word-of-mouth
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The Daily Grind: What kind of MMO are you looking for?
Word of mouth is one of the strongest influencing factors for me trying out an MMO or returning to one. When I see friends having a good time and saying very good things about the game, then I'm much more tempted to load it up to see if it will click with me. I've noticed that every so often in our comments someone will be looking for a specific type of MMO and will be soliciting recommendations for that. I thought that today we could help each other out: If you're looking for a new or specific type of MMO to play, then put down what you're looking for in the comments. If you can help one of your fellow gamers out with a first-hand testimony, then please do. What kind of MMO are you looking for? 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!
Study: Mobile gamers download five titles a month, mostly through word of mouth
A new study released by Applifier says that word of mouth is still the number one way mobile game players find the games they like. That doesn't necessarily mean in-person discussion about mobile games, however, though 36 percent of users did report that hearing from a friend or family member was a major source of games, and 25 percent of users said actually seeing a friend or family member play a game was one way they found out about their favorites. However, 43 percent of users say reading user reviews was the main way they found what they liked to play. Video is another big game pusher -- 70 percent of users polled by Applifier say that they watched online video about mobile games in the last week, and 45 percent of users said that watching the video had them downloading that same game right away. Most mobile game players, according to Applifier, download up to five mobile games a month, which is just a little more than one per week. Those games are played for about three hours per week, though obviously that's spread out across the entire week, so most likely little bits here and there rather than three hours at a time. And 20 percent of users, said Applifier, can be classified as "sharers," which means they are more likely to download more games, play more often and for longer and convert to paying users. All interesting stuff. For all of the infrastructure for app discovery built by Apple and others, odds are that you're still hearing about your favorite iOS downloads from the people that you know best anyway.
The Daily Grind: Has Massively ever inspired you to try out an MMO?
One of the joys of being part of the online gaming community is hearing recommendations and testimonies of players who are trying out titles that you don't have time (or the inclination) to sample. Sometimes those testimonials can lead you into trying out a game you wouldn't have on your own. About six months or so before I joined Massively, Shawn's repeated love notes posts about Fallen Earth finally penetrated my brain to the point that I was curious enough to give it a go myself. After sampling it, I was hooked and spent many wonderful months crafting ATVs and exploring the wilderness of the apocalypse. I know that if it weren't for this site, I probably wouldn't have done so. So today we want to know: Has Massively ever inspired you to try out an MMO that you wouldn't have otherwise? How did it go? Did you stick with it or find yourself at odds with the testimony of the writers here? 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!
Verizon gives Droid 2 Global a Facebook shout-out
We joked that the Droid 2 didn't need a marketing campaign, the leaks were getting so much press, and lo and behold, its Droid 2 Global refresh hit shelves without a single official word from Verizon. We figured the wireless carrier had taken our idea to heart and would rely entirely on word of mouth to sell the 1.2GHz worldphone, but if that's the case, Big Red's bending the rules -- it's given the handset a quick Facebook plug to speed that process along. At 215 characters, the status update is a little bit long to retweet, but you can Like it all you want... or even use it as a soapbox if you really must.
NPD provides stats on game promotion, platform cross-ownership
The NPD Group's steady stream of gaming industry studies continues today with a fascinating look at the game purchasing community. Here's the most surprising statistic to come from the study -- in a poll asking what methods gaming enthusiasts used to gather information about new titles, 41 percent of participants chose the "word of mouth" response. This far outweighs the ratio of gamers who draw information from advertisements, social networking sites and hands-on time with games at a friend or relatives' house. The other bit of information (which will likely serve as ammunition in some misguided fanboy war) is a chart showing a breakdown of gaming console cross-ownership. It goes like this: Nearly 40 percent of PS3 owners also own Wiis or Xbox 360s, 18 percent of Xbox 360 owners have PS3s, and few Wii owners also possess 360s (26 percent) or PS3s (14 percent). To see this information presented in a manner that doesn't resemble the makings of an SAT Prep logic puzzle, check out the NPD Group's press release. [Image]
