How many players use this forum? Where is everyone?

jeevin · November 2014

Okay just another random number generator "opinion" post but here goes. Whats the estimated percentage of players who use this forum? Just looking at the really popular threads that get 6-8k views, probably mostly the same posters in those threads reading and responding to what others have posted. Some threads are between 1-2k and I'm tipping the same as above, a select few posters reading and responding to those same select few. The average thread in the general discussion forum is a few hundred with popular threads reaching in the thousands.

So by now you get the drift of where I'm going here as there are other threads that hazard in the same direction. But where the hell are all the players? Is the community that fractured that they all post elsewhere? ESO Reddit trends say not there. If only 1/1000 players come to the forums and look up game related information or issues, well then, it's telling to the games population that so few threads get more than a couple of hundred views.

Just curious for others thoughts on why these forums are quiet relative to the games population.

Welka · November 2014

We're all busy farming Avanchzel

Oolou · November 2014

Most players don't use forums.

I'm in a fairly active guild of around 75 players. We have a guild website. I would say that about 4 members use the site on a regular basis, as in keeping up with new threads and responding to them a few times a week. There may be another 5 members who will respond to threads if they are important or who use the forum on an irregular basis. The rest of the guild either don't use the site or just look in to check the events calendar. They're happy just playing and enjoying the game and using the game chat to keep in touch with each other.

If I were to take the guild activity on the website as a sign of the game's activity, I would be worried.

And I don't particularly take the activity on here, the official website, as a sign of the game's activity. Far as I can tell only myself and one other from my guild bother coming here. And I know I've got a lot of time on my hands to do that. If I were more busy in and had less time for hobbies, I know I wouldn't bother.

clayandaudrey_ESO · November 2014

you asked for a percentage so here it is.

.0521%

Blud · November 2014

There might be around 30 regular posters in general discussion. I think it's an extremely miniscule portion of people who play ESO and you can't project how many players there are from that.

Also, there may be different people and players going to specific sections of the forum like class, pve, etc.

yiasemi · November 2014

I post when i'm bored at work. So I guess you need to take that up with my employer.

nerevarine1138 · November 2014

Oolou wrote: »

Most players don't use forums.

I'm in a fairly active guild of around 75 players. We have a guild website. I would say that about 4 members use the site on a regular basis, as in keeping up with new threads and responding to them a few times a week. There may be another 5 members who will respond to threads if they are important or who use the forum on an irregular basis. The rest of the guild either don't use the site or just look in to check the events calendar. They're happy just playing and enjoying the game and using the game chat to keep in touch with each other.

If I were to take the guild activity on the website as a sign of the game's activity, I would be worried.

And I don't particularly take the activity on here, the official website, as a sign of the game's activity. Far as I can tell only myself and one other from my guild bother coming here. And I know I've got a lot of time on my hands to do that. If I were more busy in and had less time for hobbies, I know I wouldn't bother.

This.

It's why the forums are a terrible barometer for the overall feel of the playerbase/game. They represent such a small and biased fraction of the population that they rarely reflect the in-game experience.

ers101284b14_ESO · November 2014

I say less than 1% even come here and less than that actually post. I have been in several maxed out guilds and never once seen another guildie post here. Meaning out of around 2000 players I was the only one.

There's even a post on reddit now about how so many players don't know about new content or updates because they don't bother to visit forums or anything ZOS has available. This is a much older generation of gamers who didn't grow up using forums and don't care to use them.

kevlarto_ESO · November 2014

I read a couple of years ago that only about 20% of a games total population use the forums after account creation, don't know if that hold true today just something to think about.

Wolfshead · November 2014

I'm busy reinstall my computer

danno8 · November 2014

In other games it is around 10%. And about 80% of those are PvPers and raiders.

LotRo tracked it several years back. It's probably similar here and in most mmo forums with some variance here and there.

Elsonso · November 2014

ers101284b14_ESO wrote: »

This is a much older generation of gamers who didn't grow up using forums and don't care to use them.

Goodness. That is an interesting supposition. How many people in nursing homes do you think play this game?

Actually, I think the opposite of you. I think that the "much older" generation of gamers is more likely to use forums while the "barely out of diapers" ones tend to be less interested in forums. Forums are basically a modern version of the message area from an old dialup BBS and they really have not improved upon that concept very much. Definitely attractive to the older crowd. Definitely something that might be seen as "my Dad's internet" by the young upstarts.

