My thought is that if viral marketing really exists (and I'm not convinced that it really does) you'll never recognize it when it happens.
The posts the OP is referring to with over the top praise or criticism of a particular game are just the work of overzealous fans/haters and not part of any conspiracy.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I'm not gonna say social marketing doesn't exist, but I think most of the new posters who come out with that kind of post just need to take a dump on something because they feel unsatisfied.
It's easy to express negative emotion like that on the internetz and part of the reason why they do it might be to seek satisfaction in others agreeing with them.
Sadly, negative news also trumps positive news any day, which makes it so these people add to an unjustified atmosphere around a game, or a needlessly negative one in each case.
As for longer time posters, well I don't know, there's a couple who are almost exclusively found on some forums on this site and who can not be brought to ever say a single remotely positive thing about that game.
I don't know whether that is a case of social marketing or a case of inverted digestive tract however.
Feel free to use my referral link for SW:TOR if you want to test out the game. You'll get some special unlocks!
I shall now make plenty of alt accounts JUST TO DO THIS!
Also, no one ever listens to someone elses opinion from time to time and try to look at things differently? Or do you decide on something before you know everything, and never change your mind, because "that's what you should do?"
Can any of you admit you were wrong? Could you admit you liked something (let's say mainstream, if you always say you hate it) if you normally say you hate it?
If you personally haven't tried something, I would think you'd be open to listening to others who have tried it. Of course, I think many people who have not tried/listened/watched something will only "hear" peoples opinions who agree with their opinion and ignore those that do not.
I'm not gonna say social marketing doesn't exist, but I think most of the new posters who come out with that kind of post just need to take a dump on something because they feel unsatisfied.
It's easy to express negative emotion like that on the internetz and part of the reason why they do it might be to seek satisfaction in others agreeing with them.
Sadly, negative news also trumps positive news any day, which makes it so these people add to an unjustified atmosphere around a game, or a needlessly negative one in each case.
As for longer time posters, well I don't know, there's a couple who are almost exclusively found on some forums on this site and who can not be brought to ever say a single remotely positive thing about that game.
I don't know whether that is a case of social marketing or a case of inverted digestive tract however.
Actually a viral poster is by far very very unlikely to spread bad news of anysort. Don't want negative news getting associated with what they are pushing.
Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent.
"At one point technology meant making tech that could get to the moon, now it means making tech that could get you a taxi."
It doesn't deal with video games or marketting, but rather with influencing political opinions via completely fictional social media identities. I think it's interestingly reminiscent of Orson Scott Card's 1985 novel Ender's Game, where Ender's siblings created virtual aliases to first polarize then unify global politics. And that was prior to the internet; incredible foresight on Scott Card's part.
I typically assume that when there are posts praising a game as super awesome before it has even released, the people making the posts haven't played it long enough to know what they're talking about.
That's often my take on it, as well. Low post count is something I figure in only after other flags have gone off in the post itself.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Don't think for a second that this doesn't happen on large fan sites for video games as well. Many of them may just be rabid fanboys, but I have no doubt that a good part of the hype is just advertising - all it takes is a random bumping of the fanboy posts to keep them active, fan the flames a bit, and keep the hype machine rolling. I have never seen so many "viral" hype posts as I have around RIFT either, which in large part is why I have dismissed the game entirely until it's proved something by being around for a few months.
I read the thread "first impressions of Rift", and it was obviously begun by a schill. In fact, there is apparently a fairly major viral campaign going on for Rift right now. But what could Trion hope to accomplish if 70 other posters chimed in mostly saying that Rift is just another generic WoW clone?
Well I believe that Trion believes that there are millions of sheeple out there who want nothing more than what they already know. And moreover, that "Any publicity is good publicity". So in this sense, I would think that thread must have been considered a success.
I read the thread "first impressions of Rift", and it was obviously begun by a schill. In fact, there is apparently a fairly major viral campaign going on for Rift right now. But what could Trion hope to accomplish if 70 other posters chimed in mostly saying that Rift is just another generic WoW clone?
