User:AdrianaN23/sandbox

'''This article is under construction; I am working on it for a class, and it needs to remain here until April 21st. Thank you.''' AdrianaN23 (talk) 20:33, 20 March 2015 (UTC)

 ONLINE GAME ---

An online game is a specialized application or technology, which connects players through the Internet or over a computer network. Current online games include PC and console games that differ from mobile games, which operate on mobile devices, such as smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDA) or tablet PCs. Some console online game would require installation of a proper hardware, such as Xbox, Wii or PlayStation. Some PC games require specific controllers. Before high-speed Internet connections were common, some gamers would gather and connect their computers to a LAN party (Local Area Network) to play. As Internet speed increased, this practice has declined. Higher speed Internet connections have since encouraged the development of online games. Over the last decade, the expansion of online gaming has reflected the overall expansion of computer networks from small local networks to the Internet and the growth of Internet access itself.

Online games have attracted players from a variety of ages, nationalities, and occupations. Game design can range from simple text-based environments to the incorporation of complex graphics and virtual worlds. Game design offers players diverse activities while reducing limits on their actions and interactions. Many online games have associated online communities, making them a form of social activity beyond single-player activity. Online game culture sometimes faces criticisms for an environment that might promote cyberbullying, violence, and xenophobia. Some gamers are also concerned about gaming addiction or social stigma. Online game content can also be studied in scientific field, especially gamers' interactions within virtual societies in relation to the behavior and social phenomena of everyday life.

Demographics
As of April 2013, the number of daily active online gamers worldwide has reached 144.9 million. Number of gamers, by region:
 * Asia Pacific: 47.9 millions
 * Europe: 45.6 millions
 * North America: 30.3 millions
 * Latin America: 14.9 millions
 * Middle East & Africa: 6.2 millions

Gender distribution
The assumption that online games in general are populated mostly by male has remained somewhat accurate for years. Recent statistics begin to diminish the male domination myth in gaming culture. Although a worldwide number of male online gamers still dominates over female (52% by 48%) ; women even accounted for more than half portion of the population in certain games, including PC games. The number of female players age of 50 or older has increased by 32% from 2012 to 2013.

Statistics in the United States show a reduction overall in the number of male gamers, but expansion in the number of female gamers. In 2006, male gamers dominated female, 62% to 38%. In 2010, the number of male gamers dropped by 2%. By 2014, female gamers had just about reversed the numbers, standing 48% to 52% female to male. Other statistic in the United State shows a dominance of female population in certain online game genres. The distribution of online gamers (female to male) as of October 2014, by platform and gender:
 * Role-playing games: 53.6% to 46.5%
 * PC game (including social games): 50.2% to 49.9%
 * Digital console: 37% to 63%
 * First-person shooting game: 34% to 66%

Age & Socioeconomics
Current study conducted in 2014 shows an average of age of gamers is 31 years old with 29% the population is under 18, 32% is within the range of 18 to 35 years of age, and 39% is 36 or older. The European Games Developer Federation (EGDF) also conducted a segmentation of gamers in coordination with age and socioeconomic status:
 * 43% of gamers are older than average and more likely to be unemployed
 * 21% of gamers are mostly below 30 years of age
 * 20% of gamers are students
 * 9% of gamers are in range of 30 or above and more educated/employed than average
 * 7% of gamers are at the youngest age

Time spent on online gaming
More than half a billion online gamers around the globe play game on their daily basis with an average time spent online approximately reaches 3 hours per day. As of 2014, types of online games played most often include: Gaming platform such as Raptr and Steam collect data of players during their gaming experience. Statistics from Raptr present a list of worldwide most-played online games according to total playing time in the platform. The leading game as of February 2015 is League of Legends (21.26%), followed by World of Warcraft (8.03%) and DOTA 2 (7.17%). The recent escalation of more than 7.4 million subscribers to World of Warcraft was due to the release of 'Warlords of Draenor' expansion.
 * Casual/Social games: 30%
 * Puzzle, Board Game, Game Show, Trivia, Card Games: 28%
 * Action, Sport, Strategy, Role-playing: 24%
 * Persistene, Multi-player Universe: 11%
 * Other: 8%

Real-time strategy games
(including MOBA)

Online game governance
Online gamer must agree to an End-user license agreement (EULA) when they first install the game application or an update. EULA is a legal contract between the producer or distributor and the end-user of an application or software, which is to prevent the program from being copied, redistributed or hacked. The consequences of breaking the agreement vary according to the contract. Players could receive warnings to termination, or direct termination without warning. In the 3D immersive world Second Life where a breach of contract will append the player warnings, suspension and termination depending on the offense. Enforcing the EULA is difficult, due to high economic costs of human intervention and low returns to the firm. Only in large scale games is it profitable for the firm to enforce its EULA.

Where online games supports an in-game chat feature, it is not uncommon to encounter hate speech, sexual harassment and cyberbullying. The subject is controversial, with many players defending their freedom to engage in any form of behavior. Players, developers, gaming companies, and professional observers are discussing and developing tools which discourage antisocial behavior. There are also sometimes Moderators present, who attempt to prevent Anti-Social behaviour. In some online games, there are bots which automatically detect some forms of anti-social behavior, such as spam or rude language, and punish the player if detected.

Recent development of gaming governance requires all video games (including online games) to hold a rating label. The voluntary rating system was established by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). A scale can range from "E" (stands for Everyone) inferring games that is suitable for both children and adults, to "M" (stands for Mature) recommending games that is restricted to age above 17. Some explicit online game can be rated "AO" (stands for Adult Only), identifying games that content suitable for adults over age of 18.

References