<s>
An	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
is	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
that	O
is	O
either	O
partially	O
or	O
primarily	O
played	O
through	O
the	O
Internet	O
or	O
any	O
other	O
computer	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	B-Application
games	I-Application
are	O
ubiquitous	O
on	O
modern	O
gaming	O
platforms	O
,	O
including	O
PCs	O
,	O
consoles	B-Application
and	O
mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
,	O
and	O
span	O
many	O
genres	O
,	O
including	O
first-person	O
shooters	O
,	O
strategy	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
and	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
(	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
,	O
revenue	O
in	O
the	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
segment	O
reached	O
$16.9	O
billion	O
,	O
with	O
$4.2	O
billion	O
generated	O
by	O
China	O
and	O
$3.5	O
billion	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2010s	O
,	O
a	O
common	O
trend	O
among	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
has	O
been	O
operating	O
them	O
as	O
games	O
as	O
a	O
service	O
,	O
using	O
monetization	O
schemes	O
such	O
as	O
loot	O
boxes	O
and	O
battle	O
passes	O
as	O
purchasable	O
items	O
atop	O
freely-offered	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
purchased	O
retail	O
games	O
,	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
have	O
the	O
problem	O
of	O
not	O
being	O
permanently	O
playable	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
require	O
special	O
servers	B-Application
in	O
order	O
to	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
design	O
of	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
can	O
range	O
from	O
simple	O
text-based	O
environments	O
to	O
the	O
incorporation	O
of	O
complex	O
graphics	O
and	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
create	O
their	O
own	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
,	O
while	O
other	O
games	O
,	O
especially	O
social	O
games	O
,	O
integrate	O
the	O
players	O
 '	O
existing	O
real-life	O
communities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
can	O
receive	O
a	O
massive	O
influx	O
of	O
popularity	O
due	O
to	O
many	O
well-known	O
Twitch	B-Application
streamers	O
and	O
YouTubers	O
playing	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	B-Application
games	I-Application
have	O
attracted	O
players	O
from	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
ages	O
,	O
nationalities	O
,	O
and	O
occupations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
content	O
is	O
now	O
being	O
studied	O
in	O
the	O
scientific	O
field	O
,	O
especially	O
gamers	O
 '	O
interactions	O
within	O
virtual	B-Architecture
societies	I-Architecture
in	O
relation	O
to	O
the	O
behavior	O
and	O
social	O
phenomena	O
of	O
everyday	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
term	O
that	O
was	O
popularized	O
by	O
the	O
video	O
game	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
is	O
the	O
abbreviation	O
"	O
AFK	O
"	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
people	O
who	O
are	O
not	O
at	O
the	O
computer	O
or	O
paying	O
attention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
been	O
argued	O
that	O
,	O
since	O
the	O
players	O
of	O
an	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
are	O
strangers	O
to	O
each	O
other	O
and	O
have	O
limited	O
communication	O
,	O
the	O
individual	O
player	O
's	O
experience	O
in	O
an	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
is	O
not	O
necessarily	O
different	O
from	O
playing	O
with	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
history	O
of	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
dates	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
early	O
days	O
of	O
packet-based	B-Protocol
computer	I-Protocol
networking	I-Protocol
in	O
the	O
1970s	O
,	O
An	O
early	O
example	O
of	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
are	O
MUDs	B-Application
,	O
including	O
the	O
first	O
,	O
MUD1	B-Protocol
,	O
which	O
was	O
created	O
in	O
1978	O
and	O
originally	O
confined	O
to	O
an	O
internal	O
network	O
before	O
becoming	O
connected	O
to	O
ARPANet	O
in	O
1980	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Commercial	O
games	O
followed	O
in	O
the	O
next	O
decade	O
,	O
with	O
Islands	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Kesmai	I-Protocol
,	O
the	O
first	O
commercial	O
online	O
role-playing	O
game	O
,	O
debuting	O
in	O
1984	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
more	O
graphical	O
games	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
MSX	B-Operating_System
LINKS	O
action	B-Application
games	I-Application
in	O
1986	O
,	O
the	O
flight	B-Application
simulator	I-Application
Air	B-Application
Warrior	I-Application
in	O
1987	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Famicom	B-Device
Modem	I-Device
's	O
online	O
Go	O
game	O
in	O
1987	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
rapid	O
availability	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	O
in	O
the	O
1990s	O
led	O
to	O
an	O
expansion	O
of	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
with	O
notable	O
titles	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
Quakeworld	O
(	O
1996	O
)	O
,	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
(	O
1997	O
)	O
,	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
