Why can some video games host 10s of players with no lag while others can’t seem to host a lag-free 1-on-1?

Question

Why can some video games host 10s of players with no lag while others can’t seem to host a lag-free 1-on-1?

In: Technology

Answer 1

It depends on what needs to be done. Some MMOs might only need to update client information at a rate of once every second or so, while first-person shooters generally need to update dozens of times a second, causing much heavier server load per player.

Different game engines also have an effect, as does the competence of the programmers. There are a pile of other variables in addition to these.