Well I believe that Trion believes that there are millions of sheeple out there who want nothing more than what they already know. And moreover, that "Any publicity is good publicity". So in this sense, I would think that thread must have been considered a success.
Sometimes the goal is just brand awareness. All they need to do is plant that seed. MMO gamers are talking about Rift so even those who dismissed it may in the coming months consider it.
The more you hear about a product, the more you think about it. In that regard, Trion has done well in marketing the game to their target audience.
Given how long it can take to really get into and appreciate an MMO, I'm usually suspicious of the new account that is overly positive. Like "OMG!!! I just started playing X and its the best game evah!!!!!!1!!!OMG!!!"
For the sole fact most MMORPG's aren't very good and are just WoW clones with no real innovation or fun features...
I consider all reviews (positive & negative) entirely WORTHLESS. Even MMO website articles are worthless, and often are significantly worse than player reviews.
People just don't spend enough time in MMO's to reall review them. Also, the "newness" and "wow-factor" wears out after a few weeks, so a real review needs time, and a lot of it.
I often get tired of MMO's after 1 month, but for the last 3 years it's been 3 weeks...2 weeks.... 1 week... Granted I do play a lot and consume endless hours gaming so my resources (Games) dry up much faster than others, but still... *yawn* MMO's are beginning to bore me after so little time. I haven't even bought a new MMO since Warhammer (my last Collectors Edition), Darkfall and Champions Online.
I go so tired of playing WoW-clones, that I decided to make my own MMO that follows a boatload of innovative game features, wrapped around a core of a 2011 version of UO/DAoC core gameplay. I honestly mourn for the loss of some Everquest style MMO features, but I had to choose and I'm also much safer with a sandbox than I am a themepark, since I am an indie developer.
It's sad when someone starts up their own business because they are so unsatisfied with the current market and see a very large opportunity for growth in a very barren style of MMO (sandbox, innovative, and modern 2011 features).
If being a developer means being quiet, mature, well-spoken, and disconnected from the community, then by all means do me a favor and believe I'm not one.
Trust your own opinion based on your own experiance, why should you trust some unknown forum poster who doesn't know you and you don't know him or her personaly.
Always read opinions as just that opinions, can make up for some good discussions, people who read opinions as if they are facts might have a hard time with opinions.
p.s. I'm not a Rift fan; polished it may be but it isn't my kind of game.
you sure sound like a Rift fan. I have always known that 1-posters talking about that new mega awesometastic game they just found out...which turns to be a F2P game...are almost always paid viral marketing posters.
the inverse is hardly true tho, I seriously doubt anyone is being paid to badmouth a game. I find that claim ridiculous and naive.
Personally I do believe that this recent influx of posters critiquing Rift as simply people who never felt the need of posting in a forum, but are genuinely fed up with the amount of hyping that boring and lame WoW clone is getting, and are making accounts to share with others their opinion for the first time.
Given how long it can take to really get into and appreciate an MMO, I'm usually suspicious of the new account that is overly positive. Like "OMG!!! I just started playing X and its the best game evah!!!!!!1!!!OMG!!!"
Some people have a personality such that they do that every few months or so, with a different game every time.
-----
A lot of times it's just an overzealous fanboy, and not real viral marketing.
True, but combined it with coming here to setup a new account to crow about it is suspicious. The people you describe would probablyhave been here already having crowed about games in the past.
i'm sorry but this is just bull. No company is paying people to trash some game on some discussionboard. Lets take a look at Rift, shall we. You really think that the negative threads lately are created by people who got paid by some other company? Really? What MMO is comming out along with Rift? Because that would be the only motive.
I can see people bashing a game they really dislike. I already have doubts about the whole "people with secondary motives as in: protecting their beloved game" theories. i think it is more of an argument people use around here to discredit any criticism.
