Community Managers often deal with a variety of "I'm leaving the game" comments, but there are two kinds I see the most:
The first type is the most common one, the ones that are said out of frustration and/or anger. Generally they are triggered by a patch note or some sort of game announcement that they don't particularly like. Sometimes they change their mind and stay, but not always. Sometimes they end up liking the change and others just decide it wasn't so bad after all. There are even situations where a change seems bad in theory yet somehow works well in practice. We also have situations where the devs may go back and rework it further. After all, not everything is done right the first time around, right?
These comments can sometimes be viewed as threats - or tactics to force us to re-think our actions - but I don't like to make those assumptions. If someone says they are leaving the game I'm going to take their word for it. In no situation will I try to convince someone to do something they don't want to do. Sorry, I do love my players, and I do hope people want to stay with the game, but if someone has decided it is the best thing for them then who am I to come along and tell them otherwise? It certainly isn't because I enjoy seeing them go. I especially dislike it in situations where someone is upset. I don't like it when people make decisions when they are not feeling like themselves at the time. But I will always tell them that I wish them the best and that I do hope they decide to come back, if they feel up to it. And I do mean that.
I understand how frustrating it can be to know a change is coming and you feel powerless to it. When a group of people decide to change a game they do run the risk of changing the fun factor for at least someone out there. Obviously the goal is to IMPROVE the fun factor, but fun means different things to us all. In some situations the fun may still even be there, it's just a different type of fun. But I've played enough games in my day to know exactly what it feels to love a game that is no longer what it used to be. There have been games I've left, characters I've abandoned. Yes, those situations do happen. But that's okay too...to each their own. I'm one of those "there is something out there for everyone" believers.
Now to the second reason someone would say they are leaving a game. Again, it is just one of the many reasons, but it is a common reason.
Sometimes we gotta leave a game because life is giving us a swift kick in the you-know-what. Sometimes we just need to get our priorities straight, we no longer have the time, etc. When someone is in a situation where they have the SAME exact routine for a long period of time SOMETHING usually is going to have to change. I totally get it, and again, sometimes people are surprised when I express how supportive I am. I hope they aren't surprised or disappointed by my reaction. I am NOT happy to see them go, but I am happy that they are doing what they think is the best thing for them. And I always want to let them know that they are welcome to come back whenever they feel it is time, if it is ever the right time.
Real life always needs to have priority over everything else. It's the truth. We are human beings first, gamers second. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Lunchie Munchies
I'm doing what I normally do around this time - eating at my desk.
Speaking of food, we're lucky to have vending machines in the building (food and soda) where everything is only a quarter. Sometimes we don't have much time to eat and I dislike companies who try to take advantage of that by making some extra cash on the side. I once worked for a company that charged 1.25 for a single candy bar...but a) that roughly *8* years ago, so subtract inflation and b) we *all* made next to nothing. Here we pay for things at cost and I very much appreciate that. Now if you are trying to watch what you eat and you see donuts AND cupcakes for 25 cents each, well, I guess it can be an evil thing too. I'll NEVER take some things for granted, whether it be 25 cent snacks or something more important as say...health insurance.
The Best Video Game Review Show *Ever*
I don't know if anyone remembers this show, but it was called Judgment Day.** I believe it was mostly on when G4 and Tech TV were independent from one another. When the channels merged it did stay on, but my joy was short lived. It's been off the air for roughly two years now.
Or so I thought.
I'm a *big* fan of wikipedia, and I was wondering what good ole' Tommy and Lucas were up to these days. Alas - the show is still around!
It's now called "Reviews On the Run" and it is only shown in Canada. There have at least been some *talks* of bringing it back to the US market, so there is hope:
"Specific details about the negotiations have not been disclosed. As of December 2007, the show has not returned to U.S. airwaves."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reviews_on_the_Run
G4, please bring this show back to the US. I got nothing against Canada - in fact I like the country, and I personally don't want this jealously to get in the way of my feelings for Canada. Please don't let this tear two nations apart....
