Published on January 5th, 2019 | by Bibhuranjan

Why are Dedicated Servers Are Better Than P2P for Gaming?

Some gamers can get frustrated by online gameplay due to a slow and laggy connection. This could be due to the game being played on a P2P server instead of a dedicated server. There is a reason why gamers prefer dedicated server gaming over P2P, and that has a lot to do with connection speeds.

One can think of a dedicated server as a midway connection between different gamers. This gateway solves some connection and stability issues. The only connection a gamer has to worry about is his or her own. In P2P gaming, if one of the connections is slow, all of the players’ connections will suffer.

What Is Peer-to-Peer Gaming?

In the online-multiplayer gaming world, there is Peer-to-Peer (P2P) and Dedicated Server gaming. Peer-to-Peer commonly refers to a multiplayer game that is hosted by one of the players’ machines.

P2P, in theory, works well if you are playing with friends or others online who are near you. The closer the other players are to you the better (hopefully) your connection is going to be. If you happen to be gaming with others on a global level, the connection will probably be slower than you would want. But the same can be said about dedicated server gaming as well. If your home Internet connection is slow, your gaming connection will be slow.

Gaming with others online through a P2P connection still requires a dedicated server of sorts; it’s just that the dedicated server is your actual gaming machine of choice. And if you happen to be unlucky and the host machine has a slower connection, your gameplay will suffer as a result.

Some games are so enormous that a more powerful dedicated server is required (although many popular games are still P2P). Some games that need these powerful dedicated servers are known as Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) or more commonly MMOs. Games such as World of Warcraft Classic, Boundless, Final Fantasy XIV, and The Elder Scrolls Online are good examples of MMOs that need a dedicated server to make it run properly.

The online gaming world is more popular than it has ever been. There are millions of gamers worldwide. World of Warcraft has over 7 million players, The Elder Scrolls Online has over 3 million, and Final Fantasy XIV has over 1 million. Gaming is so popular that the events surrounding it are bigger than many popular sporting events.

Fortnite, one of the most popular games currently, has nearly 125 million players across all platforms. While Fortnite is not an MMO, it still utilizes a dedicated server to support the millions of players worldwide.

Dedicated Server Gaming Vs. P2P

Dedicated servers are typically fast and powerful, and because of this, they can be used in many different ways. Dedicated servers are normally housed inside of a data center. The power and connectivity a data center has makes these types of speeds possible. There are many uses and benefits of using a dedicated server. A dedicated server can be used for Virtual Private Networks, Private Communications, Data Syncing, Website Hosting, and of course Game Server Hosting.

Most standard home Internet setups don’t have the upload speeds fast enough to handle more than a few gamers. A dedicated server, on the other hand, has higher processing power and faster Internet connection speeds, which can support hundreds of players at a time across multiple machines.

Game developers also benefit from dedicated servers. In fact, developers behind some of the more extensive games will need a server bank which houses multiple dedicated servers. These server banks are typically located around the world in different countries to deliver redundancy when unforeseen events occur. The more complicated a game is, the more essential a dedicated server is.

All players would rather have the faster and more powerful connection that a dedicated server offers. Luckily for gamers, whether or not a game uses a P2P or a dedicated server, the game will still cost the same price to purchase. On the developer’s side of things, a dedicated server can cost them more, which is why some games charge a monthly hosting fee. Most gamers are more than happy to pay a hosting fee to get the stability, speed, and power dedicated server gaming offers.

Conclusion

Dedicated servers are great for gaming. And with the gaming industry being as popular as it has ever been, gamers are looking for the best gaming experience possible. Because of the speed, power, and reliability, dedicated server gaming is the first choice for serious gamers. P2P may have some benefits for game developers (primarily cost), but developers will have the mission of getting gamers to play their game. The example of the popular game, For Honor, is a good example of how the gaming community prefers a dedicated server to P2P that it forced the developer to switch to a dedicated server.

Dedicated servers can be very beneficial on other levels including businesses. As mentioned above, dedicated servers can be used for VPNs, Private Communications, Data Syncing, and Web Hosting. It is reliable, offers more security, and is customizable and flexible. A dedicated server can give you more control over the storage space.

Author Bio:

This article was written by Michael Isberto. Isberto is the Blog Director and a Content Writer for Colocation America. He received his B.A. in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Public Relations at CSUSB. Isberto is a Communication professional with additional experience in Public Relations, Marketing, and Social Media.

Tags: dedicated server, gaming, P2P, server, VPN

About the Author

Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.