Multiplayer Games: From the Computer to the Console

There are beautiful moments in life.

Like dodging around your buddy's hail of bullets, jumping up in the air and landing a killing shotgun blast to their face while still airborne.

Or sniping someone from across the board, knowing that the only way they'll know where you are is through the death cam.

And waiting on a ledge for some unobservant player to cross your path so you can drop down and snap their neck before they know you're even there.

Beautiful moments like these come from multiplayer video games.

Back in 1993, a game called "Doom" came out on the gaming market and changed the way people played competitively in video games. It took the visceral, adrenaline rush of a FPS and gave players a way to play against each other.

But, back in those days finding a match was hard to do. Players would set up computer networks at home or commandeer work networks to set up a LAN to be able to play multiplayer "Doom."

Since then, games like "Rise of the Triad: Dark War" (1995 and "Quake" (1996) pushed the FPS genre out into the mainstream.

In 1997, "GoldenEye 007" came out for the Nintendo 64 and became one of the most popular FPS's on a console.

Scott Thompson, a circuit design engineer who's played video games since he can remember spend hours playing "GoldenEye 007" with his friends.

The game featured a four player split-screen that allowed four players to go against each other on the same TV. Thompson remembers always knowing where his friend James was. James had a habit of throwing out tons of proximity bombs and waiting for people to step into his trap.

In 2001, "Halo: Combat Evolved" was released exclusively for the Xbox. It had a similar four player split-screen, but allowed up to four systems to be connected. with four systems, 16 players could face off in team matches or free-for-all deathmatches.

Six years later, "Halo 3" premiered in Sep. of 2007 and was huge even before its release. Almost two months before its release, "Halo 3" became the first game to have one million pre-ordered copies, according to a press release from Microsoft in Aug. of 2007.

At launch, it became the "biggest entertainment launch in history," according to a press release from developer Microsoft. The game made around $170 million within the first 24 hours of sales.

"Halo 3" offered players a quick, easy system for playing in multiplayer matches on Xbox Live.

Thompson remembers joining an unfair match in "Halo 3": 15 players on one team, Thompson on the other.

"I had to bring it," says Thompson, who ended up getting MVP at the end of the match.

"Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" hit the shelves in Nov. of 2007 and allowed players to customize their multiplayer game with perks, player created classes and a player-ranking system according to a press release from developer Activision.

Dillon Campbell, a student who started playing video games at 8 years old, remembers going 18 kills and 0 deaths in "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare."

These competitive, multiplayer games are also coming out in other genre's besides the FPS.

"Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" is a third-person action game that came out in Oct. and features 10 person multiplayer matches, according to a press release from developer Naughty Dog.

"I think it will get me online," says Coriano Ford, a student and more casual gamer.

During his first match of multiplayer in "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves," Ford and his teammate were decimated by their opponents. Ford Says, "I didn't care I died... I can't tell enough people how awesome this game is."

There are hundreds of other games that have a multiplayer aspect of the game that allows players to kill each other in crazy, adrenaline filled ways.

"It's just what's expected now," says Thompson.

"If it doesn't have a good, long story," says Campbell, "it better make-up with multiplayer content."