Games On Demand are exciting software publishers and service providers. They could also be good news for the players… The games use a downloadable player to catch and put together the pieces of a program as they are downloaded to your system. After the player’s installed, you simply click a link to a title you?d like to play, and within seconds, it?s up and running on your machine - if you’ve got cable or DSL. This enables you to play a game on a subscription basis without the need to download and install the software on your PC.



But the process of streaming software is more complex than just grabbing the next chunk of data in a sequence. Current systems use an interactive streaming process that predicts what data the user will need next, and then streams it to the player so that game play runs seamlessly. The streaming player knows which chunks of data to ask for next, so it doesn?t bog the user?s connection or system down with unnecessary megs. And when you’re finished playing, the temporary files used to run the game are cleaned off your drive. Nice.Companies such as Into Networks and Stream Theory are streaming applications and games to the user in a customized format that allows the delivery of messages, advertisements, and promotions. Into Networks? PlayNow.com service offers a varity of click-and-play software titles, from the latest games and educational titles to self-help and leisure applications. The service lets users preview titles for free, rent individual titles, or subscribe to entire channels of content. Two-day rentals cost $2.99 per title, and channel subscriptions cost $5.99 each per month, or $9.99 per month for all three. Compare that to paying $40-45 for popular games like Quake III Arena and Demolition Racer and streamed gaming seems to make sense from the consumer point of view.For game publishers, the streaming format cuts out the high cost of physically distributing titles to retail outlets, as well as the cost of packaging. It also provides easy exposure to a publisher?s full line of games, and serves as a vehicle for trials that may lead to purchases. ‘It opens up a whole new world of software use,’ says Steig Westerberg, president and CEO of Stream Theory. ‘It gives consumers more choices and will dramatically decrease the amount of returns, for publisher cost savings.‘The main players: Into Networks’ PlayNow.com service and Stream TheoryFor more GOD games, check PlayOnDemand: www.playondemand.com