What Is an MTG Server?
If you're looking for an "MTG server," you could easily find yourself looking in entirely the wrong place unless you're careful. The simple fact is that there are two separate definitions for "MTG servers," which are almost entirely unrelated to one another. One is the server for Wizards of the Coast's online version of "Magic: The Gathering," while the other is a series of servers maintained by MacTown Gaming. About the only thing these have in common, aside from being servers, is that they both relate to online gaming.
Other People Are Reading
-
Servers
-
A server is a computer that is configured to provide data to other computers. These can be computers connected via a local area network, or connected to one another via the Internet. Servers fill a number of roles, depending on their configuration, including hosting files and data for websites, sending and receiving email and managing file-sharing over a network. While any computer can be set up to operate as a server, many professionally operated servers feature specialized hardware and software.
Gaming Servers
-
Gaming servers are set up to host the data services utilized by online gaming. This includes managing changes in player data and tracking player interactions with one another. Most gaming servers are dedicated, rack-mounted hardware specifically configured for the individual needs of the gaming company. Since modern online gaming typically requires large amounts of data be sent and received quickly, these servers typically have to be fast and powerful in order to keep up with the demand.
-
MacTown Gaming
-
MacTown Gaming is an independent website that organizes the activities of its membership for many online games. The website indicates that it offers many games, including "World of Warcraft," "Heroes of Newerth," "Minecraft," "Counter-Strike: Source," "Diablo II," Starcraft 2," "Team Fortress 2," "Battlefield 3" and "Star Wars: The Old Republic." The group also maintains private servers for a handful of games that allow it. As of publication, MacTown Gaming only hosts servers for "Counter-Strike," "Team Fortress 2" and "Minecraft."
Magic: The Gathering Online
-
"Magic: The Gathering" is a collectible card game produced and distributed by Wizards of the Coast. "Magic: The Gathering Online" is the online digital version of the game, supplementing virtual cards in place of their real-world counterparts. Gameplay follows all of the rules of the physical card game, with a strict rules engine built in to prevent cheating. While the game's client software is free to download, players have to pay to register accounts and to purchase cards. The game's server organizes and manages data, including the rules engine that applies to all game matches.
-
References
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
