Enhancing Cloud Gaming Experience through Optimized Virtual Machine Placement: A Comprehensive Review

Cloud computing is profoundly transforming the way IT services are implemented and provided to end-users. Gaming services are not exempt from this new trend. In fact, with cloud gaming or Gaming as a Service, players can enjoy a high-quality gaming experience even while using low-end devices with limited processing capabilities. However, achieving the delicate balance between gamers’ quality of experience and the provider’s net profit poses challenges in optimizing the cloud gaming experience. Implementing procedures and strategies to use the most suitable cloud servers and efficiently utilize their resources can help achieve such a balance. This entails allocating each player’s virtual machine to an appropriate physical server, simultaneously optimizing objectives like reducing resource waste, minimizing power consumption, and decreasing network transmission delays. In this article, we offer a thorough review of recent research on the Virtual Machine Placement (VMP) problem in the context of cloud gaming. We explore various facets, encompassing the architecture of cloud gaming, optimization methodologies, and cloud gaming services. Readers will acquire a comprehensive understanding of the challenges in cloud gaming research, with a specific focus on how optimizing the VMP problem can contribute to resolving associated issues.