	O
,	O
and	O
students	O
started	O
using	O
this	O
system	O
to	O
create	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1978	O
,	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
had	O
multiplayer	O
interactive	O
graphical	O
dungeon	O
crawls	O
,	O
air	O
combat	O
(	O
Airfight	B-Application
)	O
,	O
tank	B-Application
combat	I-Application
,	O
space	O
battles	O
(	O
Empire	O
and	O
Spasim	B-Application
)	O
,	O
with	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
interplayer	O
messaging	O
,	O
persistent	O
game	O
characters	O
,	O
and	O
team	O
play	O
for	O
at	O
least	O
32	O
simultaneous	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
key	O
goal	O
of	O
early	O
network	O
systems	O
such	O
as	O
ARPANET	O
and	O
JANET	O
was	O
to	O
allow	O
users	O
of	O
"	O
dumb	O
"	O
text-based	O
terminals	O
attached	O
to	O
one	O
host	O
computer	O
(	O
or	O
,	O
later	O
,	O
to	O
terminal	B-Device
servers	I-Device
)	O
to	O
interactively	O
use	O
programs	O
on	O
other	O
host	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
meant	O
that	O
games	O
on	O
those	O
systems	O
were	O
accessible	O
to	O
users	O
in	O
many	O
different	O
locations	O
by	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
programs	O
such	O
as	O
telnet	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sizable	O
proportion	O
was	O
written	O
on	O
DEC-20	B-Device
mainframes	O
,	O
as	O
those	O
had	O
a	O
strong	O
presence	O
in	O
the	O
university	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
such	O
as	O
The	B-Application
Oregon	I-Application
Trail	I-Application
(	O
1971	O
)	O
,	O
Colossal	B-Application
Cave	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
(	O
1976	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
(	O
1972	O
)	O
were	O
very	O
popular	O
,	O
with	O
several	O
or	O
many	O
students	O
each	O
playing	O
their	O
own	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
at	O
once	O
,	O
time-sharing	B-General_Concept
the	O
system	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
and	O
users	O
running	O
other	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
important	O
of	O
these	O
was	O
MUD	B-Protocol
(	O
1978	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
program	O
that	O
spawned	O
a	O
genre	O
and	O
had	O
significant	O
input	O
into	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
concepts	O
of	O
shared	O
world	O
design	O
,	O
having	O
a	O
formative	O
impact	O
on	O
the	O
evolution	O
of	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1984	O
,	O
MAD	O
debuted	O
on	O
BITNET	B-General_Concept
;	O
this	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
MUD	B-Protocol
fully	O
accessible	O
from	O
a	O
worldwide	O
computer	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
two-year	O
existence	O
,	O
10%	O
of	O
the	O
sites	O
on	O
BITNET	B-General_Concept
connected	O
to	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1988	O
,	O
another	O
BITNET	B-General_Concept
MUD	B-Protocol
named	O
MUDA	O
appeared	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
1973	O
,	O
Maze	B-Application
War	I-Application
was	O
first	O
written	O
at	O
NASA	O
's	O
Ames	O
Research	O
Center	O
in	O
California	O
by	O
high	O
school	O
summer	O
interns	O
using	O
Imlac	B-Device
PDS-1	I-Device
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
authors	O
added	O
two-player	O
capability	O
by	O
connecting	O
two	O
IMLAC	B-Device
computers	O
with	O
serial	O
cables	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1983	O
,	O
Gary	O
Tarolli	O
wrote	O
a	O
flight	B-Application
simulator	I-Application
demonstration	O
program	O
for	O
Silicon	O
Graphics	O
workstation	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1984	O
,	O
networking	O
capabilities	O
were	O
added	O
by	O
connecting	O
two	O
machines	O
using	O
serial	O
cables	O
just	O
as	O
had	O
been	O
done	O
with	O
the	O
IMLACs	B-Device
for	O
Mazewar	B-Application
at	O
NASA	O
eleven	O
years	O
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
,	O
XNS	B-Protocol
support	O
was	O
added	O
,	O
allowing	O
multiple	O
stations	O
to	O
play	O
over	O
an	O
Ethernet	O
,	O
just	O
as	O
with	O
the	O
Xerox	O
version	O
of	O
Mazewar	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1986	O
,	O
UDP	O
support	O
was	O
added	O
(	O
port	O
5130	O
)	O
,	O
making	O
SGI	B-Application
Dogfight	I-Application
the	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
ever	O
use	O
the	O
Internet	B-Protocol
protocol	I-Protocol
suite	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
packets	O
used	O
,	O
though	O
,	O
were	O
broadcast	B-Operating_System
packets	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
meant	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
limited	O
to	O
a	O
single	O
network	O
segment	O
;	O
it	O
could	O
not	O
cross	O
a	O
router	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
thus	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
