Cloud computing has transformed the business world, and the gaming industry can’t simply escape the cloud. I remember the day I play Ragnarok. With 40 millions players worldwide, it’s one of the all-time power players in MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game.) Perhaps you are familiar with World of Warcraft? It’s not new, but it’s still hot today, with 12 millions of players worldwide.

Online gaming is a huge industry, and as MMORPG has becoming mainstream – thanks to World of Warcrart, the next logical evolution of online gaming is cloud-based gaming.

Cloud gaming or gaming on demand is simply online gaming that uses cloud technology to deliver games. Instead of requiring users to download a client software, cloud gaming lets you access the game you want and then the game is made available via the cloud – no console required, just your standard computer setup will do.

Today’s pioneers in cloud gaming is OnLive (near bankruptcy last year, but a new group of investors keep services available,) CoreOnline of SquareEnix, AMD’s CiiNow, and Big Fish Unlimited. The trend is far from mature, and it’s exciting to know how far cloud gaming will go in the near future.

Interested in a history of cloud gaming? Big Fish Games released this interesting infographic – check it out (click for the larger size):

Source: Big Fish Games