So why do I consider Judgment Day to be the best video game review TV show ever? (I say that like it's a big market to begin with, heh.)
It's simple. They wrote their own reviews. They didn't sound overly scripted and you can tell they actually played the game themselves. They are true gamers so they were rather passionate about their views. I have nothing against game industry folks who may not necessarily enjoy video games in their spare time (and yes, they do exist) but you can generally sniff them out. You can also tell that they have a lot of experience reviewing games on any platform, which is a big bonus. Many in the industry focus on console games ONLY despite the fact that PC online gaming is still huge. Their knowledge is simply well rounded.
And whether they like a game or hate it, you'll at least you know why. They did a good job explaining why a game may be frustrating to some (invisible walls do suck sometimes!) They also listed the pros and cons so you could get a feel as to whether YOU may personally like the game, even if they didn't. Naturally, every reviewer out there is going to have their own personal tastes. But they did seem to keep the general viewing audience in mind, and I liked that neutrality. So what's the bottom line when it comes to creating a game review: INFORMATION. And they supplied that.
They also made me laugh, and they truly seemed to enjoy themselves. And quite frankly, it was nice to see several reviews in a single show. I'm always trying to keep up with what's going on in the gaming industry and Judgment Day just made that process a little bit easier.
You know what I also learned from wikipedia?
"Lost cast member Evangeline Lilly's first job in television was as a "Hardware Girl" for Reviews on the Run."
That would be "Kate" from Lost. Ha. I never knew she was a hardware babe, which was their version of booth babes.
No matter what it's called, "Judgment Day" or "Reviews on the Run" or whatever, BRING IT BACK!!
PS: I'm jealous, Canada.
*shakes fist*
**This has nothing to do with the fact that Lucas gave CoH some really amazing reviews. I swear. Cough cough.
Speaking of food, we're lucky to have vending machines in the building (food and soda) where everything is only a quarter. Sometimes we don't have much time to eat and I dislike companies who try to take advantage of that by making some extra cash on the side. I once worked for a company that charged 1.25 for a single candy bar...but a) that roughly *8* years ago, so subtract inflation and b) we *all* made next to nothing. Here we pay for things at cost and I very much appreciate that. Now if you are trying to watch what you eat and you see donuts AND cupcakes for 25 cents each, well, I guess it can be an evil thing too. I'll NEVER take some things for granted, whether it be 25 cent snacks or something more important as say...health insurance.
The Best Video Game Review Show *Ever*
I don't know if anyone remembers this show, but it was called Judgment Day.** I believe it was mostly on when G4 and Tech TV were independent from one another. When the channels merged it did stay on, but my joy was short lived. It's been off the air for roughly two years now.
Or so I thought.
I'm a *big* fan of wikipedia, and I was wondering what good ole' Tommy and Lucas were up to these days. Alas - the show is still around!
It's now called "Reviews On the Run" and it is only shown in Canada. There have at least been some *talks* of bringing it back to the US market, so there is hope:
"Specific details about the negotiations have not been disclosed. As of December 2007, the show has not returned to U.S. airwaves."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reviews_on_the_Run
G4, please bring this show back to the US. I got nothing against Canada - in fact I like the country, and I personally don't want this jealously to get in the way of my feelings for Canada. Please don't let this tear two nations apart....
So why do I consider Judgment Day to be the best video game review TV show ever? (I say that like it's a big market to begin with, heh.)
It's simple. They wrote their own reviews. They didn't sound overly scripted and you can tell they actually played the game themselves. They are true gamers so they were rather passionate about their views. I have nothing against game industry folks who may not necessarily enjoy video games in their spare time (and yes, they do exist) but you can generally sniff them out. You can also tell that they have a lot of experience reviewing games on any platform, which is a big bonus. Many in the industry focus on console games ONLY despite the fact that PC online gaming is still huge. Their knowledge is simply well rounded.
