This is a question what some text-adventure game developers may ask each time, and they’re not sure about how to monetize their text-adventure game on their websites. However; you can implement an ad code to each of these pages, but it may be messy when switching ad networks. Typically, ads inside html text-adventure games must have a dedicated area for an advertisement to reside. Well, most text-adventure games don’t come with ads inside because, these ads often get outdated, and they can be obsolete. This is a common issue what game developers has experienced when relying on ad networks. You can still monetize your text-adventure games with ads,–if you follow these guidelines provided by an ad provider like Google AdSense, or any other ad networks.
Your text-Adventure Game Must Be Unique
Like most content what you create, you must create interesting and unique content that is suitable for your audience. For this instance; you were writing a text-adventure game about riding a cat in a large castle. You write an interactive story for your players to choose an action. Each action is linked to an html page. It’s like a gamebook, or any form of game what you play each day.
Your content must be as unique as possible, don’t scrape other content from other websites. If you were mentioning a website, or an article; it must open in a new window,–so a player won’t get lost with other content.
If your text-adventure game has a unique game format, and you write long content to read it like a book; you enable your player to read more text, and use his/her imagination as a way to play this game.
Your Text-Adventure Game Must Have Content
Like most websites where you host your online text-adventure games; they must be unique, they must have content for your games to work. If your text-adventure game has no content, it may not work, and your game will not be played by anyone. If you were writing a game about riding a dog, you write a text-based game that has a story about a character who rides a dog in some kingdom where other characters ride dogs. Or you were writing a text-based game that focuses on riding mermaids… you must find a way to make unique levels, and you must make it harder for a gamer who plays your game to go through this level. Most games with harder levels after each set of levels encourage a gamer to use strategy. If your text-based game has choices that are linked, you can make it unique bey adding events in this game. However; this effort can take time, and you must take your time developing your game. Unfortunately, your text-based game can’t have blank pages with ads because, that’s not the way how it goes. If you only use javascript for your text-based game; your game will not display ads like static content.
You need to make a story like an interactive book. That’s how players play your game. You can always update your game on the internet, and keep developing your game like a person who is still making money with other content. Well, your text-based game with html code in it is known to load in browsers.
If You Want To Monetize Your Text-Adventure Game
To make it easier for your text-based game to have ads that are easy to manage, you need a dedicated ad-managing software to manage your ads. For this instance Revive Ad Server, an ad-managing software that is designed to handle your ad codes, and other ads what you host yourself. A hosted version is also available for letting this company do all of that heavy work for you, but this service requires you to subscribe to this service.
If you already downloaded this software for your server, and you installed it to your subdomain “ads” on your website. Be sure to Create Zones per each text-adventure game. One zone per game.
To implement an ad zone to your text adventure game, follow these steps:
Get Ad Code From Your Ad Server
Log into your ad server of your website, and generate a code for an ad zone, If you set Google AdSense as your primary ad unit that will be displayed; be sure to link it first. Generate this ad code to place inside your pages.
Always set your ads to open in a new window.
Edit Your Text-Adventure Game Sourcecode
If you were using Ubuntu, use Mousepad to edit your text-adventure game pages in html.
Place an ad zone anywhere inside your content between the <body> tags. If you have multiple paragraphs; place a <div> container between any paragraph, and insert your ad zone. Center it with CSS for the best results. You need to provide enough margin for an ad zone. Alternatively, you can place your ad zone above your text;–that way, your players are able to encounter your ad when playing your text-based game. This is useful for text-based games that require so many ad zones to be inserted. One zone per interactive page is key, but having 75% content is key for your game to have content to read. Your players should focus on your content what you’ve wrote yourself, and your ads should be left at the fixed position of your html page. Your ad should never float over content to get impressions/clicks, doing this is considered cheating, and most ad networks don’t allow this scheme. If you have longer content on your pages, and you want players to read as they play, you can place an ad at the middle part of your pages,–so players can take a small break from reading, and continue on. If your ads are text-based, and your ads are designed to display relevant ads… you may be lucky to see relevant ads inside your game.
