34 replies
I am just about to start a new website in the gaming niche. Its one I personally have a lot of interest in, so I figured it would be a good place to start (if I don't make a lot of money, at least I will enjoy the content).

Do my fellow Warriors have any good resources/strategies/tips relating to the gaming niche?
#gaming #niche
  • Profile picture of the author xavierfok
    Hi TheJord,

    I have a gaming niche on poker and would like to share some tips.

    Take note that the gaming niche is not very well tolerated by many websites as it is classified under "porn, gaming and related stuff". This makes your work a little more challenging as you can use less services.

    Ranking for some niche terms can be easier due to the weaker competition, i actually managed to rank for "poker rules" term in the first week, although i lost it later when i did not follow up.

    Google Adsense will also reject your application based on this grounds.

    If you take a look at cbengine or cbsnooper for gaming related products, especially poker, you realise that the gravity(selling factor) is quite low meaning that it is not that easy to sell a gaming product.

    However, you can still try if you like and i can try to help you out where i can.

    For more information on gaming, you could visit ezinearticles or articlesbase. If you are looking for some strategies, you could check out the WSO forums and either get the free ones or invest some money to buy some WSOs and study their strategies.

    Good luck on your journey!
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    • Profile picture of the author TheJord
      Thanks for your response.

      I actually meant gaming as in video gaming
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      • Profile picture of the author rts2271
        Multiplayer gaming.

        w00t

        Ya I used to have a few membership sites offering res slots , guides etc etc. Great conversion and high stick rate. Sold my Counter-Strike site to IGN in 2003 for a shiny nickel.
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        • Profile picture of the author TheJord
          Any advice rts2271?
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          • Profile picture of the author Matt Barrington
            That was my very first niche, actually! The biggest thing I found was to talk to gamers like they're gamers. If you're into it, you know what I mean, but a lot of marketers get in and start saying "You know, it's important for you have a good set of armor for your character, or you'll never get anywhere....blah blah blah basics that everyone knows."

            Figure out if you're selling to n00bZ or the more 1337 crowd. Your approach will make a huge difference. Best of luck!
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          • Profile picture of the author rts2271
            Dont marry any single game. Develop streams of income inside the niche. Tshirts, memberships, lan partnerships, contests etc etc

            I always start with building a community around a game. Then I engage the players and find the go-getters to sub-manage the servers and moderate the forums (free help). After about 1-3 months od stable good service I roll out a continuity program of some type (membership) and I try to incentivize promotion. (Free membership if you refer X people )

            I also worked on building a big list of insider acquaintances. This lets me get good swag as well as gets me the occasional event pass, trial software and promotional s for the players in the community.

            The game is much tougher now than 10 years ago as most of the stuff we brought in as features are now built into the game. Things like persistent stats, rewards and item purchases. Therefore for membership programs you must have solid value and a low price point.

            I can drill into this further if you need any more info.
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            • Profile picture of the author TheJord
              Originally Posted by rts2271 View Post

              Dont marry any single game. Develop streams of income inside the niche. Tshirts, memberships, lan partnerships, contests etc etc

              I always start with building a community around a game. Then I engage the players and find the go-getters to sub-manage the servers and moderate the forums (free help). After about 1-3 months od stable good service I roll out a continuity program of some type (membership) and I try to incentivize promotion. (Free membership if you refer X people )

              I also worked on building a big list of insider acquaintances. This lets me get good swag as well as gets me the occasional event pass, trial software and promotional s for the players in the community.

              The game is much tougher now than 10 years ago as most of the stuff we brought in as features are now built into the game. Things like persistent stats, rewards and item purchases. Therefore for membership programs you must have solid value and a low price point.

              I can drill into this further if you need any more info.
              I'm not one to turn down help. I already have a small group of acquintances that have agreed to help, and I have several friends who work in the industry.

              I have ideas on a review site, with a twist, that I am still ironing out. Basically, I want to avoid replicating the big sites like IGN and G4TV, and trying to hit on those things people don't like about them.

              What do you think, keep it local or focus on the wider gaming community?

              I can give you my email if you want to send me any more info. Thanks for your help.
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              • Profile picture of the author rts2271
                Originally Posted by TheJord View Post

                I'm not one to turn down help. I already have a small group of acquintances that have agreed to help, and I have several friends who work in the industry.

                I have ideas on a review site, with a twist, that I am still ironing out. Basically, I want to avoid replicating the big sites like IGN and G4TV, and trying to hit on those things people don't like about them.

                What do you think, keep it local or focus on the wider gaming community?

