Call me old-fashioned, but I like to add a slow acting poison to their drink and withhold the antidote until they join. ;^)
Seriously though, I usually only have to talk to them about it; pointing out features that I know they look for in a game. The better quality the features are, the easier it is to persuade them.
I’m discovering this as I go. Trying to get my folks back into gaming, they played EQ for about 5 years when it was first released, and now rarely game and when they do it is WoW. So in this instance, I am using nostalgia to my advantage. Conversations typically goes as follows:
Me: Remember that one time, when you died, lost your level and had to spend an hour looking for your corpse?
Him: (Insert 30 minutes recollection of the good ole days of gaming!)
Me: Yea! Modern games are built to cater for too many people!
Him: mHm! What happened to the challenge and talking to people?
Me: I heard about this new game........
That was actually a true conversation had last night. Think he is wise to my game though, time to find my mothers number.
P.S. I don’t mean that first comment sarcastically either, that CR was real, and brings back fond memories and not frustration.
Nightsong said:Call me old-fashioned, but I like to add a slow acting poison to their drink and withhold the antidote until they join. ;^)
Seriously though, I usually only have to talk to them about it; pointing out features that I know they look for in a game. The better quality the features are, the easier it is to persuade them.
Hahaha, as a Rogue main, I approve of this method! :D
Kilsin said:What is the best way to get a friend or family member to play a game you like, bribery for heals or do you have a better way? #PRF #communitymatters
Personally, I just show them how much fun I am having. As an example, both of my daughters remember how much fun I had playing EQ. One of them already claims "dibs" on my second electronic copy of the game.
Kilsin said:What is the best way to get a friend or family member to play a game you like, bribery for heals or do you have a better way? #PRF #communitymatters
In my experience, gamers on the whole are becoming jaded. I know I am; between indie game disappointments, cherished games going under, the ever-shifting imbalance of commoditization of players, and the overall dichotomy driving the "cost of fun" for gamers, choosing to pick up an MMO game has almost become a full on cost-benefit analysis for most of the people I play games with, as well as for myself.
Getting friends and family to play a game used to be as simple as telling them I love it. But that has changed over the last decade; I can no longer reliably get friends or family to play a game I like, because they have seen me leave too many games over disappointments, poor usability, and/or that "cost of fun" element.
What is the best way to get a friend or family member to play a game today? The free trial/referral reward programs seem to work most reliably (in so far as the analysis and reports attest).
Interpersonally? As varied as you could imagine; that said, I tend not to bribe people to game with me.
As far as the game goes, it would probably be helpful to offer something NOT game related as an incentive for friends and family, since it seems most times, friends and family are not as "into" gaming as I am and their "stickiness" as players is much lower than mine (especially if I'm not around/online to play with). So I suppose that opens the net for all manner of things, ranging from partner affiliations with companies like Amazon to... well, who knows?
It does seem that, today, incentives need to be less about your product and more about something your target(s) like and want.... not sure how that might be helpful, but there it is, regardless.
If we live in the same city then it is quite simply to give them screen time on my computer and play the game. It's how I introduced friends to EQ (a couple of which had to go make computer purchases before purchasing the game - that was one mighty purchase for a game back in 1999). If not in the same city then it's a heavy suggestion and that I'll join them in game when they get on.
I'm not immune to those kinds of sales tactics either. Friends have done it to me for games as well (invite me over to play or discuss at length if we are far apart).
The target market seems to be those that have played complex MMOs intensively before and fondly remember difficult games and appreciate strong community
My old Kinship in LotRO from long ago has many strong players that, after we all left post Big-Battles, have tried different games together but eventually mostly drifted apart into smaller groups playing many different games
I've talked to a few of them about Pantheon, answering questions and explaining what I know about it, then giving a link to the website
Each of these small groups have made friends in the games they are playing, and all will be talking among themselves as they get closer to committing
Hopefully, this is how the guild I will join will form, but its probably still too early to tell
The biggest draw, I believe, is the videos and blogs... the more of that we have to show, the easier it is to get people excited
Short of an obscure long acting poison, the best way is probably a ‘refer-a-friend’ program with a meaningful trial subscription. If the game is awesome, you have a decent chance at getting them to stick. I think most potential players will drop in the first week or two, so meaningful low level encounters, a graduated difficulty curve and a well thought out set of tools for finding groups would help.
