Comments on: New major study on MMO players http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/ Raph Koster's personal website: MMOs, gaming, writing, art, music, books Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:02:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Research profiles the typical fantasy MMO player | Game Pethttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/comment-page-1/#comment-141465 Research profiles the typical fantasy MMO player | Game Pet Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:02:58 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/#comment-141465 [...] Dmitri Williams and his team have been doing some very hardcore MMO-related research. Thanks to Raph Koster, they were given free reign with the whole of SOE’s EverQuest II-related user statistics. [...]

[...] Dmitri Williams and his team have been doing some very hardcore MMO-related research. Thanks to Raph Koster, they were given free reign with the whole of SOE’s EverQuest II-related user statistics. [...]

]]> By: Games All-In-One Blogs » Blog Archive » Research profiles the typical fantasy MMO playerhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/comment-page-1/#comment-141195 Games All-In-One Blogs » Blog Archive » Research profiles the typical fantasy MMO player Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:43:42 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/#comment-141195 [...] Dmitri Williams and his team have been doing some very hardcore MMO-related research. Thanks to Raph Koster, they were given free reign with the whole of SOE’s EverQuest II-related user statistics. [...]

[...] Dmitri Williams and his team have been doing some very hardcore MMO-related research. Thanks to Raph Koster, they were given free reign with the whole of SOE’s EverQuest II-related user statistics. [...]

]]> By: Michael Chuihttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/comment-page-1/#comment-141178 Michael Chui Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:23:08 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/#comment-141178 <i>I cannot wait to see the details and actual statistics here.</i> Not sure what you mean by that. The paper is available for download. I printed out two copies myself (one at home, which is still in the printer, and one at the office, because I forgot to grab the first one to read on the bus). I can only hope that further papers will also be just as available. I cannot wait to see the details and actual statistics here.

Not sure what you mean by that. The paper is available for download. I printed out two copies myself (one at home, which is still in the printer, and one at the office, because I forgot to grab the first one to read on the bus).

I can only hope that further papers will also be just as available.

]]> By: Amarantharhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/comment-page-1/#comment-141174 Amaranthar Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:28:08 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/#comment-141174 I wouldn't be surprised if you were right, Muckbeast. WoW's guilds pretty much suck. There's not much to do except quests, and the few I've been in were social only in chat. I don't know hardly anything about EQ2, but if I'd known then I might have played that instead. But one grind is enough, and I don't really want to start a new one. Especially after everyone else is levelled out. (But actually, I only play WoW because my son does, I'm tapped out on MMORPGs until something I want comes along.) I wouldn’t be surprised if you were right, Muckbeast. WoW’s guilds pretty much suck. There’s not much to do except quests, and the few I’ve been in were social only in chat. I don’t know hardly anything about EQ2, but if I’d known then I might have played that instead. But one grind is enough, and I don’t really want to start a new one. Especially after everyone else is levelled out. (But actually, I only play WoW because my son does, I’m tapped out on MMORPGs until something I want comes along.)

]]> By: Muckbeasthttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/comment-page-1/#comment-141173 Muckbeast Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:11:40 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/#comment-141173 >> In the study of EQ2, the gender distribution was >> 80.80% male and 19.20% female. I would like to see a comparison with the % of female gamers in WoW. I have heard estimates for WoW at around 5% female. EQ2 has a lot of fun, non-combat activities. WoW basically has none. I cannot help but think the lack of meaningful non-combat activities severely limits WoW's female gamer population. -Michael Hartman Blogging about Online Gaming and Virtual Worlds: http://www.muckbeast.com >> In the study of EQ2, the gender distribution was
>> 80.80% male and 19.20% female.

I would like to see a comparison with the % of female gamers in WoW. I have heard estimates for WoW at around 5% female.

EQ2 has a lot of fun, non-combat activities. WoW basically has none. I cannot help but think the lack of meaningful non-combat activities severely limits WoW’s female gamer population.

-Michael Hartman
Blogging about Online Gaming and Virtual Worlds:
http://www.muckbeast.com

]]> By: Muckbeasthttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/comment-page-1/#comment-141169 Muckbeast Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:28:49 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/#comment-141169 Rik, I completely disagree that it is "easy" to deal with the bad content most players will make. No matter what filters or ranking systems you have, players will find ways to game it and get their "crappy" content high on the ratings list. This will happen often, and other players will eventually stop trusting the ratings system. At that point, you may as well have no raiting system at all. Player created content is a total red herring. It will never be good. It will always be 90% garbage. Player created content has its place, however. Housing? Good. Events? Good. Non permanent things? Good. But actual content as far as zones to explore, quests to go on, etc? Bad. -Michael Hartman Blogging about Online Gaming and Virtual Worlds: http://www.muckbeast.com Rik, I completely disagree that it is “easy” to deal with the bad content most players will make. No matter what filters or ranking systems you have, players will find ways to game it and get their “crappy” content high on the ratings list. This will happen often, and other players will eventually stop trusting the ratings system. At that point, you may as well have no raiting system at all.

