CHAPTER 19
NETWORK PROGRAMMING FOR MULTIPLAYER GAMES

by Mike McShaffry

I remember the very moment the Internet became relevant to my job, and it completely changed the way I worked. A colleague of mine walked into my office and showed me a website for the very first time. He’d made it himself, and although it was very simple, I knew right away that the Internet was going to change the world. Well, maybe it wasn’t quite that clear. I missed out on the Netscape IPO, but it was certainly clear after that.

At the time, computer games could be played via modem or over a LAN, but they were quite the bear to program. Once gamers started playing online game, companies started using the Internet, and the communications protocols it uses, for hooking up fragfests. Now, whether you’re playing with a buddy in the next office or a friend from overseas, or just checking out the latest game on Facebook, pretty much all network games use Internet protocols to communicate.