                I can give you my email if you want to send me any more info. Thanks for your help.
                How big is your local group would be my first question. The second is what are the players like. Are they raving like WOW or flighty like EVE. I always like to cast a big net so my first instinct is to say go wide. However some games require essentially the same groups of players to play on a given server so in those cases where your time gets pulled into it go local until you can get someone to manage it. Build the local system deep, meaning build lots of relationships inside the community with the players, thats one of the problems with IGN, Gary and Mark left and it became corporate. Then model the system and see what other related games it applies to.

                I would still be deeply involved in this niche but other than CS and Mech I just have no interest as its all pretty rehashed right now.
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        • Profile picture of the author MaverickUK
          Originally Posted by rts2271 View Post

          Multiplayer gaming.

          w00t

          Ya I used to have a few membership sites offering res slots , guides etc etc. Great conversion and high stick rate. Sold my Counter-Strike site to IGN in 2003 for a shiny nickel.
          For curiosities sake, can I ask what website that is? I'm somewhat a Counter-Strike 1.6 veteran
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          • Profile picture of the author rts2271
            I sold mercnet.org in 2007 which was parted out for its infrastructure. We also had atllan.com . I kept mercnet.net and really did nothing with it. They retired the site in 2009 and it went up available last year. I debated buying it back but my drive there in that niche isn't what it was 5 years ago.

            Played CS from beta to about a year ago. Finally got burnt out on gaming in general and was semi disapointed by The CPLs and CALs failure.
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            • Profile picture of the author Josh MacDonald
              Make sure you choose the right niche, but nothing too competitive. Internet Marketers often come from curious technology fanatics. Gamers also come from technology fanatics. So it is safe to say, a lot of people on here probably would also be interested in opening a site like that. So competition could be high.
              On another note a bunch of Runescape kids are hard to monitize other than gateways. However games like WoW and COD have a mix of ages, but the SEO competition will be pretty high.
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              • Profile picture of the author rts2271
                Originally Posted by macdonjo View Post

                Make sure you choose the right niche, but nothing too competitive. Internet Marketers often come from curious technology fanatics. Gamers also come from technology fanatics. So it is safe to say, a lot of people on here probably would also be interested in opening a site like that. So competition could be high.
                On another note a bunch of Runescape kids are hard to monitize other than gateways. However games like WoW and COD have a mix of ages, but the SEO competition will be pretty high.
                This is very very true. They are tough on quality and it's a very competitive niche.
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  • Profile picture of the author JoshTara
    Would love to hear some more tips and info on this niche because it is one I am considering in the near future. Thanx for the info keep it coming.
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  • Profile picture of the author xxdksxx
    I have been wanting to get into the gaming niche since I originally started. I have played wow for 4 years and every xbox game out there. Love games and would love to get into the niche but haven't been able to find the right approach yet.
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  • Profile picture of the author theme
    Hi,

    You can see my home made gaming niche and you can get some ideas.
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    Riaz, an experienced Web Designer /Developer.
    Expert in Photoshop, HTML5, CSS3, jQuery, Wordpress.
    My Portfotio Live Wordpress Demo
    skype id : riazmohamed.k

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  • Profile picture of the author BenFromSoMo
    Remember that you probably understand this niche well enough that you will know that you cannot blindly follow all the general niche site advice out there. Just remember to know your customers and meet their needs.
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    If you do any kind of blogging and want to try the next big thing, PM me.

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  • Profile picture of the author jimmy11
    I would recommend the mmo niche, especially Rift atm. It is similar to World of Warcraft but most players are leaving WoW to play Rift, so great potential. It would also be easier to rank than most other games as it is fairly new and gauranteed to grow.

    Well that's what i'm doing anyway.
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  • Profile picture of the author BloggingPro
    MMO sites have great potential, but honestly, you are going to need to outsource some of the content creation. There is just too much information. For example, I just got into WoW. When I am having a hard time with a quest I simply Google it.

    ONE site comes up for EVERY quest in the numero uno spot every time. It has taken years to develop that kind of site, so if you are going to try and compete in that space you will need to some serious content creation skills.

    Rift is brand new, however, there are sites that are becoming authorities really fast. You need to jump in on this NOW. Write down your goals, don't fret too much about the domain name (try to avoid TM infringe) and jump in. Start writing fast.

    Now of course you could always create a site that talks about Video Game news, but breaking into that space is going to he HARD. Not impossible, but hard. Many of the sites have been around for over a decade and are now owned my major media conglomerates. Not exactly the best wall to try and break through--but like I said, not impossible either.