I can see companies paying reviewers to give positive reviews. I doubt they pay for negative reviews of other games though.But it is a total waste of money for a company to pay people to trash another game on some interwebs. Even when they release it around the same time, it seems like a total waste of money. It is much better to pay people for positive posts about their game than to post negative threads about one of the thousands of other games. And even then, I seriously doubt they even do pay people to post positively. They do not need to as fans already will. Regardless it would be a TOTAL waste of money. The people who read up on forums (one of the how many?) to check on a game and then base their actions upon some random posters are in small number, on the other side, a lot of people base their purchase on review scores.
you sure sound like a Rift fan. I have always known that 1-posters talking about that new mega awesometastic game they just found out...which turns to be a F2P game...are almost always paid viral marketing posters.
the inverse is hardly true tho, I seriously doubt anyone is being paid to badmouth a game. I find that claim ridiculous and naive.
Personally I do believe that this recent influx of posters critiquing Rift as simply people who never felt the need of posting in a forum, but are genuinely fed up with the amount of hyping that boring and lame WoW clone is getting, and are making accounts to share with others their opinion for the first time.
Wow. Sure, mate. New posters who are enthusiastic about a game are shills and viral marketeers, and new posters who are bashing a game, are proper indignant honest-to-god MMO gaming citizens who are righteously indignant.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
you sure sound like a Rift fan. I have always known that 1-posters talking about that new mega awesometastic game they just found out...which turns to be a F2P game...are almost always paid viral marketing posters.
the inverse is hardly true tho, I seriously doubt anyone is being paid to badmouth a game. I find that claim ridiculous and naive.
Personally I do believe that this recent influx of posters critiquing Rift as simply people who never felt the need of posting in a forum, but are genuinely fed up with the amount of hyping that boring and lame WoW clone is getting, and are making accounts to share with others their opinion for the first time.
Wow. Sure, mate. New posters who are enthusiastic about a game are shills and viral marketeers, and new posters who are bashing a game, are proper indignant honest-to-god MMO gaming citizens who are righteously indignant.
Talk about bias and lack of objectivity.
Yeah. I don't buy the "negative viral marketing of competing products is a big no-no" idea either. Even if there are laws against it, it can be done virtually untraceable, and why wouldn't they when it is "SUPER EFFECTIVE"!.
Social media, from facebook and twitter to specialized boards like this are the new big thing in marketing land. And I sincerely doubt that the marketing sharks suddenly became saints and conforming to ethics to get their message across in the most effective way possible.
They are very, very much aware that the words of an apparently honest user, are much more valued than anything remotely resembling an advertisement; those are now merely used for providing links, to build a recognizable brand and a top of mind position. "Word of mouth" is the thing that pulls folks across the line or stops them from going anywhere near it in our neck of the woods. Political parties have given us the right example: "Joe the Plumber" anyone?
*dives back into his tinfoil shed before the chemtrails start having an effect*
you sure sound like a Rift fan. I have always known that 1-posters talking about that new mega awesometastic game they just found out...which turns to be a F2P game...are almost always paid viral marketing posters.
the inverse is hardly true tho, I seriously doubt anyone is being paid to badmouth a game. I find that claim ridiculous and naive.
Personally I do believe that this recent influx of posters critiquing Rift as simply people who never felt the need of posting in a forum, but are genuinely fed up with the amount of hyping that boring and lame WoW clone is getting, and are making accounts to share with others their opinion for the first time.
Wow. Sure, mate. New posters who are enthusiastic about a game are shills and viral marketeers, and new posters who are bashing a game, are proper indignant honest-to-god MMO gaming citizens who are righteously indignant.
Talk about bias and lack of objectivity.
so.. would you say a new poster with just a few postings is more or less reliable as a 'reviewer' so to speak, than someone who had been around a while and posted a few, or a newish poster with several thousand postings..
personally whether the person is a new poster or not.. anyone who over hypes a game for no apparent reason.. definitely is suspect imo.. once a game has been out for a while, thats when i start believing some of the posters, whether they be positive or negative.. though obviously someone able to state what the positive and negative aspects are in detail, is more likely to be believed, by me at least, than someone who just says 'this game is the bestest evah' or 'this game is the suks' kind of thing, personally i don't know why people even bother with those kinds of posts, as i don't think anyone else really reads them either.
Being skeptical is fine, but just keep in mind that we do get new users often and want them made to feel welcome.
