I am looking to start a game website with my own games on it. I have looked into many different hosting sites, but it all looks so confusing. The hosting company that seems like the best so far is “InMotion hosting”, but I have also looked into Fatcow, iPage, and many others. My main question: What is the best hosting that will allow for enough bandwith for games, but is low buget, so that I can actually afford it?
Thanks for the help,
Purple Donut Games
Choosing a server/package for hosting a game would depend upon the system requirements of the game and the number of concurrent users you expect. I don’t think a Shared package will work for hosting a game, and if you have a tight budget, you can opt for a cheap VPS which will have enought resources to allow your game to run swiftly.
I do not think that I will be able to afford the VPS thing. My games aren’t too big, (the largest one tops out to 4 mega bytes), so will this slow down a shared server too much? PS: If anyone wants to play some of my games go to http://games.softpedia.com/progMoreBy/Publisher-Purple-Donut-Games-24813.html.
so will this slow down a shared server too much?
If I get it right, you’re not going to run the games on the server, you’ll just offer offer them for download. If so, bandwidth is indeed your main obvious requirement. In a shared hosting environment though, if you’re asking too much from the hard drives, you’ll be affecting other customers. Chances are that things will get to a point where the host notices this, quite soon. I imagine that when you release a new game, or batch of games, the number of downloads will spike, which is yet another problem.
IMHO, you could start with shared hosting, but you need to be ready to upgrade. You could also use subdomains and host them on a number of shared hosting accounts, to spread the load. Alternatively, if you want to keep your costs low, there are file hosting services out there, such as rapidshare.com.
Thank you for the ideas idcdc. As for the games: I am going to put them up for download, but I am also going to embed them on the site. Will this change anything. Also, how much space and bandwidth should I look for in a VPS server.
but I am also going to embed them on the site. Will this change anything.
As long as the games do not require a server to work (they run 100% on the client side), then little is changed. What is changed is the fact that your users will tend to load the game(s) each time they want to play them, as opposed to having them on their computer. This will likely increase your bandwidth needs by quite a bit. On the other hand, it also makes your site much easier to monetize, since you will get repeat visits, and thus more page views. Advertisers are looking for exposure, and generally repeat exposure is necessary if your goal is branding.
So far on my search for VPS, I have favored HostGator. Will this Host work well? And also, what level of VPS should I get? I was thinking to start out on the first level of HostGator, but I’m not too sure. Thanks very much for all the help…
I was thinking to start out on the first level of HostGator
Not a good idea, unless you’re a server admin. The first 2 levels of VPS there are unmanaged. Typically, a fully managed VPS start at about $40-50. I’ve only used a managed VPS from Liquidweb, and the experience was very good. Then again, I’m not an overly demanding customer, and I also lack experience with VPSs from other providers to compare them with.
I don’t think that I can afford the forty or fifty dollars a month. Are there any other VPS plans that would cost less. Also, If I do go for this forty dollars a month, would I be able to make it back in ads, or would I lose money…
I came across vpslink, who are certainly cheaper, but I’ve never used them so I can’t recommend them or otherwise.
Most of the very cheap VPSs are unmanaged, and it appears to be the case with VPSlink as well. www.lowendbox.com is a good site for finding good offers.
I have found QuickWeb from many seaches through lowendbox.com, and think that it is a reasonable choice. The VPS VZ2 plan looks like it will be able to withstand the data of my site. Anyone know if this is a good idea or not… the link is http://www.quickweb.co.nz/softlayer-openvz-plans.html Thanks again for all the help.
It looks like those VPSs are unmanaged, and have no control panel. If you’re not a server admin, you may feel like you’ve just been planted in the middle of the traffic, without knowing how to drive, in a car without a steering wheel.
I have decided to go with hostgator. Would it be a good idea to start with shared hosting untill people actually start showing up, then move to the VPS and work my way up to the big stuff? Thank you for helping solve my hosting problems…
i had suggest hostgator and dreamhost
Would it be a good idea to start with shared hosting untill people actually start showing up, then move to the VPS and work my way up to the big stuff?
That is a common path for most website owners. Be careful when switching from shared to VPS. When you’re using shared hosting, you share a big dance floor with many other dancers. You all move about, but most of the time there’s room enough for all of you to do your thing. When you go for a small VPS, you place yourself in a cubicle. There’s not much room for fancy stuff in there. Talk to your host/prospective host in order to assess the right VPS size for your site.
I know that this thread is pretty old but I would like to close out on it by saying that I went with the shared plan from a small hosting company in Colorado called Buzzy Bee Hosting. I am nearing the one month mark and there service has been excellent. If you want to run a small flash game website go to Bzybhosting.com…
Even a unlimited hosting is not enough to host a game. A minimum enquirer will be VPS or cloud VPS.
Cloud VPS will be good for you so that you can upgrade resource and downgrade base on the demand . While doing download site you need a high bandwidth , you might need CDN or a better hosting to support.
As PurpleDonutGames has found hosting and is very happy with the service, there is little point in continuing to offer advice on the subject. 
Thread closed