Mitigate Latency in Gameplay for Online Gaming Businesses During High Traffic Surges

The Vietnamese online gaming industry is experiencing significant growth in both the number of players and developers.The widespread use of mobile devices has contributed to a considerable expansion of the player base, encompassing not only young people but also adults and seniors who are increasingly engaging in online games.

According to the latest data from Vietnambiz, Vietnam currently ranks third in Southeast Asia in terms of mobile game players, with 54.6 million users. However, despite this impressive number of players, revenue from the mobile gaming industry remains relatively modest compared to its scale, reaching only 507 million USD. This suggests that there is still much untapped potential for growth in the Vietnamese mobile gaming market.

Bloomberg has recognized Vietnam as a gaming powerhouse. Their data indicates that in the first six months of 2023,Vietnam was among the top 5 leading countries globally in mobile game production, based on the number of downloads.The same report also highlights that Vietnam, and Southeast Asia as a whole, is the region with the highest growth rate of mobile games worldwide, with a 7.4% annual increase expected between 2022 and 2025. Vietnam's game market ranks fifth in Southeast Asia in terms of revenue.

According to data from the Department of Radio, Television, and Electronic Information in 2023, over 50% of popular mobile games in the market originate from Vietnam, including both fully developed Vietnamese products and those with partial Vietnamese participation (outsourcing). Notably, Vietnamese developers excel in the casual game segment, with a ratio of 1 out of 25 games uploaded to app stores being Vietnamese products, significantly higher than other countries.This affirms the potential of the Vietnamese gaming industry as a smokeless industry, offering numerous advantages for economic development and attracting foreign currency for the country.

High traffic is a testament to the success and popularity of an online game, but it also poses significant challenges for game developers and operators. Below are some of the key challenges, along with specific metrics:

Handling server load in the context of sudden traffic spikes

When traffic spikes, servers can easily become overloaded, leading to lag, delays, and even system crashes. This not only impacts the user experience but also diminishes the business's reputation.

A report from the "Fortnite Chapter 2" launch event revealed a sudden surge in traffic, 5-10 times higher than normal,with over 1.5 million players online simultaneously. This overwhelmed the system, causing lag and difficulty accessing the game, negatively impacting player experience and satisfaction.

The sudden increase in traffic highlights the importance of investing in robust server infrastructure and efficient delivery solutions to ensure the ability to meet the growing demands of users.

The Impact of High Latency in Online Gaming

Latency, defined as the time between a player's action and the corresponding response on the screen, can cause inaccuracy and difficulty in controlling characters, leading to a choppy and less engaging experience. High latency is one of the most critical factors affecting the user experience in online games, especially in genres that require quick reflexes, such as first-person shooters or real-time strategy games. When latency increases, players often feel frustrated and tend to abandon the game.

A study by Ericsson revealed that 50% of players will quit a game if the latency exceeds 100 milliseconds. Similarly, a survey by Limelight Networks found that 39% of players will stop playing if they experience constant lag. These figures demonstrate the importance of optimizing latency to ensure a smooth gaming experience, thereby retaining players and building a loyal user community.

Insufficient Bandwidth to Accommodate Player Access

Insufficient bandwidth is a major challenge for network service providers and online game developers. When bandwidth is not sufficient to handle the massive amount of data from popular online games, players may experience poor image quality and lag, negatively affecting the gaming experience.

Research by Sandvine indicates that online games can account for up to 10% of total global Internet traffic during peak times. For example, a popular title like "Call of Duty: Warzone" can consume up to 200MB of bandwidth per hour of play. This requires network service providers to ensure adequate bandwidth to meet the growing demands of players while maintaining a high-quality experience.

Hackers Exploit High Traffic for Attacks

High traffic also means an increased risk of becoming a target for cyberattacks, particularly Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. According to a Neustar report, the frequency of DDoS attacks targeting the gaming industry increased by 46% in 2020. These attacks can cause service disruptions, degrade performance, or even bring down the entire game system, resulting in significant financial and reputational damage to the business. The consequences of a DDoS attack go beyond disrupting the player experience; they can also erode trust and drive players to alternative options, directly threatening the business's growth and competitiveness in the fierce gaming market.

