Beyond a general sense of who plays games, it is important to understand how games are played—what types of hardware and software are used and in what type of social, solitary, or academic settings games are played. Each gaming device offers a variety of opportunities for game play. Different games, sometimes with different ratings for the same game, are offered on various brands and platforms. And different games provide players with a number of ways in which to play with other people, either through dual controllers, Bluetooth links, or connections forged over the internet.