On Call of Duty, cables and connections.
WhenModern Warfare 3released last year, it pulled in some serious numbers for internet service providers (ISPs).
But what does this really mean?
And how do ISPs cope when gaming traffic spikes occur?
I spoke with EE’s director for gaming and future propositional development Sam Kemp to find out.
“CDN is a content distribution node inside our data pipe,” Kemp says.
If you turn them all in the right way, you get the best sound".
There is “no prioritisation given across the web connection”.
It’s a much simpler path," Kemp tells me.
But congestion can occur within the home itself.
Well, yes they can.
But not every gaming spike can be predicted.
How about the likes ofHelldivers 2, a game few predicted wouldhit the player counts that it has?
That, Kemp admits, was “fascinating” to watch.
“Well, I can’t call our data pipe field team Oompa Loompas!
Running a internet means having a hard-working crew behind the scenes.
“Then, on the fixed side, you’ve probably seen the Openreach-key in teams going around.
They are also servicing the internet, making sure it is optimised and always there.”
Does the download file size or estimated player numbers make a big difference?
“It’s more along the lines of the recognition [of a game],” Kemp replies.
The maths part is just how many people are on our data pipe,” Kemp explains.
What games do we think are going to be the biggest and making sure we have those.
(For context, 2PB is the equivalent of watching an HD film non-stop for 3.5 years).
“That is almost double what we saw at the start of 2023.
It’s massive,massive.”
Where does gaming go next, as more of us play online for longer?
“data pipe evolution will start to track gaming evolution,” Kemp tells me.
What does the gaming industry have on its roadmap?
And how can we join the dots?'.
We will see eSports and competitive gaming evolving.
