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The computer, the Internet, and computer games are firmly embedded in the life of not only programmers but also the everyday life of ordinary people. These components of modernity have already ceased to be something new and have won themselves fans of all ages on the planet.
Humankind has always needed entertainment. Computer games became extremely popular with the advent of the digital age, as they can become a real immersion in a new world. Sociologists sound the alarm that computer addiction relieves people of their personal life, but the development and publication of computer games are growing at an increasing rate. Every second person wonders how to run a gaming business. However, an alternative view considers such games - a new direction in the art, which had no analogs before.
The development of technology spawned this business only at the end of the twentieth century, and therefore today has many prospects. But a novice developer will have a long way to the stars through the thorns.
Managing a business related to games
The entrepreneur, who is the founder of the project and its ideological inspirer, depending on their personal qualities and capabilities, can become a participant in the development and a participant in the promotion while holding leading positions. In the extreme case, the entrepreneur can simply become an investor for the project.
Next, the work will require a fairly large staff of programmers, and these people should cover different software code game development areas.
Also, there should be designers, game designers, and artists on the team. Sometimes it may be necessary to involve animation specialists, musicians, and testers. A separate mention should be made of the support team specialist, who is primarily engaged in server support and ensures stable operation.
The marketing department consists of marketing, sales, and public relations managers. A small project can be developed by a team of no more than ten people, but full-fledged and large-scale games require a large staff, sometimes more than a hundred. For obvious reasons, the maintenance of such a large team costs an entrepreneur a lot of money, but in this situation is a simple and effective way to save money.
Nowadays, many responsibilities can be outsourced. A lot of content for the game can also be bought from specialized companies that offer ready-made sets of textures, sounds, and models. Thus, full-time employees perform only the most demanding tasks and complex parts of the game. Simpler and more typical tasks are outsourced to third-party programmers, who charge much less for their work.
Usually, the creation of a game starts with an idea. Many companies use a proven game creation scheme where they take a typical story, use typical game mechanics, bring in something new, and start to publish the biggest feature of the game. These are clone games of some successful projects, and the game industry knows a few examples of successful implementations of the same product under different names. It's another thing if the developers found a new and interesting idea, but in this case, you should be sure that the consumer will like the idea not less, and preferably even more than the creator themselves.
The game should have a fascinating story and interesting mechanics for the game to be successful and interesting. In online games, less attention is paid to graphics than in video games.
In browser games, just 3D already greatly increases interest in the project.
Equipment for the business of creating online games
For the game to function for many users, you need to rent a server, buy a place on the hosting, and purchase a domain name. Renting a server will cost a business up to 20 thousand per year, which is very small. However, your server must be continuously maintained and, if necessary, to expand, for which there are special companies and employees within the company.
In the case of creating a browser game, the development can take place not on a personal site but on the site of a third-party company. The simplest example is the creation of applications in social networks or on specialized sites that offer visitors a huge number of games.
In such a direction, you will have to compete with many companies, but there are a lot of players on such sites and potential consumers.
The profitability of such a startup directly depends on the number of players. If they become very numerous, you can talk about profitability in the few hundred percent, although you will have to gradually increase its capacity and improve the game.
In many cases, the effective scheme is designed for the long term. Only created the game at first engaged only in attracting players, but it is only essentially polished to a shine, but still only a demonstration model. Gradually the game is being improved, the number of fans is growing, interest in the project is increasing, and the entrepreneur begins by introducing a small number of inexpensive paid features. And then it is on the rise.
What kinds of gaming businesses exist
- Yes, games can be divided into several categories based on budget:
AAA game is a project developed by a large studio with a huge budget. This is exactly what Ori WotW, STALKER, etc. are like.
- AAA games have lower budgets than the previous ones. They try to create the same level design and functionality but usually fall behind in one or more areas (e.g., gameplay, story, graphics, pacing, etc.). However, there is no clear limit between AAA and AA level video games, and if there is, it is subjective.
- Indie games are created by an individual developer or a small team without the financial support of a computer game publisher. They can usually have unique gameplay but low-quality graphics.