Of course we do As long as they aren't blatantly obvious shills or accounts made for the sole purpose of bashing, but I reckon the mmorpg.com crew looks down on posts like that as well.
Anyway, reading some of the replies here it seems we have to worry most about established posters afterall. *shivers*
so.. would you say a new poster with just a few postings is more or less reliable as a 'reviewer' so to speak, than someone who had been around a while and posted a few, or a newish poster with several thousand postings..
personally whether the person is a new poster or not.. anyone who over hypes a game for no apparent reason.. definitely is suspect imo.. once a game has been out for a while, thats when i start believing some of the posters, whether they be positive or negative.. though obviously someone able to state what the positive and negative aspects are in detail, is more likely to be believed, by me at least, than someone who just says 'this game is the bestest evah' or 'this game is the suks' kind of thing, personally i don't know why people even bother with those kinds of posts, as i don't think anyone else really reads them either.
I think that both a onesided biased positive or negative viewpoint is wrong, especially if a poster is consistently purely positive or negative about a game.
Because it shows a lack of acknowledging or understanding the arguments of the other side that mentions valid good points about a game that person dislikes, or valid negative points about a game that person likes.
As for whether new posters having a hidden agenda, sure, you can be wary of them but then it's both: either be wary of both overtly positive and negative new posters, or give both overtly positive and negative new posters the benefit of the doubt. As the mod correctly states, there are lots of new posters who can be either enthusiastic or critical without being paid.
Although personally, I keep in mind with new posters that they can be - but not have to be - duplicate accounts of mmorpg.com posters, especially if they only post a few times in their pro or anti rant and then are never seen again.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
I'm just putting this out there, in case anybody is listening...
If you're willing to pay me to bash mindlessly on a game, I am so totally there. I will rip apart any game... even a game I love... if you give me enough money.
Just saying. Oh, and I realize you companies don't exist, wink wink! I'll be happy to insist loudly and often that there's no such thing before I begin the smear campaign.
In these times of sneaky social marketing where "word of mouth" has become just another tool for marketing departments and specialized companies, we can't allow ourselves to trust any new poster with a very strong opinion on a game anymore.
People are actually getting paid to make accounts on boards like this to trash games and praise others and it's virtually impossible to recognize those posts from honest, disgruntled first posters who made an account because they really felt to 'let people know'.
There are probably even long time posters amongst them too.
If you take a look at the Rift forums at the moment, you'll notice an influx of new posters being very, very hard in their criticism. Some of the threads are over the top and get locked, others will run their course. They will have influence and push certain buttons in certain minds however. I think it's a very bad thing for communities like ours, it's a kind of abuse.
So honest posters, 'read with care' and never stop scrutinizing someone's intentions, and dear new mmorpg members, we do want to know your opinions but for the love of god; make sure that your opinion is well informed and constructive. Otherwise suspicious geezers like myself are forced to dismiss you as shills.
♥
p.s. I'm not a Rift fan; polished it may be but it isn't my kind of game.
Yup sadly companys like Turbine have to resort to these kind of practices in order to get people to play there games.
join us on seastone (btw no cash shop to run your bank account dry)
People are actually getting paid to make accounts on boards like this to trash games and praise others and it's virtually impossible to recognize those posts from honest, disgruntled first posters who made an account because they really felt to 'let people know'.
There are probably even long time posters amongst them too.
The only thing that happens is that sites and mods of sites are biased towards companies that buy add revenue. So articles and moderation on those sites is in favor of games.
Compare the threads locked that were against games to locked threads that were in favor of games and tell me where the bias is.
Don't bite the hand that feeds you is their rule.
Individual posters who get paid to trash a competitor? No, I wish. Not to mention it is both illegal and not effective.
Journalists who write articles on high traffic sites on the other hand...I'm pretty sure the person who is writing the articles for Massively about Rift is getting paid in one form or another to post only positive info. They would never approach single individuals because it would come out faster than you can say "conspiracy".
But if you buy add revenue, then articles on that site might suddenly be a bit more positive. Those are under the table agreements that do happen. And because there is no written agreement or individual contact, no one can prove it.
