Arcade Admin – The Arcade Owners Ultimate Resource

Hey Guys,

This is a list I have complied to show the Top 8 Best Av Arcade Pro Designs – Now you may not agree with my chosen sites, if so feel free to comment and tell me why! The list is complied based on the site’s design, rather than its popularity – this list was going to be 10 but no other sites powered by Av Arcade stood out from the crowd.

When deciding on a site, it most have a good site design, navigation and overall layout was key – while also my own personal taste has some weight.

And here they are, Well done to each of the sites listed!

1 – Mangima

2 – Albinoninja

3 – NoobOwned

4 – Oacie

5 – NinjaClanArcade

6 – WebBreak

7 – NoWares

8 – OMGItsaninja

Looking forward to your comments!

ArcadeAdmin.Com is proud to present another interview with an arcade script owner! This interview is with Aashwin, who is the owner of the new up and coming arcade script Trade Arcade Pro. I’d like to thank Aashwin for taking time out to answer a few question’s – Enjoy the interview guys and be sure to check our previous interviews!

Are you able to give us a short insight into your background?

I started programming (or making websites) so i could manage my clan site for a game. But quickly turned into a real thing. I realised that making websites is not just a hobby but actually a business. Thats really how i came into this business.

What do you do in your spare time?

Gym, Football, Friends and that’s all I can think of at the moment.

How did the idea of TAPs come to you?

I used to mod other scripts a lot but I really needed something that was mine, and that did what I wanted it to do.

What was your biggest challenge getting TAPs to where it is now?

Developing it. Theres a lot of barriers when developing a script, not just developing a script but litterly anything (Such as coding/graphical issues). The biggest problem was, keeping my self motivated and not giving up easily. Another thing was my server being a total mess on the beta day. It just made my life 3 times harder.

Do you own any other script/sites

I do run sites which is one reason I developed TAP. A few include: www.flashjolt.com , www.playonlinegames4fun.com At the moment my portfolio is rather large, so I am planning to reduce the size of the sites I own.

In the short history of TAPs which date stands out the most for you?

Probably the release day of TAPs, which was the 2nd November.

Have you taken any steps in the design of your script to accommodate for SEO?

A couple. I have included some basic features like redirecting www.mysite.com/123/SOME-RANDOM-NAME.html to www.mysite.com/123/THE-REAL-NAME.html I do believe its duplicate content and most scripts dont take that seriously. Other than that custom Meta Descriptions and title tags are the SEO things. But tbh, theres a limit in what a script can do to boost your SEO rankings

With the creation of so many different arcades, where do you think the industry will be in 5 years time?

I think arcades will slowly die out… Many people come to this business thinking they could make money within a few months and thats not the case. Many people will also give up, the sites that provide unique features and have the $$ to invest will stand out.

What are your top 5 SEO tips for arcade beginners?

Links Building

Content

Those are the 2 things I think are important

Then there is stuff such as the following are also very important;

H1 Tags

Emphasize text.

Making your site for the user not the search engine

TAPs is still very new, what are you main objectives to get a foothold in the Arcade sector?

I want to provide “good” support to my customers rather than providing no support and selling a lot of copies.

Why does your script stand out from the rest?

For the following;

GEO Trading

Graphs

Hour based stats

Are we going to see any major updates in the coming months?

Not major but minor updates like 1.2 hopefully once we can get 1.1 sorted

1.2 will probably be more trade related updates (newer monitoring features).

For the Online Gaming industry what do you believe is the greatest challenge going forward?

Providing Unique Content.

Who is your direct rival in the Arcade Script world

I dont think there are many, but ATS is one… i am not against it either. Great script, it was the script i used to use aswell!

What is the key features that make TAPs stand out from the crowd?

GEO Trading.

What do you believe are the key points to run a successful arcade?

Unique Content

Investing money

What, in your view, is key to retaining gamers on an arcade site?

Providing somethign they are interested in rather than providing every game on the internet

Av Arcade owner Andy has just released a security update for Av Arcade Pro; See the announcement on the Av Arcade Forum .

Its highly recommend that you upgrade your arcade to the latest release as a matter of urgency, as there are some key vulnerabilities that are fixed by this release.

Well, I was having a read of a post at Av Arcade Forum and it has provoked me to comment here. This post is relating to your arcade, and some of the things you need to do to make it a success!  This is an open blog post, so all feedback/comments are welcome. This isn’t a definitive guide on what to do, merely my experience:-

1.Uniquness

What makes your arcade stand out from the crowd? It’s the way in which you make it unique, that means offering something that no other arcade has, even if its just a theme – its unique and a good talking point. When I talk about uniqueness, its about how you can do something different, its all about the users, make the user feel at home by offering them something unique(different) – in return they should pass on your site with word of mouth (and social media)!