(	O
1998	O
)	O
,	O
StarCraft	B-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
,	O
Counter-Strike	B-Application
(	O
1999	O
)	O
and	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
(	O
1999	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	B-Device
game	I-Device
consoles	I-Device
also	O
began	O
to	O
receive	O
online	O
networking	O
features	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Famicom	B-Device
Modem	I-Device
(	O
1987	O
)	O
,	O
Sega	B-Application
Meganet	I-Application
(	O
1990	O
)	O
,	O
Satellaview	B-Device
(	O
1995	O
)	O
,	O
SegaNet	O
(	O
2000	O
)	O
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
(	O
2000	O
)	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Application
(	O
2001	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
improvements	O
in	O
connection	O
speeds	O
,	O
more	O
recent	O
developments	O
include	O
the	O
popularization	O
of	O
new	O
genres	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
social	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
new	O
platforms	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
mobile	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Entering	O
into	O
the	O
2000s	O
,	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
technology	O
,	O
servers	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
Internet	O
has	O
dropped	O
so	O
far	O
that	O
fast	O
Internet	O
was	O
commonplace	O
,	O
which	O
led	O
to	O
previously	O
unknown	O
genres	O
like	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
games	I-Application
(	O
MMOs	O
)	O
becoming	O
well-known	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
(	O
2004	O
)	O
dominated	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
decade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
other	O
MMOs	O
attempted	O
to	O
follow	O
in	O
Warcrafts	O
footsteps	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
Galaxies	I-Application
,	O
City	B-Application
of	I-Application
Heroes	I-Application
,	O
Wildstar	B-Protocol
,	O
Warhammer	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
Guild	B-Protocol
Wars	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
Star	B-Protocol
Wars	I-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
The	I-Protocol
Old	I-Protocol
Republic	I-Protocol
,	O
but	O
failed	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
significant	O
impact	O
in	O
Warcrafts	O
market	O
share	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
community	O
has	O
developed	O
a	O
sub-culture	O
with	O
its	O
own	O
slang	O
and	O
metaphors	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
an	O
unwritten	O
list	O
of	O
social	O
rules	O
and	O
taboos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Separately	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
type	O
of	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
came	O
to	O
popularity	O
alongside	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
,	O
Defense	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Ancients	I-Operating_System
(	O
2003	O
)	O
which	O
introduced	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
online	O
battle	O
arena	O
(	O
MOBA	O
)	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DotA	B-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
community-created	O
mod	O
based	O
on	O
Warcraft	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
gained	O
in	O
popularity	O
as	O
interest	O
in	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
waned	O
,	O
but	O
since	O
the	O
format	O
was	O
tied	O
to	O
the	O
Warcraft	B-Application
property	O
,	O
others	O
began	O
to	O
develop	O
their	O
own	O
MOBAs	O
,	O
including	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Newerth	I-Application
(	O
2009	O
)	O
,	O
League	B-Application
of	I-Application
Legends	I-Application
(	O
2010	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Dota	B-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
2013	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
the	O
owner	O
of	O
Warcraft	B-Application
property	O
,	O
released	O
their	O
own	O
take	O
on	O
the	O
MOBA	O
genre	O
with	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Storm	I-Application
(	O
2015	O
)	O
,	O
emphasizing	O
on	O
numerous	O
original	O
heroes	O
from	O
Warcraft	B-Application
III	I-Application
and	O
other	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
franchises	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
last	O
half	O
of	O
the	O
2010s	O
,	O
hero	O
shooter	O
,	O
a	O
variation	O
of	O
shooter	O
games	O
inspired	O
by	O
multiplayer	O
online	O
battle	O
arenas	O
and	O
older	O
class-based	O
shooters	O
,	O
had	O
a	O
substantial	O
rise	O
in	O
popularity	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Battleborn	B-Application
and	O
Overwatch	B-Application
in	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
genre	O
continued	O
to	O
grow	O
with	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Paladins	B-Application
(	O
2018	O
)	O
and	O
Valorant	B-Application
(	O
2020	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
battle	O
royale	O
game	O
format	O
became	O
widely	O
popular	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
PlayerUnknown	B-Application
's	I-Application
Battlegrounds	I-Application
(	O
2017	O
)	O
,	O
Fortnite	B-Application
Battle	I-Application
Royale	I-Application
(	O
