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Can Anyone Beat WoW?
Next Generation is running an article penned by DFC Intelligence Analyst David Cole, exploring the overwhelming popularity of World of Warcraft. Coles asks Is It Possible to Surpass World of Warcraft? He explores the reasons behind WoW's success, and what it means for the market as a whole. From the article: "All of these factors point towards one conclusion: World of Warcraft's success, admirable as it may be, will be extremely difficult to duplicate. This will be bad news for all the frothy investors who are suddenly discovering the MMOG business model. In the new DFC Intelligence Online Game Market report we forecast revenue in the MMOG market to grow over 150% from 2006 to 2011. However, this doesn't account for all the investment money that is likely to be lost chasing after that revenue growth."
The conversation usually goes like this...
Gamer 1: Hey, you gotta try this new game with us, everybody is doing it.
Gamer 2: Nah, I heard it will wreck your life.
Gamer 1: C'mon, just this once... you'll love it. Nothing bad can happen.
Gamer 2: Oh, OK... Just this once.
Later that day Gamer 2 steals Grandma's credit card for the monthly fees...
Until other games can be engaging enough to inspire that kind of behavior from the regular players they won't touch WoW.
Homer: Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true!