Don’t stick with the status quo when it comes to managing an arcade [such as game layout, social media, use of game tags and categories] go wild and try something new, be unique – this is be one of your key selling points!

2.Theme

This is a key area of your site. Put your self in the position of a user, would you use your site with its current design/navigation? Sometimes I see arcade theme’s that are a horrible to use/navigate – remember semantic development is what you need to aim for, with all your pages being valid! The theme is what’s going to engage with the user, ensure its what your target audience wants to see form your site, but also ask for feedback!

Take examples such as miniclip, a nice simple design, thats easy to navigate and assessable to all users (even those with an impairment). The design is what’s key, you may have poor quality games, but if the theme stands out from the rest, your still going to get an audience.

Design it, Make it Unique, and get FEEDBACK from your USERS

3.Features/Modifications

This is a key area in my view, having something to engage and retain the user while also attracting new users into the mix. Areas such as leaderboards and chat rooms on games all increase user participation and retainment. Offering features such as Facebook Connect are also a good way of retaining the user, while also attracting new users – use the FB Connect as a method to connect to the users profile and update their status with games they are playing on your site.

4.Search Engine Optimization

This one is a no brainer, but still it always has to have a comment on this area. Always focus on SEO to some extent, within your titles, descriptions and page layout (tags cloud) – also link build and link exchanges, try to use social media as a tool, twitter “tweets” are a good way to drive traffic to your site!

5.Quality Games

Well we’ve covered all aspects about the site, but what about the content – the reason people come to your site? Always focus on having good quality games, that engage and retain the user on your site. Also try to use social media in this area as well to share your site and the quality games you have. Ensure you take the time to play each of your games, and write custom descriptions and How-to-Play instructions. Quality games are only part of the solution, but linking within the other sections and you’re on to a winner!

A side tip – Look at the big picture! Always look to see what your competitors are doing, even trailback their link exchanges and try to match them – It’s all about how you can be successful, not how others can be!

-I’ll update this post when I get time, at the moment I still need to formulate my idea’s!

Andy at Av Arcade has just released Av Arcade Pro 5.3 beta!

Be sure to head over to Av Arcade and check on some of the new features coming to 5.3!

New features include;

New Admin Panel

New Game Feeds

Suport multipul leaderboards

Removing games from the site

Support for DCR games

Look out for more news!

Another great interview brought to you by ArcadeAdmin.Com. Thank’s to Chuckun for taking part in this interview. Check out Chuckuns blog at www.chuckun.co.uk

Are you able to give us a short insight into your background?

Sure! For the best part of six years now, I’ve been developing PHP scripts. It all started seven years ago, at the age of just twelve, when I became part of a gaming clan forum. The owner, just a year older than I was, was my initial inspiration into the world of web-development. He could do some great things with PHP.

Then, through simply playing around with open-source php scripts, I was able to start writing PHP scripts myself! I began developing MODs for AvArcade fairly recently though. I decided to set up tazgames.com and looked into the best script to use, and came across Av Arcade. I love the script, and love the community even moreso. That’s all the motivation I need to work on it!

What do you do in your spare time?

I tend to use my spare time to study new programming languages or features, or simply alternative methods of manipulating programming languages. On a more fun level though, I also enjoy playing a free FPS called Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, if I’m feeling like taking some time off!

How do your mod idea’s come to you?

Usually I get asked to create the MODs I make. Or I see a request on the AvArcade support forums, so I take it upon myself to fulfill it! Sometimes I see a really cool feature on a website, and realise something similar would benefit my own site, so I’ll produce a MOD everyone can use. However, sometimes it’s purely an impulse idea I just randomly think of – those ones, I have to jot down though, as they’re there one minute, gone the next!

Do you own any other script/sites?

I run several websites, but I don’t like to build connections between them, so the only ones I publically announce ownership of are: www.chuckun.co.uk, www.tazgames.com, and www.visitors-online.com

I used to own a couple of simple open-source scripts. However, I stopped distributing them, as I didn’t feel they reflected my ability as a programmer any more, as I wrote them years ago. I hope to release some new scripts soon though!

Which is your best Mod to date?

The Report Game MOD was my best MOD for AvArcade. Since that was used in AvArcade 5.2, I would say my best MOD in development, is the Mass eMail & Newsletter MOD. I have some great ideas for the mod, such as scheduled mailing and other nifty features which will make it a true must-have!

What’s the though process behind developing a mod?

