Google Introduces Agones, Game Server Hosting Built On Kubernetes
Video games and container management might seem like two very different things, but Google proves that’s not the case. Google unveiled Agones, a new open-source game hosting platform using Kubernetes. Agones is developed alongside international gaming company Ubisoft.
This collaborative is a great example of what container software is capable of. There’s a big problem in the gaming industry, server stability, and the solution came about through open-source means.
The Problem
Gaming has become an almost entirely online experience. The number of people playing online games increases every year. With more people playing games online, servers are constantly being strained and are unable to scale effectively.
Online games are so competitive that game developers need to run dedicated game servers. This creates a safeguard against cheating and puts players on an equal playing field. These servers are only live for the length of the match itself.
Despite being the best option, these servers are prone to latency problems, because all the players are connected to the same game server. Esports are becoming so prominent that there are tournaments worth millions of dollars. Server-side latency problems are not acceptable when people whose livelihood is based on these games.
Agones’ goal
Agones aims to help with this problem. By using Agones, Kubernetes gains the ability to create, run, manage, and scale dedicated game servers.
Google stated in their blog post, “It allows you to run your game workloads wherever it makes the most sense, for example, on game developers’ machines via platforms like minikube, in-studio clusters for group development, on-premises machines and on hybrid-cloud or full-cloud environments, including Google Kubernetes Engine.”
Another component to multiplayer games is account management, inventory, microtransactions, etc. Kubernetes can run both the dedicated game servers and the supporting components, reducing the overall server complexity.
Game creators who use Agones will be able to utilize the open-source elements of Kubernetes. One of the biggest positive of Kubernetes is its open-source nature. Kubernetes is a member of the Open Container Initiative, a community run by The Linux Foundation.