played	O
across	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
1989	O
,	O
IP	B-Protocol
multicast	I-Protocol
capability	O
was	O
added	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
became	O
playable	O
between	O
any	O
compatible	O
hosts	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
assuming	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
multicast	O
access	O
(	O
which	O
was	O
quite	O
uncommon	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
multicast	O
address	O
is	O
224.0.1.2	O
,	O
making	O
this	O
only	O
the	O
third	O
multicast	O
application	O
(	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
)	O
to	O
receive	O
an	O
address	O
assignment	O
,	O
with	O
only	O
the	O
VMTP	O
protocol	O
(	O
224.0.1.0	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
Network	B-Protocol
Time	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
(	O
224.0.1.1	O
)	O
having	O
arrived	O
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
1993	O
,	O
Sega	O
of	O
Japan	O
demonstrated	O
an	O
online	O
version	O
of	O
arcade	O
OutRunners	B-Application
,	O
allowing	O
up	O
to	O
eight	O
players	O
to	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
across	O
two	O
different	O
cities	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
online	O
arcade	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
demonstrated	O
,	O
with	O
two	O
separate	O
OutRunner	O
four-player	O
cabinets	O
connected	O
in	O
Tokyo	O
and	O
Osaka	O
via	O
an	O
Integrated	B-Protocol
Services	I-Protocol
Digital	I-Protocol
Network	I-Protocol
(	O
ISDN	B-Protocol
)	O
operated	O
by	O
Nippon	O
Telegraph	O
and	O
Telephone	O
(	O
NTT	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
month	O
later	O
in	O
June	O
1993	O
,	O
AT&T	O
announced	O
plans	O
with	O
Sega	O
of	O
America	O
to	O
introduce	O
a	O
similar	O
online	B-Application
console	I-Application
gaming	I-Application
system	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Firstly	O
,	O
it	O
provided	O
a	O
widely	O
deployed	O
graphics	O
system	O
for	O
workstation	B-Device
computers	I-Device
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
number	O
of	O
workstation	B-Device
graphics	O
systems	O
existed	O
,	O
including	O
Bell	O
Labs	O
 '	O
BLIT	O
,	O
SGI	O
's	O
IRIS	B-Application
GL	I-Application
,	O
Carnegie	O
Mellon	O
's	O
Andrew	B-Operating_System
Project	I-Operating_System
,	O
DEC	O
's	O
UWS	O
(	O
Ultrix	O
Workstation	B-Device
Software	O
)	O
,	O
VWS	O
(	O
Vax	O
Workstation	B-Device
Software	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Sun	O
's	O
NeWS	O
,	O
but	O
X	O
managed	O
over	O
time	O
to	O
secure	O
cross-platform	O
dominance	O
,	O
becoming	O
available	O
for	O
systems	O
from	O
nearly	O
all	O
workstation	B-Device
manufacturers	O
,	O
and	O
coming	O
from	O
MIT	O
,	O
had	O
particular	O
strength	O
in	O
the	O
academic	O
arena	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
Internet	B-Application
games	I-Application
were	O
being	O
written	O
mostly	O
by	O
college	O
students	O
,	O
this	O
was	O
critical	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Secondly	O
,	O
X	O
had	O
the	O
capability	O
of	O
using	O
computers	O
as	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
,	O
allowing	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
workstation	I-Device
to	O
use	O
a	O
program	O
that	O
was	O
actually	O
being	O
run	O
on	O
a	O
much	O
more	O
powerful	O
server	O
computer	O
exactly	O
as	O
if	O
the	O
user	O
were	O
sitting	O
at	O
the	O
server	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
remote	O
control	O
programs	O
such	O
as	O
VNC	B-Protocol
allow	O
similar	O
capabilities	O
,	O
X	O
incorporates	O
it	O
at	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
level	O
,	O
allowing	O
for	O
much	O
more	O
tightly	O
integrated	O
functionality	O
than	O
these	O
later	O
solutions	O
provide	O
;	O
multiple	O
applications	O
running	O
on	O
different	O
servers	O
can	O
display	O
individual	O
windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
word	O
processor	O
running	O
on	O
one	O
server	O
could	O
have	O
two	O
or	O
three	O
windows	O
open	O
while	O
a	O
mail	O
reader	O
running	O
on	O
the	O
workstation	B-Device
itself	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
game	O
running	O
on	O
yet	O
another	O
server	O
could	O
each	O
display	O
their	O
own	O
windows	O
,	O
and	O
all	O
applications	O
would	O
be	O
using	O
native	O
graphics	O
calls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
meant	O
that	O
starting	O
in	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
1986	O
,	O
a	O
class	O
of	O
games	O
began	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
which	O
relied	O
on	O
a	O
fast	O
host	O
computer	O
running	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
"	O
throwing	O
"	O
X	O
display	O
windows	O
,	O
using	O
personal	B-Device
workstation	I-Device
computers	O
to	O
remotely	O
