Slashdot Mirror
EverQuest - Not Just For Geeks?
DJPenguin writes "In this article at the BBC, a respected psychologist has co-authored a study into people who play games online, which breaks some of the stereotype of online gamers." This is similar in the results as the survey data we did of open source developers. The stereotypes and realities are often *very* different.
It's good to see a study that debunks the myths being propagated in
the media. Those of us who play online games know that the vast
majority of the player base are not teenagers, rather they tend to be
older, in their mid-twenties and up. I've known a few teen-age kids
that played, however they usually weren't very successful and didn't
stick with it long. Although not all teen-agers are this way, many
of the ones that I've seen play were very impatient, they just wanted
to level really fast and get all the "uber" weapons so they would
have an "uber" character.
Most of the MMORG's that I've played require a significant amount of
patience, diligence and some amount of strategy in order to develop a
highly successful character. The few teenagers I saw playing these
games didn't seem to excercise those traits in abundance.
I'd like to see them extend this study to "computer" games in
general, and maybe compare those results to the demographics of
people who play console based games. I suspect that console based
games have a significatly higher population of teenagers than
computer or desktop based games.
Doug Tolton
"The destruction of a value which is, will not bring value to that which isn't." -John Galt
I admit, I agree with the article that it's not just "pimply-faced teenagers." However, this does not reconcile the geekiness factor of the players. Last year, I had a CS professor who always talked about playing this game and I have to admit, he was a loser -- great teacher, but loser nonetheless.
Just because a lot of people are taking part doesn't mean it's not just all the geeks. In fact, the world probably has more geeks in it than non-geeks.
I am over here... now I am back over here!
I would have thought that the sale figures of Everquest subscriptions would have broken the geek myth, The numbers should have shown by now that there aren't that many geeks in the world so normal people have to be playing MMORPGs.
I was just wondering where these steriotypes come from? Are they based on real people which are extapolated to include the masses?
:) )
In my opinion, steriotypes are a way to visualize the unknown. It give you the false impression that you know everything about something you have never seen before, thereby removing the fear of the unknown.
(I'm throwing a ball here, please feel free to reply
"The findings dismiss the stereotype of a pimple-faced teenager locked in his bedroom.
Instead, today's player is just as likely to be a well-paid professional - male or female - aged in their 40s.
OK, so we all knew that those pimple faced kids that played D&D in their basements grew up and got good jobs. We didn't need a study for that. The sterotype still holds true, its just that the first generation of "Geeks" are all grown up now. And Still geeks.
The Geek Shall inherit the earth....of Norath that is. This is
Why would the media be creating such myths saying that geeks are the only ones spending their countless hours on the internet playing games?
Let us take the great folks at CBS/Viacom/Infinity for our example. This is the same company that brings you Howard Stern, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon. Why would they want people to be on the internet? Young kids should be watching Rocket Power, teenagers should be watching TRL and everyone else should be watching I love the 80s. That is unless you have work, then damnit you should be listening to Stern.
Seriously, these games deserve fda regulation more than say crack cocaine. I recently managed to break free and sell my account for dark age of camelot (www.darkageofcamelot.com). Finall tally? 142 DAYS played. (3408 hours). In this time i could've gotten a phd in nuclear phisics, or made 25 thousand dollars working at mcdonalds for minimum wage!
Friends don't let friends play these games....
with 15% of the respondents playing for more than 50 hours a week, and around 40% playing for 40 or more hours a week. When does it become a problem? When it hits 60 hours a week? 70?
I have played both male and female characters, and I never noticed much of a difference in other people's attitudes towards me. There was some difference but not a lot. I guess it all depends on the crowd you hang out with.
I do know a case of a female playing a male character. I was rather surprised when I met her in real life, expecting a 'him' instead.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
Is anyone starting to see EQ as a problem?
I don't/won't play EQ because I know I could easily spend way too much time playing this game.
I don't many people who play EQ(I am married with children) But I do know a few, and from them and what I can tell
Are people getting serious addicted to EQ like a drug? I know people joke and call it EverCrack but
how big of a problem is it?
Are marriages, grades, family lives failing because of this game?
here.
As others have pointed out the reason only older people play Everquest is because younger people don't have credit cards. If its pay to play you needs dough and a job.
Also, of course it's not only nerds playing. Video gaming has been mainstream since the NES. People from all walks of life have been playing video games since the 80s. That's not news. Tell me when non-nerds are using linux and I'll be shocked.
Lastly, Everquest does indeed suck.
this old slashdot article tells it like it is. End of story.
The problem with MMO games is that social factors directly influence gameplay. The people who make games only know how to deal with technological and game design problems. I strongly believe that there are no technological solutions to social problems.
The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
The normal players have 1 account with maybe 3 or 4 characters.
The geeks have multiple accounts with multiple characters, which they use to help each other out. This requires the use of multiple computers, but hey, what geek doesn't have that?
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
"Most people I know spend about 3-4 hours a night watching TV... so in many cases it is just a substitution of entertainment rather than some unfortunate development in their lifestyle."
I'd say 3-4 hours of TV/Everquest a night is certainly an unfortunate development in anybody's lifestyle. My God! I would have to break up my band, dump my girlfriend, stop riding my bike and sever ties with my family to make this much time.
