Play games online on a computer or console.
Video and computer games are a huge part of modern culture, increasingly rivaling Hollywood for their share of the entertainment market, according to the "San Francisco Chronicle." One of the major innovations in recent years has been the widespread adoption of online gaming, which allows players to take their game to the Internet to engage friends and rivals in friendly competition or pitched rivalry. There are several ways to play games online, depending on what video or computer gaming machine you own.
Instructions
Home Console
1. Connect your Wii, PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 to the Internet using the console's internal modem. Nintendo Wii can connect to any wireless Internet signal in range of the console; PS3 and Xbox require an Ethernet cable to connect them to a modem or router.
2. Register an account on your console's online gaming platform. On PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, this is done by selecting "Join PlayStation Network" or "Join Xbox Live" from the console's menu; Wii does not require users to register an account for online play.
3. Load a game that allows online multi-player. These can be purchased from gaming stores or downloaded to your console via PlayStation Network, Xbox Live or WiiWare. If the game you are downloading allows online multi-player, this will be featured in the description.
4. Boot the game and select the game's online mode. Some games allow you to select "Online" from the main menu; others require you to access the online mode from inside the single-player game.
5. Select the match you wish to join from a list of available games. Choose your options including player character and handicap for the game and wait for your fellow players to do the same. When all players have chosen their options, the match will start. If you're joining a match already in progress, you don't need to wait for other players, but many games don't allow this.
Home Computer
6. Ensure the computer you are using to play games is connected to the Internet.
7. Purchase, download or browse to the online game you wish to play. Games with online play can be purchased in stores, downloaded or accessed online.
8. Load the game and select multi-player mode from the game's main menu. If your game is a solely multi-player game, this step is not necessary: just choose "Start."
9. Select the match or world you wish to play from a list. Some games divide their games into matches that can be joined by players; others require players to select a starting zone or world. Some options, such as player character or handicap, may be set before starting, depending on the game.
10. Wait for the game to load, then begin online play.
Tags: online play, allows online, allows online multi-player, character handicap, from list