Well to be honest, I find thinking too much about how I’m going to do things, overwhelms me (if it’s complex enough to require thought). So I tend to dive in at the deep end, and just get on with it, and work out the arrangements as I go. This used to cause ‘messy’ coding for me, but I’m used to the general structure of things now.

The general process however, is to create the backend first, then front-end core features, then the template features the user sees to control the mod.

How do you relax at the end of the day?

Usually with a beer or a cup of tea, talking to my girlfriend, and watching a film – Oh the good life!

How do you think Google, and the way it indexes site affect the way Arcades operate?

The best idea Google ever came up with with regards to intelligent indexing, is ‘Sitelinks’ – the 4/5 links that you see some times underneath the top results for searches you make. If your arcade categories get recognised as the substantial navigation pages by google, and you have your categories listed under your homepage result on google, your visitors can instantly find just what they’re looking for! This will most definitely benefit the operation of your arcade.

With the creation of so many different arcades, where do you think the industry will be in 5 years time?

Well, a couple of years ago we saw the crash of the arcade website industry due to the influx of webmasters hopping on the band-wagon. However, I believe that the poor revenue caused by this is slowly forcing people to close their arcades. I think in five years time, people will avoid making arcades, and they will become more profitable again as the numbers of them drop.

What are your top 5 SEO tips for arcade beginners?

1. – Keyword density. Make sure you include premium gaming keywords where relevant. Such as “Play *game name* – The free online game from *site name*” instead of just having the game title. This is absolutely essential.
2. – SEO URLs. No doubt this is obvious, but it really is a must. Also be sure to include the category AND game name in the URL for perfect SEO.
3. – Page content. Arcade scripts generally dont offer enough word content.. Search engines do not like websites with few words.. So make sure you put extra words wherever possible, such as “Browse all our cool action games” instead of “see all” underneath each category..
4. – Image ALT tag. Arcades display a LOT of images.. Be sure to make use of the ALT tag within your script wherever images are used. This can generate interest via google images, and counts towards your page’s content type too.
5. – Page Titles. The order of your page title is crucial. And with gaming websites, I would reccommend using *gamename* – *sitename*, as anybody looking for a specific game isnt going to care what your arcade is called when they google the game, so you want the game name first.. However, take into consideration point #1!

Are we going to see any major updates in the coming months for any Mods?

The Mass eMail & Newsletter MOD will be receiving a lovely update shortly! Scheduled mail is almost ready – which has been long awaited by many, so watch out for that! I will also be releasing a few new mods too, with any luck!

For the Online Gaming industry what do you believe is the greatest challenge going forward?

Well it’s quite clear now that the market is pretty much at saturation point. Anybody looking to set up an online arcade is going to experience difficulties making any real money. The biggest challenge right now, as with most websites, is creating a unique environment to keep people coming back.

A major key now is social networking integration. As long as you have a plug to one of the major social networking websites, you have a chance of making your arcade work. However, even then you face a massive difficulty in making any good money. My advice is to stick in there, until the faint-hearted ‘give up’ with their non-earning arcades, and free up the industry a little.

What do you believe are the key points to run a successful arcade?

A unique theme is a must! And it must be ‘cool’ – if you make it look professional, it’s going to look too boring for an arcade.. You want something colourful and appealing to both children and teenagers.. So a ‘cool’ look is definitely the way forward!

Inscentive – Offer inscentives to make your visitors want to register.. Once they register, they will most likely return.. And if not, grab the mass email & newsletter MOD and make sure they dont forget about you!

Do something different – I believe that the only way to be truly successful is to do something unique that people will recognise.. Whether it be sending custom t-shirts out to anyone who reaches the #1 player, or creating ‘groups’ or ‘clans’ who will compete.. It’s always good to create a situation people will want to put effort into.

What, in your view, is key to retaining gamers on an arcade site?

As previously mentioned, inscentive, and unique ideas are key here. Creating awards, achievements, or prizes is always an easy way to keep people playing.. But a more automated (and cheaper) method is to create rivalry! Let people compete against eachother with highscores, and they will be determined to stay and claim the title..

Where do you believe online gaming will be in 10 years time?

On the internet, ten years is a LONG time.. Realistically, anything could happen. The way things are looking with the youth of today, gaming could even be banned in 10 years time. Now there’s a dreadful thought, right? But realistically, I believe in 10 years time, online gaming will be incredible. ‘Flash’ games may be created in HTML5, which leaves room for some incredible movement!

Thanks Chuckun for taking part in this interview! Comments welcome!

Another great article, brought to you by ArcadeAdmin.Com.

This is an interview with Dom, The owner of GamesButler.Com. Thank’s Dom for taking part in this interview! We’ve had interview with Andy, Owner of Av Arcade and an interview with Brad, Owner of Arcade Trade Script, But this interview is different as its looking at the management of an arcade.

