Project Massive: Survey Reveals Obvious Results.

[schild]

Woot.

Some other interesting tid bits from wave 3:

Almost 90% of respondents were male
As one would expect, 18-34 is where most of the players fell, though there were more 27 year olds than any other age.
More than 40% were married or living with a significant other and ever so slightly more have never been married or lived with someone.
Almost 80% had no kids.
More than 70% of players were members of a player organization (guild)
Only 45% of players were in the same guild in this wave, that they were at the last data collection wave.
Almost 25% of respondents had been in the same player organization for more than 48 months.
About 20% of respondents had moved to a new game with their guild since the last wave.
 More than 70% moved to a new game either by themselves or with a small group of guild members. Only just under 10% had not moved to a new game at all. The migration patterns here alone are staggering.
40% of guilds remained active in the previous game. 35% did not. About 25% didn't know.
About 65% of respondents no longer play the previous game at all.
Player versus Environment was deemed as the most important factor (more than 50%) to players of MMOGs. Other options were PVP (about 24%), Non-combat gameplay (about 4%) and player community experience (about 20%).
Just under 50% of respondents indicated that they don't play any other online games besides their MMOG of choice. All other options (including a catchall of Xbox Live) falls under the 10% mark.

I can shorten the article: People are playing WoW now, they don't have kids, only (read: mostly) catasses take surveys about MMOGs.

Result: Inconclusive of the entire spectrum of players.

Discuss.

[stray]

When I was 14, you know where I expected to be at 27?

Jim Morrison (dead too!).

But nope....I turned out to be a catass instead. God help me....I hope that little declaration of "quitting mmos" earlier is for real this time.

[Llava]

Well, my "player organization" is split across two games, but I'd say that the "nearly 90% male" mark sounds about right.  Four women come to mind as frequent players across both games, all of them are married with husbands who are gamers (and 3 of 4 of those husbands play the same game as the wife- though I've never seen the husband surpass the wife by a significant margin, while one of the wives frequently surpasses her husband's characters, then powerlevels them up later... and I know what you're thinking and no, she works).

But that's all rather meaningless.  I'd guess that 90% mark is about right.  The rest <shrug> sounds like what you'd get if you asked on a MMOG forum, which is only a... what was the quote?  "A small percentage of our customer base"?

[schild]

But that's all rather meaningless.  I'd guess that 90% mark is about right.  The rest <shrug> sounds like what you'd get if you asked on a MMOG forum, which is only a... what was the quote?  "A small percentage of our customer base"?

Or, as I said - the hardcore players and catasses. People too busy to post on a forum regularly but too insecure about their habit that they _want_ to make sure everyone else is always doing it. This survey makes the casual gamers seem like the weird ones.

ZEE MATH EEZ FLAWLESS.

[Calandryll]

Actually, from a Community perspective, I did find the result that 70% of the people don't move to a new MMOG with their guild kind of interesting and a little surprising.

However, I would like to have seen the question broken up a bit more. Separate "I moved to an MMOG with a few guildmates" and "I moved to a new MMOG by myself". To me, even moving with a few guildmates counts as moving with your guild even if they create a new guild in the new game. So I'd want to know how many people join a new a game totally by themselves vs. how many leave in a small group from their old guild. Those are two very different things.

[Krakrok]

More than 40% were married or living with a significant other and ever so slightly more have never been married or lived with someone.

Is it me or did the author of the article deliberately marginallize the numbers from the second half of this sentence? I've seen this in other polls where the author seems to show a bias for one poll number above the other by listing one percentage as a number and hiding the other percentage in the sentence. Wouldn't it have been better for him to say "More than 40% were married or cohabitating and ~42% were never married or cohabitating."

[Shockeye]

More than 40% were married or living with a significant other and ever so slightly more have never been married or lived with someone.

Is it me or did the author of the article deliberately marginallize the numbers from the second half of this sentence? I've seen this in other polls where the author seems to show a bias for one poll number above the other by listing one percentage as a number and hiding the other percentage in the sentence. Wouldn't it have been better for him to say "More than 40% were married or cohabitating and ~42% were never married or cohabitating."

I noticed that as well. It does show, to me at least, a bias in writing up the results.

[Evangolis]

For those who might be interested, here is the Project Massive web site.

I was a bit disappointed in it, as it was pretty spare, mostly just data graphs.  I'd have liked to see more analysis, particularly regarding Seay's thesis about the application or misapplication of the addiction model to online gaming.  I suppose that that will be a publication at some point.  I'd also like to have seen comparisons of the responding cohort vs the general population, with adjustments for demographics, and for internal skews within the data.  For example, what portion of the never married, never cohabitated group were under 18?  What portion was over 30?  What percent of the largest chronological group (age 27) was unmarried/non-cohabitating?  I'd be interested to see details for all the major questions like that.

I'm also a bit concerned about the self-selecting nature of the sample.  For example, this is overwhelmingly a North American sample.  I wonder what Korean research would show us?

[schild]

Nothing. Too busy to log out of WoW, Guild Wars, Lineage 2, and Lineage. When they queue up for a raid they actually queue up for a raid. Sleep? Not this week, pal.

[stray]

A more interesting survey would be how many mmog gamers are also at least casual meth users.

[UnSub]

More than 40% were married or living with a significant other and ever so slightly more have never been married or lived with someone.