- Of course, there are still amateur games. Even a student or school child, who is confident in computers, can create such a game. However, these projects have a lot of disadvantages, the first and the biggest of which is poor quality.
- Blogging is one of the most popular professions in the 21st century. A video blog (vlog) is a blog made with video, unlike a text blog where information is exchanged with text and static characters and effects. There are a lot of ideas for a video game, and you can find them on the Internet without any difficulty. Ideas on how to make a video montage can be found on the YouTube platform or just in Google.
What difficulties can there be, and what should you be prepared for?
A large number of companies are developing computer games today. Enthusiasts and small groups of people represent many. There is usually no division between a publisher and a developer when creating a browser game. The full promotion of the game on the market and its development is done by one team; just job duties are distributed within the team and not between several companies.
To minimize your risks, you can start by creating a small project, the mechanism of promotion of which is quite different from the sale of conventional games.
Multiplayer games are distributed over the Internet. In the case of browser games, the consumer does not even need to install the client or software. The gameplay itself takes place in the internet browser. Designers make a different keyboard shortcut to interest gamers.
Usually, such games are not designed to profit by selling a copy but by selling paid subscriptions and privileges that give a significant advantage to the player. Among playing, this practice is characterized by one word - “donate,” although usually “donate” refers to voluntary donations for the project's development.
Multiplayer browser games hope to get a wow effect after launch. Promotion of browser games is only possible by using all modern marketing methods; it is necessary to attract as many players as possible, for which even a superficial acquaintance with the game will be free. Then you can reinforce the impression of the effect and then already offer paid services. The entrepreneur will be forced to face just a huge level of competition, so they have to offer their customers really interesting projects and something to stand out from the general background of the project.
Some of the nuances of game development:
- A long wait. "Learning" the hero can take several weeks, if not months;
- The work of an assistant assumes a deep knowledge of the game and attention to "alterations";
- Testers sometimes have to sit up at night over the "raw" project, communicating with administrators online to get a complete picture of the flaws. More often than not, games are already available to users.
Tips for running a gaming business
The platform introduces its technology to the medical industry, the automotive industry, and the film industry. The latter uses Unity as an editor for VFX effects. Newcomers interested in Unity can start developing in any of these areas. However, do not take this platform as a designer because, first of all, it is a development environment.
Consequently, you should treat the platform accordingly: start with the basics, with the architecture. It does not matter if we are talking about working with VR or blender. It is more about the tools you can use.
Because of the main advantage of Unity - an easy start, this platform is so attractive to newcomers in development. A person who does not know programming can take a few tutorials and, in a few days, create a game that is already playable. This explains the popularity of this platform among developers. It is also great because whatever the problem, most likely, this issue has already been researched by someone and offered several solutions. In addition, there is always the opportunity to ask other users a question about your problem.
Among the advantages of Unity over other platforms, the programming language is C#. It is ideal for beginners because it is not very complicated, and at the same time, it "insures" against mistakes. Although C# is a more conservative language, it has a lot of help and hints, unlike C++.
For example, PHP or JavaScript allows developers to do anything and do not emphasize the flaws. As a result, the code in these languages can be horrible, and the writing habits will also be flawed.
That's why Unity is an ideal option from which to start developing. However, in a simpler programming language, the platform "pays" for convenience - it loses in speed to other platforms.
In addition, an important difference of Unity is that you can create projects there in two ways:
Writing all the code yourself is very long and complicated.
Or you can use ready-made "plugins" (conditional packages with a set of tools for development and design. You can use them and build the game simply, like a construction set).
The most interesting competitor to Unity is Unreal Engine. The strength of Epic Games, which maintains and develops this platform, is that it is much larger than Unity and has a lot of resources. If you are interested in large-scale projects, games of the highest class, and budget, you should consider Unreal Engine for work.
Conclusion
If you are already planning to start an online gaming business, start building your portfolio. Create a company website, post vacancies. Learn the requirements and skills you need for candidates and start growing your business. Get started and start developing your online games.