    You could try doing Video Game reviews with your own style of wit and humor added in. Even then, it'll take years (read: HARDWORK) to develop a large enough following.
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    You're going to fail. If you're afraid of failure then you do not belong in the Internet Marketing Business. Period.
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  • Profile picture of the author celente
    think john reese entered in this niche and has sort of retired from the IM niche.

    If he is there, must mean there is good money to make. :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author rts2271
      Originally Posted by celente View Post

      think john reese entered in this niche and has sort of retired from the IM niche.

      If he is there, must mean there is good money to make. :-)
      Its huge, I haven't seen the numbers for the last 2 years but in 09 it had tied dollar for dollar with Hollywood. However the market is on the cusp of a shift related to consoles and no one knows wheres its going to go. Mobile is a new market but the big game houses bread and butter are the consoles.
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  • Profile picture of the author AceOfShirts
    I've been sitting on VideoGameChampion.com for a couple of years now. My original plan was to build a Social website like Facebook and let people post their own stories and video game high scores. I was going to try to integrate my custom shirt printing into it somehow, like letting people order shirts with their high scores, but I couldn't figure out how to get around the trademark problems.

    This thread has renewed my interest and I'm going to take another look at it this weekend. Anybody have a better idea?
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  • Profile picture of the author ~kev~
    Originally Posted by TheJord View Post

    Do my fellow Warriors have any good resources/strategies/tips relating to the gaming niche?
    My advice is, do not do it.

    The gaming niches are saturated to the point where new sites are overlooked. Your going to have to work for years just go get your site established, and then there is no promise that its going to be successful.

    A couple of years ago I opened a gaming blog and forum; the site stayed open for about 18 months and then I decided to close it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ricky Dawn
    I would suggest concentrate on a single game. And building a community around it, you can even advertise it in game if you play it.

    If your looking at doing a site similar to IGN it will have to have a very good USP to be able to compete.

    Ricky
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    • Profile picture of the author ~kev~
      Originally Posted by Ricky Dawn View Post

      I would suggest concentrate on a single game. And building a community around it, you can even advertise it in game if you play it.
      What happens when a new game comes out and everyone stop playing the game you built the community around?

      Gaming niches have to be flexible, as the gaming market is very dynamic.
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      • Profile picture of the author WebPen
        Originally Posted by ~kev~ View Post

        What happens when a new game comes out and everyone stop playing the game you built the community around?

        Gaming niches have to be flexible, as the gaming market is very dynamic.
        I think if this happens, you chose the wrong game.

        Look at games like WoW, Everquest, Rift, etc.

        Those are all MASSIVE, have been for years (well Rift hasnt been out that long- but it will be), and have a lot of very passionate people.

        I'm a HUGE gamer- if there's one thing that distracts me from IM, its video/computer games.

        What a lot of the world doesn't realize yet is how passionate people get about these games.

        Honestly some people's lives revolve around these games. It's wake up, play for 1-2 hours, go to work, then come home and play ALL evening.

        These people are willing to spend a good bit of money, since they spend all day on it and are already investing monthly (at least for most MMO games they do)

        I'm not talking about games like Farmville. That game has a HUGE following, but most people just do it to spend their time. I built a big list for those FB game niches and didn't make much $$$ because they're not buyers- they're freebie seekers.

        So, moral of the story is- focus on ONE game- a game that players are passionate about and spending money on- and rock it.

        Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author MaggieMay
    Hi Guys,
    I have just published a WSO report into the gaming niche called Online Gaming Goldmine. It is very detailed and has a ton of useful links. Plus it will give you ideas for sub-niches in this industry. This industry is growing at a massive rate and is expected to be worth $$$112 billion by 2015. Check out my report here.


    http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...ml#post4401645
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  • Profile picture of the author Chri5123
    I have spent over 4 years in the gaming niche - quite a few sites in the MMO niche and a few others.

    It is NOT as easy as building a site and money comes flying in, you need to build contacts etc...

    It can be profitable though I know that first hand but then again so is weight loss!

    Good luck with it!

    Chris Jones
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  • Profile picture of the author Kezz
    I've done some promoting in the video game niche as I'm a huge gamer myself. I can tell you a bit about what did and didn't make money for me.

    Every site is different of course, but this is what I found.


    WINNERS

    Reviews of casual games

    Yes, believe it or not you can actually do better promoting little casual games with only 3 hours of gameplay than with some of the AAA titles. Here's how and why:

    1. You buy a casual game, like a hidden object game, mini action game or puzzler. It takes you only a few hours to get right through the whole thing, where a top shelf game might take weeks. It costs you only $8 or $9 where a major game might be 10 times that.

    2. You create a review while you play through, written and / or video.

    3. You attach your affiliate link to a casual game store that works on a membership basis. These usually pay $10 to $15 per free trial signup. I went through Commission Junction.