Hyping your own game is not illegal, trashing a competitor is.
Look for a wow fan , you are doing exactly that what the OP warns about , your opnion is not objective .
Infact lol am fantasy burnout , and I still manage to find Rift fun .
So who of the 2 persons opnion is more objective ?
If people cares about FUN like your youth posters always complain about .
It has to be FUN , then let others have there own FUN .
Everybody can decide for themself if they have FUN or don´t have FUN .
You are just bashing cause you are afraid , thats logical , but sorry all MMORPG including your BELOVED WOW suffers from the same thing , maybe you cannot let go , thats fine .
But no need to play a nintendo sega junkie , repeat same unobjective crap about this site .
Everybody has there opnion , including you , including me .
But there are tons of people , who just couldn´t get into WoW cause of this same mentality .
That might able to get into rift , for them this will be there first real MMORPG .
Comments
My thought is that if viral marketing really exists (and I'm not convinced that it really does) you'll never recognize it when it happens.
The posts the OP is referring to with over the top praise or criticism of a particular game are just the work of overzealous fans/haters and not part of any conspiracy.
BTW, Rift is the best game evah!!!!!
Or not?
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I'm not gonna say social marketing doesn't exist, but I think most of the new posters who come out with that kind of post just need to take a dump on something because they feel unsatisfied.
It's easy to express negative emotion like that on the internetz and part of the reason why they do it might be to seek satisfaction in others agreeing with them.
Sadly, negative news also trumps positive news any day, which makes it so these people add to an unjustified atmosphere around a game, or a needlessly negative one in each case.
As for longer time posters, well I don't know, there's a couple who are almost exclusively found on some forums on this site and who can not be brought to ever say a single remotely positive thing about that game.
I don't know whether that is a case of social marketing or a case of inverted digestive tract however.
Feel free to use my referral link for SW:TOR if you want to test out the game. You'll get some special unlocks!
I shall now make plenty of alt accounts JUST TO DO THIS!
Also, no one ever listens to someone elses opinion from time to time and try to look at things differently? Or do you decide on something before you know everything, and never change your mind, because "that's what you should do?"
Can any of you admit you were wrong? Could you admit you liked something (let's say mainstream, if you always say you hate it) if you normally say you hate it?
If you personally haven't tried something, I would think you'd be open to listening to others who have tried it. Of course, I think many people who have not tried/listened/watched something will only "hear" peoples opinions who agree with their opinion and ignore those that do not.
Actually a viral poster is by far very very unlikely to spread bad news of anysort. Don't want negative news getting associated with what they are pushing.
Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent.
"At one point technology meant making tech that could get to the moon, now it means making tech that could get you a taxi."
A related article the OP may be interested in: http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2011/02/25/persona-management-software-a-little-birdie-created-your-opinion/
It doesn't deal with video games or marketting, but rather with influencing political opinions via completely fictional social media identities. I think it's interestingly reminiscent of Orson Scott Card's 1985 novel Ender's Game, where Ender's siblings created virtual aliases to first polarize then unify global politics. And that was prior to the internet; incredible foresight on Scott Card's part.
That's often my take on it, as well. Low post count is something I figure in only after other flags have gone off in the post itself.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
It's real.
Every now and then you find a hardware company getting caught doing it on sales comments and reviews. Belkin was the last company that was caught red handed in the tech community:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/19/belkin-pleas-for-mercy-over-paid-amazon-reviews-deception/
Don't think for a second that this doesn't happen on large fan sites for video games as well. Many of them may just be rabid fanboys, but I have no doubt that a good part of the hype is just advertising - all it takes is a random bumping of the fanboy posts to keep them active, fan the flames a bit, and keep the hype machine rolling. I have never seen so many "viral" hype posts as I have around RIFT either, which in large part is why I have dismissed the game entirely until it's proved something by being around for a few months.
This post is a gem, from today even:
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/307921/ACE-Online-SEA-website-Open-now.html
I read the thread "first impressions of Rift", and it was obviously begun by a schill. In fact, there is apparently a fairly major viral campaign going on for Rift right now. But what could Trion hope to accomplish if 70 other posters chimed in mostly saying that Rift is just another generic WoW clone?
