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Golf taking queues from the MMORPG Market (15 inch holes)
TheLizardbones
Member CommonPosts: 10,910
Well, golf is not taking queues from the MMORPG market, but they are doing some parallel thinking. It seems the market for golf is shrinking and people are quitting the game because of the strict rules. One of which is the size of the hole that players need to knock that little ball into.
One golf course, in an attempt to win players back is trying out 15 inch holes so that the game is more fun, and doesn't take as long.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/19/sports/golf/in-a-hole-golf-considers-digging-a-wider-one.html?_r=0
Another option is "Kick Golf", where players kick a soccer ball into a hole instead of using a club. Some golfers are adamantly opposed to this, no matter the number of people who quit the game. Others are a little more hopeful that this will bring people into the game of golf, making it more popular.
It's golf, and I don't care about golf, but the ideas for making the game more approachable and the reaction from players seems to parallel a lot of sentiments about MMORPGs and games in general. Is it more important to get people playing, or more important to have a challenge, even if it means losing players? What about tradition? Is it an important tradition to maintain a game's rules over time?
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Comments
I think Golf has an image problem. 'Stodgy elitism' is bang on. Most sports change over time and often those changes are beneficial - they may make the sport more exciting for spectators or safer for athletes. However, when changes are driven by those who are motivated by profit rather than passion then I am wary. I would not throw away tradition just so equipment manufacturers can sell more kit, but I would not preserve tradition just for tradition's sake.
I think also that there is a certain camaraderie to be found in the appreciation of games (and other interests) that do not appeal to a wider, mainstream audience. Elitism and exclusivity are dirty words in the modern world, but it is good to feel part of a community of like-minded individuals united by a common passion. When changes are made to make something more popular and accessible, some people call it progression or evolution. To others it seems more like extinction or at least the loss of diversity.