And whether they like a game or hate it, you'll at least you know why. They did a good job explaining why a game may be frustrating to some (invisible walls do suck sometimes!) They also listed the pros and cons so you could get a feel as to whether YOU may personally like the game, even if they didn't. Naturally, every reviewer out there is going to have their own personal tastes. But they did seem to keep the general viewing audience in mind, and I liked that neutrality. So what's the bottom line when it comes to creating a game review: INFORMATION. And they supplied that.
They also made me laugh, and they truly seemed to enjoy themselves. And quite frankly, it was nice to see several reviews in a single show. I'm always trying to keep up with what's going on in the gaming industry and Judgment Day just made that process a little bit easier.
You know what I also learned from wikipedia?
"Lost cast member Evangeline Lilly's first job in television was as a "Hardware Girl" for Reviews on the Run."
That would be "Kate" from Lost. Ha. I never knew she was a hardware babe, which was their version of booth babes.
No matter what it's called, "Judgment Day" or "Reviews on the Run" or whatever, BRING IT BACK!!
PS: I'm jealous, Canada.
*shakes fist*
**This has nothing to do with the fact that Lucas gave CoH some really amazing reviews. I swear. Cough cough.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
It's the day you don't believe anything you hear
Well, it's true :) Today is that ONE day I don't want to post any legitimate announcements.
It seems more and more gaming companies/websites are getting into the prankster activity each year. This is cool, but the more it happens the less likely you can get someone to fall for ANY of it. Bah. Too many pranks were attempted around the same time this morning....it's probably best to pull the pranks real early on April 1st or really late on April 1st. If you post it real late and they can't read it until the next morning it's not cheating, right?
On to other things.
I really can't wait for our new message board software. I just got admin access to an internal testing version yesterday and I do plan on putting it to good use this afternoon. We've been using the same version of UBBthreads for sooo long. It's time to get with the times!
Once we have a decent version running internally we'll have a better idea for a live publish date :) My goal is to give as much advance notice as possible since some downtime is inevitable. I dread the actual conversion process but I want to get it all done and over with. The quality of life features alone are to DROOL for. The only thing it doesn't have right now is a Dev Digest, and that is a concern of mine. It doesn't necessarily have to be a Dev Digest but we need SOMETHING just like it. All red name posts need to be flagged...we have to make it so official comments don't get lost in the mix. We'll get something worked out. I've seen the difference a Dev Digest can make now that Exteel doesn't have one. The Exteel one broke, and rumors (intentional or otherwise) run more rampant now. They are easy to debunk, but I would prefer it if we could remove that problem all together. And we will. I have the faith and the determination needed for that :)
It seems more and more gaming companies/websites are getting into the prankster activity each year. This is cool, but the more it happens the less likely you can get someone to fall for ANY of it. Bah. Too many pranks were attempted around the same time this morning....it's probably best to pull the pranks real early on April 1st or really late on April 1st. If you post it real late and they can't read it until the next morning it's not cheating, right?
On to other things.
I really can't wait for our new message board software. I just got admin access to an internal testing version yesterday and I do plan on putting it to good use this afternoon. We've been using the same version of UBBthreads for sooo long. It's time to get with the times!
Once we have a decent version running internally we'll have a better idea for a live publish date :) My goal is to give as much advance notice as possible since some downtime is inevitable. I dread the actual conversion process but I want to get it all done and over with. The quality of life features alone are to DROOL for. The only thing it doesn't have right now is a Dev Digest, and that is a concern of mine. It doesn't necessarily have to be a Dev Digest but we need SOMETHING just like it. All red name posts need to be flagged...we have to make it so official comments don't get lost in the mix. We'll get something worked out. I've seen the difference a Dev Digest can make now that Exteel doesn't have one. The Exteel one broke, and rumors (intentional or otherwise) run more rampant now. They are easy to debunk, but I would prefer it if we could remove that problem all together. And we will. I have the faith and the determination needed for that :)
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