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Is Blizzard really pandering to the 12 year olds ?

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  • MMOtoGOMMOtoGO Member Posts: 630

    My 6 year old won't eat the candy called "baby bottle pops" because he's still young enough that he feels like he needs to prove he's not a baby.  My 13 year old doesn't care...he'll eat that stuff 'till he's buzzin w/ sugar.  He doesn't need to prove he's not a baby, he's 6 feet tall (yes, my 13 year old is taller than me, I'm 5'11).  The point is that it seems like most of the younger players are most concerned about the 'kiddie' factor - "I 'aint playing no kids game!" while those of us older adults already know we have a kids hobby - playin' video games!

  • winterwinter Member UncommonPosts: 2,281

    Originally posted by istiander

    its really amazing that most of the gaming community can't see the real reason behind the release of the panda class in the next expansion

    the current WoW player base is slowly going into burn out mode , fatiqued from lack of game content so instead of trying to hang on to a player base that is slowly dying they will be reaching out to a new void of potential players from the East

    the Panda highly regarded in chinese heritage and with a potential player base to surpass current members its a profitable move on their behave so just get over it in less than a year you will be boasting about your level 90 panda monk with the inner peace killer moves

      In less then a year i will be playing GW2 or SW:tor, and laughing at the silly kids with their kung fu panda monks. WoW will be but a memory and while Wow may bring in more chinese gold farmers with their panad/monk class lets not forget the eastern players pay far less then their NA /EU conterparts to play.(ie less revenue for blizzard) Add to that the eastern market is much more into FP MMO's then subscription and WoW may still have a hard time picking up thier new player base.

       I do agree with you WoW is no longer trying to keep their current player base but aiming at the asian and childrens market.Perhaps as WoW become the next wizard 101, titan my move in to fill the void for players 18 and older.

  • kostoslavkostoslav Member UncommonPosts: 455

    Originally posted by winter

    Originally posted by istiander

    its really amazing that most of the gaming community can't see the real reason behind the release of the panda class in the next expansion

    the current WoW player base is slowly going into burn out mode , fatiqued from lack of game content so instead of trying to hang on to a player base that is slowly dying they will be reaching out to a new void of potential players from the East

    the Panda highly regarded in chinese heritage and with a potential player base to surpass current members its a profitable move on their behave so just get over it in less than a year you will be boasting about your level 90 panda monk with the inner peace killer moves

      In less then a year i will be playing GW2 or SW:tor, and laughing at the silly kids with their kung fu panda monks. WoW will be but a memory and while Wow may bring in more chinese gold farmers with their panad/monk class lets not forget the eastern players pay far less then their NA /EU conterparts to play.(ie less revenue for blizzard) Add to that the eastern market is much more into FP MMO's then subscription and WoW may still have a hard time picking up thier new player base.

       I do agree with you WoW is no longer trying to keep their current player base but aiming at the asian and childrens market.Perhaps as WoW become the next wizard 101, titan my move in to fill the void for players 18 and older.

    u really think there will be less kids in Star Wars WoW-like game?

  • bunnyhopperbunnyhopper Member CommonPosts: 2,751

    Originally posted by gobla

    Hey,

    you seem to be under the impression that we're living in a world were there aren't thousands of 20+ year olds watching "My Little Pony" as if it's the coolest thing ever.

    That Pixar movies are aimed purely and solely at little kids and contain no elements whatsoever which may appeal to adults.

    That 'gritty' and 'realistic' are more mature and adult then any other art-style.

    However, that's not the world we're living in.

    There's plenty of people out there who don't give a rat's ass about whether or not the videogame they play is considered mature by the good folks over here at MMORPG.com. They don't need a videogame to validate their maturity. They feel plenty comfortable in their adult status even when playing with dolls, petting pink kittens or playing as a panda in a cartoony videogame. They've realised that maturity is about a lot more then outward appearances and have learned that if you spend all your time looking mature it leaves very little time to act mature.

