Wowglider forced landing

[Merusk]

There hasn't been a difinitive study/ survey asking "is this your first MMO?" of wow players that I'm aware of, despite Dave's implication.  All it THAT info says is, "wow census data seems in-line with survey data.  Here's the age breakdown, too."  Urm..

Until we get a real survey it's going to be a point of contention as to how many MMO newbs started with WoW, and 4 years down the line it's a bit late to do it.

[Valmorian]

Exactly.  Plural of anecdote != data.

I am well aware of that.  However, it's true that I know of at least 3 people that WoW has converted from non-gamers into gamers, so to say "It's not true" is simply false.

It might not be as common as it's made out to be, but it's equally nonsensical to claim it doesn't happen.

[MahrinSkel]

There hasn't been a difinitive study/ survey asking "is this your first MMO?" of wow players that I'm aware of, despite Dave's implication.  All it THAT info says is, "wow census data seems in-line with survey data.  Here's the age breakdown, too."  Urm..

I won't deny that WoW brought in people that had never played an MMO before, and it probably did so in larger proportion than most games.  But that it brought in a lot of complete non-gamers, that I don't believe.  This survey is not WoW specific, but it does indicate that most MMO players have at least "some" prior video game experience, although female players will tend to be far lower on the scale that should hardly be surprising.

A "definitive" study almost has to be done by the operator.  If someone did such surveys for an operator, he'd probably be contractually bound not to disclose the results with any specificity, and have to point at publicly available data that supported his knowledge.  I'm just saying.

MMO's seem like an unlikely gateway into gaming.  There's a lot of assumed knowledge inherent in playing them, I doubt many non-gamers would be attracted to them, or find them enjoyable if they started them.  Maybe if someone they knew personally was giving them a personal tutorial.

--Dave

[IainC]

MMO's seem like an unlikely gateway into gaming.  There's a lot of assumed knowledge inherent in playing them, I doubt many non-gamers would be attracted to them, or find them enjoyable if they started them.  Maybe if someone they knew personally was giving them a personal tutorial.

--Dave

I think you're underestimating the watercooler effect. In workplaces, colleges, cafés and so forth around the world, people were talking to each other about their characters in WoW. You can't buy that level of proselytising no matter how much your ad spend is. I know many people personally who recruited wholesale from their offices - guys who weren't really computer gamers but wanted to try this thing out that everyone was talking about. Likewise I have friends who aren't particularly into computer gamers who got sucked in through people they worked with. Yeah that's all anecdotal and, as you say, any real study would probably be confidential but I doubt my experiences are so far off the bell curve as to be written off.

The box was on Wal*Mart checkouts for ages, right up with the gum, the crappy magazines and the impulse stuff. How many people got exposed to it that way who'd never even consider browsing the software aisle of the store let alone go to Gamestop? Plus when they turned the box over and looked at the requirements, they found their crappy 4 year old E-Machine could run it. Genius!

[Murgos]

A "definitive" study almost has to be done by the operator.  If someone did such surveys for an operator, he'd probably be contractually bound not to disclose the results with any specificity, and have to point at publicly available data that supported his knowledge.  I'm just saying.

The crow flies at midnight, the crow flies at midnight.  The chair is in the living room, the chair is in the living room.  John has a long mustache, John has a long mustache!

[UnSub]

WoW could be a gateway MMO, but it brought in established computer game players (even if they are just 'light' players), not non-players in huge numbers.

WoW is not the Wii of the MMO world.

[apocrypha]

My ex-wife had never played a video game before but Diablo got her hooked. And my current girlfriend had also never played a video game before but now has her own wow account with about 150 levels spread across 8 characters.

Maybe it's just that Blizzard have a high "oooh that looks purty" factor?

[UnSub]

My ex-wife had never played a video game before but Diablo got her hooked. And my current girlfriend had also never played a video game before but now has her own wow account with about 150 levels spread across 8 characters.

