subject: David Allen and Quest Online / OQL Part III [print this page] David Allen and Quest Online / OQL Part III
Author's Note: This article is the final installment of this series as I continue my researching the online gaming industry with a specific focus on David Allen, Quest Online ( QOL ), and Alganon.
David Allen departed Quest Online in March 2010. This was after creating Alganon, releasing the game in December 2009, and building and running Quest Online for more than four years.
Whenever somebody creates a new company and raises capital from outside sources there are always risks involved. Obviously, investors always carry a fair amount of the risk. Risk is what brings reward. Understanding that investment is a risk, I wonder how important it is for those operating the company to really know the investors. What if the investors are good people? What if they're bad people? What if they're supportive? What if they have ulterior motives? Do they have any experience or background in their investment? What is their history of behavior? All of this plays a key part in the sustainability of a company, especially during the process of making it profitable.
What drives individuals such as David, who found companies and spend countless hours building companies and/or commercial Mass Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) from the ground up? I asked David about this, and he said:
"I've never been a money driven person. My passion is in creating worlds, building teams and companies, and producing products. As long as I can live a comfortable lifestyle while working on the products I love and to make them successful, I'm happy. But Quest Online turned into more than just building a MMOG; it became a monumental investment of time and money where I acted as President & CEO, CTO, and COO all wrapped into one. With nearly 50 people working at Quest Online at our height and all of the responsibilities, I worked on average of 70 or more hours a week for at least three of the four years and it became quite overwhelming. I definitely learned vacations are not only important, but necessary."
David Allen shipped a commercial MMOG with a virtual company all through angel investment and without publisher support. This was a monumental accomplishment and I know of no independent game company or individual that has built and accomplished what Quest Online and David Allen did with the time and funds. The original Alganon team deserves much praise for such an accomplishment.
"It was a privilege to found, build and run Quest Online, create, develop and launch Alganon, and to work with the outstanding team that was formed. I'll remember what so many of our team members shared with me: Quest Online was the best job I ever had."
More David Allen / Quest Online information can be read at: http://www.davidallenquestonline.com
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