Starting an online gaming business is a great way to connect with other gamers, learn more about tech, and create a platform that everyone can enjoy. However, it can be a bit of a learning curve, especially if you’re new to entrepreneurship. From learning about virtual private server hosting to setting ambitious goals for your business, there are some key things to keep in mind.
Whether you want to offer private access to potential customers or are looking for ways to keep team members on track, here’s what you need to know first.
1. Set effective goals.
Goal-setting is one of the best practices of any business. While tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) is important, smart goals and key results are the best things for continued growth. Often, this is done through the use of OKRs. An OKR’s integration into your business can make it easy to resolve technical issues, develop qualitative goals, and keep a balanced scorecard of your gaming company’s performance. You can use OKR concepts at the end of the quarter to both get your business in a great place and keep it in a great place.
The OKR process involves setting goals on an individual level as well as companywide. With your set of key results in mind, you can apply this goal-setting framework in multiple ways. The OKR methodology spans entire business goals and individual OKRs. It’s a great way to keep your fingers on the pulse of your business.
2. Decide on server hosting.
If you’re intending on developing a multiplayer gaming experience or facilitating an online community, you need to start doing some research on server hosting. A dedicated server can be incredibly beneficial but that requires a good amount of disk space and hardware. Often, a virtual machine or virtual server is the way to go as opposed to something like a Windows server. Choosing the right operating system is integral too. This is why you might want to consider Linux VPS hosting. Linux VPS often provides added levels of security, especially where VPS servers and VPS hosting are concerned. Plus, with a VPS, you don’t have to worry about on-site hardware storage which is often bulky and cumbersome, not to mention expensive.
Of course, you still need to factor in costs for a cloud VPS. You can either pay a web host on a monthly or annual basis. You’ll also want to set up a Linux server with assistive technology, intuitive migrations, and weekly backups to prevent data losses. Some providers offer VPS hosting on a sliding scale so you’ll want to look up some of the key differences between product offerings when you set up server hosting. Also, ensure that there’s some form of live chat available in case of outages and difficulties.
3. Consider hardware needs.
Even if you’re going with a cloud VPS over a dedicated server, you’ll still need your own hardware to craft games and develop software. Consider your needs carefully. from CPU cores to a load balancer, it’s important to weigh all of your options equally. If you don’t have a major hardware knowledge base, you’ll want to make sure that one of your team members does. Otherwise, potential customers will spot when you have ongoing issues or poor development. Even if expensive hardware is more of a stretch goal, you should work toward it.
Between learning how OKRs work at the end of the quarter to finding out VPS server best practices, there’s a lot that goes into starting a gaming business. It’s an ambitious goal but with the right tools in your kit, you can make it work.
