Sanya-Weathers
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GamerDNA provides insight into how we view our MMOs
Massively multiplayer online games, and our experiences within them, don't always fit into neat categories like "Fantasy" and "Sci-fi." The depth of these games -- in terms of setting, general tone, opposition faced (players or NPCs), how we envision ourselves in these games, and how that affects our playstyles -- gives way to a wide range of differing viewpoints among players on those very same games. Sanya Weathers of gamerDNA explores how we view our games in her column "MMO Focus: Traits of Popular Subscription Games". For those unfamiliar with gamerDNA, it's a social network for gamers which touts a new feature called the Discovery Engine. It allows its users to assign various traits to the games they play -- or create their own -- which in turn provides metrics for gamerDNA, and a collective glimpse into how we relate to our games. The results Weathers gathered from gamerDNA's trait system were a bit unexpected, leading her to say, "Either we have a massive identity crisis here in the gaming world, or what you think you are has nothing to do with the games you play. Rampant individualists for the win!"
Failed MMOnogamy: An analysis of multi-gamers
GamerDNA is at it once again with what they do best: crunching numbers and making pretty graphs! Ok, so it's much more than that, but we've become accustomed to some interesting analysis of our favorite MMOs and why we play them. In their most recent article, Sanya Weathers takes a look at people who play multiple MMOs, and which ones they're playing.The article explains the details of the research, as the sample set was taken from gamerDNA users who have Xfire turned on. Within this research, we learn that 76% of users only play one title. Not surprising, that one title is mostly either World of Warcraft or Warhammer Online. To be relatively fair to WAR's newness, this research was done later than one month after the game's launch.
How your Bartle Type influences your class choice: WoW style
Last week we showed the Massively readers a research report done at gamerDNA regarding MMO players' Bartle Type and how it influences their Warhammer Online class choices. In the comments at their site, and at ours, many asked if this could be done for other games as well, namely World of Warcraft. Well this week they treat us to just that, and the results might surprise you.While not as clearly-defined as the WAR/Bartle results, this report shows some interesting statistics relating to WoW players and their gender, personality, class type and more. Keep in mind though that these results are based on around 45k+ members at gamerDNA who play WoW, not every single player out there. Even so, it's always enlightening to see these things in solid numbers. I mean, who knew there were more Hunters than any other class? /cough One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!
How your Bartle Type influences your WAR class choice
A few weeks ago, gamerDNA made a push to get 500k gamers to take the Bartle test located on their site. Not only did they crush that number, but they've put the statistics to good use. In an interesting research article by Sanya Weathers (who was just recently on the Massively speaking podcast), you'll notice some fascinating results combining the Bartle Type of gamers as it pertains to their Warhammer Online class choice.First off, this article shows the interesting distribution of class choices in WAR (from the people with that information in their gamerDNA profiles). Then that information is broken down to show gender preference per class and ultimately the Bartle Type in relation to each class. The entire article is certainly a worthwhile read, and says a lot about the balance of the game's classes and how the game can appeal to as many people as it has. Hopefully, as hinted in the article, gamerDNA will do research like this for other popular MMOs in the future. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Idiom abuse is a slap in the face of grammar
In a rather amusing blog post, Sanya "Tweety" Weathers, MMO community guru and Director of Community at GamerDNA, reflects on the etymology of the phrase "a slap in the face" (as in, "The devs are nerfing Warlocks? This is such a slap in the face!"). Sanya seems to be of the belief that a slap to the face is more of a wake up call, with a potential curative element from temporary psychosis, which would seem to indicate that the phrase is being used improperly in this context.For our part, we always wondered if people really felt like class nerfs or design changes were so insulting as to be compared with a physical blow to the face or if the phrase has merely slipped into the realm of meaningless idiom, joining "melting faces" and "massive damage" at the nexus of gamer parlance. Our suspicion is that people are just overly dramatic when confronted by change in an online environment, but you never know, some people take their games very seriously.
Signs you are not smart enough...
I love eating bees. Well, I love to read Eating Bees, the industry insiders POV from the legendary Sanya Weathers. I love it because she says it like it is, an all too rare commodity in this overly politically correct world. In her latest diatribe Sanya takes on people who are not smart enough to moderated boards. This list can apply to virtually any board whether it be about shooters, MMOs or even movies. But since Sanya came from Mythic Entertainment they are likely based on personal experience. And they're a riot. Take for instance this doozy: You delete anything that isn't porn, advertising, or one member calling another member a "faggot retard." If you are deleting things because someone posts that such and such a decision is "poorly thought out," you are too sensitive and need to not be online. Ever. Or this classic: You avoid posting something that might cause drama, even though the something in question is most certainly going to be part of the game. Man UP, you chicken$@!* wimp. As the Guinness guys would say: Brilliant!See, I have some experience in this arena. Back in the day, long before Al Gore invented the "Internet," I created and moderated some of the very first online Star Wars forums. Based on that experience, what Sanya says is dead on. If you don't follow what amounts to her "guidelines" you end up with the inmates running the asylum. Or in this case those damnable forum trolls. By the way, the numerous comments adding more to the list (which she asked for) are almost as funny. It's worth a read.