Player created content is a total red herring. It will never be good. It will always be 90% garbage. Player created content has its place, however. Housing? Good. Events? Good. Non permanent things? Good. But actual content as far as zones to explore, quests to go on, etc? Bad.

-Michael Hartman
Blogging about Online Gaming and Virtual Worlds:
http://www.muckbeast.com

]]> By: Muckbeasthttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/comment-page-1/#comment-141168 Muckbeast Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:23:13 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/#comment-141168 I cannot wait to see the details and actual statistics here. None of that surprises me. Not a single one of those findings. The news itself is very encouraging, but I have to admit I am almost as happy that my suspicions about my fellow MMO players/developers were pretty much spot on. -Michael Hartman Blogging about Online Gaming and Virtual Worlds: http://www.muckbeast.com I cannot wait to see the details and actual statistics here. None of that surprises me. Not a single one of those findings. The news itself is very encouraging, but I have to admit I am almost as happy that my suspicions about my fellow MMO players/developers were pretty much spot on.

-Michael Hartman
Blogging about Online Gaming and Virtual Worlds:
http://www.muckbeast.com

]]> By: The Pastorhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/comment-page-1/#comment-141164 The Pastor Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:18:52 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/#comment-141164 The most "immersed" I feel in any game I play is when there is actual drama involved. When you are looking at a plain wooden door and your choices are to open it or not and you really, truely do not know what's on the other side, when you finally do open that door and see what's there and it suprises you then your immersion level goes up. It does not have to be photo-realistic, it has to be "new" and unanticipated. The more monotonous the task the less immersive it feels, no matter how good the graphics are. When I played DOOM II and I creeped around a corner and found a new monster I had never seen and I had to figure out how to kill him, I actually felt a level of fear. That's immersion. IMHO The most “immersed” I feel in any game I play is when there is actual drama involved. When you are looking at a plain wooden door and your choices are to open it or not and you really, truely do not know what’s on the other side, when you finally do open that door and see what’s there and it suprises you then your immersion level goes up. It does not have to be photo-realistic, it has to be “new” and unanticipated.
The more monotonous the task the less immersive it feels, no matter how good the graphics are.
When I played DOOM II and I creeped around a corner and found a new monster I had never seen and I had to figure out how to kill him, I actually felt a level of fear. That’s immersion.

IMHO

]]> By: Amarantharhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/comment-page-1/#comment-141161 Amaranthar Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:22:15 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/#comment-141161 I think Michael's allot more right than wrong about immersion. We are talking about immersion specific to MMO's here. And if you don't have a complete game with "realistic" things to do, in a complete way of participating in that world, then it loses immersion. If there is <em>nothing</em> to do, which is where this started, then immersion is completely lost. I think Michael’s allot more right than wrong about immersion. We are talking about immersion specific to MMO’s here. And if you don’t have a complete game with “realistic” things to do, in a complete way of participating in that world, then it loses immersion. If there is nothing to do, which is where this started, then immersion is completely lost.

]]> By: Amarantharhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/comment-page-1/#comment-141160 Amaranthar Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:14:17 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/09/05/new-major-study-on-mmo-players/#comment-141160 <blockquote>Amaranthar, did you even read the study? On average EQ2 players are still slightly overweight but have a lower average BMI then the US population. With 22.2% of players classified as obese. If people lied we would see much smaller numbers. Anyway what reason does anyone have to lie? The information won’t be tracked back to their account by any means.</blockquote> Yep I did. Why would you assume that just because I questioned the truthfulness of the replies that I am saying that they all lied? If 10% of the respondents knocked off about 15 pounds because they feel that that's where they should be, and that's where they will be in a few months because they are going to turn over a new leaf starting 'tomorrow', then that would throw off the results. And I think that answers your last question, no?

Amaranthar, did you even read the study?

On average EQ2 players are still slightly overweight but have a lower average BMI then the US population. With 22.2% of players classified as obese. If people lied we would see much smaller numbers. Anyway what reason does anyone have to lie? The information won’t be tracked back to their account by any means.

Yep I did. Why would you assume that just because I questioned the truthfulness of the replies that I am saying that they all lied? If 10% of the respondents knocked off about 15 pounds because they feel that that’s where they should be, and that’s where they will be in a few months because they are going to turn over a new leaf starting ‘tomorrow’, then that would throw off the results. And I think that answers your last question, no?

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