An update....the move is ON!!!
Friday, June 22, 2007
So count down to move day is in full swing. My wife and I are excited to get back to Indiana.
Just as an update for Pokepoke on Meneldor. He is now almost level 42 and I have been working hard to pick up pages for the flashing blades legendary and additional crit chain attack which swings with both arms. I did manage to pick up all the pages for Expert's Guide to Dirty Fighting but still need to pick up the book. Will get working on this after I get settled into our new pad.
Until next time, happy adventuring,
NewBreed
MIA for a bit
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Going to be MIA for awhile due to all of the real life things I am trying to accomplish with switching companies and moving back to the Mid-West.
Catch ya soon,
NewBreed
Targeting personalities for games - The psychology of gaming
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
As I sit here today enjoying my muffin and coffee, I drifted into a set of ponderings as I often do (I mean come on…my blog is named work avoidance strategies). Some relevant, some not. As I sat there and random ideas, questions, and general day-dreams went through my head, I started wondering…is gaming to the point of BIG BUSINESS. I don’t mean to compare it to say Big Oil or anything of that matter, but has gaming got to the point where they use the psychological traits of person to MAKE them want to play?
I guess my line of thinking was this. Coca Cola, Mc Donalds, Car Manufacturers and other such companies have, for years, used things in their commercials and in their marketing to “suck in” people with certain personality traits. They use psychology to pre-determine the type of person most likely to make that “impulse buy” or go for that one extra. My question is “Are gaming companies doing something similar.” Especially in the MMO genre, you hear again and again of “getting hooked” or comparing gaming to addiction. People give the games nicknames of “World of Warcrack” and “Evercrack”; comparing the game to an addictive drug. You hear of marriages being broken up and friendships being lost over a game. There is the whole other line of discussion concerning self-control but lets pass over that for now and touch on it later. The root of my discussion here is “are these companies using psychological and personality traits to get people ‘hooked’?”
I go back to several articles I have read (I will link them shortly if I can find them again) of game companies using psychologists to best determine what will hook that “hardcore” player. What will keep bringing the back again and again? Whether it is MMO’s, console games, or even hand-held games, there will always be the person who goes overboard; the person who takes it to extremes, but are these companies intentionally targeting these type of people? Are they purposely bringing them to get hooked and keep coming back for more?
What do you think?
NewBreed