2017	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Apex	B-Application
Legends	I-Application
(	O
2019	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
popularity	O
of	O
the	O
genre	O
continued	O
in	O
the	O
2020s	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Call	B-Application
of	I-Application
Duty	I-Application
:	I-Application
Warzone	I-Application
(	O
2020	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
assumption	O
that	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
in	O
general	O
are	O
populated	O
mostly	O
by	O
males	O
has	O
remained	O
somewhat	O
accurate	O
for	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
report	O
Online	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Market	O
Forecasts	O
estimates	O
worldwide	O
revenue	O
from	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
to	O
reach	O
$35billion	O
by	O
2017	O
,	O
up	O
from	O
$19billion	O
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
was	O
launched	O
in	O
November	O
2002	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
the	O
console	O
only	O
used	O
a	O
feature	O
called	O
system	O
link	O
,	O
where	O
players	O
could	O
connect	O
two	O
consoles	B-Application
using	O
an	O
Ethernet	B-Protocol
cable	I-Protocol
,	O
or	O
multiple	O
consoles	B-Application
through	O
a	O
router	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	B-Application
original	I-Application
Xbox	I-Application
Microsoft	O
launched	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
,	O
allowing	O
shared	O
play	O
over	O
the	O
internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
similar	O
feature	O
exists	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
,	O
and	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
also	O
supports	O
a	O
limited	O
amount	O
of	O
online	O
gaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
also	O
has	O
a	O
network	O
,	O
dubbed	O
"	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Network	I-Application
"	O
,	O
that	O
fully	O
supports	O
online	O
gaming	O
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
and	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web	O
developed	O
and	O
browsers	B-Application
became	O
more	O
sophisticated	O
,	O
people	O
started	O
creating	O
browser	B-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
that	O
used	O
a	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
as	O
a	O
client	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simple	O
single	O
player	O
games	O
were	O
made	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
played	O
using	O
a	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
(	O
most	O
commonly	O
made	O
with	O
web	O
technologies	O
like	O
HTML	B-Language
,	O
JavaScript	B-Language
,	O
ASP	B-General_Concept
,	O
PHP	B-Application
and	O
MySQL	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
of	O
web-based	O
graphics	O
technologies	O
such	O
as	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
and	O
Java	B-Language
allowed	O
browser	B-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
to	O
become	O
more	O
complex	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
games	O
,	O
also	O
known	O
by	O
their	O
related	O
technology	O
as	O
"	O
Flash	B-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
"	O
or	O
"	O
Java	B-Language
games	I-Language
"	O
,	O
became	O
increasingly	O
popular	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
ranged	O
from	O
simple	O
concepts	O
to	O
large-scale	O
games	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
which	O
were	O
later	O
released	O
on	O
consoles	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
Java	B-Language
or	O
Flash	B-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
were	O
shared	O
on	O
various	O
different	O
websites	O
,	O
bringing	O
them	O
to	O
wide	O
audiences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Browser-based	O
pet	O
games	O
are	O
popular	O
among	O
the	O
younger	O
generation	O
of	O
online	O
gamers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
games	O
range	O
from	O
gigantic	O
games	O
with	O
millions	O
of	O
users	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Neopets	B-Protocol
,	O
to	O
smaller	O
and	O
more	O
community-based	O
pet	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
recent	O
browser-based	B-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
use	O
web	O
technologies	O
like	O
Ajax	B-General_Concept
to	O
make	O
more	O
complicated	O
multiplayer	O
interactions	O
possible	O
and	O
WebGL	B-Library
to	O
generate	O
hardware-accelerated	O
3D	O
graphics	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
plugins	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PvE	O
is	O
a	O
term	O
used	O
in	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
particularly	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
and	O
other	O
role-playing	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
fighting	O
computer-controlled	O
opponents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
started	O
to	O
move	O
from	O
a	O
wide	O
variety	O
of	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
protocols	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
IPX	B-Protocol
)	O
and	O
onto	O
the	O
Internet	O
using	O
the	O
TCP/IP	B-Protocol
protocol	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Doom	B-Application
popularized	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