Is it me or did the author of the article deliberately marginallize the numbers from the second half of this sentence? I've seen this in other polls where the author seems to show a bias for one poll number above the other by listing one percentage as a number and hiding the other percentage in the sentence. Wouldn't it have been better for him to say "More than 40% were married or cohabitating and ~42% were never married or cohabitating."

I noticed that as well. It does show, to me at least, a bias in writing up the results.

As someone who works in research, it's probably more a case of the writer trying to avoid just listing two percentages in the same sentence which can make things dull to read. The writer has also done a lot of rounding (ie "Almost 25%" etc) that is meant to make assessing the numbers easier.

However, it is lazy writing to some extent and can confuse an issue - if more people are not married than are, why wouldn't you lead with the bigger percentage?.

[Evangolis]

A more interesting survey would be how many mmog gamers are also at least casual meth users.

From what I can tell, the phrase 'casual meth users' is an oxymoron. 

Vs MMO gamers, whom many just feel are morons.  How come there isn't a rimshot smilely?

As to the two percentages, looked to me like unmarried rounded closer to 50%.  I'd have gone with two numbers in two sentences, myself, but I hesitate to kibbitz too much with somebody who is actually doing something other than just hold random opinions, since the latter is pretty much my sole basis for commentary.

[stray]

How come there isn't a rimshot smilely?

Because there was a guild in SB I knew of that comprised of members who were doing the very thing (Not the entire guild, to be sure!).

As for "casual": You're probably right, but I guess I was more referring to people who dabble with milder stimulants like diet pills or their little brother's Ritalin ("mild", as in, "mild in comparison"). Amphetemines to be exact....But "meth" has such a better ring to it, don't you think?

"Amp head" is SO 80's.

To be completely serious though, I would be interested to see how many players are at least caffiene junkies.

[Alkiera]

To be completely serious though, I would be interested to see how many players are at least caffiene junkies.

It'd certainly be shorter to count the ones that aren't, I'm sure.  I've felt so much better since I mostly gave it up... still drink soda, just not caffeinated.  Have the occasional coke or dr. pepper or whatever, but try to stay away from Mt. Dew, as that was my stimulant of choice for years... drank WAY too much of that.

Alkiera

[schild]

Giving up caffeine MIGHT be impossible for me. And it has nothing to do with video games or whatever. I used to drink diet cokes before soccer practice, after games, before basketball, after basketball, during golf - all through high school. I'm a caffeine JUNKIE through and through. Sigh.

[shiznitz]

Actually, from a Community perspective, I did find the result that 70% of the people don't move to a new MMOG with their guild kind of interesting and a little surprising.

However, I would like to have seen the question broken up a bit more. Separate "I moved to an MMOG with a few guildmates" and "I moved to a new MMOG by myself". To me, even moving with a few guildmates counts as moving with your guild even if they create a new guild in the new game. So I'd want to know how many people join a new a game totally by themselves vs. how many leave in a small group from their old guild. Those are two very different things.

My guild of casuals pretty much moves en masse: formed in EQ > short PS stint > CoH > EQ2 but is now splintering to WoW a bit. No talk about "the next game" yet.

[Yegolev]

I immediately discredit any text containing a "percent" symbol.  Statistics is not real math.

[HaemishM]

More than 70% moved to a new game either by themselves or with a small group of guild members. Only just under 10% had not moved to a new game at all. The migration patterns here alone are staggering.
About 65% of respondents no longer play the previous game at all.

MMOG companies should be absolutely shitting their brithces over that number alone.

[Bunk]

Just to take a look at my own progression:

UO
- played a couple shards, kept moving, didn't have a guild
- found a group starting on Seige (new shard at the time) through news groups (PAG)
- went to Seige and played there till I quit UO

AC1
- stopped playing UO shortly after I started AC
- joined a guild on Darktide of Anti's
- guild eventually self destructed, reformed with a new core membership, thrived a while
- moved on to a newly opening pve shard (new shards are a big influence here) that some real life friends were starting on
- joined a guild with those firends there, also invited over a couple people from Darktide

SWG
- was still playing AC on and off till this came out
- joined SWG only because I was asked by members of former AC guild
- stopped playing AC

Shadowbane
- helped form a guild pre-release made up of a core from our Darktide AC guild
- guild self destructed before the game was released - Valadreil Aurenheim is obviously bad luck as a guild leader (just threw the name out in case anyone who played Darktide remembers the Kara incident)
- played a short time anyways cause I'm stubborn. Quit after 3 months

Stopped playing SWG as many guildies had stopped, and inflation had destroyed any interest I had in the crafting end.

WoW
- was given a free 10 day trial buy a guy at work
- joined a group of collegues at work in a guild
- discovered my old AC/SWG guild was playing another shard, so joined them as well
- still playing WoW, no others.

So yea, guildies moving to other games is certainly a big influence. Typically moved from one game to the next, leaving the previous game behind. I doubt I'm much different from most others in this regard. I still have contact with people I played with on both AC shards, and still play WoW with some of them. I still have sporadic contact with members of my first UO guild through here and Corp.

[Lt.Dan]

I immediately discredit any text containing a "percent" symbol.  Statistics Simple averages are not real math.

Fixed that for you.

[Evangolis]

I wonder what Korean research would show us?

Heh, perhaps we shall find out, here is the newly launched english language version of a Koeren game site.

Nothing terribly fascinating so far, but who can say, particularly with the recent changes from the korean FCC-equivalent.