Whos comments are more worthy of being listened to by blizzard? READ FIRST

Yes, but it will be the input of the hardcore gamers that will make games with good gameplay, not casual gamers. The hardcore gamers make the games, test the games, provide feedback that improves the games, write reviews for games, and keeps playing those games long after the casual poplulation had picked up and dropped the games.

It doesn't matter that there is an overwhelmingly greater casual gamer population, 99% of them 99% of the time are blissfully unaware of anything other than the pretty box, the magazine review, and the word from some friends. Games that are successful and popular, at the core, is because of hardcore gamers.

When good games have always been built around hardcore gamers at the core, and have always been making the great majority of the money from casual gamers, there is no reason to have games built around casual gamers now.

The average casual gamer just wants to sit down, have fun, and have a balanced game. Which is also exactly why they wouldn't have the first idea how to balance something that they devote a very limited amount of time in.

You also have to realize one thing, most kids from the Super Mario generation are now the working people with the money to spend on the thing that they loved but didn't have money for when they were little. Some of them will be casual gamers while others would be hardcore gamers, but it would definitely be more average Joes than white collar high rollers. After all, there are more average Joes on average than the upper class, and at least in the US average folks get by fine enough to have games for a hobby.

What does all this come down to? There are casual gamers left and right all over the place just up the yin-yang, all with enough cash at least for a game or two. But most of them wouldn't know what goes into balancing a game that they would thrown down cash for. Hardcore gamers balance the games for them, they read about the end result, then they buy and play the game.

 

Hey, we gotta new member who seems to be intelligent and well behaved! Welcome to the forum DarkHorizons!

 

I can see your point! I cannot deny that Hardcore gamers improve and get a game to a great place but i'd like to point out a game like World of Warcraft. Hardcore gamers are crying left and right over changes here and there but it is one of the most popular games in history.

Just something to consider.

 

I personally hate WoW. But my wife is playing it...

 

What I want in the game is more of a challenge. I think we are focusing too much on the current fan base here. I mean I agree with the fact that the casual gamers are annoying but I also want to be able to get new players who maybe havent even played Starcraft at all. But they can still give me a challenge. Its just pointless if the same people who are the greatest Melee players are still easily winning in a game that should be revolutionized to the point where we will sit back after playing it and say-"God damn they did a good job." Personally I voted blizzard go with their own thing and just make a game where I can see some new gamers and get a challenge from those new gamers rather then just playing against the same pro's over and over again. Basicly What I am saying here is that I want blizzard to draw in more players then before. I want to see more then just your average Blizzard fan on battle.net because it means more games and a larger community. If Blizzard ONLY listens to the major gamers then they shrink the population of players. O and UMS isn't that bad it helps keep the game alive after people get bored wih melee. I mean after playing melee for like 4 years I just got bored with it.

 

Listening only to the major players doesn't necessarily shrink the population of the gamers. The newbs would just go along with the final product and say it's great and everything. In fact, most noobs don't even give suggestions on the game, they just say, "this game's so cool!" stuff like that.

 

i think they listen to everyone and whichever idea sounds good or plausible they go for it if some guy who keeps on saying that mother ship should be cut with out any logical support are they probably wont listen to him ...... if people say look mother ship is too strong....blah blah blah (insert reason)blah blah... then they think it over and rigorously test it and go from there they arent naive and let some fool guide the game to its doom and their goal is to make the game as fun and fair as possible thats why they come out with tons of patches after the release ....... who knows ........in WC3 sorry to bring it up again but in their patches there was actually new units such as goblin tanker and others ..... so if ideas arent working out and people arent playing the game they can change it around to maximize players needs.... after all the people who make the game are fans of the games themselves....

 

oh what the hell, someone deleted my post.

Blizzard is going to listen to
1) Pro gamers
2) masses of people on forums saying "OMG THIS SUCKS CHANGE IT NOW RAHASHAHSFASF!"

 

I think they should listen to people who give their opinions on the forums subjectively, in a calm manner, and with sufficient reasoning. But they should also listen to those who yell at the top of their lungs against something only if a higher than usual number of them do it.

 

I think that Blizzard should listen to the casual players because they know enough about balancing issues, they might just need some advice on how to make the game fun and easy to get into. But I think what'll end up happening is that they'll listen to the hardcore people, since casual gamers probably won't be posting online. This isn't to say that they're aren't any casual gamers that post, but it tends to be that the people who especially care will speak out.
eh- either way, blizzard is doing a pretty good job with listening and they've had a lot of experience so I would trust they know how to do what they do. Make good games.