    It's not a hard sell to get someone into a free trial, especially as you can often get landing pages branded for the specific game you're promoting.


    Pre-orders and launches of AAA titles

    Getting on board with the hype trains of upcoming releases works very well. If you can get in at pre-order time this is a big win. You can keep pretty close tabs on what's coming up through Amazon and I've found solid promos for the games people are currently most excited about work well.

    The good thing about Amazon is even though the commissions are low, you often end up making more money from all the other stuff people buy once they reach Amazon after visiting your site.

    And because you're promoting games that are brand new with a lot of current marketing on, you don't have to add your own review to get results. I found you just have to make your promotion really obvious and you get the clicks.


    LOSERS (on my site anyway)

    Clickbank WoW products

    Don't get me wrong, I do think you can do really well with promoting these products. But I think you have to do so on the right type of site.

    I was tempted by the high commissions and tried promoting these products with banner ads on a site which had a lot of content about all different types of games and it epic failed.

    I think if you had a WoW dedicated site though it would be a different story.

    EVE Online

    I tried promoting EVE Online, largely because they have incredibly awesome flash banners. My CTR was quite good but the conversion rate was pretty low. That combined with the teeny tiny payout meant I didn't keep promoting it.



    Another tip I would give you is don't start a forum. Gamers bicker like crazy and it's a huge time sucker trying to moderate a gaming forum.

    I'd also say don't try to compete on offering news alone. There are so many huge news sites out there that it's just not viable.

    The best bet is to do something with your own personality behind it so people come for your unique style even though they can get all the latest news elsewhere.

    And last but not least, make sure your site looks freakin awesome. Gamers love eye candy and if your site looks great that's a foot in the door. But at the same time, it also has to be optimized to allow your promotions, i.e. banners etc. to be clearly visible.

    There's good money to be made in the gaming world if you set yourself up in the right way.
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  • Profile picture of the author levelupseo
    To be honest, I have had some good success with WoW in the past, but it's been a bit flat for me lately. It seems to come in waves with the expansions.

    If you really are a gamer then you know what is coming up this year. I would say get a jump on the masses and pick an MMO or other big game you know is coming out later and get a site going before the game launches. Big affiliate marketers often don't know the games well and rely on others for content so they can't get the jump on you. Keep an eye on Clickbank for decent products, or if you can get in on a beta, make your own.

    I did this for Starcraft 2 last year and it was the first real money I made in IM. It didn't last because about 6 weeks later the competition swamped me. If I knew then what I know now, I would likely be earning some nice income from it still. I've since moved on to other games, but I think getting the jump on others can be a powerful strategy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Targeted Traffic
    Hey Jord,

    If you are looking for a video games distributor keep in mind these three tips.

    ¨ If you are considering buying a list of sources, check it out first. Sites that offer you promises of giving you secret resources that no one else knows, or tell you how much money you will make if you buy their product, BEWARE! A genuine company will not make these types of promises.

    ¨ Find a video game wholesale distributor that will offer you high quality products at the profitable prices. This sounds like a "no brainer" but finding the lowest cost product is not always in your best interest as it could be low quality, something that your customers do not want.

    ¨ Make sure the games they are selling are not counterfeit copies as this could land you in trouble. You don’t want to spend your money on a large quantity of products to resell, only to find out that they are cheap knock-offs that you cannot legally sell.

    The video game industry can be quite profitable if you know what you are doing. Buying from video games companies can help you with your profit margin as well. Just make sure that you are working with a genuine company.
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  • Profile picture of the author bagpuss0001
    I have a simple blog based on the 3ds. (see my sig- open to offers on it).
    The traffic for gaming hardware sites is tricky. As you can imagine, computer games and the internet are very closely linked so competition is high.

    My site was to capitalise on the launch of a new system, but the level of SEO needed in such a competitive area was too much for me to manage alongside my full time day job and family. I use it now as a testbed for plugins, but it gets very little traffic.
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    • Profile picture of the author Andy Hart
      Originally Posted by bagpuss0001 View Post

      I have a simple blog based on the 3ds. (see my sig- open to offers on it).
      The traffic for gaming hardware sites is tricky. As you can imagine, computer games and the internet are very closely linked so competition is high.

      My site was to capitalise on the launch of a new system, but the level of SEO needed in such a competitive area was too much for me to manage alongside my full time day job and family. I use it now as a testbed for plugins, but it gets very little traffic.
      Your very lucky to be getting away with that domain name
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      I'm On Google + ------------- and of course Also On Twitter

      "The only thing thats keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself about why you can't have it"- Tony Robbins

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