My web 2.0 platform will be a social hub for all gamers and anime enthusiasts to come and talk to each other create communities, interact with each other, make friends and just discuss what they love and are passionate about. I believe this is a perfect example of carving out a niche. The app/website I desire to create is called A&G standing for anime and gaming. This app will combine the features from a variety of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, these features including the layout of the home screen and notifications and news feed updates so that the user is not scared away by change and does not have to learn a completely new behavior or layout. This platform also has a in app game which is tied directly to the website and the users gaming accounts and the amount of anime they watch. The game will most likely be a a turn based RPG game for mobile devices, this adds an extra layer of interaction between users as not only will they be able to talk to each other about gaming and anime in general they can create communities based on the game itself, helping each other complete quests and reach goals for their characters. The customization for these characters will be based on how many games the user has played (taking key items from these games and allowing them to add it to their own character, the same applies for anime series). The combination of all these features appeals to a niche of specific interests and who want a complete community platform instead of having to use third party platforms like Facebook or Reddit to discuss and share about the things they like.
The platform will be free to use however revenue will be made on advertisements about other games and also through people wanting to purchase in-game currency. In terms of competition and early adaption benefits, The social media aspect of the website combines and uses familiar layouts and formats of more current and popular social media sites as mentioned before. This gives new users a welcoming feeling and bring familiarity to the site and app. A more relevant benefit for early adopters is that they know anyone else they meet on the site has similar interests therefore eliminating a lot of social awkwardness with other associated with other platforms. Making friends and meeting people will become less of a chore and more a pleasant activity. Another large early adopter benefit comes from the in app game that goes with the website/app. We offer exclusive items for customization, quests, achievements and so on, for early adopters that cannot be unlocked by others after a certain period of time. From this foundation, the users are encouraged to show this app to their friends so that they can get the items to. As the social platform grows, people will instinctively invite their friends to join and so begins the network effect.
Looking at the Business perspective, early adopters can have their products advertised first and advertised more often than other products. There is one main start_up cost which is that, users will not adopt the app and begin to use it unless they know other people who are their friends who use it. This can be mitigated through the in app game as, although it is linked to the social platform it does not require one to use the social platform to play it. Users can start off playing the game then ease into the social aspect of the application. The main question is how will I increase the success expectation. There are two things I must do, Testing for this game must be thorough and must be done enough to guarantee and solidify that we have created a solid working game with emphasis on user experience and connectivity and fun. Advertising for my app will need to be done through gaming sites, forums and maybe even gaming stores in general. This is where the testers come in, with enough positive reviews my app could get into market fairly quickly and success insurance will rise as more and more players are attracted to the app.
Overall the hardest part about creating a new community or Web 2.0 platform is creating and securing that niche and also creating a solid user base foundation in the early stages of release. This apps main purpose is to connect people who are passionate about gaming and anime and provide a full community platform for them to interact and create friendships and communities.
References
http://www.pixelprospector.com/the-big-list-of-video-game-sites/
Great concept however i would like to point our that perhaps mixing two passions may not be the best idea, as both a anime loves and gamer i would be somewhat reserved to mix these things together as the community for each is relatively different and the nature in which each community interacts is different. as an example gamers can be rather competitive and at times harsh in nature where anime communities often only have interactions that are helpful and kind. This mix of communities could create conflict. What are your plans on dealing with this???
ReplyDeleteAs uhtiss1 previously mentioned, if you combine two the audiences, it doesn't really become a niche market any more. Along with that, you base the entire concept off the assumption of gamers, anime viewers and manga readers should like the same thing. I'm honestly doubtful this is case and hinders your idea quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to implementation of different aspects from each game and manga's, there would be an over-abundance of copy right issues related to this. Ultimately, unless you're going to throw millions into rights during the start up phase, it does not become a cost effective and viable platform.
In honestly i wouldn't mind a social platform like this, as I do spend hours of my day reading through third party forums about games and anime. But in reality, it just doesn't seem viable, and more thought needs to be put into your idea.
Also, exactly how are you going to create this network effect and what stage one benefits are involved to assist with this?
On a positive note, the early adopter benefits you provided are quite influential. Though as you mentioned it would have advertisement, another way to leverage the early adopters is to provide them with an advertisement experience? Just throwing some ideas around :)
Steven :)