Chapter 0918: Browser Games

How popular were browser games?

The "Greedy Blue Moon" endorsed by Louis Koo and Nick Cheung was already a product of the post-browser-game era. Browser games, also known as web games or no-client online games, are multiplayer online interactive games based on web browsers. They require no client download, no concerns about machine configuration, and most importantly, they are extremely convenient to close or switch, especially suitable for office workers.

Browser games.

WebGame, as the name implies, are online multiplayer games based on web browsers. Since their inception, WebGames have roughly evolved into three types: first, virtual communities built on web browsers using interpreted languages like PHP/ASP/Perl; second, games developed on web browsers using Flash/JAVA technology; third, games that require downloading a client and connecting to a dedicated server to run.

In that era of rapid internet bubble expansion, when a flood of novice netizens poured into the internet, when text MUDs were declining and online games had yet to rise, the introduction of WebGames, this novel novelty, undoubtedly amazed many. With just a simple registration, one could play games while browsing forums. Despite only having a crude game interface, a bunch of text, a few images, and gameplay that merely involved refreshing the page, WebGames brought infinite fun and imagination, while also enacting unforgettable love and hate for countless people.

Back then, driven by the internet bubble economy, many large-scale WebGames emerged in China. For example, "The Ninth City," "Yifei Ridge," and various versions of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" active on different information ports. These were among the first WebGames based on web browsers in China. At the time, they were not called games but virtual communities.

Besides basic BBS functions, netizens could level up, work, race horses, raise pets, build families, and more in virtual communities. Essentially, anything possible in online games could also be done in virtual communities back then. The difference was that online games were more intuitive, while virtual communities were presented through large amounts of text and a few images.

When virtual communities were thriving, thousands of netizens stayed up all night in front of their computers, constantly refreshing pages for those virtual data. Website traffic naturally skyrocketed! During the peak of the internet bubble economy, increasing website traffic meant raking in cash. Naturally, websites of all sizes spared no effort in allocating manpower and resources to develop and maintain virtual communities.

The staggering website traffic overshadowed the inherent and acquired shortcomings of virtual communities. But what grew faster than website traffic was the unbearable pressure on servers. With the burst of the internet bubble, website traffic gradually turned into "floating clouds," and virtual communities suffered catastrophic blows. Many virtual communities switched from free to paid, which was hard for netizens accustomed to free meals to accept, especially since the quality and management of most virtual communities were unimpressive. To this day, only a handful of virtual communities survive, and they are little known.

Since the second half of last year, simply localized EBS began appearing on some small and medium-sized websites in China. This kind of thing was relatively simple to operate; anyone with a bit of gaming experience could easily grasp the gameplay. Moreover, many of the materials used were sourced from Japan's famous "Gundam" series, which invisibly won over anime fans who loved the "Gundam" series. Finally, because the program was relatively simple and Perl technology was familiar to many network programmers, new features were constantly being added to EBS.

Another important point is that browser games have more profit potential than traditional online games. Browser games precisely attract paying players among netizens. White-collar players are characterized by high work pressure, little time and energy for gaming, but enough money in their pockets, willing to invest in the online entertainment they fancy.

Under these circumstances, Zhao Fusheng felt it necessary to get a piece of the action.

As for online games, he had no intention of getting involved. The success of Shanda had made many domestic internet companies see the business opportunities in online games. According to Zhao Fusheng's information, at least four or five large companies were in contact with game companies in South Korea and Europe/America. It wouldn't be long before the domestic market was flooded with various online games.

Such immense competitive pressure, in Zhao Fusheng's view, was not suitable for his team of programmers.

After much thought, he set his sights on browser games.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng believed that if browser games were done well, the profits would not be low, especially with him, a prophet, to guide them.

"Why make browser games?" Dong Guoxiang clearly didn't understand Zhao Fusheng's idea and said, "If you want to make games, our team could actually directly create an online game. Um, like a role-playing game similar to 'The Legend of Mir 2,' what do you think?"

Clearly, he had discussed this with team members before.

Dong Chenxi also spoke up: "Although I don't understand the gaming industry, 'The Legend of Mir 2' is so popular. Aren't role-playing games more popular now?"

She indeed didn't understand games, but since Zhao Fusheng held shares in Shanda, as his representative, she naturally had to understand Shanda Technology's main projects.

Zhao Fusheng laughed and shook his head: "The success of 'The Legend of Mir 2' cannot be replicated. Unless innovative games appear, it's rare to see an entire internet cafe playing the same game. Besides, even outsiders like us know that online games can make big money. Do you think those industry insiders are idle?"

Dong Chenxi and Dong Guoxiang exchanged glances and fell silent.

Yes, as Zhao Fusheng said, even people like them, who weren't gaming industry insiders, knew that making online games could make money. Were those internet giants already deeply entrenched in the industry all fools?

"We're a small company. Developing an online game requires too much investment for us. And if it fails, we lose everything. I can't accept that situation," Zhao Fusheng said calmly. "Browser games may not get much attention now, but in fact, I think they have great potential."

With that, he laughed: "Don't forget, I'm the founder of MyHome."

Hearing this, Dong Chenxi and Dong Guoxiang were momentarily stunned, then both laughed.

Yes, Zhao Fusheng might lack experience in making games, but when it came to making browser games similar to virtual communities, who could compare to him? He was the one who had single-handedly built the largest virtual community in the country.

Confidence comes from just that.

Though we are reluctant to admit it, the fact is that people always defer to authority, believing that authority is always right.

Seeing their expressions, Zhao Fusheng knew he had convinced them. He smiled and said, "My idea is to first create something like an alumni directory. For example, let users fill in their information. If they graduated from Capital Normal University, then all graduates from Capital Normal University will appear in their social profiles. Then they can communicate with each other, share photos, moods, and so on."

"Is this... a browser game?" Dong Chenxi and Dong Guoxiang looked at each other in bewilderment.

No matter how they thought about it, what Zhao Fusheng described seemed far from a browser game.

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily, not surprised by their reaction. He had previously asked Zhang Qian to investigate, and currently, the campus network he remembered from his memory did not yet exist on the market.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, this was his best opportunity.

Before anyone noticed this point, he would quickly expand his operations, earn the first pot of gold, and then cash out before the industry hit a downturn.

That was Zhao Fusheng's plan.

Though very utilitarian, Zhao Fusheng felt this was normal business thinking.