Comment Re:What incentive for the developers? (Score 1) 65
I think you severely underestimate the ease with which people will switch.
Actually, all of the gamers I know switch games whenever the next one comes out. Being that this is primarily a social activity they tend to follow their friends regardless of the time they've invested in something. Of the people I know who play MMOs regularly, they have switched from EQ to DAOC to SWG . They're now playing City of Heroes and they say they'll jump straight into WoW when it hits the streets.
MMO developers need to realize that any "loyalty" that their games command is only amongst the power-gamer minority. They're missing out on the enormous demographic of the casual gamer, to whom the time barrier of entry is simply way too big. There's millions of 25-35 year-old, 9-5 working, trying to start a family, ready-to-throw-my-money-at-something-cool people out there who simply don't have the time to invest in the current state of MMOs and don't feel like throwing away $15/mo for something they rarely use. These are the people that episodic gaming can bring in.
Actually, all of the gamers I know switch games whenever the next one comes out. Being that this is primarily a social activity they tend to follow their friends regardless of the time they've invested in something. Of the people I know who play MMOs regularly, they have switched from EQ to DAOC to SWG . They're now playing City of Heroes and they say they'll jump straight into WoW when it hits the streets.
MMO developers need to realize that any "loyalty" that their games command is only amongst the power-gamer minority. They're missing out on the enormous demographic of the casual gamer, to whom the time barrier of entry is simply way too big. There's millions of 25-35 year-old, 9-5 working, trying to start a family, ready-to-throw-my-money-at-something-cool people out there who simply don't have the time to invest in the current state of MMOs and don't feel like throwing away $15/mo for something they rarely use. These are the people that episodic gaming can bring in.