display	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
receive	O
user	O
input	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
X	O
can	O
use	O
multiple	O
networking	O
systems	O
,	O
games	O
based	O
on	O
remote	O
X	O
displays	O
are	O
not	O
Internet-only	O
games	O
;	O
they	O
can	O
be	O
played	O
over	O
DECnet	B-Protocol
and	O
other	O
non-TCP/IP	O
network	O
stacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
on	O
a	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
game	O
,	O
Empire	O
,	O
Xtrek	O
is	O
a	O
2D	O
multiplayer	O
space	O
battle	O
game	O
loosely	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
game	O
could	O
be	O
played	O
across	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
probably	O
the	O
first	O
graphical	O
game	O
that	O
could	O
do	O
so	O
,	O
a	O
few	O
months	O
ahead	O
of	O
the	O
X	O
version	O
of	O
Maze	B-Application
War	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
X	O
version	O
of	O
Maze	B-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
was	O
peer-to-peer	O
and	O
used	O
the	O
network	O
directly	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
program	O
running	O
on	O
each	O
computer	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
instead	O
of	O
only	O
a	O
single	O
copy	O
running	O
on	O
a	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Netrek	B-Application
(	O
originally	O
called	O
Xtrek	O
II	O
)	O
was	O
a	O
fully	O
network-aware	O
client	B-Operating_System
–	I-Operating_System
server	I-Operating_System
rewrite	O
of	O
Xtrek	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
remote	O
X	O
display-based	O
games	O
include	O
xtank	O
,	O
xconq	O
,	O
xbattle	O
and	O
XPilot	B-Language
(	O
1991	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1989	O
Simson	O
Garfinkel	O
reported	O
that	O
on	O
MIT	O
's	O
Project	B-Operating_System
Athena	I-Operating_System
,	O
"	O
Games	O
like	O
'	O
X-tank	O
'	O
and	O
'	O
X-trek	O
'	O
let	O
students	O
at	O
different	O
workstations	B-Device
command	O
tanks	O
and	O
starships	O
,	O
fire	O
missiles	O
at	O
each	O
other	O
as	O
fast	O
as	O
they	O
can	O
hit	O
the	O
buttons	O
on	O
their	O
mice	O
,	O
and	O
watch	O
the	O
results	O
on	O
their	O
graphics	O
displays	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
time-sharing	B-General_Concept
technology	O
matured	O
,	O
it	O
became	O
practical	O
for	O
companies	O
with	O
excess	O
capacity	O
on	O
their	O
expensive	O
computer	O
systems	O
to	O
sell	O
that	O
capacity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1979	O
,	O
two	O
time-sharing	B-General_Concept
companies	O
,	O
The	O
Source	O
and	O
CompuServe	O
,	O
began	O
selling	O
access	O
to	O
their	O
systems	O
to	O
individual	O
consumers	O
and	O
small	O
business	O
;	O
this	O
was	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
the	O
era	O
of	O
online	O
service	O
providers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
an	O
initial	O
focus	O
of	O
service	O
offerings	O
was	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
run	O
their	O
own	O
programs	O
,	O
over	O
time	O
applications	O
including	O
online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
,	O
electronic	O
mail	O
and	O
BBSs	B-Application
and	O
games	O
became	O
the	O
dominant	O
uses	O
of	O
the	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1984	O
,	O
CompuServe	O
debuted	O
Islands	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Kesmai	I-Protocol
,	O
the	O
first	O
commercial	O
multiplayer	O
online	O
role	O
playing	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Islands	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Kesmai	I-Protocol
used	O
scrolling	O
text	O
(	O
ASCII	B-Protocol
graphics	O
)	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
to	O
draw	O
maps	O
of	O
player	O
location	O
,	O
depict	O
movement	O
,	O
and	O
so	O
on	O
;	O
the	O
interface	O
is	O
considered	O
Roguelike	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Playing	O
cost	O
was	O
the	O
standard	O
CompuServe	O
connection	O
fee	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
$6	O
per	O
hour	O
with	O
a	O
300	O
baud	O
modem	B-Application
,	O
$12	O
for	O
a	O
1200	O
baud	O
modem	B-Application
;	O
the	O
game	O
processed	O
one	O
command	O
every	O
10	O
seconds	O
,	O
which	O
equates	O
to	O
1	O
cents	O
per	O
command	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LINKS	O
was	O
an	O
online	O
network	O
launched	O
for	O
the	O
MSX	B-Operating_System
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
featured	O
several	O
graphical	O
multiplayer	B-Application
online	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
including	O
T&E	O
Soft	O
's	O
Daiva	O
Dr.	O
Amandora	O
and	O
Super	O
Laydock	O
,	O
Telenet	O
Japan	O
's	O
Girly	O
Block	O
,	O
and	O
Bothtec	O
's	O
Dires	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Habitat	B-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
attempt	O
at	O
a	O
