2003 IGDA Online Games White Paper
IGDA Online Games White Paper 2nd Edition – March 2003 Written by the IGDA Online Games Committee Alex Jarett Committee Chairman Jon Estanislao Committee Vice-Chairman and Editor Elonka Dunin Editor Jennifer MacLean Market Overview Section Editor Brian Robbins Business Models Section Editor David Rohrl Production and Design Section Editor John Welch Game Technology Section Editor Jeferson Valadares Online Publishers Section Editor IGDA Online Games White Paper - 2003 FORWARD It is generally accepted now that the Internet and online games provide a tremendous opportunity for new forms of entertainment and for growing the game market at large. With the massive success of online games, ranging from games such as EverQuest to Bejeweled to Pogo and Shockwave, it's pretty clear that this opportunity is real and here to stay. Online features are now starting to take hold in the console wars. It's no longer a question of whether the console world will embrace online, but how much. For the independent developer, the online world offers opportunities ranging from contrarian business models, to a less risky way to try out new ideas, to simply a way to work on different and cool projects. But the independent developer is at a strategic disadvantage when it comes to the online world. Without access to research on what's actually happening in online, a developer can quickly find that any investments made will not get the returns needed. How many developers do you know who are working on the next “great” massively multiplayer game, but don't have any real idea how that game is going to find a market? This project was designed to fill the information void.
[Show full text]