I think that ESO is heavy in the "older generation" crowd due to the affiliation with Elder Scrolls.

As to "where is everyone", there are two answers, at least from my perspective, that are fairly obvious. The ESO forums, and many of the other related venues, have evolved into complaint areas and not a place where positive discussion can be done. This is not uncommon, but it does tend to be less useful to the general population.

The complaint crowd is also the most likely to take their marbles and go play elsewhere. They feed upon the negative energy and become quite vocal in the forum. Eventually, some of them pass into oblivion and suddenly the forum is really quiet because they are not posting. No one really notices WHO has left, they just notice the reduced volume in the room. It makes the forum seem artificially empty.

killedbyping · November 2014

Every1, including devs wanking around at reddit.

Armitas · November 2014

The number of views shows repeated views as well. So it's not always new viewers but people that are checking back to see if there are any updates.

10% sounds right. Look at the polls. Most are around 200 people tops. I think the highest I have seen is the aoe cap one that reached over 1k irrc.

bosmern_ESO · November 2014

there is usually a small portion of the players in the actual forums.

Usually its under 10% of the actual population that go on forums.

OrangeTheCat · November 2014

I know that a lot of people in my guild at least read the forums. I'd say at least 50% I think far fewer actually post (but it's hard to know because I don't pay much attention to @names).

Thechemicals · November 2014

Only the hardcores use the forums and a small group of "everyone who isnt hc"

OrangeTheCat · November 2014

lordrichter wrote: »

ers101284b14_ESO wrote: »

This is a much older generation of gamers who didn't grow up using forums and don't care to use them.

Goodness. That is an interesting supposition. How many people in nursing homes do you think play this game?

Actually, I think the opposite of you. I think that the "much older" generation of gamers is more likely to use forums while the "barely out of diapers" ones tend to be less interested in forums. Forums are basically a modern version of the message area from an old dialup BBS and they really have not improved upon that concept very much. Definitely attractive to the older crowd. Definitely something that might be seen as "my Dad's internet" by the young upstarts.

I think that ESO is heavy in the "older generation" crowd due to the affiliation with Elder Scrolls.

As to "where is everyone", there are two answers, at least from my perspective, that are fairly obvious. The ESO forums, and many of the other related venues, have evolved into complaint areas and not a place where positive discussion can be done. This is not uncommon, but it does tend to be less useful to the general population.

The complaint crowd is also the most likely to take their marbles and go play elsewhere. They feed upon the negative energy and become quite vocal in the forum. Eventually, some of them pass into oblivion and suddenly the forum is really quiet because they are not posting. No one really notices WHO has left, they just notice the reduced volume in the room. It makes the forum seem artificially empty.

Yeah, I wanted to call BS on that too but you beat me to it. Such an egregious over generalizing at best. Pure supposition.

ThirtySevenCoins · November 2014

Personal time can be quite limited so make the best use of it while you have it. This may be the case for some people, they would prefer to play the actual game than talk about playing the game. It could be simple time management or not wanting to get involved in a futile circular argument with the overly excitable keyboard warrior/forum stalker type.

KhajitFurTrader · November 2014

lordrichter wrote: »

Forums are basically a modern version of the message area from an old dialup BBS and they really have not improved upon that concept very much. Definitely attractive to the older crowd. Definitely something that might be seen as "my Dad's internet" by the young upstarts.

Former FidoNet point here. Let's have a 9600 baud connection handshake whistling contest.

lordrichter wrote: »

As to "where is everyone", there are two answers, at least from my perspective, that are fairly obvious. The ESO forums, and many of the other related venues, have evolved into complaint areas and not a place where positive discussion can be done. This is not uncommon, but it does tend to be less useful to the general population.

I can fully agree to that, as I have been told exactly this to the face by a new customer, i.e. that forums are supposedly an outlet for complaints, first and foremost. Without having spent a single second in the game yet himself, he was nevertheless already complaining about problems he's read about in other people's threads. Sad but true.

Woolenthreads · November 2014

In this thread alone I've counted 3 regular commenters, not including myself. On top of that I can recall the names of 3 others I regularly see comments from. I don't know their reasons for using the forums but my reason is to stay occupied with something non-temporal when playing the game is inconvenient. So, when I cook then eat at home, in activity-gaps, while waiting for visitors etc.