THE ROLE OF NETWORK INTERFACE CARDS IN GAMING.

The Role of Network Interface Cards in Gaming.

Abstract

In contexts ranging from public goods provision to information collection, a player.s well-being depends on own action as well as on the actions taken by his or her neighbors. We provide a frame work to analyze such strategic interactions when neighborhood structure, modeled in terms of an underlying network of connections, a¤ects payo¤s. In our framework, individuals are partially informed about the structure of the social network. The introduction of incomplete information allows us to provide general results characterizing how the network structure, an individual.s position within the network, the nature of games (strategic substitutes versus complements and positive versus negative externalities), and the level of information, shape individual behavior and payo¤s.

The Role of Network Interface Cards in Gaming.

What is a NIC?

A network card is an expansion card which installs into a computer and enables that computer to physically connect to a local area network. The most common form of network card in current use is the Ethernet card. Other types of network cards include wireless network cards and Token Ring network cards. Ethernet network cards most often use RJ-45 jacks. Wireless network cards usually have no external connections other than a possible antenna jack. (Joe, 2000) In computer networking, a NIC provides the hardware interface between a computer and a network. A NIC technically is network adapter hardware in the form factor of an add-in card such as a PCI or PCMCIA card. (Lombardy, 1984, 6)

Some NIC cards work with wired connections while others are wireless. Most NICs support either wired Ethernet or WiFi wireless standards. Ethernet NICs plug into the system bus of the PC and include jacks for network cables, while WiFi NICs contain built-in transmitters / receivers (transceivers). In new computers, many NICs are now pre-installed by the manufacturer. All NICs feature a speed rating such as 11 Mbps, 54 Mbps or 100 Mbps that suggest the general performance of the unit. NIC also stands for Network Information Center. (www.anandtech.com) For example, the organization named "InterNIC" is a NIC that provides information to the general public on Internet domain names. (Joe, 2000)

Early Network Games

Originally, Game Network's television channel was available all over Europe, with the UK version (produced by Cellcast) overlaying their own regional content to the channel, with programs including Game Guru, Reloaded, Livewire, and most recently, Evolution. (www.anandtech.com) The channel expanded in 2003 with the launch of non-gaming programmes such as Babestation, a late-night "tease" show. The success of this show lead to many other clone programmes appearing on other channels, and this alternative revenue stream lead to a later influx of phone-in quiz shows, of which Game Network shows many. (Lombardy, 1984, 6) As of 2005, Game Network's UK games programming is largely limited to a block of raw games footage from 5:30am - 10am, with Game Guru airing from 5pm until 7pm, followed by programmes such as Psychic Interactive, which continue until Babestation ...