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WOF: What was the first game you played online?

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On July 30, 2010, 7:58 PM

[Weekend Open Forum] People who have been gaming for just a few years might take online functionality for granted. After all, with the latest generation of consoles you just need to pop in the game disc to start playing with someone across the globe -- provided you have an Internet connection and in the case of Xbox 360 owners, signed up for an Xbox Live subscription. But to get where we are today many years have passed since the early days of dial-up and BBS turn-based games -- or PLATO time-sharing systems if you go way back, according to Wikipedia.

You could say I was a bit late to the party if you consider remote gaming has been around, in one way or another, for almost four decades. But it was not until the mid-1990s that online games really blossomed. Around that time a friend borrowed me a copy of Command & Conquer, which included two CDs, one for the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and another for the Brotherhood of Nod, in order to make multiplayer gaming possible with a single purchase of the game. We had unreliable dial-up connections, but that didn't stop up us from playing until the wee hours of the morning.


I was blown away by the real-time strategy element, so it was a while before I started paying more attention to the first-person shooter genre that is also wildly popular amongst online gamers. Ironically, bearing in mind how the gaming landscape turned out, my first steps into the computer gaming world were made on a Mac.

We've asked you before about the first video game you ever played and the ones you are looking forward to. Today we want to know which title got you started into online gaming and which one has you hooked right now. Discuss.

109 comments

User Comments: 109

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  1. August 2, 2010 8:19 PM
    samxt said:

    Descent I direct connect via 14.4 dial-up modem

    Reply
  2. August 3, 2010 2:38 AM
    red1776
    red1776, Omnipotent Ruler of the Universe, said:

    Chess, ChessMaster I think, and Starseige

    Reply
  3. August 3, 2010 12:25 PM
    Fean77 said:

    In 1998, my first online game was Warcraft II hosted on AOL's Engage Server. In the AOL community associated with the Engage Server, there were message forums dedicated to Warcraft II and the moderators there supported and encouraged the formation of online Warcraft II "clans." This was also my first encounter with online gaming clans. Existing clans on these Engage forums were unofficially classified by players into three types: The Horde, The Humans and Neutral factions. Major clan names I can recall off the top of my head were: Nation of Calderan, Splintered Orc Clan (SOC), Death Raiders Clan, United Dark Forces (UDF), Dark Covenants (DC), Keepers of Edanvant (KoE), Descendants of Kilrogg (DoK), Banners of the Mark (BoM), and my own clan, Death Falcon Company (DFC).

    Reply
  4. August 5, 2010 10:21 AM
    Guest said:

    Total Annihilation in 1997 baby

    Reply
  5. August 6, 2010 5:31 PM
    PCtechguy said:

    Quake 2, with a 56kk modem lol...

    Reply
  6. August 6, 2010 5:44 PM
    Guest said:

    First Online Game; Ultima Online played over 56K modem. It was painfully slow.

    Current Online Game: DDO (because its free)

    Reply
  7. August 9, 2010 12:27 AM
    Guest said:

    "Starsiege: Tribes.

    It was such a fun game. I wish they'd make a updated version (and I don't mean Tribes 2)"

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayTribes

    Reply
  8. August 20, 2010 1:37 AM
    spydercanopus
    spydercanopus said:

    Diablo

    Reply
  9. August 20, 2010 9:47 AM
    LNCPapa
    LNCPapa said:

    Probably Quake for me - then Warcraft II then Tribes then Diablo II.

    Reply

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