How do you know if a game is good or not? MMO Discussion

[Deleted]

Hello!

So I've had this discussion with a friend of mine on how you know if a game is good or not, it would be fun to see what you think. Now I believe that you can see if a game is good or not by looking at the number of active subscribers a game have. If the game has a strong amount of subscribers, it also inclines that the game is fun and good to play and if a game has low or declining number of subscribers it refers to the game is not so good. how do you determinate wether a game is good or not?

[Deleted]

The number of active subscribers only shows how successfull it is, but not if its fun for you.

League of Legends has an extremely large playerbase. Still i wont play it as i dislike MOBA games.

[Sj]

how do you determinate wether a game is good or not?

Check out trailers, decide if it looks interesting, and if it does, play it yourself and form your own opinion.

[Deleted]

Yea but if you have a game with 200K subscribers and another game with 9M subscribers, wouldn't you agree that you would rather try out the one with larger player base because it tells you there is something that keeps their 9M players playing? wether or not you think it is good once you've tried it, that is entirely your own opinion.

[Sj]

Yea but if you have a game with 200K subscribers and another game with 9M subscribers, wouldn't you agree that you would rather try out the one with larger player base because it tells you there is something that keeps their 9M players playing? wether or not you think it is good once you've tried it, that is entirely your own opinion.

I see where you're coming from, and I would agree if we weren't talking about MMOs. MMO gamers have a bad habit of being averse to change and usually don't know how to approach a new game without comparing it to WoW. The number of players can be a good indicator of a game's quality, but low player count isn't an indication of most new MMOs' quality in my experience.

[Deleted]

Yea but if you have a game with 200K subscribers and another game with 9M subscribers, wouldn't you agree that you would rather try out the one with larger player base because it tells you there is something that keeps their 9M players playing? wether or not you think it is good once you've tried it, that is entirely your own opinion.

Absolutely flawed logic - or lack there of. Do you know how many people watch Kardashian related reality shows? I'll tell you.. A LOT. Does that mean you should try it? Absolutely not - unless you like low quality entertainment for even less intelligent people...

First and foremost you must employ YOUR JUDGEMENT. Launch the game and try it out - if there is no "trial option" watch youtube videos as much as possible to learn about it. Decide for yourself. If, IF people would follow their own damn "preferences" and learn to think for them selves instead of following the "crowd" (fucking sheep/leming logic) games like call of duty would be some fringe thing that everyone would laugh off.

[Wondercrab]

Play it and see if you have fun. If you have some understanding of how game design works, apply that knowledge and see if you can nail down exactly what it is that makes you have fun.

Then you'll know if a game's fun.

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a post from here I'd saved a little while ago which I personally thought answered this question perfectly

"Here is my issue with the numbers and why I want to see wow fail even if I'm not playing. Because even though I'm playing another mmo and I enjoy that mmo more than wow. Even though I should just be able to let go, never look back, and not have to hate this game or it's followers. I can't. Why? I think it's partly you motherfuckers use the numbers as a weapon. Shit like "wow is objectively better than any other mmo on the market because it has 10 million subs". Which is bullshit anyway because if you applied the same logic to movies, then avatar is objectively the best movie ever made because it made the most money. Being objective does not mean people can't arrive at different conclusions or agree to disagree. But you fuckers use the sub numbers as a weapon against the rest of the fucking genre. I could use EVE online as a example. Yes it's a very different kind of game, yes it's more sandbox. But it's still considered a MMO, and it used to be at least subbased. But it's numbers never hit wow's. So according to you fuckers, it's objectively garbage. Even though it was able to find a niche of players who probably do think it's better than wow objectively. The examples you people use, like rift and wildstar, are games that tryed to compete directly with wow. No matter if it works or not, doesn't look to me like everquest next is.

So in conculsion, yes I want the game to die because I can't ignore it because you fuckers want to use it to kill the MMO I enjoy. Frankly the entire genre operates like a sports game in that sense, with each mmo being your "team" I guess. No wonder I hate sports. It's such a fucking stupid way to view things, because in a perfect world, yeah, I'd rather take your advice and forgo this shitty game. But it's not, and here we are. I'll die a happy man if I see this game crash and burn before the end. Seeing all 10 million of you fuckers die in a fire would be a added bonus."

[Sj]

I think it's important to distinguish that what's "good" and what's "entertaining" are not always consistent with each other.

