by Jeff Woleslagle on Jun 05, 2006
A Game by Any Other Price...
Ever stop to consider just what it takes to keep a massively-multiplayer online game operational? In this week's common content editorial, Ralsu ponders the monthly fee for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach (DDO). What do players expect for their money? And are they getting it?
At the basest level, fees keep your MMOG of choice running. To run persistently-online games, a company needs servers. To maintain the servers, it needs technicians. To resolve technical and billing issues, it needs customer service representatives. To maintain the subscription base and generate new interest in the game, the companys going to want a website. Websites require developers. To lock 80 flamefest threads each day and let forum posters know their digital voices are heard, the company must hire community managers. Oh, and then theres the marketing and public relations specialists.