a	O
deathmatch	O
,	O
where	O
multiple	O
players	O
battle	O
each	O
other	O
head-to-head	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
new	O
form	O
of	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
Doom	B-Application
,	O
many	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
games	O
contain	O
online	O
components	O
to	O
allow	O
deathmatch	O
or	O
arena	O
style	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
like	O
Counter-Strike	B-Application
,	O
Halo	O
,	O
Call	B-Application
of	I-Application
Duty	I-Application
:	I-Application
Advanced	I-Application
Warfare	I-Application
,	O
Quake	B-Application
Live	I-Application
and	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Tournament	I-Operating_System
are	O
popular	O
with	O
these	O
tournaments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Expansion	O
of	O
hero	O
shooters	O
,	O
a	O
sub-genre	O
of	O
shooter	O
games	O
,	O
happened	O
in	O
2016	O
when	O
several	O
developers	O
released	O
or	O
announced	O
their	O
hero	O
shooter	O
multiplayer	B-Application
online	I-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
notable	O
examples	O
include	O
Battleborn	B-Application
,	O
Overwatch	B-Application
,	O
Paladins	B-Application
and	O
Valorant	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
real-time	O
strategy	B-Application
games	I-Application
often	O
allowed	O
multiplayer	O
play	O
over	O
a	O
modem	O
or	O
local	B-General_Concept
network	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
Internet	O
started	O
to	O
grow	O
during	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
software	O
was	O
developed	O
that	O
would	O
allow	O
players	O
to	O
tunnel	O
the	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
protocols	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
games	O
over	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Popular	O
RTS	O
games	O
with	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
have	O
included	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
,	O
Sins	B-Application
of	I-Application
a	I-Application
Solar	I-Application
Empire	I-Application
,	O
StarCraft	B-Application
and	O
Warhammer	B-Language
40,000	I-Language
:	I-Language
Dawn	I-Language
of	I-Language
War	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
games	I-Application
were	O
made	O
possible	O
with	O
the	O
growth	O
of	O
broadband	O
Internet	O
access	O
in	O
many	O
developed	O
countries	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
Internet	O
to	O
allow	O
hundreds	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
players	O
to	O
play	O
the	O
same	O
game	O
together	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
different	O
styles	O
of	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
games	O
are	O
available	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
specific	O
subgenre	O
of	O
strategy	B-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
referred	O
to	O
as	O
multiplayer	O
online	O
battle	O
arena	O
(	O
MOBA	O
)	O
gained	O
popularity	O
in	O
the	O
2010s	O
as	O
a	O
form	O
of	O
electronic	O
sports	O
,	O
encompassing	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Defense	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Ancients	I-Operating_System
mod	O
for	O
Warcraft	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
League	B-Application
of	I-Application
Legends	I-Application
,	O
Dota	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Smite	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Storm	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
battle	O
royale	O
game	O
is	O
a	O
genre	O
that	O
blends	O
the	O
survival	O
,	O
exploration	O
and	O
scavenging	O
elements	O
of	O
a	O
survival	B-Application
game	I-Application
with	O
last-man-standing	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
notable	O
examples	O
include	O
PlayerUnknown	B-Application
's	I-Application
Battlegrounds	I-Application
,	O
Fortnite	B-Application
Battle	I-Application
Royale	I-Application
,	O
Apex	B-Application
Legends	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Call	B-Application
of	I-Application
Duty	I-Application
:	I-Application
Warzone	I-Application
,	O
each	O
having	O
received	O
tens	O
of	O
millions	O
of	O
players	O
within	O
months	O
of	O
their	O
releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MUD	B-Application
are	O
a	O
class	O
of	O
multi-user	O
real-time	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
,	O
usually	O
but	O
not	O
exclusively	O
text-based	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
history	O
extending	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
MUD1	B-Protocol
by	O
Richard	O
Bartle	O
in	O
1978	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MUD	B-Application
were	O
the	O
direct	O
predecessors	O
of	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
social	O
deduction	O
game	O
is	O
a	O
multiplayer	B-Application
online	I-Application
game	I-Application
in	O
which	O
players	O
attempt	O
to	O
uncover	O
each	O
other	O
's	O
hidden	O
role	O
or	O
team	O
allegiance	O
using	O
logic	O
and	O
deductive	O
reasoning	O
,	O
while	O
other	O
players	O
can	O
bluff	O
to	O
keep	O
players	O
from	O
suspecting	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
notable	O
example	O
of	O
the	O
social	O
deduction	O
video	O
game	O
is	O
Among	B-Application
Us	I-Application
,	O
which	O
received	O