Well I believe that Trion believes that there are millions of sheeple out there who want nothing more than what they already know. And moreover, that "Any publicity is good publicity". So in this sense, I would think that thread must have been considered a success.
Sometimes the goal is just brand awareness. All they need to do is plant that seed. MMO gamers are talking about Rift so even those who dismissed it may in the coming months consider it.
The more you hear about a product, the more you think about it. In that regard, Trion has done well in marketing the game to their target audience.
For the sole fact most MMORPG's aren't very good and are just WoW clones with no real innovation or fun features...
I consider all reviews (positive & negative) entirely WORTHLESS. Even MMO website articles are worthless, and often are significantly worse than player reviews.
People just don't spend enough time in MMO's to reall review them. Also, the "newness" and "wow-factor" wears out after a few weeks, so a real review needs time, and a lot of it.
I often get tired of MMO's after 1 month, but for the last 3 years it's been 3 weeks...2 weeks.... 1 week... Granted I do play a lot and consume endless hours gaming so my resources (Games) dry up much faster than others, but still... *yawn* MMO's are beginning to bore me after so little time. I haven't even bought a new MMO since Warhammer (my last Collectors Edition), Darkfall and Champions Online.
I go so tired of playing WoW-clones, that I decided to make my own MMO that follows a boatload of innovative game features, wrapped around a core of a 2011 version of UO/DAoC core gameplay. I honestly mourn for the loss of some Everquest style MMO features, but I had to choose and I'm also much safer with a sandbox than I am a themepark, since I am an indie developer.
It's sad when someone starts up their own business because they are so unsatisfied with the current market and see a very large opportunity for growth in a very barren style of MMO (sandbox, innovative, and modern 2011 features).
If being a developer means being quiet, mature, well-spoken, and disconnected from the community, then by all means do me a favor and believe I'm not one.
Trust your own opinion based on your own experiance, why should you trust some unknown forum poster who doesn't know you and you don't know him or her personaly.
Always read opinions as just that opinions, can make up for some good discussions, people who read opinions as if they are facts might have a hard time with opinions.
you sure sound like a Rift fan. I have always known that 1-posters talking about that new mega awesometastic game they just found out...which turns to be a F2P game...are almost always paid viral marketing posters.
the inverse is hardly true tho, I seriously doubt anyone is being paid to badmouth a game. I find that claim ridiculous and naive.
Personally I do believe that this recent influx of posters critiquing Rift as simply people who never felt the need of posting in a forum, but are genuinely fed up with the amount of hyping that boring and lame WoW clone is getting, and are making accounts to share with others their opinion for the first time.
same with any other game, really.
True, but combined it with coming here to setup a new account to crow about it is suspicious. The people you describe would probablyhave been here already having crowed about games in the past.
i'm sorry but this is just bull. No company is paying people to trash some game on some discussionboard. Lets take a look at Rift, shall we. You really think that the negative threads lately are created by people who got paid by some other company? Really? What MMO is comming out along with Rift? Because that would be the only motive.
I can see people bashing a game they really dislike. I already have doubts about the whole "people with secondary motives as in: protecting their beloved game" theories. i think it is more of an argument people use around here to discredit any criticism.
I can see companies paying reviewers to give positive reviews. I doubt they pay for negative reviews of other games though.But it is a total waste of money for a company to pay people to trash another game on some interwebs. Even when they release it around the same time, it seems like a total waste of money. It is much better to pay people for positive posts about their game than to post negative threads about one of the thousands of other games. And even then, I seriously doubt they even do pay people to post positively. They do not need to as fans already will. Regardless it would be a TOTAL waste of money. The people who read up on forums (one of the how many?) to check on a game and then base their actions upon some random posters are in small number, on the other side, a lot of people base their purchase on review scores.
Wow. Sure, mate. New posters who are enthusiastic about a game are shills and viral marketeers, and new posters who are bashing a game, are proper indignant honest-to-god MMO gaming citizens who are righteously indignant.
