Ever since the beginning of the video game history, gaming developers have always sought to incorporate the latest technologies into the hardware and software. From faster processors to far more powerful graphics cards, the rapid advances in technology is what keeps the gaming industry thriving. Arguably the most revolutionary technology that has left its mark in the history of the video game industry is the internet. When we first saw the internet being incorporated into the gaming industry, gaming developers were focused on gamers being able to communicate and compete with other gamers. Unfortunately, the latest generation of gaming has generated a trend in which it seems as if a lot of the big gaming companies are exploiting the powers of the internet to get as much of our money as possible and gamers are now worried that the repeal of net neutrality will make the situation worse.

We are now faced with the debate as to if the internet is ruin video games or not.

A prime example of companies abusing the power of the internet can be seen in microtransactions. For the past couple of months, there have been numerous gaming companies, such as Electronic Arts, that have been exposed for using microtransactions as huge money grabs that ultimately ruin the gaming experience of the gamers who rather earn in-game content by playing the game. The mishandling of microtransactions can tarnish games name, which is why games such as “Star Wars: Battlefront 2” and “Destiny 2” don’t have the player base they could have. While microtransactions have the potential to generate revenue for gaming companies, they seem to have caused more harm than good as there are government officials all over the world who question the integrity of microtransactions.

The incorporation of the internet in the gaming industry has also resulted in a trend in which gaming companies release extremely broken and unfinished games and rely on the internet to release game updates that will fill out the game. Before the internet, gaming developer had to make sure that their games were complete and debugged. Ever since the incorporation of the internet, games such as “Tom Clancy’s: The Division” and "No Man's Sky" take up to a year to receive an update from the developer that updates the game to what it was supposed to be a launch. Its almost as if the quality of video games have significantly diminished ever since gaming developers incorporated the internet.

The debate over whether the internet is ruining video games can be two-sided. Many can argue that the internet is beneficial to the gaming industry as it is allowing for massive PvP matches where there up to 100 people competing in one match. Others will argue that the internet has made a lot of the popular gaming developers lazy and money hungry. While the debate may be two-sided, it can not be overlooked that a lot of the backlash the gaming industry has received can be traced back to the gaming industry incorporating the internet.