In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane. -Oscar Wilde
Agreed. I'm trying to imagine the parents of this respected psychologist saying "darn that kid, he should get outside and play with other kids." I have no respect for any psychologist who finds it acceptable for someone to sink 40 hours a week into a single video game. There's so much more to life than what comes on a 15-21 inch glowing screen with stereo speakers. I wonder whether the guy would say it is healthy for people to spend 40 hours a week having sex? I mean, "it's not an addiction, they just really like it?" 40 hours a week drinking or watching porn "it's not an addiction, they just really like it?" Okay, this guy obviously didn't read the slashdot article about the kid in Asia who died from dehydration/sleep deprivation/constipation because he played video games for 80 hours straight. Let's not forget that psychologists around the world think pedophilia is healthy for both parties. Is it any wonder that people who first get into psychology do so because of the "profound effect it has had on close family members?" A case has been made that this psychologist is a nutcase. 40 hours a week playing Yahoo! Towers is not an addiction, it is a nightmare. If you want social interaction at odd hours of the night, get a night job at a gas station. Pick the right neighborhood, and I guarantee you it will be exciting. -- Vexar (the original)
I know many adults, teens, and kids that come home and watch TV straight away after work, school or whatever. They eat, fold laundry, ect in front of the TV, at 6 hours per day on average.
.
So if I think that there is nothing good on TV and decide to play everquest instead, an online game which actually allows me to interact with other people for 40 - 50 hours a week, this is a problem?
I do not think that the majority are geeks playing either. Last week I played with an 11 year old, and he was actually keeping up with our group of 23 year olds. I have also played with several 30+ players.
The point is you cannot just apply a general label and age class to anything in life without actual raw data. If sony would give you their demographic information, THEN you can make an argument on that data. I am not talking about the article I am talking about all you "non geek" slashdot readers, ( isn't that an oxy moron ) , that thing that geeks / dorks / virgins are the only ones playing games a lot, ( you forgot crank addicts, they game 280 hours a week )
the game playing continued until I went to grad school, where a significant amount of my time is now spent at my computer terminal (my thesis is computer focused). Now I find that when I go home I don't want to sit in front of a screen, even if the games graphics are nice and shiny and all.
I wonder if anyone else is like me and thinks that those people who spend more time on computers during their work-day are less interested in sitting at the computer when they come home, or if it is just the opposite?
Excuse me, doesn't it seem like the author of this "study," by playing the game himself, calls his findings (which read pretty much like simple opinions here) into question? If they'd done a story about a Zoloft study, do you think they might have asked some serious questions about the fact that the head scientist was taking Zoloft himself? Okay, so this is just a fluff story, but still, it's weird -- what stereotype is this debunking, anyway?
Let's see, what did the study find?
Is the big "shattered" stereotype that this person is supposed to be a "pimply teenager"? If you met a 40-something man without a significant other who spent 42 hours a week playing a female character online -- he's a Gnome illusionist who wears fetching custom chain mail ensembles -- what would you think? Would you think he wasn't a "geek" or a "nerd" because of his age and income?
(The BBC science staff seems to reprint press releases and call them reporting pretty often. I once told them a story about the anniversary of Prozac was uninformed, and they said "thanks" and promptly reworded the story -- as if they'd never heard of any other antidepressants until I mentioned it. On the one hand, they're responsive, but it makes you wonder about their editors...)
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
What is the definition of a geek anymore? I consider myself to be somewhat of a geek. I love technology, I'm always jackin with software, hardware, phones, PDAs, etc.
Are geeks pasty faced teenagers, that rarely bath and wouldn't know laundry detergent if it hit them in the face?
I think everyone is a geek in their own sense. I think geekyness is good.
EMBRACE GEEKYNESS! =)
I had a college instructor for a writing class once, and what she said the first day of class i'll never forget:
"I will try to get your assignments graded and back to you ASAP, but I must confess I am an avid gamer and Diablo II addict, so please, let me know if I forgot to get something back to you."
My jaw immediately dropped, along with my stereotypes of gamers (especially in the RPG/adventure genre) only being geeky males. A late 20's/early 30's female instructor with no telltale signs of any gaming/geekiness threw me for a huge surprise.
Edward Castronova wrote a paper a while back concerning emerging economic theory within virtual worlds.
The paper goes into much greater detail about the type of people who play MMORPGs than the BBC article. In addition to a short history of MMORGSs, he also gives his thoughts on the future of avatars as our means of shopping/working/interacting.
"Journal entry, 18 April. I have called my avatar 'Alaniel.' I land in Norrath for the first time, in a town called Freeport. I am standing in a stone courtyard behind a gate. I see several lean-tos and a firepit. All around I hear the sounds of footsteps and I see humanoids of various shapes and sizes running back and forth, names like "Zikon" and "Sefirooth" over their heads, wearing odd costumes, carrying strange implements. Are they people? Or merely beings created by the software? Statements flow into my chat box at a rapid rate. "Galadriel shouts: Looking for bind at gate." I see a being with the name Galadriel. Is he talking to me? What is he saying? "Friitz says out of character: brt -omwb." What? No sign of anyone named Friitz. "Ikillu auctions: WTS bone chips." An auction. What should I do? I feel the presence of humanity, but I suddenly feel like a stranger in a very foreign culture. I become afraid of breaking some taboo, of making a fool of myself. Clumsily, I maneuver Alaniel toward the nearest lean-to and hide behind it. No one can see me here." (Castronova, p.2, Virtual Worlds, 2001)
Opinions were like kittens, I was giving them away.