5 Reasons NOT to Create a Flash Arcade Site
Categories: Misc
A few online flash arcade sites have become very popular around the web. There is no wonder why hundreds of webmasters have decided to create a portal of their own in hopes of earning a modest sum of revenue. Almost all of them fail. Here are the reasons why you shouldn’t be one of these people.
1. Huge Competition
As I stated before, there are hundreds, if not thousands of online flash arcades out there. If you are the sole administrator of your arcade, it will be hard to beat them. You won’t be able to offer content that everybody else doesn’t have.
2. Returning Visitors are Rare
If your arcade is run by an arcade script that you bought, visitors are not likely to return to your arcade. They most likely only came across it through a Google search for a game. They probably needed to get past a firewall on their network and your site happened to be unknown enough that it wasn’t part of the database of arcade sites. Trust me, those are the only visitors you can expect.
3. A LOT of Storage and Bandwidth is Needed
Most websites, like this one, usually take up under 100 megabytes of space, and usually under 2 gigabytes of bandwidth. If your creating an arcade site with thousands of games, the space needed to hold of those games can really add up. Some games take up more than 10 megabytes of disc space. You could be using quite a few gigabytes of storage space. If your site gets even the minimum amount of traffic, bandwidth usage could get pretty high.
4. Ad Earnings are Minimal
Even with a reasonable amount of traffic to your site, your arcade wouldn’t be earning as much as a blog with the same amount of traffic. Why? Because most visitors to your arcade are numb to all ads. Pay-per-click ads wouldn’t work at all with this kind of traffic. CPM ads are probably the only option, but you would never earn too much from them anyway.
5. It Takes a Lot of Time and Money
Yes, it’s true. Administrating an online flash game arcade can be time consuming. You might be thinking, “Well everything good in life takes time and money to make. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know!”. First of all, Rome turned out to be a great success (until it fell). Your arcade site most likely will not. Secondly, the time you spend on your arcade won’t be the kind of time you’d spent administrating a blog. No, you would be doing some very tedious tasks, like adding games, getting rid of spam, editing page layout, and so on. Trust me, that truly is everything you do.
You should do 5 reasons TO create a flash arcade site too. I’m very pleased I took that road, and although I’m only breaking even right now, the only way is up!
November 3rd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I have to disagree with you 100% here. I actually own a flash arcade site and it has been the most rewarding experience I could have asked for in the 2 years that I’ve been running it. Yes, I’ve broken even, and made plenty of mistakes along the way that cost me traffic, time, and definitely money, but this ship is no where near sinking yet. The longer I keep at it, the more I learn. As I discover what is going on in the industry I begin to shape my site to match visitor interest. I guarantee that in a few years time, the realm will be just as popular and thriving as ever. Of course, if this post deters the competition then that’s just another +. 🙂
January 20th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Great Information Man! Thanks
March 1st, 2009 at 12:02 pm
I would also have to disagree 100%. My reasons are as follows: 1-Although there may be much competition out there, you can always find a way to get unique and re-occurring visitors to your arcade. With enough work you could become the competition that others are trying to compete with. 2-If you offer something unique and have great games on your arcade, you will have returning visitors more than expected. 3-There are many web hosting providers that offer unlimited space and bandwidth; therefore, this is not a problem at all. 4-Lately Ad earnings for arcade sites have substantially increased, and the ad earnings make owning an arcade site a very profitable investment. As a testimonial, I started creating arcade flash sites about 2 years ago. I have nearly 4 arcade flash sites available and I now make enough from my ads that I only need a part-time job to pickup any other financial amenities I need. 5-It costs less than $70 to buy an arcade script and hosting services for your arcade. It is also not very time consuming, you can easily create a flash arcade loaded with thousands of games and many features. A very helpful resource, which will teach you how to create a flash arcade in a short 8 hour day, is located at: http://www.8hourArcade.com. I am very saddened by this post because it discourages people from creating a fun and profitable hobby. So just to let everyone know… Go, out there and create your flash arcade!
May 31st, 2009 at 3:03 am
thankz for this great post!! i subscribed to this blog. thankyou.
June 16th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Hello, I think you are very wrong and should be exiled from the Internet. Keep thinking like that failure.
February 18th, 2010 at 7:29 am