A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game 💯 environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a 💯 local area network, or via a wide area network, most commonly the Internet (e.g. World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, 💯 DayZ). Multiplayer games usually require players to share a single game system or use networking technology to play together over 💯 a greater distance; players may compete against one or more human contestants, work cooperatively with a human partner to achieve 💯 a common goal, or supervise other players' activity. Due to multiplayer games allowing players to interact with other individuals, they 💯 provide an element of social communication absent from single-player games.

Wasserman and Stryker in 1980 described in BYTE how to network 💯 two Commodore PET computers with a cable. Their article includes a type-in, two-player Hangman, and describes the authors' more-sophisticated Flash 💯 Attack.[3] Digital Equipment Corporation distributed another multi-user version of Star Trek, Decwar, without real-time screen updating; it was widely distributed 💯 to universities with DECsystem-10s. In 1981 Cliff Zimmerman wrote an homage to Star Trek in MACRO-10 for DECsystem-10s and -20s 💯 using VT100-series graphics. "VTtrek" pitted four Federation players against four Klingons in a three-dimensional universe.

Over time the number of people 💯 playing video games has increased. In 2024, the majority of households in the United States have an occupant that plays 💯 video games, and 65% of gamers play multiplayer games with others either online or in person.[8]

Online multiplayer games connect players 💯 over a wide area network (a common example being the Internet). Unlike local multiplayer, players playing online multiplayer are not 💯 restricted to the same local network. This allows players to interact with others from a much greater distance.

Asynchronous multiplayer [ 💯 edit ]