From the very earliest computer games, one of the most popular aspects that helped to make them so popular was that they could support multiple players, meaning that more than one person could play the game at the same time. This meant that people could play against each other in competition, so that it was not wholly a player versus computer environment. Most people enjoy competing against friends and family, and reveling in success. Most of the highly popular computer and video games available today are multiplayer games.

The idea of multiplayer has three different meanings or interpretations, however. The first, and original, multiplayer games were simply those in which you took turns. The first player would attempt a level, or complete a race, or carry out some other task which would be measured in some way – perhaps with a high score or time. Once they had either succeeded, completed the race or failed at whatever task they were challenged with doing, the next player would take over and have a go. In this way, each person was able to have a go at the same task, and try to beat each other by either getting a higher score, a faster time, or by using whatever other measurement of success.

The second type of multiplayer game to come along, and which is still around today, are the split screen games. These work best for races, where the screen can be wide but fairly short – good for racing when you need to see a wide viewpoint to prepare for corner and obstacles, but there is no need for a tall screen as you’re racing on the flat.

In this setup, the two players see their own character or vehicle in a portion of the screen at the top, and the other player or vehicle in the portion of the screen at the bottom. Both portions offer the same viewpoint to begin with at the start of the race, but each follows a specific player. It is possible this way for both players to be competing at the same time, and against each other.

The player behind will even be able to see the player in front, and by glancing quickly at the opponent’s portion of the screen it is possible to check on where they are and how they’re doing. This offers real time action and competition, and is an engrossing way of playing.

Not all split screens are horizontal – some fighting games are vertical so that you can see the full height of the opposing player, but the majority are split horizontally. Obviously for this kind of game, either having a big screen or sitting close to a screen is best in order to see the detail clearly.

The third type of multiplayer game is the type which has players competing against each other, but where the players are not actually physically anywhere near each other. This can mean that they are actually playing against each other whilst on different sides of the planet! These games use the internet to connect players together, and then each player sees the game from their point of view on their own screen, and sees the opponent as a character within the game. In many cases rather than being an opponent, the other player may be an ally, and work together to complete a task or quest.

Whilst solo games will always be popular, multiplayer games have long ruled the popularity stakes.

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However, there have been some noticeable changes taking place in the online gaming arena over the past few years that have certainly surprised me some what. Whereas the games console market is dominated by a majority of young males, the skill games market finds the lion share of its business coming from the 35-65 year age range, with a slight skew towards women.

Skill gaming, which often involves the playing of multiplayer games online, was once a niche sector but is now quickly gaining mass market appeal. This is mainly due to the fact that internet access, especially broadband, has now made the seeking out of online entertainment no longer an exclusively Western pastime. In addition to this, skill games are not considered to be gambling and they therefore fall outside of countries’ anti-gambling statutes; These games can therefore be enjoyed is most countries around the globe.

Another reason for the extraordinary growth of these multiplayer games online is due to their addictive nature as well as their simplicity. Skill games are browser based games played in a tournament format, with each player paying a cash entry fee to play and with a cash prize going to the winner. They are often very short games of just a few minutes in length and have just a few simple rules to learn prior to getting underway. This means that they can be enjoyed during a break time at work and it has even been suggested that they not only improve peoples’ productivity in the work place but can also reduce work related stress.

The sites that offer such games often give the player the option of either challenging a specific individual or opting for a random person on the games network to be paired up with them. These multiplayer games online really add an exciting dynamic, especially when there is a wager on the game. In a large multiplayer tournament, considerable cash prizes can be won at the end of one of these simple yet exciting games.

All these criteria have helped propel the online skill games sector in to the mainstream of online entertainment with an ever broadening mass market demographic participating. This has lead to the inclusion of people who would never have previously considered themselves to be online gamers per se.

Experts are predicting that the online skill games sector will treble in size by 2011, reaching both an ever increasing global audience as well as ever widening age range.