    See, to most actual adults this is just a videogame. It's already something that isn't serious and of no huge importance. Whether or not it has pandas doesn't change that. But pandas are cute, so for them the choice is between a silly game and a cute & silly game, guess which one they pick?

    Pandas are aimed at your normal WoW player who already see it as a silly game that's nevertheless a good way to waste time and relax. They don't need to play as big burly US marines to validate their maturity. They're just playing to have fun, pandas are fun as well so they fit right in.



    I'd hesitate to suggest that the majority of 20+ year olds you would classically consider "mature" would not happily watch the My Little Pony movie and play as a furry. There may be thousands of people happy to do that, but that certainly does not mean that just because adults can and do "game" also mean that they are all happy to run about as a fat assed panda in said games otherwise they have "maturity validation issues".

     

    As an adult the inclusion of pandas for me makes little to no real difference as the game has always seemed aimed in that general direction, but it also seems patently obvious that it is there to be aimed at a specific market demographic. For most adults it is indeed just a bit of fun and I would imagine that no one validates their "maturity" based on the games they play. But to catagorically fail to see that certain games and certain themes/mechanics are indeed pushed towards explicit market participants is bordering on denial.

     

    If a Teletubbies mmo came out I would be well aware that it would just be a game and not a muturity validation device (lol) and no doubt some older players would play it. But it would still be aimed at a younger, less mature audience in general and no amount of "pixes and rainbows and lala land, everyone is the same" thinking would change that fact.

     

    It has nothing whatsoever to do with people having to "validate their maturity" and everything to do with being able to recognise that certain themes appear to certain age demographics in general.

     

    I personally can't see what all the fuss is about in this instance. If they had added pandas to something with a specfic lore (like LOTRO) or to something trying to be more adult themed (gore, sex, violence not maturity per say) then I could see the point. But in WoW, how are people surprised?

    "Come and have a look at what you could have won."

  • MyGaronaMyGarona Member Posts: 139

    Originally posted by kostoslav

    Originally posted by winter


    Originally posted by istiander

    its really amazing that most of the gaming community can't see the real reason behind the release of the panda class in the next expansion

    the current WoW player base is slowly going into burn out mode , fatiqued from lack of game content so instead of trying to hang on to a player base that is slowly dying they will be reaching out to a new void of potential players from the East

    the Panda highly regarded in chinese heritage and with a potential player base to surpass current members its a profitable move on their behave so just get over it in less than a year you will be boasting about your level 90 panda monk with the inner peace killer moves

      In less then a year i will be playing GW2 or SW:tor, and laughing at the silly kids with their kung fu panda monks. WoW will be but a memory and while Wow may bring in more chinese gold farmers with their panad/monk class lets not forget the eastern players pay far less then their NA /EU conterparts to play.(ie less revenue for blizzard) Add to that the eastern market is much more into FP MMO's then subscription and WoW may still have a hard time picking up thier new player base.

       I do agree with you WoW is no longer trying to keep their current player base but aiming at the asian and childrens market.Perhaps as WoW become the next wizard 101, titan my move in to fill the void for players 18 and older.

    u really think there will be less kids in Star Wars WoW-like game?

    Yes, there will be more kids in WoW than TOR - at least for now, I think. What I know, is that all the other adults in my guild that left WoW in March are giddily awaiting December 20 when our guild will re-form in SW:TOR. 

  • kostoslavkostoslav Member UncommonPosts: 455

    Originally posted by MyGarona

    Originally posted by kostoslav


    Originally posted by winter


    Originally posted by istiander

    its really amazing that most of the gaming community can't see the real reason behind the release of the panda class in the next expansion

    the current WoW player base is slowly going into burn out mode , fatiqued from lack of game content so instead of trying to hang on to a player base that is slowly dying they will be reaching out to a new void of potential players from the East

    the Panda highly regarded in chinese heritage and with a potential player base to surpass current members its a profitable move on their behave so just get over it in less than a year you will be boasting about your level 90 panda monk with the inner peace killer moves

      In less then a year i will be playing GW2 or SW:tor, and laughing at the silly kids with their kung fu panda monks. WoW will be but a memory and while Wow may bring in more chinese gold farmers with their panad/monk class lets not forget the eastern players pay far less then their NA /EU conterparts to play.(ie less revenue for blizzard) Add to that the eastern market is much more into FP MMO's then subscription and WoW may still have a hard time picking up thier new player base.