Dom has some interesting points about new methods of SEO, So make sure you take note of some of his suggestions! GamesButler.Com for example has an Alexa ranking of 56,165 so he must be doing something right!

The Interview

Are you able to give us a short insight into your background?

Of course. I started dabontv.com when I was 16 as a way to bypass my schools server and play games at school. I started to get traffic from google and I was hooked! From there I taught myself html,css,sql,php etc. and went to an Art school for Web Design. I started GamesButler.com when I was 18 as a school project and launched it almost exactly 2 years ago when I was 19.

What do you do in your spare time?

I like to hang out with friends, read, run, drink tea and of course play video games (Been hooked on StarCraft 2 lately)

How did the idea of GamesButler come to you?

I knew I wanted to start a site that had a secondary focus on game help and walkthroughs so I played around with different domain names until I came up with GamesButler.

What was your biggest challenge getting GamesButler to where it is now?

I think just keeping up with everything has been a big challenge. Going on vacation and coming back to 1,000 emails isn’t very fun

Do you own any other script/sites

Just dabontv.com and gamesbutler.com

In the history of GamesButler which date stands out the most for you?

Well November of last year I launch the member section to the site and things have taken off from there. March 2010 was a huge breakthrough moment as well (For traffic and revenue). I just launched a new version to the site last week so hopefully I can look back and think that was a huge breakthrough as well.

How do you think Google, and the way it indexes site affect the way Arcades operate?

Google traffic is huge for any arcade. I tend not to focus to heavily on seo anymore and just try to drive traffic to the site. I’ve learned that links come naturally and that will improve your google position.

With the creation of so many different arcades, where do you think the industry will be in 5 years time?

It’s hard to say but I feel that the system will be more closed. Big sites will release more games that are exclusive to just their site, and there will be a lot more rpg and mmo games that focus on micro transactions.

What are your top 5 SEO tips for beginners in the arcade world?

I personally feel seo (as we know it now) is slowly dying. I’ll post my new way of doing seo, then how I used to do it:

–new way–
1. Focus on driving traffic to your site, links will come
2. Original content, links will come
3. Focus on sharing links to facebook and twitter (and buzz)
4. Keep the site light and page load times fast
5. Strong internal linking, meta tags, logically page hierarchy, don’t
make the site look cheap/spammy

–old way–
1. Link exchanges
2. Submit links to do-follow bookmarking sites
3. Strong internal linking, meta tags, logically page hierarchy
4. Buy links on gaming blogs (never on other arcades)
5. Game plugs (still do this but more in an advertising sort of way)

For the Online Gaming industry what do you believe is the greatest challenge going forward?

Greatest challenge is to stay unique and different. With so many different sites and games it’s hard to make something that stands out. Also it’ll be interesting to see which platform will become dominate (flash, html5, unity)

What do you believe are the key points to run a successful arcade?

Do something original. Don’t try to be like a huge arcade site.

I used to think ‘How can I be more like Kongregate, ArmorGames, MiniClip, ect’ but you should really think ’What can I do better then these sites, what can I do different then these sites’

What, in your view, is key to retaining gamers on an arcade site?

That’s hard to say. There really isn’t a right way. My goal is to build a community and site people want to use and hopefully users will want to come back.

With the use of game sponsorship, do you believe that it works?

Yes it does work. Even if you lose money you still gained more traffic, links to the site, brand awareness and a bunch of other things. In the long term these are the things that’ll make you profitable.

So what are your thought’s on some of what he has said guys?

When looking to host your arcade, you need to take into account many factors – This article is your guide to finding the best host for your arcade.  Making the decision between web hosts can be extremely difficult; with so many out they’re on the web today.

Research is key, ensure you do proper research on any host that you want do business with! Ensure you check out the list of arcade scripts post to find the best script for you.

Price

This is key, the price of what’s on offer, the notion of if its to good to be true – it generally is! Price is a factor in choosing a host but make sure it’s not a decisive factor. If you’re going to be using your arcade to make money, don’t try to be cheap on the hosting costs. Once you’ve found a hosting provide and a plan, make sure you compare it with other plans!

Features for what you want

With your arcade you need to make sure you select a host that meets your needs. In terms of the specifications required to host your arcade script, to ensuring you have enough bandwidth for your traffic. When choosing a host, make sure you take a look at the specifications of the hardware, check to see if they’re an actual host or a reseller.

For a growing arcade, I’d highly recommend that you bypass the shared hosting plans and go directly to using Virtual Private Server packages. When looking at a host, its generally best to go for a host that specialises in you niche, for example a blog should be hosted on a blog host – an arcade should be hosted with an arcade hosting provider.