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a geographically distributed network of servers designed to deliver online content,such as websites, videos, images, and other data, to users quickly and efficiently.

Reducing Latency and Improving Performance

Optimizing latency and enhancing performance are crucial factors in ensuring a seamless and uninterrupted online gaming experience. CDNs play a vital role in achieving this goal. By distributing game content to servers located in various geographical locations, CDNs help minimize the distance data needs to travel, thus reducing loading times and providing a smoother gaming experience for users.

Efficiently Handling Large Files

Modern games often require large downloads for installation and updates, sometimes exceeding 100GB. CDNs simplify this process by storing content on multiple Points of Presence (PoPs) scattered globally. This allows users to download more quickly and efficiently, reducing waiting times and increasing gameplay time.

Global Delivery and Intelligent Load Balancing

Not all gamers have access to robust internet infrastructure. CDNs address this issue by placing servers in strategic locations worldwide, ensuring that players in areas with poor connectivity can still access the game with minimal latency. This geographical distribution also helps balance the load across the entire system, preventing overload on any single server.

Enhanced Security Against Cyberattacks

The popularity of an online game is directly proportional to its risk of becoming a target for cyberattacks, especially Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. CDNs play a crucial role in protecting the game from these threats. With robust security features, CDNs provide a multi-layered defense, safeguarding game servers and user data, ensuring the integrity and reputation of the game.

VNCDN is the leading CDN solution in Asia, developed by VNETWORK Joint Stock Company. It ensures fast content delivery and stable performance with an uptime rate of up to 99.9% for e-commerce websites/applications. With advanced CDN technology, VNCDN helps increase business efficiency and enhance user experience while reducing system operating costs and protecting information on e-commerce websites/applications.

Ensuring High Performance and Smooth Player Experience

VNCDN possesses a robust infrastructure with over 280 Points of Presence (PoPs) in 66 countries worldwide to meet the diverse needs of businesses and organizations globally.With international uplink bandwidth of up to 57 Tbps, VNETWORK's VNCDN solution guarantees strong and stable accessibility.

VNCDN's domestic infrastructure is expanded at leading data centers and meets tier 3 standards in Vietnam, including Viettel, FPT, VNPT, and Mobifone. With a total domestic uplink bandwidth of up to 10 Tbps, VNCDN can serve 5 million users simultaneously and handle 8 billion requests per day, ensuring performance and stability for various types of games. VNCDN utilizes NVMe+ and SSD standard servers to optimize data transmission speed and improve website performance. With NVMe+ and SSD standard servers, VNCDN ensures that data access and downloads are fast and smooth, providing the best user experience.

Efficiently Handling Transmission Quality Even During Sudden Traffic Spikes

VNCDN is designed to handle traffic spikes during new releases or major updates. This helps maintain stable performance and ensures all players have the best experience. VNCDN places servers in strategic locations worldwide, ensuring that players anywhere can access the game with minimal latency. Load balancing among servers helps prevent overload and maintain optimal performance.

Comprehensive Security and Automated Integration and Operation Processes

VNCDN offers robust and advanced security features including SSL/TLS encryption, Origin Shield, and IP hiding, which help protect game servers and player data from DDoS attacks and other cyber threats. With RESTful API, VNCDN helps automate and integrate CDN management with the business's system. This allows businesses to easily monitor, customize, and optimize operations.

VNCDN is the optimal solution for online gaming businesses looking to enhance performance and user experience. With advanced technology and a powerful content delivery network, VNCDN not only helps reduce latency and increase page loading speed but also provides comprehensive security measures and flexible scalability to meet the demands of high traffic. Therefore, VNCDN is the ideal choice to elevate your gaming experience and ensure player satisfaction