by Reuben Waters on Jan 21, 2010
Loading... is the premier daily
MMORPG news, coverage, and
commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.
Whether boldly exclaiming that
a new title is the best thing since virtually sliced bread or declaring
nothing less than complete and utter failure based solely on a few
hours worth of exposure to the beta client, gamers love to
share their opinions on what will become of a new title post-launch.
With two major MMOG launches just around the corner, we're
witnessing this same cycle repeat itself once again. But what would
happen if a developer intentionally marketed their MMOG with this type
of rivalry in mind rather than attempting to woo us with promises of
innovative design and distinctive approaches to combat? We'll
take a closer look at the possibilities today in Loading...
Land of 1,000 Failcopters.
You vote with what you
view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result is the Ten Ton Pulse (
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/thepulse/" target="_blank">What
is The Pulse?).
Here
are today's top 5 Pulse results:
style="text-decoration: underline;">
Biggest
movers today:
Trying to convince a jaded
gamer that a new MMOG isn't doomed to failure just because
they don't personally enjoy or expect to enjoy the beta client is like
trying to convince the average driver that the speed limit is in fact
the highest speed they can legally travel at rather than a suggested
minimum. Even when proven wrong by solid subscription numbers
post-launch that same negativity is simply transferred over to the next
new release on the horizon, not unlike a speeding ticket that fails to
drive its point home.
Bad puns and far stretched
metaphors aside, it's gotten to
the point where the fans and the detractors of a new MMOG remind me
more of professional sports fans rather than massively online gamers
whenever we find ourselves on the eve of a major launch. The fans
busily do their
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJNC3dgreaU">Super
MMOG Shuffle having found a new
team to channel
their enthusiasm into, while the haters all burst into a creepy chorus
of
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtCtZ5x9EJI">Land
of 1,000 Failcopters that would
put the likes of Rowdy Roddy
Piper and the Iron Sheik to shame.
With the exception of the
console hardware market, the gaming industry
tends to focus its marketing efforts so narrowly on the positive that
it creates a giant vacuum which the jaded among us are more than happy
to populate with an opposing viewpoint. While many gamers allow
themselves to mentally invest in the potential of a new product,
cynicism from the skeptics still slowly filters into public awareness
and if not kept in check more often than not leads to a downward spiral
of flaming forum rants from both sides of the great MMOG divide.
Interestingly enough, maybe
that's exactly what the
industry needs. Perhaps not so much the atmosphere of unbridled
negativity, but more so the kind of canned rivalry that leads to
consumers declaring allegiance to one side or another. We've really
never witnessed an MMOG equivalent of the Coke vs.
Pepsi scenario where two competing products set themselves up as direct
rivals through targeted marketing attempts, although I expect that we
eventually will.
The PC vs. Mac ad campaign is
not really all that different
than Coke vs. Pepsi, or even the more recent sad attempt at creating a
cell phone rivalry ala AT&T vs. Verizon. These companies are
intentionally trying to create an "us vs. them"
mentality amongst consumers. Not only does that heighten brand
awareness, but it creates a situation where if you genuinely believe
that a winning side can actually exist, you just might buy into the
entire schema with dollars and not just words. But at the end of the
day there's also a fine line between setting up an atmosphere of
friendly competition and proving to me as a consumer that your product
is not good enough to be sold solely on its own merits.
While some general comparisons
to an
existing product might be made during things like informal interviews,
here in the
realm of MMOGs where PC clearly kicks Mac's ass all the way back to the
Middle Ages, by and large no sane development studio is going to try
and sell their game like a trash talking political campaign. Even when
NCSoft declared "We're number two!" prior to the launch of
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion">Aion
last
fall, or more recently when Square Enix boldly claimed it can give
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow">World
of Warcraft
a run for its money
with
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/2079">Final
Fantasy XIV,
that's still a far cry from running print and
television ads that say, "LOL look at how crappy their game is. It must
mean ours is better!"
Is it because of the distinct
absence of this type of canned marketing
rivalry that gamers take it upon themselves to bravely, through the
anonymity of the internet, declare that a game is doomed to fail long
before it ever launches? This also leads me to wonder if the first game
that is consciously marketed as World
of Warcraft's absolute rival
won't also claim
an equally large portion of the subscription pie. Think about it - if
you could create a Coke vs. Pepsi of MMOGs you might also be able to
reap the profits if you could convincingly pull it off.
Then again, isn't that kind of
rivalry what gamers are
already fostering via gaming forums and general chat channels? Why else
declare a product that hasn't even launched yet a failure? Is
it psychological warfare, or simply symptomatic of the Age of Social
Networking where everybody wants to believe their opinion actually
matters to the rest of the virtual world?
Like all fables with no moral,
so too must this one come to a close.
But before I scamper off into the void, be sure to add your thoughts on
the topic right here in the Loading... forums!
4 new Ten Ton Hammer
features today! 83 in January! 83
in 2010!
BETA
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/79665">Allods
Online Closed Beta 4 Key Giveaway
Jump
into the fray and
explore Allods Online - now with
content unlocked all the way to the level cap. Closed beta 4
is
underway, and we've got the keys to get you in game.
FEATURES
& GUIDES
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/sto/klingon/races">Star
Trek Online: Klingon Races Portal
To survive within the Klingon Empire, whether as a citizen or a
mercenary, you need to possess strength of both mind and body. As many
races across the galaxy can tell you, having a heavy dose of prowess in
battle certainly wouldn't hurt either. The races that currently
encompass the Empire are harsh and brutal. If you're going to have any
chance of thriving among such a crowd, you'd better know them well.
Five
Tips For Newbie Fleet Commanders In EVE
Online
Leading
a fleet is imposing even for many more experienced EVE players. But
with a little bit of confidence and a lot of teamwork, fleet PVP
success can be yours. Space Junkie gives us some newbie tips
on
how to lead a fleet.
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/guides/crafting/alchemy_pt3">Aion
Alchemy 200-299
No
one ever said leveling a tradeskill in Aion was easy. So in our next
Ten Ton Hammer guide to Alchemy, we take you through the Greater series
of Alchemy, the 200-299 range. More time, more money, and more
ingredients will be required. It may seem like one giant kinah sink,
but at least you're getting experience for it!
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for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer
network!
- Reuben "Sardu" Waters and the
Ten Ton Hammer team