Multi-Play’s the Ticket

Computer games have changed a lot over the last 20 years--from the tedium of Pong to the sensory overload of today’s titles--but 1997 may be a turning point for the industry.

Until now, games have mostly been solitary affairs. One player, holding one joystick, matching his or her skills against a microprocessor. But industry leaders say that the Internet is ushering in an era when players around the globe can compete against each other--not just machines--in online tournaments.

“There is no question that the hot ticket is multi-play,” said Martin Alper, chairman of Virgin Interactive Entertainment Inc. in Irvine. “Online connectivity is a fundamental prerequisite of pretty much every game we’re publishing in 1997.”

Virgin is testing a new game called Sub-Space that is designed to allow up to 1,200 people to engage in a simultaneous space battle. The company is testing the game in a private online network that could be opened to the public early next year.

Other game companies are headed in the same direction. In 1996, a number of online gaming networks popped up, including Engage Games Online, a service backed by Virgin’s rival and neighbor in Irvine, Interplay Productions.

Shoot-’em-up action games still dominate the market, Alper said, but the hottest new category is “real-time strategy.” In these games, players manage battles like generals, moving troops, amassing supplies and plotting attacks.

“Twitching [a joystick] is no longer the sole function,” Alper said. “It’s more cerebral. That’s why the games can be massively interactive. You can play units like a squadron and form coalitions or teams.”

Like paintball in cyberspace, he said.

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Greg Miller covers high technology for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at greg.miller@latimes.com.