We’ve been looking for a way to explain how edge computing is changing the rules of gaming infrastructure. This is the next evolution of game hosting because it solves much of the latency problems that plague video games, the ultimate bane of the gamer. I could throw numbers out there, but it’s hard to get the complete picture without context. But now, with the help of an example to make edge computing easy to understand, I think I got it. 

Here goes:

Let’s say that, like in the old days of pre-Covid, you must commute daily to your job. Commuting isn’t your favorite activity because your job is on the other side of the city. So you’re looking for ways to reduce your commute time and enjoy life to its fullest. Here are the solutions available on the market:

1. Someone sells you a special faster car. The car’s particularity is that you won’t need to follow all of the rules, such as speed limits or stops. That sounds like a good start!

2. Choosing the right way is essential if you want to avoid traffic jams. So you get a new technology that sends two copies of yourself and your car, and each copy will use a different itinerary. The first to get to your workplace becomes the real you, and you can go on with your day. Nice, you can always make sure to shave off some minutes on your commute!

3. You’re tired of commuting and decide to go for the most expensive solution. You hire a company to build a private highway between your house and workplace. Expensive, but the time saved on your commute is great!

4. The last option, presented to you by your edgy friend, is astonishing. He’s confident that with his new tech, you’ll be able to TELEPORT your workplace right around the corner of your house. Your commute time is now the closest to 0 as possible, and it almost feels like a home office.

Offered those options, what’s your reaction? Like myself, you’ll probably go directly with number 4, teleporting your office, because it’s cool and provides the shortest commute time. Now, you’re probably telling yourself that teleporting the whole building where I work must be the most expensive option! The answer to that is no; it’s not the costliest option. In fact, it’s readily available and will become even more so over the next few months. And it’s exactly the promise of edge computing: moving your workplace (game servers) closer to the people that need it (players) to save time (latency).

Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’re interested in applying edge computing to a specific use case.

Stay tuned for part 2, where I’ll take a stab at explaining containerization in simple terms!