Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. / 04.09.08
I was honored when Scrivs asked me to do a guest post on Expert Idiot. His request: How did I build my gaming community? Ask and ye shall receive.
When I first got on the internet I did what most people did back then; I made a personal site. After a while I felt the need to write about games because I was heavily into PC games. I launched the site strictly for fun and it evolved from my passion in gaming. I started writing my experiences with a game, then added strategies on how to beat the game. Reviews naturally stemmed from there. I only cared about my friends (that were into PC games) reading the site. I could have cared less about strangers. Then a funny thing happened.
A game truly pissed me off.
I don’t remember which game it was but I remember being so pissed off I ranted about it on my site. I ripped that game apart, called out the developers, recommended people not buy it. I was hot. The developer found my entry and someone from within the company contacted me. They told me a patch was coming out to address many of those issues, would I be willing to install the patch and give the game another try? I agreed and the next email made my jaw drop. They invited me into their beta program.
Just like athletes practice to improve their skill, I improved my site consistently. I had custom scripts made to address organizational and design issues I had with the site. I began interacting with developers because I wanted to get in other beta programs. Over time, I was in all of the “important” beta programs. I had a steady stream of diverse content ranging from my “I got it!” entries to reviews, interviews and screenshots. Then I encountered a problem.
I needed a dedicated server(s) to handle the traffic and files. Hosting wasn’t cheap back then. Enter advertising networks and my first thoughts of monetizing the site. Money was relatively easy to receive if a webmaster had traffic (getting the traffic was the hard part). The money from the networks did not compare to the money that could be made from custom deals directly with the developers/publishers. The custom deals I arranged became the default ads and the advertising network became the filler ads. My site became commercial and I handled it as such. I had an ethics, privacy and Terms of Service statement. I had advertising, interview request, contact and commenting policies. My site in many ways became bureaucratic but it was still so much fun. I had over a million unique people viewing the site (which was a lot back then, not so much today), people were sharing ideas and experiences, the content was flowing from me throughout the day because I loved gaming. Life was like paradise. Being one of the early gaming sites definitely gave me an edge over others because, in the end longevity, quality content and consistency wins out. Corporations started to move in the space, competing with gaming enthusiasts, but their presence did not affect me like other sites because I had that edge of longevity. Unfortunately, as with all good things, eventually they come to an end.
My mother was diagnosed with cancer and I was told the odds were the cancer had spread all over her body and she was dying. They were going to open her up and see how long she had left. Receiving news like that I didn’t care about anything else. I obviously wouldn’t have time to play around on the site because I would have to take care of her during her last days. I needed to make arrangements about my site.
Selling it did not cross my mind. Not once.
I decided to break the site down and give it to other smaller sites in the community to help them grow. I was sad when I made the announcement the site would be closing, contacting the advertisers, the developers, publishers, etc. I smiled picking the sites I would give the content to and the excitement they expressed in receiving it.
I cried when I published the page redirecting everyone to the sites I picked and saying goodbye. Tears are in my eyes now thinking about it.
But I have no regrets. My mom ended up having one tumor on her kidney, they removed the kidney, she had treatment for a year and today, she’s probably as healthy as I am. Eventually, the sites I picked to receive my content died out because the corporations were choking out the gaming enthusiast. Now it is very hard to break into gaming because the corporations dominate the space and I know in my heart that if I sold the site it would have ended up as a corporate site. I cannot put into words how much I would detest that.
I started that site from my passion in gaming. I ended the site on a positive note, giving back to others. Looking back, I realize that deep down I knew that I did it once and it would only be a matter of time before I did it again. I’m fortunate to know the formula for having a successful site. My community wasn’t lost forever, it was placed on pause until I resumed it again.
Tyme White is the author of TymeSaid.com, the female of the 9rules Triad, and has the Tuesday slot on 3by9.com. Basically, she's just one cool gal.
3 Responses
Paul Scrivens // April 9th, 2008
I know you mention not having any regrets, but if you knew that your Mom only had the one tumor would that have changed your thinking? What if you knew that the sites you gave your content to would die out?
Tyme // April 9th, 2008
I got out at a good time because I realize I would have been placed in a position to compete with corporations that have a staff of people to write articles, play games, go to conferences, etc.
I’m especially glad now because the industry has changed dramatically. Back then, a reviewer could give an honest review without pressure from the developer. They wanted to improve the game. Now, developers and publishers put tremendous pressure on reviewers. It is a tough situation to be in and most eventually sell out in some form or another because they do not have the ability to negotiate or become dependent on the ad revenue. As much fun as it would have been to tell companies to kiss off, I’m glad I got out on my own terms and I wasn’t forced out…if that makes sense.
Thank you for letting me guest blog. It was fun.
Paul Scrivens // April 9th, 2008
That makes sense, it is just hard to imagine when there is money involved, but as we know money doesn’t make the world go round. It is interesting to see an industry change before your eyes and realize you would have to adapt or get out because those are your only two choices. The major gaming sites still seem to be in this rut, but fortunately some quality gaming blogs that are a bit more independent have sprung up so you can more readily find out if a game sucks or not.
Even if they do force gaming mags and major sites to up a review, the tactic simply isn’t effective anymore with how fast information can travel and the resources all gamers have at their disposal now.
I think one day I will do a gaming site and one of its sub-communities will be Web++.