Why browser based games?
It is an important question for all PBBG developers. The answer can show us where we want to go or give us insight in how we create our own games. It can remind us what our goal is, an image we should always keep in our minds.
Goals and motivations can differ from one person to another. Knowing where we stand is important though. That’s why I asked 9 developers to answer the following questions:
- Why did you originally want to make browser based games?
- Why did you choose browser based games over other media?
- Why do you make browser based games now?
- Why do you still make browser based games, instead of going to other media?
- Why should, or shouldn’t, people play browser based games?
This was not a scientific survey or anything like that but rather a glimpse of the minds of some fellow developers. Some of them already have games online for quite a while, others are still creating their first PBBG.
Maybe their answers, and my view, can help you to answer those questions for yourself.
1. Why did you originally want to make browser based games?
When I was younger I played browser based games since we didn’t have much stand alone games. I played because my friends played, because it was easy to get into (games aren’t really that easy when you’re a child).
What I looked for in a game was the experience of doing things myself. Instead of having an image in my head, or on tv, I would be able to make it real. Playing a game made it real. Off course there are too many restrictions in a browser game for my huge imagination.
Creating things has always been important too me, whatever it may be. I have a huge imagination and I need to make something of that real, concrete. So creating my own game, my own world, is something really tempting to me.
My direct motivation was the fact that there were so many games and none of them seemed to do it right. Frustrated about the games that didn’t draw out all the potential the PBBG medium has I wanted to make a game I would really like to play. A game that would be fun, or interesting, for my standards.
It might also have been about proving myself. Or experiencing how far I could get or how it would be to create a game.
Originally, creating games was not about money or status. I didn’t desperately wanted others to have fun or to say I created a good game. It was just about doing what I wanted to do and creating a world of my own. There is not just one reason why I wanted to create browser based games but rather a whole bunch of reasons stacked together.
If I had one sentence to describe why I originally wanted to make browser based games it would be: “Because I wanted to be able to create my own world and others to experience that world”. I don’t mind if others enjoy that world, I just want them to be able to experience it.
I wrote more on my first journey, and how it began, in this post-mortem about CeasterTrade.
In my little survey people gave quite similar answers.
One motivation is trying to create better games. People who see the potential in browser games being abused and who want to create something different, something new.
Some found making a PBBG a challenge. They thought it would be fun to do a PBBG on their own and were curious how it would turn out.
A very popular motivation was, and I was a little surprised, that people wanted to learn php / mysql. They wanted to learn programming and thought that a PBBG would be a good and fun way to do that (and it is, obviously). This motivation changes after a while, like you’ll notice when we get to question 3.
Chris, from bbgamezone, answered that his motivation was: “for others to have fun and money”. I was surprised, because I thought that he at least would know you won’t make big money with browser based games. I guess the “fun” part is key here.
2. Why did you choose browser based games over other media?
The answers on this one are loud and clear. Not everyone gives the same reasons but the advantages are clear for everyone. In short:
- Easy to make
- Easy to learn
- Low cost
- Accessibility: no download + access from everywhere
- A different “feel” to browser games
- Casual gameplay
- Low / No costs for players
- You can do it on your own
- Low competition
- Special connection with browser games from own experiences
Chris said it was technological paradise:
It is extremely simple to make browser games compared to standalone PC games, there are no technological changes forcing you to throw away the code in the middle of the project becuse it became outdated, you can do it all alone, low competition since no real programmer consider webside a serious game project, basically the competition is a bunch of kids that don’t even know what assembler is. In short, it is technological paradise.
Doidel, also from bbgamezone, said this:
I wanted to create something complex, something alike a game. I had never played browsergames, still, I coded one, and then one day someone told me this what I was doing there is called a “browsergame”.
3. Why do you make browser based games now?
There is a large and growing market. You, as a designer and developer, are able to make a living doing what you like to do. You can create something other people enjoy.
Quote from Glenugie, from bbgamezone:
Now I make them because everyone on the team, and our members seems to enjoy using the game.
A strong motivation is creating something different, something better. This motivation counts for more developers after a while, more than in the beginning.
Apparently we like doing it. Why we like it? Actually, I don’t know. Maybe a lot of underlaying reasons count for a lot of people. Doing what we like to do is a great motivation though.
4. Why do you still make browser based games, instead of going to other media?
It was clear that for all developers PBBG development is a niche they feel very comfortable with. They see no reason to go to other media. The advantages of browser based games are well known and nobody wants to bother learning something new. The low costs are a major concern. Even when some developers have experience with other media, they prefer a PBBG.
5. Why should, or shouldn’t, people play browser based games?
Delvagan, from http://cmrpg.net :
These games will always appeal to a certain niche. Someone is is big into games like WOW etc make look at these games and snub there nose. But, for someone on a budget that doesn’t have a state of the art gaming machine these games fit the bill. These games appel to those that can’t access the fancy 3D games like at school, work, library, or mobile phone.
Harkins, from http://push.cx/ :
People should play browser games to add a few minutes of fun to their
daily routine.
Justin Rhodes:
I wouldn’t say people SHOULD play, but i wouldn’t discourage anyone from playing either. They are great time killers on a slow day at work. they only require a few minutes a day to participate in, but you can spend as much time as you want. you have great communities grow up in the games. I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to play.
Glenugie:
People should play browsergames because ultimately they are only limited by the creativeness of the developer, and if you know what sort of games you like, you’ll be able to find a BBG out there that’s suited to you (And if you can’t, make one!)
Doidel:
Anyway, most people I know who play browsergames play them for one simple reason: They just do
they started once and didn’t quit them anymore.
I think that we all agree persistent browser based games are something unique. I am convinced that they will never go away, especially when you see the passion of their creators.
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guahanweb
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Doidel