       I do agree with you WoW is no longer trying to keep their current player base but aiming at the asian and childrens market.Perhaps as WoW become the next wizard 101, titan my move in to fill the void for players 18 and older.

    u really think there will be less kids in Star Wars WoW-like game?

    Yes, there will be more kids in WoW than TOR - at least for now, I think. What I know, is that all the other adults in my guild that left WoW in March are giddily awaiting December 20 when our guild will re-form in SW:TOR. 

    As a 12 years old kid I would chouse SW:TOR, coz i would found WoW to be a game for kids

  • futnatusfutnatus Member Posts: 193

    Originally posted by gobla

    Hey,

    you seem to be under the impression that we're living in a world were there aren't thousands of 20+ year olds watching "My Little Pony" as if it's the coolest thing ever.

    That Pixar movies are aimed purely and solely at little kids and contain no elements whatsoever which may appeal to adults.

    That 'gritty' and 'realistic' are more mature and adult then any other art-style.

    However, that's not the world we're living in.

    There's plenty of people out there who don't give a rat's ass about whether or not the videogame they play is considered mature by the good folks over here at MMORPG.com. They don't need a videogame to validate their maturity. They feel plenty comfortable in their adult status even when playing with dolls, petting pink kittens or playing as a panda in a cartoony videogame. They've realised that maturity is about a lot more then outward appearances and have learned that if you spend all your time looking mature it leaves very little time to act mature.

    See, to most actual adults this is just a videogame. It's already something that isn't serious and of no huge importance. Whether or not it has pandas doesn't change that. But pandas are cute, so for them the choice is between a silly game and a cute & silly game, guess which one they pick?

    Pandas are aimed at your normal WoW player who already see it as a silly game that's nevertheless a good way to waste time and relax. They don't need to play as big burly US marines to validate their maturity. They're just playing to have fun, pandas are fun as well so they fit right in.



    My opinion is nearly identical to that of this person and I regard this person as very clever for saying all that above.

    In other words..

    Hear hear!

  • HurvartHurvart Member Posts: 565

    Originally posted by MMOtoGO

    My 6 year old won't eat the candy called "baby bottle pops" because he's still young enough that he feels like he needs to prove he's not a baby.  My 13 year old doesn't care...he'll eat that stuff 'till he's buzzin w/ sugar.  He doesn't need to prove he's not a baby, he's 6 feet tall (yes, my 13 year old is taller than me, I'm 5'11).  The point is that it seems like most of the younger players are most concerned about the 'kiddie' factor - "I 'aint playing no kids game!" while those of us older adults already know we have a kids hobby - playin' video games!

    Adults that play with toys or play games for children are perhaps also trying to prove something? Or could it be that they feel that they want other adults to accept them and think its OK? Because they know that in general other adults will think its silly and strange. And some would even tell them they need to grow up...

    Personally I think very few MMO players decide to play a specific game because they need to prove something. Or that its possible to prove that you are more or less mature if you decide not to like or play a game.

    Some people honestly think a MMORPG should have a serious dark fantasy world that is filled with evil and cruelty. And heroes that are less evil and cruel that are trying to make it better. Because its more interesting. Because its fun.

    And if you want that you really dont want to play in virtual world filled with silly jokes. Jokes that are almost silly enough to be funny anyway. And with cute races that looks like toy animals small children would play with. Someone that want a serious virtual world will not like it. Not because they need to prove something. But because they honestly think its silly. And they would not have fun in that world....

  • simmihisimmihi Member UncommonPosts: 709

    Originally posted by eluldor

    Originally posted by Corehaven


    Originally posted by Loke666


    Originally posted by Loktofeit


    Originally posted by czekoskwigel

    I'm sure I'll migrate there, barring any major surprises.  As for staying there, I hope so.

