The average gamer is typically not the type of person who follows the development closely, regardless of whether we’re talking about twitter or the official forums, so in regards to the overall context of the thread, this point of yours is completely nonsensical.
But as to your idea, that the average gamer is the one, who pays the bills, I’d say this is also nonsense. Both dedicated players and average gamers pay the bills.
The average, or should I say the more casual ones are typically a larger percentage, sure.
However, depending on the game and it’s business model (especially if we’re talking subscription), it’s the feedback from the dedicated players, that will help the devs make sure the game is compelling… that’s what will make the average player stay and maybe make him into a dedicated player – the game being good.
You need not look far for a proper example: World of freakign WarCraft… a game, that after Wrath… and hell, even during Wrath was systematically destroyed, was made dumb and pointless… and with every subsequent expansion it was bleeding more and more subs…
The dumber the game got, the less subs it had… and the correlation was quite clear.
And another correlation… many of it’s dedicated players quit. The ones that remained no matter what, I wouldn’t even refer to as dedicated player base… I’d refer to them as addicts… and they in no way helped the game.
How many of those 200 million+ would be interested in Diablo 3? A fraction of a fraction, to quote you again.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but when posting on twitter one is limited to 240 characters? If the 240 character limit is still in effect that would put every tweet into the soundbite category. Soundbites often contain memes, jokes, and punch lines because the amount of the information rarely needs to be chewed and digested. Soundbites are generally meant to be narrow or broadcasted in a single direction much like a monologue, which makes it generally unsuitable for dialogue. This explains why the “content” (air quotes) coming from twitter and other social medias is called a feed. Its called a feed because its meant to be consumed.
There is an obviously expected breakdown in communication when people are trained on a daily basis to think and speak in soundbites and reading comprehension falls off after sentence 3 or 4. We can’t really have an engaging and in-depth conversation when there isn’t enough brain power/activity to sustain it.
What is a forum?
def: a place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.
In a forum criticism is an expected part of the exchange and the exchange isn’t expected to be a shouting match or a near constant fishing expedition for cheap laughs. Having a dialogue is not outdated.
I recall plenty of “dedicated” players raging over the game going the “casual” route with TBC and even more so with WotLK with the introduction and expanding of 10 man raids. 40 man or nothing was not a rare argument at all. The amount of whine over the ease of access of epics introduced in TBC with heroics and faction bought ones was also a major issue with the “dedicated” crowd.
All things that definitely helped the game garner traction with the average gamers.
That is a silly reason. It is not hard to post it on the forums, and this is where your main fanbase and feedback are going to come from. It is a matter of courtesy and principle.
On the contrary, social media is the epitome of humanity’s darkest and worst. It is truly the real pandemic, not any whimpy virus. Life is short. Stop using and delete all that crap, and live a better life.
Just because they’ve stopped communicating does not make the concept of dialogue outdated.
Forgive me but all of this casual versus hardcore elitist player base is an expensive bag of exquisitely harvested cat turds. Maybe some folks are willing to grind that up and brew coffee from it, but I place to time or stock in that garbage. Its not kool-aid that I’m going to drink. No player or subgroup of players are better or more valuable than any other. If you are a paying customer you are in the player community.
You just lost your retirement money. Gamers, as a whole, are not on twitter. When you check the 15-25 year olds they tend not to be on twtter with rest of the old folks. The young’n are most likely on SnapChat and Discord. Facebook is for old people. I’ve seen some of the crap posted on twitter, FB, discord, Snapchat, and IG. No thank you. I’m not interested in scrolling through a stream of adverts, memes, and photos of people’s lunch and dinner meals.
Depends on what you mean by “main fanbase” and follows. I follow them on twitter. I never read anything they post on twitter unless the servers are down. Even then they’re usually completely worthless.
Heh, as people, sure. As customers? 100 hardcores are worth less for a seller than 1000 casuals. It’s just simple math. If two groups want different things, it’s more valuable to cater to the larger group from a monetary standpoint. The goal after all is making money.
And you really think they are on here? Just a few hundred active here, versus the millions that follow onntwitter and the thousands following on reddit say otherwise.
Nice twizzler twist ^^ you have there. When I say…
… I’m talking about a difference in value with respect to access to and influence of the devs and management. If the devs and management only listen to the “hardcore” wing of the player base then they will rightfully lose customers who are not onboard with their views. If the devs and management only listen to the more casual/softcore wing of the player base then the hardcore group are going to walk at some point. There needs to be a balance struck between the competing view points. Not talking at all to the player base is plain stupid.
Blizzard has been blessed with a player base that reveres them and their past products. They have been gifted a wide birth by that player base, which allowed Blizz to get away with plenty of questionable decisions. The wide birth once bestowed upon them is closing rapidly.
As to your reply, quoted at the top of this post, I and a vocal minority, were advocating for solo self-found before RoS. I even demonstrated how it could be done on a Wizard and posted a guide on it in the old forums. This was before the streamers were yapping about it. Solo self-found doesn’t germinate and blossom in the softcore camp. Blizzard was all too happy with the CC warrior crowd throwing money at them. So I know which subgroup is considered more valuable from a $$$ perspective. This is why I say no one person or subgroup is more valuable than any other. Keep it even and equal across the player base. Promote cohesion, togetherness and a team spirit among the player base instead of promoting and cultivating division and a hierarchy among the player base.
Just in case you, the devs, or Blizz management hasn’t received the message yet:
I don’t chase or follow streamers
I don’t have social media participation with any level of regularity
I’m not going to chase CM’s, forum regs, or devs on social media, or cater to their quest for internet celebrity
I, like you, have already paid for the privilege to post on this platform
I’m not looking to make Zuckerberg or Dorsey more wealthy by presenting my eyeballs to their platform and certainly not to chased down updates/news on a video game
I say the above with assumption of not caring if those social media platforms have memberships that are 6 times the total population of China and Europe combined.
Now that’s a pretty thought, but I’m quite sure that’s all it will ever be. Plenty of people that sees things in black and white, and that notion would demand a grayscale.
Seeing things in black and white have nothing to do with being apart of a community. Have you not seen the Con?.. BlizzCon… The idea that what I proposed requires a grayscaling is to present a false binary choice. The entire hardcore vs casual/softcore thing is a minuscule idea at best. It is a small minded expression of identity and a small minded attempt to separate one’s self from a crowd of like minded folks. Its like showing up to a parade, purposefully dressed just like all of the other attendees, and then saying “I’m not with them.” All of that garbage belongs in a clown car.
We are all playing the same exact video game. We start season journey at the same point as everyone else. We have every right to express our views/opinions no matter how grand or how small they may be. However, in the end you (the reader) are no better than or more valuable than me or anyone else. Anyone that subscribes to the hardcore vs casual-core/softcore idea, is welcome to that subscription. However, when it is used as evidence of having on their big boy pants and big drawers, I’m going to point and call shorts and thongs (and the stains on the tiddy-whities).
There is a reason people use the term “fam” instead friend, associate or neighbor. “Fam” connotes a deeper and more familial sense of belonging. It is to communicate that we are on the same side and share a common set of goals. The primary goal being FUN. So, my advice is forget the divisions, the us vs them, the devs vs players, etc., blah, blah, blah. Focus on fun, news, updates, communication, dialogue, patches, fixes, etc. If there are delays so be it, but speak up. Put Soon™ in the toilet and flush.