large-scale	O
commercial	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
that	O
was	O
graphically	O
based	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Habitat	B-Application
was	O
not	O
a	O
3D	O
environment	O
and	O
did	O
not	O
incorporate	O
immersion	O
techniques	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
considered	O
a	O
forerunner	O
of	O
the	O
modern	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
and	O
was	O
quite	O
unlike	O
other	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
(	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
Habitat	B-Application
had	O
a	O
GUI	B-Application
and	O
a	O
large	O
userbase	O
of	O
consumer-oriented	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
those	O
elements	O
in	O
particular	O
have	O
made	O
it	O
a	O
much-cited	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Habitat	B-Application
was	O
shut	O
down	O
in	O
1988	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
succeeded	O
by	O
a	O
scaled-down	O
but	O
a	O
more	O
sophisticated	O
game	O
called	O
Club	B-Application
Caribe	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1987	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
president	O
Hiroshi	O
Yamauchi	O
partnered	O
with	O
Nomura	O
Securities	O
on	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Family	B-Device
Computer	I-Device
Network	I-Device
System	I-Device
for	O
the	O
Famicom	O
(	O
NES	O
)	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Led	O
by	O
Masayuki	O
Uemura	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
Research	O
&	O
Development	O
2	O
developed	O
the	O
modem	B-Application
hardware	O
,	O
and	O
Nomura	O
Securities	O
developed	O
the	O
client	O
and	O
server	O
software	O
and	O
the	O
information	O
database	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1987	O
,	O
Kesmai	B-Application
(	O
the	O
company	O
which	O
developed	O
Islands	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Kesmai	I-Protocol
)	O
released	O
Air	B-Application
Warrior	I-Application
on	O
GEnie	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
graphical	O
flight	O
simulator/air	O
combat	O
game	O
,	O
initially	O
using	O
wire	B-Algorithm
frame	I-Algorithm
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
could	O
run	O
on	O
Apple	B-Device
Macintosh	I-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
or	O
Commodore	B-Device
Amiga	I-Device
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
time	O
,	O
Air	B-Application
Warrior	I-Application
was	O
added	O
to	O
other	O
online	O
services	O
,	O
including	O
Delphi	O
,	O
CRIS	O
,	O
CompuServe	O
,	O
America	O
Online	O
,	O
Earthlink	O
,	O
GameStorm	B-Application
and	O
CompuLink	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
time	O
,	O
Kesmai	B-Application
produced	O
many	O
improved	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1997	O
,	O
a	O
backport	O
from	O
Windows	O
to	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
was	O
made	O
available	O
as	O
an	O
open	O
beta	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1999	O
,	O
Kesmai	B-Application
was	O
purchased	O
by	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
,	O
which	O
started	O
running	O
the	O
game	O
servers	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
Air	B-Application
Warrior	I-Application
servers	O
were	O
shut	O
down	O
on	O
December	O
7	O
,	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
text-based	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
focused	O
around	O
the	O
interstellar	O
economy	O
of	O
the	O
galaxy	O
in	O
the	O
distant	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
some	O
time	O
on	O
GEnie	B-Language
,	O
in	O
1995	O
Federation	O
moved	O
to	O
AOL	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AOL	O
made	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
free	O
in	O
1996	O
,	O
dropping	O
surcharges	O
to	O
play	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
resulting	O
load	O
caused	O
it	O
to	O
drop	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
offerings	O
entirely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBGames	O
kept	O
the	O
game	O
operational	O
until	O
2005	O
after	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
player	O
base	O
transitioned	O
to	O
the	O
sequel	O
,	O
2003	O
's	O
Federation	B-Protocol
II	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1990	O
,	O
Sega	O
launched	O
the	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
gaming	O
service	O
Sega	B-Application
Meganet	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
(	O
Genesis	O
)	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
continued	O
to	O
provide	O
online	O
gaming	O
services	O
for	O
its	O
later	O
consoles	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Sega	B-Application
NetLink	I-Application
service	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
and	O