Maybe it's just that Blizzard have a high "oooh that looks purty" factor?

Maybe it was just you 

[apocrypha]

Maybe it was just you 

I'd have to test that theory further before leaping to conclusions 

[Venkman]

WoW is not the Wii of the MMO world.

This. The only MMOs that could even be considered gateway are the browser-based ones. People didn't jump from Halo 2 to Club Penguin. They probably came from AIMing with their friends.

WoW is a veteran focused MMO for gamers. One of its biggest success factors is rooted in it being a gamer centric IP, both in the word "warcraft" and in "Blizzard". Neither one of those mean dickall to non gamers. If 500* people worldwide came in to WoW never having played any video games before, but just happened to have a good enough computer to play it on, I'd be shocked.

* 499 of them being the lawyers 

[Lantyssa]

WoW is a veteran focused MMO for gamers. One of its biggest success factors is rooted in it being a gamer centric IP, both in the word "warcraft" and in "Blizzard". Neither one of those mean dickall to non gamers. If 500* people worldwide came in to WoW never having played any video games before, but just happened to have a good enough computer to play it on, I'd be shocked.

There is a difference between never have played a computer game before and being a computer gamer.  I had several friends who were definately not the latter who got into WoW far more than any of the unfinished, quarter-played games they tried before.

While it is anecdotal, everyone seems to know at least one person who wasn't a gamer that ended up playing WoW.  Not "I know a guy who knew a girl who had a cousin".  All of us.

[Hellinar]

While it is anecdotal, everyone seems to know at least one person who wasn't a gamer that ended up playing WoW.  Not "I know a guy who knew a girl who had a cousin".  All of us.

Yeah. A girl I know started playing WoW to hang out with her boyfriend when he got a job out of town. Her sister saw her playing, said "that looks cute" and started playing too. Neither of them have a character at 70, and aren't bothered by that. One thing about WoW, which wasn't true in EQ, was that you can play really casually without a lot of skill, and still level up. The rest system is a really good idea for non-gamers.

[UnSub]

While it is anecdotal, everyone seems to know at least one person who wasn't a gamer that ended up playing WoW.  Not "I know a guy who knew a girl who had a cousin".  All of us.

To be that guy in an argument, I don't know anyone who didn't play games that started playing WoW. I know some casual players who played WoW casually and I know some RPG nerds who played games who picked up playing WoW, but no non-gamers who started playing WoW.

[lamaros]

To be that guy in an argument, I don't know anyone who didn't play games that started playing WoW. I know some casual players who played WoW casually and I know some RPG nerds who played games who picked up playing WoW, but no non-gamers who started playing WoW.

Neither do I. In fact none of my friends, all of who are or were gamers, play WoW or have even tried it.

(One of them, a lifelong Nintendo fanboy, does have a Wii, though.)   

[Lantyssa]

Neither do I. In fact none of my friends, all of who are or were gamers, play WoW or have even tried it.

See, it's not even the gamers who are supporting WoW anymore?  We've ignored it or moved on.

[Ironwood]

I like cake.

[cevik]

I like cake.

Extrapolating this data out I am able to determine that everyone in the world likes cake.

And looks like Zod.

[apocrypha]

Cake-specced Zod's are SO overpowered. The nerfbat is swinging your way if Blizz ever get a clue!!1

[bhodi]

I also like cake. This should be self-evident, but I just wanted to confirm.

[Cadaverine]

I do not like the cake.  The pie, however, is deeleecious.

[cevik]

I do not like the cake.  The pie, however, is deeleecious.

This is impossible, as you can see my from careful and very scientific (compared to the rest of the thread) extrapolation above, everyone likes cake and looks like Zod.

My carefully collected data has no room for people who look like Heath Ledger and like pie.

P.S.:  I'm drunk, so I'm sorry that I beat you over the head with my point, the sad part is:  I think some people in this thread still won't get it.

[Rendakor]

I do not like the cake.  The pie, however, is deeleecious.