Lesson 9

This module discussed planning for a successful network architecture. You should now be able to:

Describe the three hardware categories required for planning a Website.

1. Describe types of servers and their function.
2. List the steps for estimating a server's transfer load.
3. Describe some examples of connectivity devices.
4. Describe some examples of security devices.
5. Describe common problems that may affect specific hardware components.
6. Identify strategies for dealing with common hardware risks.

In this module, you were introduced to the following terms:

1. uninterrupted power supply
2. scalability
3. failover
4. Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAIDs)
5. hot swappable disks

Programming computers to play games attracted the interest of such computer scientists as Babbage, Turing, and Shannon long before the first personal computers (PCs) came into existence. When personal computers and dedicated game consoles became widely available, in the 1970s, large numbers of computer game titles appeared in the marketplace almost immediately. Some people have argued that the computational expectations of modern computer game players pushed PC hardware manufacturers to increase the multimedia processing power of the home computer. The advent of the Internet and its rapid spread to homes throughout the world similarly has attracted the attention of game designers seeking to create multiplayer games among widely dispersed users.
Creating games intended to run on the World Wide Web requires a good understanding of the principles used to design games for stand-alone computers, as well as knowledge about network architecture and client/server computing. This chapter discusses some of the design principles and challenges posed by developing games for the World Wide Web.

The computer game industry has had gross sales in excess of 7 billion dollars since 1998 . Some industry analysts have predicted that sometime during the next twenty years computer game play will be the most popular means of family entertainment. Indeed, by some estimates, computer game sales may have exceeded motion picture revenues for the year 2001. A recent survey showed that the average age of computer game buyers is about 31 years old . Computer game development is serious business, and with the advent of HTML5, one does not need a compiler to create computer games.
Major game development projects often have production budgets exceeding 5 million dollars for a single title.
The Internet has the potential to allow game developers to increase their share of the entertainment market as the number of households having access to the World Wide Web continues to grow. Users of the World Wide Web can download commercial games to play on their personal computers, participate in multiplayer games online, and find support communities for their favorite games. There are several online game services that derive their sole income from providing access to Internet games for a fee. Many of the console game manufacturers have promised some type of Internet connectivity in their new product lines. A number of successful educational computer games are being ported to the Internet.
In the next module you will learn how to identify a client's hardware needs.