    I look forward to the reaction to the expansion with the playable Jar-Jar race.

    Lol, well said.

    Not that it excuse any pandas of course, it seems to me that 95% of all MMOs are aiming on small kids for players. 25% would be fine but too many gets silly after a while.

    It sure seems that way.  But with the average gamer being in his or her 30s these days, thats not really what Id call a sound business strategy. 

    I think marketing is aiming at the facebook crowd, since those "games" pull in ridiculous amounts of children and people that aren't really considered gamers.

    Well i'm looking at myself (a gamer in his 30s) versus what people call "kids". I realised that i'm very picky. Major rules and balance changes might make me unsubscribe. I get bored easily. I cannot play a raid oriented endgame, in fact i do not spend more than a month at cap level.

    My nephew (13yo) is the total oposite. His parents constantly pay his sub and expansions, he's very dedicated, does instances, raids, gathers etc. While i dont care how my mount looks, i care about the "stats" only, he's much more able to "force" his parents to buy fluff from the cash shop. Also there's competition, he cares if his friends have the cash shop mount and pet and whatever, feels inferior if he doesnt have them. Also he wants the best gear the best achievements etc etc to be "on par" or better than his friends. That hooks him to the game.

    I realised that from a business point of view, he is a much much better customer than me, so selling things directed at him might be the proper thing to do.

  • kitaradkitarad Member LegendaryPosts: 7,910

    You guys have forced me to check out my little pony. If I get trapped in it ,I am coming back here to haunt you all.

  • xenogiasxenogias Member Posts: 1,926

    Originally posted by kostoslav

    Originally posted by winter

    Originally posted by istiander

     

    u really think there will be less kids in Star Wars WoW-like game?

    More than likely yes. While there are still people under 18 that get into Star Wars most of them under 18 grew up with Harry Potter and/or there parents playing WoW. If you ask a kid these days (by kid I mean maybe 15-16 and younger) if they would rather be a Jedi or a Kung Fu Panda which do you think they will pick? Here is a hint. Its not Luke.

    Now thats not to say there wont be kids in TOR. Clearly they will be even if they are adults irl. But less than in wow? Uh yea.

  • yippee22yippee22 Member Posts: 48

    There was a time I thought that only 12 year olds played MMO's in general and I was embarresed that I 30+ at the time, played them in general...

    Really, if it's fun who cares. I think it's silly to hear people talk like they will be embarresed at playing a Panda but it's kool to play any of the other cartoon characters killing the stuff you kill.

  • BergirBergir Member Posts: 299

    Originally posted by yippee22

    Really, if it's fun who cares.

    Exactly.

  • BergirBergir Member Posts: 299

    Originally posted by xenogias

    Originally posted by kostoslav


    Originally posted by winter


    Originally posted by istiander

     

    u really think there will be less kids in Star Wars WoW-like game?

    More than likely yes. While there are still people under 18 that get into Star Wars most of them under 18 grew up with Harry Potter and/or there parents playing WoW. If you ask a kid these days (by kid I mean maybe 15-16 and younger) if they would rather be a Jedi or a Kung Fu Panda which do you think they will pick? Here is a hint. Its not Luke.

    Now thats not to say there wont be kids in TOR. Clearly they will be even if they are adults irl. But less than in wow? Uh yea.

    Do you have kids under 15 - 16? I have several and trust me the answer is JEDI hands down. They like the panda movies but have never ran around pretending they are a kungfu panda, and run around with lightsabers almost daily.



    They all wont be in ToR though, their choice. For the last two years they did but once they checked into what it was and not what they had hoped it would be a couple months back they told me it's not going to be that great and viola, they were right on.



    EDIT:

    Yeah to add to this, with clone wars out there, the three newest movies 1, 2 and 3 totally targeting kids. New Star Wars toys nearly weekly, SWToR will be absolutely flooded with children.

  • Nerf09Nerf09 Member CommonPosts: 2,953


    Is Blizzard really pandering to the 12 year olds ?

     

    You mean, "Is Blizzard PANDAring to the 12 year olds?"

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