Support

This is one of the huge area’s for which you need to ensure the host will provide, support! If your arcade goes down for whatever reason, you are able to call, email and access a support panel – this real time support is what you need when selecting a host. Think, if they do not have a telephone number, are they legitimate? Always take a look at the reviews especially in the area of the hosts support; this is a key feature that you can’t live without.

Research – Customer Satisfaction/Reputation

Always, always, always always review your host before you take the plunge, ensure that you review your host before you purchase a package can save you considerable time and money! Always look to see what a host’s current, and also former customers are saying about them! There are loads of sites online that allow for you to read reviews about the host, so ensure you do your research.

Future Proofing

You want your site to grow, you want to make money – you need to make sure you invest in the future. Always go with a hosting plan that gives you more space and bandwidth for example – as you may well need it in future.  Always plan for the future!

I know it can be difficult to select the right script that meets all your needs when setting up an arcade. Here is the ultimate list of Arcade Scripts brought to you by ArcadeAdmin.Com. There are three options here, Paid, Free and WordPress – Look at each of my comment’s to ensure you make the right decision!

Recommended Arcade Scripts

The following scripts I have used personally and would highly recommend that you look at using one of these three great scripts.

Av Arcade Pro ($19)

Av Arcade Pro is one of the most actively supported arcade scripts out there, with some great features such as  Facebook Connect, Highscores and Game reporting. Andy the owner of Av Arcade is working tirelessly to improve the script.  Have a look at our interview with Andy, Owner of AV Arcade.

Arcade Trade Script ($74.95)

ATS is unique is what it offers, its allows for all the other features that other arcades have, but they are unique in allowing for traffic trading built in. ATS is currently being developed by Brad, have a look at our interview with Brad, Owner of Arcade Trade Script.

PHP Arcade Script ($45)

PHPAS is one of the easiest arcade scripts to use, with easy to use template and plugin systems. With Mochi Games integration. cache to save on bandwidth and featured games makes PHP Arcade a good script to use.

Paid Scripts

A list of paid arcade scripts that are currently available, each script offer many different features so I’d recommend visiting each site and using the demo.

Arcade Script ($49)

Arcade Script is one of those scripts to watch out for. With built in features such as top rated games, top played games and user profiles. Arcade Script has built in highscores, forums and an extensive admin backend.

Arcadem Pro

With a new version coming out soon Arcdem Pro is one to look out for. With features such as plugin system, mochie games and full SEO friendly URLS.

Game Script ($79.99)

Game Script has a very intuitive design, which is easy to use with features such as membership management, newsletters, and blog integrated.  Game Script just needs a little bit more work to become a premium arcade script.

Game Site Script ($50)

Game Site Script has built in features such as Tell a Friend, with Link management and full SEO friendly URLS. With must have features such as Ban users, caching system and media sponsorship.

OnArcade (€44 Euro)

OnArcade is basic in its approach but has some good features such as SWF and DCR games support! With a lot of scope for improvement.

PH Arcade Script ($15)

At a cost of only $15 PH Arcade is one of the cheapest arcade scripts around. With a very basic user interface, you get what you pay for. PH Arcade seems to no longer be in active development.

ProArcade Script (£41 pounds)

ProArcade is a script where if it was a little cheaper it would be one of the best scripts around. It has features such as allowing it to run on autopilot, SEO friendly and free themes. ProArcade has an active support community.

Free Scripts

All list of all the free arcade scripts, Make sure you visit each site and have a look at their demo’s.

Av Arcade Free

Av Arcade Free is one of the best free scripts around with an active community always will to help!

Arcadem Free

With all the basic features of Arcadem Pro, The free version is a good stepping stone! Give it a go, its not to everyone’s taste but you may be surprised!

EasyArcade

EA is a very basic free script, Its easily customisable, but the support community is not very active.

Free Arcade Script

FAS is a script that is still in early development, With only basic features offered FAs still has a long way to go before it can be used in todays Web 2.0 world.

MDArcade

Is one of the most basic arcade scripts around, No bells and whistles here – Just a basic script to display games.

PHP Quick Arcade

A different styled arcade script, PHP Quick Arcade is unique in its approach to displaying games.

Your Arcade Script

Your Arcade Scripts has the basics to be a good script. With all the basics features that are needed for a arcade.

Other

WordPress Arcades ($29)

A different way of doing it, Using WordPress to power your arcade, the WordPress Arcade Plugin is a good way of changing your WordPress blog. With all the basic WordPress features it also has built-in support for different types of games.