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The Hype Monster [Poll]
mainvein33
Member Posts: 406
I decided to post another thread since I didnt want to adress this in my other and since I have a strong opnion on this its just best to start a new one
I think hype maybe hurting us more than helping us. With all the hype we have pumped into titles lately it seems like we may be just setting ourselves up for a big fall. I do not mean that every game that comes out will fail but I do mean is that
Example: We hear there is candy on the other side of that hill and the whole way up we dream of chocolate and gummy bears and when we get over the hill we get liquorish. And while it true some people love liquorish the fact is you wanted chocolate and gummybears.
I feel that what hype does the dev says they are going to implement "x" we expect " X!!" andwhen we get "x" we feel disappointed.
But maybe im wrong so I'll Poll it
Comments
Hype does not serve the Players, or the Developers to be honest.
After all is said, in the end, Hype is only useful to the Publishers.
I am the Player that wonders... "What the %#*& just happened?!"
...............
"I Believe... There should be NO financial connection or portals between the Real World and the Virtual in MMOs. "
__Ever Present Cockroach of the MMO Verses__
...scurrying to and fro... .munching on bits of garbage... always under foot...
I'm going with other:
Depends on the hype, if your going to say you have all these things but either don't state what they are or state incorrectly that can hurt expectations. Like in your scenario, it was vague, it didn't really state what kind of candy, just that there was some. It wasn't wrong it just lead people to think of what could be there and get disappointed when it wasn't. if the scenario had been theres liquorish on the other side, then we are fine.
In the same vein if they say we have gummy bears and liquorish and then they take away the gummy bears without saying it that really hurts it.
The hype itself is fine as long as your clear, concise, and don't change it after you announce you have it. If people either expect/get something different then what they are expecting (usually less) then they are going to be upset. People being excited about the games true features can only be a good thing. People being excited about a feature that is either removed or not there because you weren't clear is a bad thing.
Help me Bioware, you're my only hope.
Is ToR going to be good? Dude it's Bioware making a freaking star wars game, all signs point to awesome. -G4tv MMo report.
MMO Publishers are seldom "clear and concise". They will tell us what they think we want to hear and do so in a fashion that they are actually telling us what they want us to think.
Advertising 101
I stand with my vote of Yes Hype is harmful.
I am the Player that wonders... "What the %#*& just happened?!"
...............
"I Believe... There should be NO financial connection or portals between the Real World and the Virtual in MMOs. "
__Ever Present Cockroach of the MMO Verses__
...scurrying to and fro... .munching on bits of garbage... always under foot...
Hype kills games. It can only end in disappointment.
Guess it depends on the type of hype we are talking about if it's
transitive verb
1
: stimulate, enliven —usually used with up <hyping herself up for the game>
Then thats a person getting excited about the game based on the features stated. Which i think is fine as long as the expectations are in line with what the game actually has.
If it's
transitive verb
1
: put on, deceive
2
: to promote or publicize extravagantly <hyping this fall's TVlineup>
Then it's bad, because they are saying something is better then what it really is.
As long as it's the first i figure it's okay, if it's the second, then yeah it's bad.
I burrowed that from M-W.com, just incase you were curious.
Help me Bioware, you're my only hope.
Is ToR going to be good? Dude it's Bioware making a freaking star wars game, all signs point to awesome. -G4tv MMo report.
This, the expectations hype creates makes things worse.
Hype can only help a game. It attracts more players than would have known about it...
The more hype a game gets the better, unless it is the devs hyping up the game to be something that it is not.
Who would even play a game like gw2 or rift, without all the in your face hype they have gotten?
"When it comes to GW2 any game is fair game"
Rift I can understand but GW2 is a hype bomb. It requires no hyping from the devs it comes from an established franchise.Hype or no hype the game would get play. The real hype for GW2 comes from the community and not the devs and that why its the worst type of hype monster people are placing so much of their hopes and dreams on it they are setting it up to be more than it is.
I will give an example the Fifth class in GW2. So many have placed bets on Mesmer that comments went from I think it will be mesmer to how can it be GW without mesmer its gotta be mesmer. While some have their hearts set on assassin and too few venture to think that neither may make the game or that it may have the same name but that the gameplay is so very diferent .
The hype machine for MMOs really comes down to:
1. Advertisers being vague with wording.
2.Info on an MMO changes all the time pre-launch. Some things added, somethings taken out, etc.
3. Fans(short for fanatics) assume things and stretch the truth to get their friends interested too. They also tend to cling onto older news that may no longer be relevant to the game, and ignore potential bad points.
You really see the same thing in religion, politics, and cons like ponsie schemes all the time.
Good products will no hype tend to do not so well in the beginning, but survive to see better days. An example would be Eve.
Poor products pretty much survive on hype, hoping to fake it till they make it. Some do, some don't. Like Warhammer. The really poor products, hype like crazy, promising a mustang, but you end up with a pinto in a effort for a fast cash grab.
The lesson is to never be a fan, and to always do the research yourself if a game sounds interesting. Listening to a fan is a sure fire way to get yourself disappointed. Hell don't even listen to reviewers or editors. They tend to either already be bitten by the hype bug, or they're getting paid. Watch some damn gameplay youtube vids, read the official material, and make your own decision.
For example, I'm rather interested in Blade & Soul. but some of the fan hype is just silly, and the haters just plain don't know what they are talking about. I'm watching it closely, but I reserve judgment till I know more or get my hands on the beta. The GW2 hype is pretty ridiculous too.
IMO hype can help more than it hurts.
I'm not a fan of the hype machine, but it does serve a purpose. It creates interest in the product and helps ensure that the largest possible market is exposed (and considers purchasing) the product.
For most products, I don't really care what the consumer take-up is, I'm not a share-holder after all...but for MMO's there are 2 reasons I do have a vested interest:
1) I enjoy playing MMO's where there is a good population base. If no-one has bought the game, because they didn't know about it, then population is unlikely to be good/high.
2) If the population is high, then the game is likely to be successful and continue to grow (new content etc). This in turn is good for me, and it will probably keep me playing longer as well.
Hype does not nessery need to be bad it can be a positive thing, but we have had some exception's lately. War and AoC are good examples of bad hype but they paid the price for it also. they sold a ton of copies but struggled with subs for a very long time.
Aion fits in there as well, with theyr statment that the game was tailored for the west. That could have ment so much but they gave no clear anwear to what they had tailored.
Most hype surrounding a game tends to be driven by unqualified fans who work themselves and others into a frenzy about how wonderful a game will be. Almost always the hype is usubstantiated.
Unfortunately sometimes the hype is supported by developer or publisher statements trying to increase box sales. Selling boxes to unsuspecting buyers is a great way to make money, but it is a terrible way to encourage a long lasting relationship with players.
Every successful MMORPG stays successful by NOT pissing off the players. Too bad the businessmen haven't figured this out yet. The players figured it out years ago.