Online gaming has given many different ways for gamers across the world to connect. Although many of these games are managed by large, central companies with control over the game's development and day-to-day operations, some games allow a form of multiplayer that gives the players the ability to be in charge. If you're wondering about running a game server, but don't know how to get started, consider two major methods for game server management: physical server management and colocation.
Physical Server Management Requires Deeper Expertise
The do-it-yourself way of managing your own server is to build your own server machine and handle all of the supporting services. Although being self-sufficient sometimes lends itself to being cheaper, there are some costs to consider that may make colocation a better investment.
The first and probably most obvious cost is the server hardware. You'll need to build not just a computer, but a computer that has the right specifications (specs) to support a game server. Many games that allow personal server design will have a list of recommended specs for a certain amount of players, but keep in mind that the requirements can increase.
As your game becomes more popular, your computer will need faster resources. More processing speed may be needed to handle even more information coming to and from an increasing number of players, as well as more random access memory (RAM) to deliver this information to the processor quickly.
The hardware investment may be worth your time if you plan on making your server an experiment in learning how to maintain every aspect of the server. On top of the hardware, you need to think about the Internet requirements.
Internet speeds are not just for you to download or browse the web. There is a lot of information that needs to transfer between the players and your server. If you're designing a game server to avoid monthly fees, be warned: unless you're already using an Internet connection fast enough for your game of service, you'll be increasing your Internet usage and increasing your Internet service costs.
Using Colocation To Avoid Service Costs
With colocation, you put the hardware, networking and other responsibilities into the hands of a team that already has the proper infrastructure.
Colocating your server means sending your files to a dedicated data center that can give you a rented amount of storage and processing space. You'll be using a virtual machine that can be logged into like a computer from anywhere with Internet access.
Instead of building a computer, paying for a faster Internet connection and getting the temperature of your house just right, you only need to pay the subscription cost for your colocation plan of choice.
If your game resources demand increases, simply increase your colocation service demand. Get in contact with a colocation professional to browse different tiers of service that may work well for your game server.