Look at Creepjack's example of the Kardashians; while it might not be subjectively "good" to everybody, the number of people that watch it is definitely indicative of its "entertaining" value. Now take Firefly as another example: it's widely accepted as "good," even during its initial airing, but the numbers weren't there. Fox decided it wasn't "entertaining" and canceled it.

This is why you shouldn't take the numbers too seriously. Give what you are interested in a chance; this is the only way we can reward developers for giving us variety.

[Hey There Guys its Metro]

The best way to know if a game is good or not is to come here and say the game is bad when you haven't played it.

[Deleted]

The best way to know if a game is good or not is to come here and say the game is bad when you haven't played it.

Right, that works like a charm.

[mickybrighteyes]

The number of active subscribers only shows how successfull it is, but not if its fun for you.

League of Legends has an extremely large playerbase. Still i wont play it as i dislike MOBA games.

I'd argue that "success" is in teh same category as "good" in that it's a subjective term that needs a more refined deifnition before one begins attributing any variables as indicative of anything.

active subscribers only shows popularity, though one would hope that popularity is gained because it's successful.

In response to the OP, the only real way to tell if a game is good is to sit down and give it a good play through. Really try it out for a bit and see if you actually find any enjoyment in it. Don't settle for some second hand account on whether or not soemthing is or isn't 'good'.

[Sj]

Right, that works like a charm.

Right?

"Hey MMO-Champ, your favorite game is shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit."

Get flooded with tons of replies on why you should play it if it's any good.

[Katchii]

Good is irrelevant. I only care whether or not I'll enjoy it. I usually read a few reviews, watch videos and read up on gameplay guides/ discussions to see if it's something I'm interested in. If there's a free trial I'm all over it.

[mickybrighteyes]

Success isn't subjective. You either succeed or you don't. In the business realm that means making a profit.

it isn't subjective?

but the bold suggests you're putting into a very specific perspective.

Success can be more than just making money, regardless of how much people push that as a primary goal.

[May90]

If I like a game, it is good for me. If not, then not.

Yea but if you have a game with 200K subscribers and another game with 9M subscribers, wouldn't you agree that you would rather try out the one with larger player base because it tells you there is something that keeps their 9M players playing? wether or not you think it is good once you've tried it, that is entirely your own opinion.

No, I wouldn't. Just like I'd rather listen to some jazz guitarist with 100k fans, than to Justin Bieber with 100m fans. Mainstream =/= quality, rather accessibility. Many people like Bieber because his... err... music is very simple and easy to understand. It doesn't make his... err... music suitable for people with musical education though.

[Deleted]

Does the game is fun / was fun while playing? Was it worth the money I put into it?
If you can answer both questions with yes then the game is good.

[Felicia]

A lot of people don't like swtor. I do. So I play it. That's my opinion, and to each their own. That's how I decide if I feel a game is worth it or not :P I liked WoW a lot, too... but after playing it for nearly a decade. Things get old, and you want to move on. Swtor is similar (mechanics wise)... except more story focused... and damn it, my sith can zap people!! It's different enough to keep my attention, but I unsub when I get bored. And play something else... I go back when I want to play again.

I'm generally like this with any game I play.

[kail]

With any video game, experience is the best way to measure how "good" a game is or how much you will enjoy it. MMOs can be tricky because trials tend to not include other factors such as the end-game content.

Go through w/e trials are available to see if the gameplay works for you. If the game is F2P, then nothing is stopping you from trying out the game as is.

[Fencers]

Now I believe that you can see if a game is good or not by looking at the number of active subscribers a game have. If the game has a strong amount of subscribers, it also inclines that the game is fun and good to play and if a game has low or declining number of subscribers it refers to the game is not so good.

This is an indication of a game's popularity, not of it's quality. Popularity can be a factor of a multitude of market and positioning strategies not related to gameplay whatsoever.

In fact it is. So much so publishers spend the majority of development budget on marketing of AAA games. That is criteria of "AAA" in the game industry actually- how much money do you have to spend.

Marketing is the single biggest determinant of success for the video game industry. Other products such as film, music, clothing, etc, also live & die (so to speak) by their marketing. Quality is almost irrelevant in all non-luxury industries. What manufacturers and developers aim for are "min-spec" and the concept of "fit for purpose"; anything more loses money. Most businesses are not in the business of losing money.

Popularity an/or price as indicators of quality are actually a fallacy. One can Google research on this in actuality.

how do you determinate wether a game is good or not?

Complexity of gameplay systems and execution of those systems- this is the only reason one should ever be interested in a game as games are purely and solely an expression of mechanics as metaphor.

Fun is irrelevant to anyone but you personally; subjective, no object value.