Why do some people care?

Randd

I'm currently between mmo's, but following several upcoming games. Reading their forums(which games doesnt really matter)  i keep coming across the same type of threads. Players waiting for these games  are full of advertising strategies for this new game to beat wow's sub numbers. Now honestly why does it matter? If you are an Eve  or Daoc or Swg fan (or whatever the case may be) does it really bother you that Wow has more people playing than your game? I'm really  trying to understand this. Whether a Wow lover or hater why do people care about the numbers? I'm going to play what i like(eventually i hope, hehe) and it not going to make a bit a difference to me if there are 100,000 other players or 100 mill if the game is where i want to play.

Poldano

It matters in one respect. In general, the larger the population base of the game, the more money the developer and publisher have available to make the game better. Of course, perhaps they find it more worthwhile to just keep the money, because there is little need to improve that which is already the most successful.

However, I suspect that concern for the revenues of game developers and publishers is not what motivates most of the trash talk. I rather believe that some trash talkers see the popularity of their preferred games, and the relative unpopularity of others' preferences, as a palliative to their self-esteem. Similar insecurities drive trash-talkers with unlike preferences, who prefer to assuage the unpopularity of their preferences with the notion that their preference is somehow more elite than those of the majority.

 

 

kb4blu

Originally posted by Poldano


It matters in one respect. In general, the larger the population base of the game, the more money the developer and publisher have available to make the game better. Of course, perhaps they find it more worthwhile to just keep the money, because there is little need to improve that which is already the most successful.
However, I suspect that concern for the revenues of game developers and publishers is not what motivates most of the trash talk. I rather believe that some trash talkers see the popularity of their preferred games, and the relative unpopularity of others' preferences, as a palliative to their self-esteem. Similar insecurities drive trash-talkers with unlike preferences, who prefer to assuage the unpopularity of their preferences with the notion that their preference is somehow more elite than those of the majority.
 
 

I agree.  Sometimes I think mmo players are the most codependant group on the planet.   I play, at the present time both EVE and WOW.  I dont really care about the numbers.  If the game is fun to me thats all that matters.

One thing that may be causing this is the trend of not doing anything to hurt "poor litle Johnnies" self esteem.  It seems to me that the fashionable way to raise kids these days is to not punish them when they do wrong or give them everything  they want.  Maybe by doing this we are getting a generation of people with fragile egos.   If you are raised so you think that you are special and whatever you like is always the best way, maybe you feel that you are so great that what you like has to be the best and other people's likes and disikes don't really matter.

Disclaimer....  I am not a scociologist.  Just an old fud observing the younger generation. 

 

 

Lastera

More people playing a game = More updates and fixes.

More people playing a game = The less control devs have to moderator it, meaning players will be griefed repeated before something is done.

More people playing a game = The less time people have to play other games, which means other games have a lower population.

More people playing a game = The more people a person has to compete with in order to keep up. (Thus, they'll develop an inferior complex)