Don't hate the class, hate the playas
Yesterday we told you about Sanya Weathers (aka "Tweety"), who is the absolute bombdiggity when it comes to dishing out insightful, acerbic, honest and intelligent commentary on the MMO industry via her blog, Eating Bees. Her rant on why players quit playing games was aimed directly at the companies who make the games. Today, she takes aim at the players of those games. In her new post Q&A (surely created from an amalgamation of actual questions) she gets the players in her sights and mows them down with a Gatling gun. Or staff of magical awesomeness. Or alien death ray. Depending on your particular gaming penchant. And oh what a laugh fest it is!See, I've been gaming since the dawn of time (let's just say I'm above the target age range) , but I've never considered myself a prototypical gamer. I played college football. I was a private investigator for 10 years. I've been a gym rat for over 20 years. I love sports, craft beer, fast cars, and action flicks. Thus, I don't think or act like a typical (or at least what used to be considered "typical" back in the day) gamer. However, I've personally known several folks during that time who wore the abysmal badge of basement dwelling "know it all" geek, and done so with some warped sense of pride. Apparently so has Sanya. Here is but one example of why she is my hero: Q: Why do you hate answering real questions instead of this fluff about crafters and aggro management? A: Are you high? Do you look around the basement and think that because no one else is there with you, only your questions are real? Is this some kind of existential crisis? Because I don't want to be involved if it is. For the entire hilarious Q&A, check out the full linguistic lashing. She is the Lawgiver!
Why do people quit?
If you're a gamer and haven't read Sanya Weathers' blog Eating Bees then you're missing out on one of the best reads in the gaming biz today. Why? Sanya is a professional writer who was the Director of Community for Mythic Entertainment for six years and currently holds the same position for GuildCafe. She knows what drives players. Her blog reflects her industry experience, and isn't filled with the fanatical ravings of Fanboy (or girl) A or Forum Troll B whose closest experience with the gaming industry stops at flipping the switch on their gaming rig (or k0nz013) - yet still somehow (truly) believes they "know it all."I've been a "game journalist" (and I use that term very lightly since most of us in the field aren't "journalists" in any way, shape or form) for over four years, and I'm continually amazed at how Sanya is able to explain (in layman's terms no less) the machinations of this sometimes freakish industry. Her latest diatribe, Obvious Truth: Why People Quit, lists reasons why people quit playing games (or anything for that matter). The article is aimed squarely at game companies (and their PR people), and it's stunning. But not for the content. As she puts it, if these reasons are shocking... kittens will be killed, drowned by the tears of the baby Jesus. It's stunning because of her answers to what should be "obvious truths." Stunning because everyone with half a cro-magnon's brain (and having been involved with the industry myself, there are a lot more "cavemen" walking around then you might expect) should innately know all this. Sadly, in this day and age of Responsibility Avoidance, the truth isn't so obvious anymore.Check out Eating Bees, and be sure to subscribe to the Bee feed.
Expecting stability
I think I've mentioned before that I really enjoy Sanya Weathers' blog about running communities for MMO games, and in her latest post, she makes a great point about stability and expecting it from the games we play.The example she uses is Xbox Live, which isn't technically an MMO, but does, as she says, constitute a "massive, multiplayer experience." Microsoft has had trouble over the holidays keeping it up and running, and now they've decided to give out a free download to compensate players. How, says Sanya, can they be surprised at this point that they'd have a surge of users over the holidays? Isn't it common knowledge at this point not to play MMOs when a new expansion comes out or when new users show up in droves?But then she shares the real insight: this shouldn't happen any more. MMOs are no longer a niche business, something we should have to suffer hardships just to play these games. As she says, "it's time to expect our toys to work when we plug them in."Of course, any IT guy will tell you that downtime is unavoidable-- accidents happen, and predictions are just predictions. Anyone expecting anything to work all the time is going to get disappointed. But at this point, if you have a game (or a system, or a service) that is supposed to be "massive," you have no excuses when everybody shows up to play.
The Daily Grind: IRL
I really like Sanya Thomas (although she's Sanya Weathers now, isn't she?)-- I read her stuff every day when she was writing ye olde Camelot Herald as a Dark Age of Camelot CM, and and while her blog, Eating Bees (as in a job you signed up to do) runs a little blue sometimes, it's definitely an interesting read for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes of MMOs.And in this recent entry, she lashes out at folks who use the term "in real life" to describe something that occurs out of game. She says that saying "IRL" makes the time spent in an virtual world somehow seems less real, when really, you're actually sitting at an actual computer, and having actual interactions with other people online.Now, her argument is a little more academic than practical-- of course there's a difference between virtual worlds and "real life," and most of the people who use "IRL" don't do it to devalue their ingame activities; they use it to describe something that happens in a place that (we assume-- whoops, this just got deeper) is real.So what do you think? Does "IRL" imply that what you do in a virtual world is somehow worth less respect? Are the friendships you have with the people you know ingame not "real" friendships, or the achievements you're earning not "real" achievements? Or is it just a phrase you use for lack of a better one? And if so, is there a better one? "Nongame"? "Out-of-game"?
