Describe and explain how everyday life is now experienced through Internet-mediated activities of information and communication with reference to games.

With the internet becoming as ubiquitous as the telephone and television, and the estimated number of internet users globally reaching over 1 billion, it is important to note that once the internet is mentioned, discussing internet-based gaming is hard to avoid. The internet is becoming, and has been for some time, a large part of social gaming, allowing players to communicate and exchange information across divides. As Woods explains in his lecture; before the computers came along, all games were social. Essentially, games are just a framework for people to socialise. The internet facilitates various ways to obtain information and communicate, not simply just through the play between gamers; many games have a collaborative component, allowing players to work together for a common goal. The emergence of internet-enabled gaming consoles and mobile platforms is increasingly becoming open and available to games delivered through the internet. On top of this, the internet allows gamers to create alternate selves, to escape from their everyday lives, bringing into question the values of identity on the 'net. Importantly, with the topic of gaming and labelling people as gamers, brings stigma and connotations, varying between countries and cultures. Therefore, it is important to identify the differences between a 'hardcore gamer' and a 'casual gamer', as the impact on their respective everyday lives varies greatly.

Traditional gamers, and 'hardcore' gamers to the furthest extent, spend much more time on games, and focus more on games which require more concentration and commitment. These gamers associate with friends who regularly game as well, competing and cooperating with them on games through the internet. They have made gaming their hobby and spend their free time accordingly playing their computer or game console. Often, they will follow a game franchise over a longer time, using to the full extent the multiplayer features when available. Multiplayer gaming over the internet (without having to actually travel) will consume a large percentage of the time they spend playing the game, and will spend long periods of time playing with other similarly dedicated players in semi-social 'parties' or groups, either trying to compete, or achieve a similar goal. For them, gaming is a way of life; part of their everyday circadian cycle, gaming when time is available. For a long time, the majority of gaming has been dominated by these hardcore gamers, however with the emergence of the Nintendo Wii and DS enabling largely casual-based gaming there has been an influx of older players and others who would not commit as much time to the hobby; the 'casual gamers'.

Casual gamers are a recently emerged factor in the video games industry, both bringing the ire of "the old guard" and opening a new market for game publishers. "The Wii single-handedly brought more casual gamers into the fold than we have ever seen. Perhaps only The Sims can contest" (Plaza, 2009). Casual gamers are much more non-committal, they play games as a relaxing past-time at the end of the day or whenever they feel like it. Their everyday lives do not centre around gaming as a hobby, and therefore involve themselves even less with the internet-mediated multiplayer gameplay of their selected games. However, with the accessibility of gaming consoles such as the Wii and the DS, playing games which facilitate the internet are much easier. Games such as Mariokart for DS and Wii, Guitar Hero and much of the Wii's games as a whole, have matchmaking services and easily available ways to challenge other players anonymously over the internet. These casual gamers are, arguably, diluting the existing dedicated hardcore gamer user base, whose activities often largely involved the internet. For now I will focus on the hardcore gamer, as those players will use the internet to a far larger extent, but it is important to keep in mind the casual gamers and their impact as well.

There are online and offline components to communication in games, accessed over the internet. In games such as 'World of Warcraft' (a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game or MMORPG), players can band into parties in order to complete an 'instance' or an area of a dungeon which exists entirely for that group. These players can then join other groups in order to defeat even larger challenges. For more constant player collaboration, 'guilds' are set up, which are self-ruling groups of players varying between dedicated players intent on reaching end-game 'instances' or casual players looking to help others and to be helped in return. Without the connectivity of the internet, games like 'World of Warcraft' and voluntary cooperation between players to an extent rarely seen 'IRL' (In Real Life). Most PC-based games will have a website and discussion forums open to players to present and discuss in-game issues, and offer tips and information to help others, as well as allowing access to user-created content. User-created content can vary between games, but most often relates to modifications to existing content and creation of extra environments for others to play in. Woods presents 'Doom' by id Software as the first and best example of use of the internet to distribute the game itself and user-created content. Hardcore gamers are likely to use this extra content to enhance their enjoyment of a particular title.

Unfortunately, due to the closed attributes of consoles, player created content is often only available for PC titles. However, consoles themselves have gone through advancements in recent years to encourage the use of existing internet connections to play with other gamers. Both hardcore and casual gamers alike, as mentioned before, will use the internet capabilities of their console, assuming a connection to the internet already exists. The previous generation of consoles, released in the early 2000's began embracing the internet, and the latest generation consoles; the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 (PS3) and Nintendo Wii are all network enabled. Added to this, the handheld variants; namely the Nintendo DS(i) and Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) also include Wi-Fi, allowing similar multiplayer gameplay. Alternatively, the surge in casual gaming also has attributed to a flood of games for consoles, primarily the DS and Wii, which are completely independent of an internet connection focused on the casual or older gamer, themed with education, training and leisure in mind.

Gaming on mobile platforms is experiencing growth with the release of better 3D capable devices such as the Apple iPhone and smart phones based on the Google Android operating system. Previously, 3D games were possible, but support across platforms was patchy and mobile devices were often underpowered. The development of these devices isn't the only aspect as both Apple and Google have provided access to respective marketplaces for compatible applications. This means that software developers can create applications, including games, which can then be distributed 'over-the-air' to devices on a 3G wireless broadband connection. As of the 28th of September 2009, the number of applications on the Apple AppStore had reached over 85,000 and had been downloaded a total of 2,000,000,000 (2 billion) times. Similar distribution technology is available on consoles in the form of Xbox Live "Games on Demand" for Xbox 360 and similar stores for the PS3 and Wii.

Possibly the most debated and discussed topic in relation to the internet and gaming is the creation of role playing and alternate reality games. These allow players to create a character whose identity can be as close or as contrasting as they like and puts them in a world populated by other similar players. These types of games were popularised in the 1980s with the emergence of Multi-User Dungeons, or 'MUD's, with the term first created when Roy Traubshaw created the first game of its type in 1980 in his final undergraduate year at Essex College. These have since progressed and are regarded as the ancestors of today's current MMORPGs. The ability for a player to exist in another functioning world, apart from their everyday life, as free to choose what they like is an attractive escape for many people. As well as MMORPGs, other alternate reality games have emerged, for example 'Second Life', which allows a player to be unleashed on a world without boundaries, objectives or responsibilities. They can create content inside the game spontaneously, for a fee of course, but which allows them unrivalled freedom. This freedom would never be achievable in daily life, let alone without the interaction of other players creating the world around them. Games such as Second Life have descended from similar titles, the first believed to be 'Habitat' originally created by Lucasfilm Games. These immersive worlds, when accumulated time is spent participating in them, can become more valuable to a person than 'RL'. The impacts on their everyday and social lives can be catastrophic, and can be dangerous to their health.

Distinguishing between the degrees to which people spend time gaming gives an important contrast between how their activities on the internet, and the internet itself, affects their everyday life. The changes which the gaming industry is undertaking in recent times with the emerging markets of casual gamers and mobile platforms facilitating the internet, will change the face of gaming as it has been for the last two decades. Many casual gamers will not realise the extent they use the internet, and the hardcore gamers are ever increasingly appreciative of the freedom it gives them. Gaming can be a shared experience but which only exists because of the versatility of the internet and the visions of those who sought to use it for entertainment.