More people using the Internet. Online usage continues to grow exponentially, and the No. 1 reason given for home PC purchases is to connect to the Internet. A move toward home networking. With the dramatic drop in PC prices, many homes how have two or three machines, and their owners are starting to link them into home networks. Growing awareness of multiplayer gaming.
Most games sold today have multiplayer capabilities.
Sometimes that features Internet play, though occasionally it is confined to a computer network. Game owners are used to seeing multiplay touted on the box, even though they may have never tried it. Quake III Arena will include features aimed at both veteran death-match players, as well as those who've never tried playing online. This will be the primary single-player aspect of the game. Players can progress through ever-tougher opponents until they've beaten the best of the bots.