[gameprogrammer] Re: Survey!!!!
- From: "Dave Slutzkin" <daveslutzkin@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: gameprogrammer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 08:14:41 +1000
On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 16:40:54 -0500, "Bob Pendleton" <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
said:
> On Mon, 2005-09-26 at 08:41 -0700, joshua jones wrote:
> > Would you pay a fee to go to a sort of LAN/online gaming palace, where
> > there is nothing but games wall to wall...console, and PC all
> > connected wirelessly with High-Speed internet acess, and occaisional
> > pay to enter tournaments with prizes? And also what would you feel
> > would be a reasonable price to pay to play for a full day???
>
> I spent quite a while looking into this business model and couldn't
> figure out how to make it work. I have seen some articles indicating
> that the way to go is to provide areas with a playstation or xbox, a big
> screen tv, and one real comfy chair for each controller. The idea is to
> provide the living room everyone really wants.
Doing it for console gaming seems harder to me, as many console gamers
will have a similar set up, or one not a lot worse, in their own house.
So you've got a smaller market to aim at. And most console games look
relatively horrible on big-screen TVs. I would expect PC games would
work better.
> It has been tried several times here in Austin, it has never seemed to
> last very long. The trouble is that it is just too easy to set up a
> little switch and do a lan party were you are using your own computers.
> Hey, I know folks who keep a PC, a switch, and a bunch of cables, in the
> trunk of their car just in case they need it.
Yeah, but these people aren't the intended audience. Hardcore gamers
are likely to have quick net connections and great hardware, and maybe a
LAN. You need to aim at the level below this; they don't have great
hardware or don't have a good net connection, and almost certainly don't
have a LAN. So if they want to play multiplayer with friends, they have
to come to you. This audience is mostly made up of teenagers, because
they probably don't have the cash or space or ability to set themselves
up at home.
So you can't make alcohol a central part of the experience, as that
rules out a huge part of your market. You need to make it
parent-friendly (permanent supervision, clean setting) but with solid
cred for the kids (good hardware, good sysadmin, good branding). You
may need many copies of games, as this makes it accessible to impulse
play rather than just your regulars. (Is there a licensing issue? Not
sure.) But this is debatable.
If you're doing PC games, by far the biggest expense is keeping hardware
up to date. You'll probably need a tranche of new machines every three
months, replacing 50% of your machines, or at least new hardware.
Because otherwise why would people not just play at home? Not sure if
you can charge more for newer hardware. But the bonus is that you can
sell the 'old' stuff which will still be relatively new.
Dave.
--
Dave Slutzkin
Melbourne, Australia
daveslutzkin@xxxxxxxxxxx
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