Whiz bang boom -- the latest in Internet games
June 20, 1997
Web posted at: 10:16 p.m. EDT (0216 GMT)
From Correspondent Dick Wilson
ATLANTA (CNN) -- The sights are flashy, the noise is
deafening and the hype is high-powered at the exhibition
where computer game makers strut their stuff.
The "E3" Electronic Entertainment Expo, running Thursday
through Saturday, is showing off some of the latest high-tech
play.
Computer game playing is on the rise, and the newest trend
are Internet games. They can have as few as two players or as
many as several thousand linked together simultaneously.
Some of the biggest players in the computer industry are
placing heavy bets on Internet game playing, but the future
is unclear.
"Right now, it's in a very nascent stage. We're kind of in
the primordial ooze. And we're waiting to see who's gonna
crawl out of the pond," said Johnny Wilson of Computer Gaming
Magazine.
Two of the best known names at the show are Microsoft and
Lucas Arts.
The creator of Star Wars has a soon-to-be-released game
version for online players. And the Microsoft game zone
offers high-action Internet games such as "Fighter Ace."
Such games are called "massively multi-player games," where
thousands of people play each other at once, said Microsoft
Vice President Robert Boch.
There's even a new entertainment game based on history.
And off in a corner of the 500,000-square-foot
exhibition hall are online games without violence,
old-fashioned games such as poker, and trivia
contests.
"We offer games that families can feel comfortable playing
with their kids or having their kids play alone with other
people without worrying about it," said Jeff Herscovitz of
NetPlay.
What's the next move for Internet game players? Deciding who
will pay for their fun -- consumers or advertisers.
Related story:
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
Watch these shows on CNN for more sci-tech stories:
CNN Computer Connection | Future Watch | Science & Technology Week
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.