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Online gaming means playing a digital game while connected to the Internet. It can happen on a computer, console, handheld device, phone, or tablet, and it does not have to involve other players.
What is gaming via the Internet?
Gaming via the Internet, usually called online gaming, is playing a game while connected to the Internet. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center gives this broad definition and includes games played through consoles, handheld gaming devices, and applications on phones, tablets, or computers: FBI IC3, “Child Predators Use Online Gaming to Contact Children” (December 12, 2019).
The definition is about the connection during play, not a particular device or game genre. An Internet connection may provide access to game services, updates, or shared play, but those features are possibilities rather than requirements for something to count as online gaming.
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No. “Online” describes playing while connected to the Internet; it does not, by itself, say how many people are playing together. A player can play online without the broad definition requiring another person to participate.
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Multiplayer describes participation by multiple players. The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Video Games Research Framework (2023) uses “groups of players” for people participating in a video game within a shared online space at the same time. That is a particular social format, not a condition built into every use of “online gaming.”
What devices can be used for online gaming?
Online gaming is not limited to computers. The FBI includes consoles, handheld gaming devices, and applications on phones, tablets, and computers. The OECD’s 2005 report, Online Computer and Video Games, likewise describes online games across PC, console, and wireless platforms. Its device breadth remains useful for understanding the term; its historical market forecasts should not be treated as current figures.
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Is online gaming the same as online gambling?
No. In ordinary technology usage, online gaming means playing video games over an Internet connection. In legal contexts, “gaming” may refer to wagering. The meaning depends on context, and a game does not become gambling merely because it is connected to the Internet.
For example, a Federal Reserve page reproduces U.S. federal definitions under which an “Internet gambling business” involves placing, receiving, or knowingly transmitting a bet or wager using the Internet at least in part. The related definition of a bet or wager involves risking something of value on an outcome under an agreement that something of value may be received. These definitions concern U.S. federal law and wagering, not all Internet-connected video games: Federal Reserve, Section 233.2—Definitions.
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How to tell which meaning applies
- Device: A computer, console, handheld, phone, or tablet can be used for online gaming.
- Connection: The broad online-gaming definition turns on playing while connected to the Internet.
- Players: Multiplayer means multiple players participate; online play alone does not establish that.
- Stakes: If something of value is risked for a potential return, a wagering or gambling question may arise.
- Jurisdiction: Legal definitions depend on the applicable law. The cited wagering definitions are U.S. federal definitions, not universal rules.
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