Online Gaming in the 90s

The first graphical MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) was released in 1991 for PC owners on AOL (then called Quantum Computer Services). The game (called Neverwinter Nights) also marked the first appearance of online player versus player (PvP) combat in multiplayer RPGs.

During the early-1990s, commercial use of the Internet was limited by acceptable use policies, and so early online games relied heavily on proprietary services such as CompuServe, America Online, and GEnie for distribution. However, as the 90s progressed, restrictions were relaxed, allowing companies to deploy games on the Internet, rather than through a proprietary network provider. This enabled a global playerbase to be formed and resulted in an increase in popularity in online gaming, with some games accumulating truly massive numbers of players.

Meridian 59 was one of the first Internet MMORPGs and was launched in late 1996 by 3DO. It was also the first RPG to use a 3D engine that enabled players to experience the game world through the eyes of their characters. Rather than charging an hourly fee like earlier online games, it was the first to introduce the flat monthly subscription fee.

Also released at approximately the same time was the Realm Online from Sierra Online. This Internet MMORPG featured a large number of visual character customisation options along with fully animated 2D graphics, making it more widely accessible compared to more text-based games.

After the release of Id Software's 1996 game Quake, Internet multiplayer capability soon became an essential part of almost all first-person shooter (FPS) games. Other genres also began to offer online play, including real time strategy (RTS) games such as Blizzard's WarCraft series and Microsoft's Age of Empires, and turn-based games such as Heroes of Might and Magic.

Commercial online gaming was now becoming increasingly popular across the world, especially in Korea and Taiwan. The Kingdom of the Winds released in 1996 gained over one million subscribers, whilst Lineage (a medieval fantasy MMORPG) released in 1998 had at one point more than four million subscribers, most of them in Korea. It still remains among the most popular MMORPGs in the world, with over 2.25 million active users.

Ultima Online, released in September 1997, popularised the MMORPG genre in the West. This third-person fantasy role-playing game set in the Ultima universe featured 3D isometric graphics and created a more complex, involved game than many of its predecessors.

Achieving even greater success was EverQuest, launched in March 1999 by Verant Interactive. Players could explore a fantasy world of sword and sorcery, fighting enemies and monsters for treasure and experience points and interacting with other players. The game was very commercially successful and formed the basis for 12 expansions and several derivative games.

Other online gaming included the introduction of web browser plugins such as Macromedia Flash and Java for simple single player or multiplayer browser-based games. These small games could be downloaded quickly and played from within a web browser without installation. Their most popular use was (and still is) classic arcade games, puzzle games, card and board games.