the	O
SegaNet	O
service	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1995	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
released	O
the	O
Satellaview	B-Device
,	O
a	O
satellite	O
modem	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Famicom	I-Application
in	O
Japan	O
only	O
after	O
partnering	O
up	O
with	O
St.GIGA	O
,	O
that	O
gave	O
the	O
console	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
gaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1999	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
released	O
an	O
add-on	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
called	O
the	O
64DD	B-Device
in	O
Japan	O
only	O
,	O
which	O
offered	O
Internet	O
through	O
a	O
now-defunct	O
dedicated	O
online	O
service	O
for	O
e-commerce	O
,	O
online	O
gaming	O
,	O
and	O
media	O
sharing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
late	O
1990s	O
saw	O
an	O
explosion	O
of	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
,	O
including	O
Nexus	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Kingdom	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Winds	I-Application
(	O
1996	O
)	O
,	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
(	O
1997	O
)	O
,	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
(	O
1998	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
(	O
1999	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2000	O
,	O
Sony	O
introduced	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2001	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
introduced	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
GameCube	I-Application
using	O
an	O
add-on	O
called	O
a	O
Broadband	B-Device
Adapter	I-Device
and	I-Device
Modem	I-Device
Adapter	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
came	O
dead	O
last	O
in	O
competing	O
with	O
the	O
likes	O
of	O
the	O
upcoming	O
Xbox	B-Device
and	O
the	O
now	O
icon	O
of	O
modern	O
gaming	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
both	O
in	O
sales	O
and	O
online	O
impact	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
on	O
,	O
in	O
2001	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
,	O
which	O
by	O
using	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
,	O
offered	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
and	O
other	O
Internet	O
capabilities	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
and	O
continued	O
doing	O
so	O
for	O
its	O
later	O
consoles	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
released	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
offered	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
gaming	O
and	O
other	O
Internet	O
capabilities	O
over	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Wi-Fi	I-Application
Connection	I-Application
and	O
WiiConnect24	B-Device
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
services	O
were	O
shut	O
down	O
on	O
May	O
20	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
online	O
capabilities	O
of	O
any	O
games	O
that	O
utilize	O
the	O
feature	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
Wii	I-Application
(	O
2008	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
year	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
hit	O
store	O
shelves	O
,	O
rival	O
Sony	O
introduced	O
its	O
new	O
console	O
to	O
add	O
to	O
its	O
line	O
of	O
industry	O
icons	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
which	O
used	O
the	O
brand	O
new	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
(	O
PSN	B-Device
)	O
for	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
gaming	O
and	O
other	O
Internet	O
capabilities	O
to	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
continued	O
doing	O
so	O
for	O
later	O
consoles	O
such	O
as	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
made	O
a	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
dying	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Wi-Fi	I-Application
Connection	I-Application
involving	O
their	O
next-gen	O
console	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
handheld	O
counterpart	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
,	O
by	O
creating	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Network	I-Application
to	O
continue	O
on	O
its	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
and	O
Internet	O
capabilities	O
,	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
compete	O
against	O
Microsoft	B-Application
's	I-Application
Xbox	I-Application
Live	I-Application
and	O
Sony	B-Device
's	I-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
Network	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
's	O
latest	O
console	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
does	O
offer	O
online	B-Application
play	I-Application
via	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Network	I-Application
.	O
</s>
