How Has the Internet Changed the Way You Game?

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

For those of you old enough to remember a time when the internet didn't exist as a normal household thing (or was - at the very least - and expensive luxury) - how as the internet changed the way you game? What benefits has it granted you? Is it better, worse, the same?



I've not been a gamer for very long, so I've never really known "the game" without the internet. I can't quite imagine sitting and work and not having access to the SRD, though...

 

[TheYeti1775]

Yes, way back in yesteryear we didn't have computers, laptops, and pda's there at the table with us.
The Commordore64 was a high priced PC back then.
Colecovision was winning the Console Gaming Wars.
It is even told that people had to get up and change the channel in some places still.
There were only 3 T.V. Channels, sometimes 4 if you were really close to the city. But let the President be on and you were hosed.
Our dice were plastic and we colored them ourselves.
Some of only had 3 alignments to choose from as well. LAWFUL/NEUTRAL/CHOATIC
A lot of us felt the loss of our equipmet to that rust monster. (1 exp for a correct reference)

I remember it being harder to find other games other then the one that taught you. I learned from 2 friends and their group, and taught it to 3 more friends. Nowadays, I can pop on EnWorld or any other numerous sites and generally find a game within a resonable drive.
You have things like Fantasy Grounds, OpenRPG, and what not allowing gamers to join each other even with thousands of miles seperating them.
So yes it would be hard to give up the good life now for the care-free youth of yesteryear. I think they have only come to improve the game.
Honestly I wouldn't know what to do at work if it weren't for online srd's.
I might actually work too much.

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

Shopping and setting up plot hooks, can now be done outside of the gaming session. Which can really speed up the start of some games.

So for us, it's been a big time saver.

 

[MonsterMash]

Its definitely made a change and largely for the better. Good things:
1. SRD on a USB drive so its readily portable, unlike lugging round rulebooks
2. Being able to get advice and share experiences with many more gamers much more easily
3. using computers (rather than just the net) has changed game preparation usually for the better
4. Arranging sessions is easier

I've not actually tried PbP or IRC gaming so no experience of those.

 

[Desdichado]

My current gaming group is collected from the Internet -- I wouldn't know any of them without it.

ENWorld Gamedays are something I do that obviously depend on the Internet to even exist. My product awareness is drastically heightened by the Internet. pdf products are obviously dependent on the Internet. Various internet freebees, especially images (often from the Wizard art galleries) and/or maps get a fair amount of use.

But other than that, preparing, running and playing the game is pretty much the same as it's always been.

 

[Voadam]

Search, cut and paste, e-mail gaming, pbp games, online dice rolling, googling information, grabbing quick responses to questions on pretty much anything from the enworld forums, image searches, these are all knew gaming things since the internet.

Being able to game with the group scattered across the country is pretty cool.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Hmm. I've never used the internet for gaming purposes, but it has had plenty of subtler effects.

The online community provides a great resource for opinions and information (good and bad, admittedly). I know about products months in advance, and whether or not they'd be worth my while. I'm able to communicate with fellow gamers and creators in ways that just weren't possible before.

On the other hand, one thing that's virtually dissappeared are the small home-grown gaming zines that people used to publish. Granted, this isn't just confined to gaming, but in the days before widespread internet access, I always used to see these cheaply-but-lovingly-put together zines in shops. Now, there are very few indeed.

I would say that a bit of the surprise and wonder has been lost. I've often said that if the internet had been around when Empire Strikes Back was released, it would've been everywhere that Darth Vader was Luke's father.

As far as the actual gaming, not that much has changed for me. I use some print-outs of maps and freebies, but not too many.

 

[philreed]

Some of us have our current jobs because of the internet.

 

[DonTadow]

There are a ton of websites out here now soley dedicated to groups' campaigns. My website for my campaign is invaluable as it helps everyone communicate information we otherwise don't have time. I"m able to keep a history of the NPCs and llocations the players go to for easy reference. I can provide story updates and tidbits throughout the week. I even started writing "fake" news stories for my players a month ago so that they know what's going on in the world and how their actions are viewed by the public. It has helped emerge my players more in the game by making their world available to them 24/7

 

[francisca]

Well, I have a lot more RPG crap now, which I wouldn't have, moslty because I wouldn't have known about it otherwise. Some days, I think I would be better off without it.

On the other hand, having fellow DMs around to bounce ideas off of has been a boon to my game.

Also, we have made pretty good use of e-mail and message boards in my groups, which has been nice.