A Relative Delay Minimization Scheme for Multiplayer Gaming in Differentiated Services Networks

Multiplayer gaming over the Internet continues to grow in popularity, despite a lack of Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms. Future QoS-aware networks such as those based on the Differentiated Services (DiffServ) framework will provide an opportunity for gamers to enhance their game-playing experience. An important QoS metric for networked games is a user’s delay relative to the delay of other users. In this paper, we propose a Relative Delay Minimization (RDM) algorithm for use in DiffServ environments. Simulation results are described and presented showing that the algorithm can reduce the Relative Delay Variation (RDV) between users in a DiffServ environment