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Web Games Grow Up
By THOMAS K. GROSE
They may suffer from a geeky image, but computer games can’t be dismissed as a passing fad. Millions of fans worldwide spend countless hours in front of their PCs or consoles enjoying the thrills of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 or Civilization III.
And Forrester Research says the $12 billion U.S. market will double in two years. Conversely, online gaming remains an industry in its infancy, with enthusiasts numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
But this year online games will take off. Cyberspace offers you a chance to face off against other players, located in other parts of the world, not just against the computer. Moreover, as the market grows, you’ll be able to download trial versions of games before they’re launched.
The holdup has been a lack of fat pipes. The best way to enjoy games online is with a broadband connection to the Internet, which is faster and always on. But broadband — a high-speed Internet connection — remains rare in Europe: just 2% of households have it.
That figure should more than double this year, says Internet consultancy Jupiter MMXI, with broadband hitting a "critical mass" of 15% by 2005. And online gaming should grow in lockstep with broadband, says Daniel Stevenson, a Jupiter analyst in London, who expects most current hardcore gamers will gravitate online. Pricing will be key.
Computer games retail for about $50. But playing online also requires paying a monthly subscription fee (probably $9 to $18). Stevenson believes online gamers of the future will rent — not buy — their software. "Online games will eventually overtake computer games" in popularity, he says.
On second thought ... Nerds with the patience to play Tomb Raider for hours at a time probably have limited incomes. So those rental and monthly subscription fees may just byte too hard.
French Steal the Show
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