In recent years, online gaming has grown explosively in both the number of players and the number of games available. Last year, online gaming sales exceeded $13 billion, due to titles appealing to a broader audience than ever before. World of Warcraft and other massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) attracted millions of people to compete solo or in teams across vast virtual landscapes. These games are available continuously, and many gamers play for many hours at a time.

After you pay for acquiring the software, you'll find that most often you'll also e required to pay a monthly fee to subscribe for access to compete with others via the network. Paying these two fees entitles you to 24-hour access to the network, plus the ability to communicate with technical support in the event you suffer from Internet connectivity problems or software bugs.

In those regions where broadband internet is widely available,