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  • The Daily Grind: Do alts help or hurt game retention?

    by 
    Justin Olivetti
    Justin Olivetti
    02.20.2011

    I'm going to share with you something I've struggled with and then ask for your professional opinion, Internet Friends. As a natural altoholic, I'm forever filling up my character select screen with a wide variety of heroes. And by heroes, I mean "experiments." Having a main is all fine and dandy, but sooner or later the winds of whimsy wash over me, and I feel the uncontrollable urge to roll up an alt. My struggle is this: Is my altoholic nature helping me stay in the game longer or hurting my interest overall? On one hand, having a single character to focus on helps me to bond strongly with that toon, explore high-level content, and dedicate myself to a focused journey through the game. On the other hand, having alts adds the spicy variety that I crave and lets me explore the game in new ways. But I've noticed that several alts can erode that tight attachment I have to an MMO, especially if I keep bouncing around between them. Does this happen to you? What do you think: Do alts help or hurt game retention for you in the long run? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!