Within a remarkably short period of less than ten years, the Internet and the Web have transformed significantly. They have transitioned from a wild frontier into a hub for chat, commerce, entertainment, and education. This substantial shift in functionality represents an incredibly quick change in the context of human history, even when measured against modern commercial standards.
As part of my professional focus, I delve into the sphere of online games and the connected communities. Despite their relatively short history, these aspects hold promising futures, capable of reshaping our perception of entertainment and society much like television did in its time. Until ecently, much of our understanding regarding online games and communities was purely based on their potential and the associated hype. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that we're entering an era where these fascinations are becoming a reality with a sufficient Internet crowd willingly spending on entertainment and related services. This brings us to the significant question - how can we make these successful? Figuring out ways to design games, communities and companies that can take full advantage of the online market surge is the big task ahead. Furthermore, identifying the hurdles that we need to cross individually for succeeding in this burgeoning industry is equally important.
During my journey of developing online gaming platform, I have observed interesting patterns, analyzed pitfalls leading to the rise and fall of other companies, and encountered confounding questions, despite not knowing all the solutions. Presently, I would like to direct your attention towards three crucial queries that every online world creator needs to address:
1) What strategies should we adopt for maintaining a proficient management model for the development of online games and communities?
2) How can we transition our reach from a specified niche to a broader mass market?
3) Above all, how do we conceptualize the concept of community, and what design challenges emerge from this conceptualization?
The aforementioned concerns represent merely a fraction of the numerous challenges that frequently preoccupy my thoughts. There exist a multitude of other issues that warrant attention. For example, determining the optimal approaches to manage latency on the Internet within a vast, changeable setting. However, a thorough exploration of these matters will be temporarily shelved. Should you hold solutions to these inquiries, or if you can pose even more insightful questions, I encourage you to reach out.