Don’t place your ad too close to these links where you control the game. Instead; place an ad away from interactive elements to prevent mistaken clicks to your ads on your website. Even if users don’t interact with your ads; impressions are counted by your ad provider. However; one ad per page is the best result because, it’s easier to monetize your content with only one ad per page.
If your html game contains images with your text-based game; always keep ads away from these images for the best results.
Save your files, and reupload them to your server.
Test your game to see if your ads are displayed correctly with each device.
Get Ad Code From Your Provider
If you were using any third party ad networks; you may need to get an ad code to implement for your ad server. And you must create a banner for your self-hosted ads on your server to display your ads from an ad network.
Note:
If your text-based game contains a sidebar for displaying other items like tips, or trivia; you can also implement an ad code to be displayed alongside your content.
Best Practices
If your text-adventure game has more than one pages with each ad implemented via ad management software; always set “Advertisements” or “Sponsored Links” for most ad codes provided by ad networks. If you have many players complaining about these ads that are covering content; place them inside a div container to contain the ad. Always let your users know if your game contains ads, this is necessary for your players to expect when playing your games.
Try to keep only 1 ad per page of your text-adventure game. Placing an ad at the very top of your text is necessary for your players to spot your ad, and scroll down as they play your game. If your text-based game has a secondary ad below your text, but above your interactive elements to control your game; always avoid attempts to gain clicks of this ad displayed on your game.
Encouraging your players to use privacy mode on browsers is necessary for users to keep spying ads at bay.
If your text-based game has no trackers to track players when they play your game; this is necessary to enable people to use privacy features.
If your game has too many ads displayed; it may slow down anyone’s browser. Always keep at max of 1 or 2 ads.
Only use Shareaholic for your landing pages of your game. Be sure to add an initial description of your text-based game. The longer the description; the better. However; it can have 2 or 3 ad zones, but you must keep it to a max of 3 ads to prevent overloading your page with ads. Well, your ads what you display may be different when you have more content that describes your game.
For some ads; they require a specific setup to display relevant ads that are designed to be place inside your content.
Use CSS when customizing your pages properly. This is necessary for your ad to resize for different screen sizes.
Your advertisement must be visible on your pages for these ads to be easy to see. Ads must be different than your content what you create each day.
Keep your ads at the same position for the best results.
Diversify these ad networks for maximizing revenue on your website.
Host your own ads when possible.
Issues With Monetizing Your Text-Adventure Game
Most ad networks are picky over which content what they will accept. You must check with any of these ad networks who will support your work, you need to experiment with these ad networks. For this instance, AdSense by Google is a known ad network who is picky!
Conclusion
You can still monetize your text-adventure game like usual. And you must be very careful when using these ad networks.
Also, html-based text-adventure games are easy to write, and you can add an ad code like monetizing any other website! This is extremely useful if you wanted to keep your text-adventure games teaming with players around the world. The more players play your game without using credit cards, the better. Even People in poverty can play these games.
Even If your collection of text-adventure games grow; and you continue to monetize your games like usual; more money pours in your wallet, and more advertisers who display ads will rely on impressions to pay for these ads.
Free text-adventure games with ads supporting your work can also help reduce costs of running your website. If you have 4 titles of your text-based game what you’ve developed yourself; you can make some money with your content. However; your website will be making some money,–even if your website is idle. Although; if you have only 1 title, you are making less money,–unless you are making additional levels for your text-based game. If your website has over 20 titles of these games, you can make more money.
If your website has so many text-based games to play, and your visitors rely on your service, your ad revenue may go up eventually. If your website is dedicated to host text-based games, and your website becomes popular; try to keep your website unchanged, but you can still post updates to your website like usual.
If your games are hosted on a shared server; you may need to ask your host for upgrading your bandwith usage.