With the recent growth in popularity of the Internet, these once solitaire games have evolved into a new medium, online gaming. The Internet has allowed people in different locations to play games with each other. Thus, the Internet has provided an excellent platform to return games to their social roots. How does this new medium potentially answer the issues that have thus far plagued video games? And what new issues might be brought forth because of this new environment? These implications of online gaming are going to be examined and hopefully some answers will be brought forth.
[Update Note: The implications of online gaming have continued to be an important area of research since the original creation of this tutorial. An example of this work can be found in a 2008 study published as part of the Pew Internet and American Life Project.]