I only invite my wife to play. All i have to do i show different armor/clothing styles which look fashionable. Then she will mostly be sold, but a big part of her time playing will be shopping clothing/armor to see what matches and she stores them for different occasions.
I would create an epic video of playing with friends and try to convince someone that they should be in the next video. I read a story from Bazgrim not too long ago where he talked about how his guild had a ceremony whenever someone was officially promoted to member status. It sounded really fun, and is definitely something I would like to do in-game. I like the idea so much that I am already planning ahead on how to create a similar experience for folks in my guild in the future. Create memories! Videos/pictures are worth a million words. Convince your friends that they should be a part of your journey so that they can reminisce with you in the future and reflect back on what will inevitably be an awesome collage of memories.
Kilsin said:What is the best way to get a friend or family member to play a game you like, bribery for heals or do you have a better way? #PRF #communitymatters
I am one of those unfortunates, that over the years, no matter how I hype a game (EQ for the most part) nobody in family and friends is interested. So I focus instead on friends that game, and I may have a couple of those interested, come release, long as I keep bringing it up. lol
Cana
CanadinaXegony said:Kilsin said:What is the best way to get a friend or family member to play a game you like, bribery for heals or do you have a better way? #PRF #communitymatters
I am one of those unfortunates, that over the years, no matter how I hype a game (EQ for the most part) nobody in family and friends is interested. So I focus instead on friends that game, and I may have a couple of those interested, come release, long as I keep bringing it up. lol
Cana
I am in the same boat as Cana. Despite continued efforts I have not been able to get anyone I know in RL to join me in my online adventures. My wife is a clinical psyshologist with an emphasis on addiction recovery and she sees my gaming as an addiction. (We met back when I was playing EQ and I put a lot of time into that game) However, hope springs eternal and I have a long term strategy of getting her into the game.
First step is to get our daughter playing, which should not be a problem. The two of us can slowly start to wear her down. Then get my sister to start playing. (She tried playing EQ back in the day but her computer couldn't handle it, things should be different now). I also hope to join a family friendly guild and with the easy access to voice chat these days get my wife talking to some of the amazing people I am sure to meet.
Secondly, I have been talking about Pantheon to all my RL friends, a very different group than when I was playing EQ. With the free trial and hopefully other insentive programs VR will have, I should be able to reel quite a few of them into the game.
Thirdly, once the first two phases are in full effect, I will try to use timely bribery. (I'm open to suggestions here). But pretty much anything is on the table that will entice my wife to play.
Wish me luck.
Thorndeep
Kilsin said:What is the best way to get a friend or family member to play a game you like, bribery for heals or do you have a better way? #PRF #communitymatters
Threaten her with divorce. Failed to work twice, now looking for Wife #3.
Thorndeep said:CanadinaXegony said:Kilsin said:What is the best way to get a friend or family member to play a game you like, bribery for heals or do you have a better way? #PRF #communitymatters
I am one of those unfortunates, that over the years, no matter how I hype a game (EQ for the most part) nobody in family and friends is interested. So I focus instead on friends that game, and I may have a couple of those interested, come release, long as I keep bringing it up. lol
Cana
I am in the same boat as Cana. Despite continued efforts I have not been able to get anyone I know in RL to join me in my online adventures. My wife is a clinical psyshologist with an emphasis on addiction recovery and she sees my gaming as an addiction. (We met back when I was playing EQ and I put a lot of time into that game) However, hope springs eternal and I have a long term strategy of getting her into the game.
First step is to get our daughter playing, which should not be a problem. The two of us can slowly start to wear her down. Then get my sister to start playing. (She tried playing EQ back in the day but her computer couldn't handle it, things should be different now). I also hope to join a family friendly guild and with the easy access to voice chat these days get my wife talking to some of the amazing people I am sure to meet.
Secondly, I have been talking about Pantheon to all my RL friends, a very different group than when I was playing EQ. With the free trial and hopefully other insentive programs VR will have, I should be able to reel quite a few of them into the game.
Thirdly, once the first two phases are in full effect, I will try to use timely bribery. (I'm open to suggestions here). But pretty much anything is on the table that will entice my wife to play.
Wish me luck.
Thorndeep
"I also hope to join a family friendly guild and with the easy access to voice chat these days get my wife talking to some of the amazing people I am sure to meet."
Good strategy. Surround yourself with good people and the rest will hopefully fall into place. Being able to have regular conversation with a fine group of people has been a truly rewarding experience for both me and my wife thus far in our Pantheon journey. It's only going to get better!