a	O
massive	O
influx	O
of	O
popularity	O
in	O
2020	O
due	O
to	O
many	O
well-known	O
Twitch	B-Application
streamers	O
and	O
YouTubers	O
playing	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	B-Application
Us	I-Application
has	O
also	O
inspired	O
internet	O
memes	O
and	O
achieved	O
a	O
very	O
large	O
following	O
online	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
3D	O
immersive	O
world	O
Second	B-Application
Life	I-Application
where	O
a	O
breach	O
of	O
contract	O
will	O
append	O
the	O
player	O
warnings	O
,	O
suspension	O
and	O
termination	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
offense	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Where	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
supports	O
an	O
in-game	B-Application
chat	O
feature	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
uncommon	O
to	O
encounter	O
hate	O
speech	O
,	O
sexual	O
harassment	O
and	O
cyberbullying	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Recent	O
development	O
of	O
gaming	O
governance	O
requires	O
all	O
video	O
games	O
(	O
including	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
)	O
to	O
hold	O
a	O
rating	O
label	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
explicit	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
can	O
be	O
rated	O
"	O
AO	O
"	O
(	O
stands	O
for	O
Adult	O
Only	O
)	O
,	O
identifying	O
games	O
that	O
have	O
content	O
suitable	O
for	O
only	O
adults	O
over	O
the	O
age	O
of	O
18	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
must	O
also	O
carry	O
an	O
ESRB	O
notice	O
that	O
warns	O
that	O
any	O
"	O
online	O
interactions	O
are	O
not	O
rated	O
by	O
the	O
ESRB	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
many	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
end	O
up	O
not	O
generating	O
enough	O
profits	O
,	O
such	O
that	O
the	O
service	O
providers	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
the	O
incentives	O
to	O
continue	O
running	O
the	O
servers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shutting	O
down	O
an	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
can	O
severely	O
impact	O
the	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
many	O
players	O
,	O
this	O
can	O
cause	O
a	O
sense	O
of	O
loss	O
at	O
an	O
emotional	O
level	O
,	O
since	O
they	O
often	O
dedicate	O
time	O
and	O
effort	O
to	O
making	O
in-game	B-Application
progress	O
,	O
e.g.	O
,	O
completing	O
in-game	B-Application
tasks	O
to	O
earn	O
items	O
for	O
their	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
earning	O
key	O
in-game	B-Application
items	O
often	O
requires	O
a	O
server	O
that	O
can	O
track	O
each	O
player	O
's	O
progress	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
an	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
may	O
be	O
relaunched	O
in	O
a	O
substantially	O
different	O
form	O
after	O
shutting	O
down	O
,	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
increase	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
quality	O
,	O
remedy	O
low	O
sales	O
,	O
or	O
reverse	O
a	O
declining	O
player	O
base	O
,	O
and	O
see	O
significantly	O
greater	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Final	B-Protocol
Fantasy	I-Protocol
XIV	I-Protocol
was	O
negatively	O
received	O
upon	O
its	O
2010	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
relaunched	O
as	O
A	B-Protocol
Realm	I-Protocol
Reborn	I-Protocol
in	O
2013	O
-	O
the	O
new	O
version	O
was	O
met	O
with	O
considerable	O
positive	O
reception	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
still	O
running	O
as	O
of	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Splitgate	B-Application
:	I-Application
Arena	I-Application
Warfare	I-Application
relaunched	O
as	O
Splitgate	B-Application
in	O
2021	O
,	O
switching	O
to	O
a	O
free-to-play	O
model	O
and	O
adding	O
cross-platform	O
multiplayer	O
,	O
and	O
subsequently	O
saw	O
2	O
million	O
new	O
players	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
servers	B-Application
being	O
unable	O
to	O
handle	O
the	O
influx	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
include	O
the	O
2015	O
asymmetrical	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
Evolve	B-Application
,	O
which	O
transitioned	O
to	O
a	O
free-to-play	O
title	O
known	O
as	O
Evolve	B-Application
Stage	I-Application
2	I-Application
a	O
year	O
after	O
launch	O
,	O
after	O
it	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
its	O
significant	O
amount	O
of	O
DLC	B-Protocol
despite	O
being	O
a	O
full-priced	O
game	O
,	O
but	O
had	O
its	O
servers	B-Application
permanently	O
shut	O
down	O
roughly	O
two	O
years	O
later	O
after	O
its	O
user	O
base	O
"	O
evaporated	O
"	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
infrequent	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2019	O
looter-shooter	O
Anthem	B-Application
was	O
also	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
relaunched	O
as	O
Anthem	B-Application
Next	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
changes	O
were	O
never	O
implemented	O
,	O
partially	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
impact	O
of	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
and	O
an	O
unwillingness	O
to	O
further	O
invest	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
by	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
permanently	O
shut	O
down	O
.	O
</s>
