"Multiplayer" redirects here. For other multiplayer games, see Game § Multiplayer
A multiplayer video game is a video game in which 8️⃣ more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same 8️⃣ computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or via a wide area network, most 8️⃣ commonly the Internet (e.g. World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, DayZ). Multiplayer games usually require players to share a single 8️⃣ game system or use networking technology to play together over a greater distance; players may compete against one or more 8️⃣ human contestants, work cooperatively with a human partner to achieve a common goal, or supervise other players' activity. Due to 8️⃣ multiplayer games allowing players to interact with other individuals, they provide an element of social communication absent from single-player games.
History 8️⃣ [ edit ]
Some of the earliest video games were two-player games, including early sports games (such as 1958's Tennis For 8️⃣ Two and 1972's Pong), early shooter games such as Spacewar! (1962)[1] and early racing video games such as Astro Race 8️⃣ (1973).[2] The first examples of multiplayer real-time games were developed on the PLATO system about 1973. Multi-user games developed on 8️⃣ this system included 1973's Empire and 1974's Spasim; the latter was an early first-person shooter. Other early video games included 8️⃣ turn-based multiplayer modes, popular in tabletop arcade machines. In such games, play is alternated at some point (often after the 8️⃣ loss of a life). All players' scores are often displayed onscreen so players can see their relative standing. Danielle Bunten 8️⃣ Berry created some of the first multiplayer video games, such as her debut, Wheeler Dealers (1978) and her most notable 8️⃣ work, M.U.L.E. (1983).
Gauntlet (1985) and Quartet (1986) introduced co-operative 4-player gaming to the arcades. The games had broader consoles to 8️⃣ allow for four sets of controls.