For the last several decades, online gaming has been gaining speed and popularity in our society. Some rejoice at this, while others are dismayed at just how involved our friends and family are in this extra-curricular activity, and how much it invades our lives every day. There are, as with everything else, pros and cons to gaming. And there are many sides to each theory that both support and debunk the benefits and perils that come along with the price tag of purchasing an MMO for casual gaming.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be taking a look at the history of online gaming, how it has grown into our society to become one of the biggest industries of today's entertainment world, and what impacts it has had on our lives... from in-game romances leading to life-long relationships to claims of gaming causing homicidal rage and suicidal tendencies. Just how much are we benefiting - and risking - by picking up the latest title off the shelf?

"A long, long time ago, in a land far, far away, there were a dwarf and a gnome all alone on a deserted island..."

So just how did online gaming begin? I mean, it had to come from somewhere, didn't it? Was there a Big Bang on the internet and BOOM! Online Gaming was born?

Uhm... not really.

Gaming itself is tightly intertwined with the military - yes, the military. Back in 1958, a creative scientist by the name of William A. Higinbotham was playing with some technical equipment (okay, so it was an oscilloscope), and he figured he could make it do something fun (rather than its boring purpose!). So, he twisted a few wires around, crossed some signals, and voila! The first version of video tennis was born! Of course, this wasn't anywhere near what we have today (it was a "vector display", not a "video display"), but it was a start. From Pong to Pac-Man - Atari to Wii, it has been a long road. There have been two "crashes" in the console gaming industry, and only the strong survived (one being Atari) to begin paving the road for the future of gaming technology and vision. But... this isn't about console gaming... it's about MMOs! However, I wanted to give you a quick idea of where it all started... video gaming had a very humble beginning, and has grown into a multi-billion dollar, worldwide industry.

Starting with traditional MUDs (Multi-User Dungeon), games were first a text-driven core of quests where players could choose their race and begin their game. They would answer questions and solve riddles, and type their responses in using a basic language (typically English) to prompt the program to provide a response appropriate to the information entered by the player. This came about in the form of Colossal Cave Adventure, created by William Crowther in 1972. Mazewar brought us our first virtual graphics in 1973, and in 1974 Dungeons and Dragons was born.

Y'all remember Dungeons and Dragons, right? Yeah... the game that told everyone you were a geek if you even mentioned it in passing! For those who are too young to know the game as it really was, think basement room, 8 guys sitting around a table, a light overhead... books, paper, pencils, and dice scattered everywhere, empty soda cans and Twinky wrappers... and you've got yourself a good 'ol D&D night with the boys!

It is exactly that setting that is the basis for much of what we know today in the world of online gaming. The game of Dungeons and Dragons is based on the rolls of a die in order to determine the next step, and the ultimate outcome of the game (should there ever be one, as many games lasted for years!). So, the first "online" games used a similar methodology to achieve the same result.

Seems like a rather clunky way of doing things in comparison to today's style of MMO, but what else was there? Way back then we didn't have the technology available today, and what you see today was but a glimmer in someone's eye at the time. Who's eye? Well... do names like Kelton Flinn, Don Daglow, and Joe Ybarra ring a bell? Or maybe Richard Garriot, Raph Koster, and Brad McQuaid? These guys are all pioneers in the industry and are credited with titles such as Neverwinter Nights, Ultima Online, Everquest and Asheron's Call. The leaders in the MMORPG industry when it first came about, and icons of the genre.

Since their time and talents, we have enjoyed many other fantastic worlds in a variety of settings... from science fiction to fantasy. There have been some great successes... and great failures. But what made them so? Why would one title excel and another not? Is it in the crafting of the world, the talents of the creators, or the "rut" of the players in their comfort zones of MMOs? Maybe people just expect too much... or too little. Think back to some titles that have left us wondering what happened... Anarchy Online had a troubled release in 2001, but is still going strong today - 6 years later. Then we have Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, which had a promising future with a fantastic following - only to be cancelled before launch.

We may never truly know what drives some titles towards success and others towards failure... or worse - never even launching. But we do know that the MMO industry has changed our world in countless ways. From military games for training purposes to closing the cultural gaps around the world in at least some small fashion. And as we go forward I expect to see many more ways that this industry impacts our lives both on and off the computer.

Next, we'll take a look at some of those impacts in the way people handle the stresses, the joys, the frustrations of online gaming, and what happens when things maybe go a little too far.

Until then... happy hunting!