Ping is the latency that exists in a network that connects a game server and a player’s client. It is measured using the ping utility. In terms of quantitative reporting, it is expressed in milliseconds. Putting it in practical terms, when one’s ping is low, the amount of lag you’ll experience during gameplay will also be reduced accordingly.
On the other hand, high ping levels result in high amounts of lag during the gaming experience. However, it’s important to note that, ping levels and the amount of lag they cause may not always be proportional. You may experience lag during gameplay with any level of ping.
Consequently, there are two types of pings. These types depend on the amount of latency the ping causes. They are high and low ping. High or low pings become very crucial, depending on the type of game under consideration. Usually, games in which time is of essence require low pings for an optimal experience.
Examples of such games are real-time strategy games or first-person shooter games. In this case, low ping results in a faster flow of data between the game servers and the clients of individual players. Meanwhile, players’ clients may get disconnected from the main game server in situations of high latency.
Some elements that influence ping during gameplay include connection speed, firewall configurations, and internet protocol in use. Also, your physical or geographic location can affect your ping. For example, a player located in Greece, playing on a game server located in Canada, will have higher ping than another situated in the US.
This is because of the greater distance the data have to travel to get to the person in Greece. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to note that, the type of network hardware in use between the two computers and the amount of packet-switching players a more determining role in the final ping between the player’s client and the game server.