Talk about bias and lack of objectivity.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Yeah. I don't buy the "negative viral marketing of competing products is a big no-no" idea either. Even if there are laws against it, it can be done virtually untraceable, and why wouldn't they when it is "SUPER EFFECTIVE"!.
Social media, from facebook and twitter to specialized boards like this are the new big thing in marketing land. And I sincerely doubt that the marketing sharks suddenly became saints and conforming to ethics to get their message across in the most effective way possible.
They are very, very much aware that the words of an apparently honest user, are much more valued than anything remotely resembling an advertisement; those are now merely used for providing links, to build a recognizable brand and a top of mind position. "Word of mouth" is the thing that pulls folks across the line or stops them from going anywhere near it in our neck of the woods. Political parties have given us the right example: "Joe the Plumber" anyone?
*dives back into his tinfoil shed before the chemtrails start having an effect*
My brand new bloggity blog.
so.. would you say a new poster with just a few postings is more or less reliable as a 'reviewer' so to speak, than someone who had been around a while and posted a few, or a newish poster with several thousand postings..
personally whether the person is a new poster or not.. anyone who over hypes a game for no apparent reason.. definitely is suspect imo.. once a game has been out for a while, thats when i start believing some of the posters, whether they be positive or negative.. though obviously someone able to state what the positive and negative aspects are in detail, is more likely to be believed, by me at least, than someone who just says 'this game is the bestest evah' or 'this game is the suks' kind of thing, personally i don't know why people even bother with those kinds of posts, as i don't think anyone else really reads them either.
Being skeptical is fine, but just keep in mind that we do get new users often and want them made to feel welcome.
To give feedback on moderation, contact mikeb@mmorpg.com
Of course we do
As long as they aren't blatantly obvious shills or accounts made for the sole purpose of bashing, but I reckon the mmorpg.com crew looks down on posts like that as well.
Anyway, reading some of the replies here it seems we have to worry most about established posters afterall. *shivers*
My brand new bloggity blog.
I think that both a onesided biased positive or negative viewpoint is wrong, especially if a poster is consistently purely positive or negative about a game.
Because it shows a lack of acknowledging or understanding the arguments of the other side that mentions valid good points about a game that person dislikes, or valid negative points about a game that person likes.
As for whether new posters having a hidden agenda, sure, you can be wary of them but then it's both: either be wary of both overtly positive and negative new posters, or give both overtly positive and negative new posters the benefit of the doubt. As the mod correctly states, there are lots of new posters who can be either enthusiastic or critical without being paid.
Although personally, I keep in mind with new posters that they can be - but not have to be - duplicate accounts of mmorpg.com posters, especially if they only post a few times in their pro or anti rant and then are never seen again.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
I'm just putting this out there, in case anybody is listening...
If you're willing to pay me to bash mindlessly on a game, I am so totally there. I will rip apart any game... even a game I love... if you give me enough money.
Just saying. Oh, and I realize you companies don't exist, wink wink! I'll be happy to insist loudly and often that there's no such thing before I begin the smear campaign.
Yup sadly companys like Turbine have to resort to these kind of practices in order to get people to play there games.
join us on seastone (btw no cash shop to run your bank account dry)
http://forums.riftgame.com/showthread.php?83070-Lotro-Players&s=d555bfc9e2f4d22851c5359cb80e5b27
Look for a wow fan , you are doing exactly that what the OP warns about , your opnion is not objective .
Infact lol am fantasy burnout , and I still manage to find Rift fun .
So who of the 2 persons opnion is more objective ?
If people cares about FUN like your youth posters always complain about .
It has to be FUN , then let others have there own FUN .
Everybody can decide for themself if they have FUN or don´t have FUN .
You are just bashing cause you are afraid , thats logical , but sorry all MMORPG including your BELOVED WOW suffers from the same thing , maybe you cannot let go , thats fine .
But no need to play a nintendo sega junkie , repeat same unobjective crap about this site .
Everybody has there opnion , including you , including me .
But there are tons of people , who just couldn´t get into WoW cause of this same mentality .
That might able to get into rift , for them this will be there first real MMORPG .