Playing games has always been something that we have liked to do as humans. This dates back from the days of ancient Greece and has carried on into the present day. Of course, modern ways of having fun with games invariably involves technology. Online casino games are a great example of this and can provide hours of fun along with the chance to make some money. Players at SugarHouse online sportsbook PA and other sites can not only bet on their favorite sports but also play some classic table games.
One other very popular way of enjoying your spare time is playing video games. With the global video game sector now being worth around $140bn, this is clear to see. This is a sector that has not really changed much until lately in terms of how we play though. Peer-to-peer gaming has had a big effect here recently and seen how we enjoy video games alter significantly.
What is peer-to-peer gaming?
In its most basic form, peer-to-peer gaming sees you playing video games against other human players online. This is different from how you normally would play games, which is offline and against computer-controlled opponents with artificial intelligence.
Within peer-to-peer gaming, there are two major ways that you can try it out. Although both involve the same way of playing as above, how they get there is a bit different. The way that many people are familiar with now is playing online via a dedicated, external centralized game server on their PC or console. This sees you able to play your favorite online game against other human players from across the globe.
The other method sees groups of friends connect together over a private network to play video games together. All gamers in this network connect directly to one player, who is the host computer. Everyone’s computers talk directly to the host computer, which then facilitates gameplay across the network. There is also another option for this type of peer-to-peer play called meshing, where there is no player who is the de facto host.
How has peer-to-peer specifically changed the whole gaming sector?
Made gaming more social
We all remember the dark, old days of computer gaming. This involved either playing alone or having a friend close by who could sit next to you in order to enjoy multi-player action. The rise of peer-to-peer play though has made gaming more social and made it feel less isolated as an activity. As it can involve battling it out with friends on private networks, it also means that you have an easy way to stay in touch with your buddies – even if they are not there in person! It has also made us play games in a much more interactive way by making you more involved with what is happening on screen.
Influenced the games we play
In terms of how we play games now, peer-to-peer gaming has really affected which titles are produced and which sort we now choose to enjoy. Long ago, game studios picked up on how popular certain niches were for this kind of play and tailored their offerings to suit the growing market. It is not only the games being produced that this form of gaming has influenced though. It has also seen the games we choose to play now change. Playing certain types of game in peer-to-peer settings exposes us to those we might not normally try and also shows us how enjoyable they are for future reference. When it comes to this sector, it is titles such as World of Warcraft and Fortnite that rule the roost.
Made mobile gaming more popular
One big change in how we play games has been the rise of mobile gaming. This is now a multi-billion dollar industry and peer-to-peer games have helped massively in its growth. Popular peer-to-peer titles are widely available to play on mobile devices – many are even free to download. When you add in the gameplay, which you can dip in and out of, these games are perfectly suited to mobile devices. This makes it is easy to see why so many of us now choose to play these types of games on our smartphones. By targeting peer-to-peer games at this market, developers have got us all playing on the move and whenever we have a few spare minutes.
Peer-to-peer gaming set to grow
It seems fairly certain that playing video games against peers online looks set to grow even further in the years to come. Much of this growth will be down to how this way of gaming has not only changed how we play but also attracted more people into the video game sector as a result.
