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First Wave of Project Massive Study Complete

Posted by Zonk on from the survey-says-LFG-or-SOW dept.

Project Massive, a Carnegie Mellon University study into the habits and tendencies of Massively Multiplayer Gamers, has completed research into their first wave of questions. The results are available on their site, and include some interesting observations (nearly 30% of players spend time in a MMOG to interact with real-life friends). If you're interested in participating, their second wave of questions is available. Similar projects include Nick Yee's The Daedalus Project, the TerraNova Blog, and Constance Steinkuehler's Selected Papers. Thanks to clampe for the submission.

5 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. 156 Hours?! by th1ckasabr1ck · · Score: 3, Interesting

    156 hours? Maybe someone should have tossed out that response, considering there are only 7 * 24 = 168 hours in a week. Seems impossible to me.

  2. Everquest is a good example. by Zordas · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Being a former Evercrack addict, I know this all to well. I spent almost 6-8 hours a day playing this game. Then after 2 years of playing (And my Wizard acheiving lvl 63) I had to stop. Mostly because I never went outside, neglected my wife and basically became a drone. Now that's it's been 1 1/2 year since I played the game, I'm looking forward to World of Warcraft. (If my wife let's me play)

  3. Serious Problems by Jameth · · Score: 4, Interesting

    For those who don't yet realize it, MMORPGs represent a serious problem. As some evidence, I would point you to the response given to question 15 in that survey:

    15. What is your main reason for ongoing subscription to {game}?

    6% Participation in the Game
    20% To See My Character
    29% Fun
    14% Friendship/Social
    8% Relaxation
    9% Addictive Nature of Game
    9% Other

    In particular, 9% of the people ADMIT they are addicted to the game. We all know that most addicts refuse to be categorized as such, and 9% of these people openly admit it.

    Further, 20% of the PLAY TO SEE THEIR CHARACTERS. These are game characters, which they created and control. These characters are basically figments of their imagination. This is like saying 20% of them enjoy their imaginary friends.

    That's just not right!

    1. Re:Serious Problems by kjones692 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You're right and wrong. First of all, according to the Daedalus Project, linked to above, about 40% of users consider themselves addicted. (http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/archives/000818.p hp) The above number is the percentage of people whose primary reason for playing the game is addiction. So I would agree that addiction is a serious consideration for those who would play MMO's, and those who have little willpower (myself included) should strongly consider strictly restricting themselves, perhaps enlisting outside help if necessary.

      However, I don't see anything wrong with a desire to experience what you've created. If you built a house, wouldn't you want to live in it? Same thing here. If you "build" a character, you're going to want to "live in" it. It's not narcissism, which is what you make it out to be.

      --

      Love the Third Amendment?
  4. Re:People forget... by ajs · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've played EQ for about 4 years before stopping this spring. I can assure you that it's not 1% of folks who are there to PL and not socialize. I'd estimate (roughly) that the breakdown is something like this for EQ:

    1/3 -- Socializing with RL friends (as stated)
    1/3 -- Gamers first who have made friendships in-game and continue to play for that
    1/6 -- Obsessive gamers who seek to level/skill up/etc for the pure sake of it.
    1/6 -- misc. Includes people playing after friends quit, new people just exploring the game, plat-farmers, and scammers of all sorts.