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An online game is one played over a form of computer network. Currently, this is nearly always the Internet or comparable technology; but games have always used the technology of the day; modems prior to the internet, and hard wired terminals prior to modems.

The growth of online gaming is connected to the general development of computer networks from small local networks to the Internet and the very development of Internet access. Online games can vary from straightforward text based games to games using complex graphics and virtual worlds played by many players concurrently. Several online games have associated online communities, elevating online games to a form of social activity, unlike single player games.

The increasing popularity of Flash and Java resulted in an Internet revolution where websites could use streaming video, audio, and a fresh range of user interactivity. As Microsoft started packaging Flash as a pre-installed section of Internet Explorer, the Internet started to move from a data/information field to give on-demand entertainment as well. This revolution started the course for sites to offer games to web surfers.

A couple of online multiplayer games such as World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI and Lineage II charge a monthly payment if you want to subscribe to their services, but others like Guild Wars allow an alternative no monthly fee plan. Several other sites depend on advertising revenues from on-site sponsors, while others, such as RuneScape allow you to play free of charge while leaving the players the choice of paying, unlocking fresh content for members.

Following the dot-com bubble, several sites depending only on advertising revenue faced severe hardships. Notwithstanding the dwindling profitability of online gaming websites, some sites have made it through the fluctuating ad market by offsetting the advertising revenue loss through using the content as a cross-promotion mechanism for directing web visitors to additional websites that the company owns.

With increasing quantities of players, it is then more complicated to preserve social order in online games because of the great quantities of information and liberty that are allowed to players. Albeit there are several online rules that are already in place, wherever people gather conflicts will rise, especially in a competitive environment. However, the problem is also the benefit of online games, as they present the ability to connect to multiplayer games.

The online gaming world is quite a functional one, as it offers worldwide connectivity.