Online gaming evolved over decades, not from a single launch date.
Timeline of Major Milestones
1960s–70s (ARPANET/PLATO):Spacewar! (1969) on PDP‑1; Maze War (1973), Spasim (1974)—first 3D multiplayer. PLATO system hosted Empire, Airfight (hundreds of simultaneous users).
1980s (BBS & Commercial): Dial‑up BBS doors: TradeWars 2002, Legend of the Red Dragon. Islands of Kesmai (1985, CompuServe)—first commercial MMORPG ($12/hr).
1990s (Internet & LAN):Doom (1993) popularized LAN deathmatch. Quake (1996) + QuakeWorld client prediction enabled internet play. Ultima Online (1997)—first mass‑market 3D MMORPG. StarCraft / Diablo (Battle.net 1996/97).
2000s (Broadband & Consoles): Xbox Live (2002) standardized console online. World of Warcraft (2004) peaks at 12M subs. Steam (2003) revolutionizes PC distribution.
2010s–Present (F2P, Mobile, Cross‑Play, Cloud):League of Legends (2009), Fortnite (2017), PUBG—battle royale & live service dominance. Mobile surpasses PC/console revenue. Cross‑play erodes platform walls. Cloud gaming (GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud) decouples hardware.
The concept traces to the 1960s; the modern, mainstream, always‑connected ecosystem solidified in the mid‑2000s with broadband and Xbox Live.
