test content
Logo
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc
Options
Choice, or Dilemma?
System
Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
The following is based off my own observations and knowledge of marketing and psychology, I have no inside information, nor any privileged information regarding Cryptics PR philosophy.
Within corporate culture, Orwellian doublespeak has become a common way of disguising poor service. Unnecessary grinds introduced to encourage micro-transactions are relabeled "opportunities" for Players to avoid those very same micro-transactions.
PR people and the Devs are most likely aware of the western cultural bias towards self-determination (IE individualist self-control). They most likely know were more likely to yield to their persuasions if we believe were personally in control and not being coerced, as when we sense coercion we respond with resentment and resistance. They thus make frequent use of self-determining words and phrases (EX: opportunity, incentive and adding challenge) most likely as tools of resentment management.
The technique is to let you believe you have a free choice. When, in fact, all you have is a dilemma. A free choice implies at least one favorable option; a dilemma means each option is unfavorable, such as the "choice" of whether to grind (bad), pay (bad), or stop playing (bad).
The language of the typical MMO PR is saturated with self-determining words, which hide coercion by disguising dilemmas as choices. In such environments, Players may actually come to believe they are performing repetitive, mindless tasks out of personal choice, rather than economic dilemma (grinding to avoid paying), or taking a bad game being better than not playing at all.
The decreasing returns in currency conversion are mitigated by the "gift" of Holiday Tickets, the anger that rightfully comes from exclusive items in Lotto Boxes is deflected by the miniscule chance of getting it through the repetition (grind) of a Holiday Daily. The sheer crass commercialism of the Dilithium Economy and lack of content in favor of C-Store releases is softened by the Dilithium Exchange (which shifts the real-world costs to someone else) and the "opportunity" to do the same missions over and over and over again for weeks. The Nerf of Crafting is softened by the introduction of Unreplicateable Materials, which is essentially the same Nerf, just with the possibility of having the grind shifted to someone else.
All of this, combined with the subset of the playerbase that is wholly taken in with this sort of doublespeak vocally parroting the very doublespeak employed, combines to keep most players consciously unaware of how badly they're being treated.
Resentment management is a subset of damage limitation. Damage limitation most likely plays a massive role in Dev-Player relations, not for selling the game to new players, but for deflecting some of the hostility, suspicion and anxiety the existing playerbase feels towards them.
Again and again, we're given the same three bad options, grind, pay, or quit, and told it's a free and clear choice, when it's really a dilemma, choosing the lesser of three evils.
Is this the way we want our game run?
Within corporate culture, Orwellian doublespeak has become a common way of disguising poor service. Unnecessary grinds introduced to encourage micro-transactions are relabeled "opportunities" for Players to avoid those very same micro-transactions.
PR people and the Devs are most likely aware of the western cultural bias towards self-determination (IE individualist self-control). They most likely know were more likely to yield to their persuasions if we believe were personally in control and not being coerced, as when we sense coercion we respond with resentment and resistance. They thus make frequent use of self-determining words and phrases (EX: opportunity, incentive and adding challenge) most likely as tools of resentment management.
The technique is to let you believe you have a free choice. When, in fact, all you have is a dilemma. A free choice implies at least one favorable option; a dilemma means each option is unfavorable, such as the "choice" of whether to grind (bad), pay (bad), or stop playing (bad).
The language of the typical MMO PR is saturated with self-determining words, which hide coercion by disguising dilemmas as choices. In such environments, Players may actually come to believe they are performing repetitive, mindless tasks out of personal choice, rather than economic dilemma (grinding to avoid paying), or taking a bad game being better than not playing at all.
The decreasing returns in currency conversion are mitigated by the "gift" of Holiday Tickets, the anger that rightfully comes from exclusive items in Lotto Boxes is deflected by the miniscule chance of getting it through the repetition (grind) of a Holiday Daily. The sheer crass commercialism of the Dilithium Economy and lack of content in favor of C-Store releases is softened by the Dilithium Exchange (which shifts the real-world costs to someone else) and the "opportunity" to do the same missions over and over and over again for weeks. The Nerf of Crafting is softened by the introduction of Unreplicateable Materials, which is essentially the same Nerf, just with the possibility of having the grind shifted to someone else.
All of this, combined with the subset of the playerbase that is wholly taken in with this sort of doublespeak vocally parroting the very doublespeak employed, combines to keep most players consciously unaware of how badly they're being treated.
Resentment management is a subset of damage limitation. Damage limitation most likely plays a massive role in Dev-Player relations, not for selling the game to new players, but for deflecting some of the hostility, suspicion and anxiety the existing playerbase feels towards them.
Again and again, we're given the same three bad options, grind, pay, or quit, and told it's a free and clear choice, when it's really a dilemma, choosing the lesser of three evils.
Is this the way we want our game run?
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
But that is a decision up to each individual player.
The bigger question I believe, for Cryptic is...
Do They really think that the F2P'ers won't figure this out fairly quickly also...?...
And that doesn't even take into account all the Folks who will hang around and 'Express' their 'Displeasure' to all the new players here in the forums and in-game chat...
There's no way in hell Cryptic is going to 'mute' everybody who does this, in time to make a positive difference.
I think a lot of people pushing pencils across desks somewhere in Los Gatos believe that, ultimately, the "free" players will be substantially more forgiving thanks to the fact that they're not paying. Of course what they forget is that these players are, as a result, less invested and more prone to leaving when something becomes inconvenient or less palatable.
And, to reiterate...
Much Less Likely To PAY for ANYTHING...!...
In my opinion, Cryptic kinda played this well. The Gift Receipts and Veteran BO placated my anger over the Dilithium Debacle. I thought it was a nice gesture although it really didn't make up for the amount of currency I lost. The Gift Receipts added up to basically nothing much of value to me. But at least the Veteran BO is exclusive (for now).
I received 5 Gifts and Veteran BO's on all my toons on 2 accounts. I guess I felt the love a little from this and forgave them for the most part. I still have a bad taste in my mouth over the conversion but the gesture certainly helped.
Zone Chat after Season 5 went live showed that most people were completely uninformed about Dilithium and the agenda behind it. People didn't know what dilithium was, why they had some nor what it was for. Much less that they were ripped off in the conversion process, or that items they used to have casual access to were made harder to obtain.
The only thing people figured out was that it was a way to get C-Points. They didn't know (nor care) that someone else purchased those points and that Dilithium was the marketing hook into those purchases. They only cared about the end result.
This is supposedly how all PWE games work, they just didn't know how much Dilithium & C-Points the player base could tolerate in STO. That was the real reason behind "F2P Testing" - it was all Stress Testing and Revenue Projections. The whole Dilithium Economy was never changed throughout the "testing" period - only tweaked.
Primarily done for fleets and social crafters. They had to make something people could trade yet cost dilithium, else they stand to loose in C-Point purchases.
Just like the Dilithium Exchange, most people didn't care that the burden is only being shifted to someone else who has to Grind Dilithium or Buy C-Points in order to craft. They only care that they joined X Fleet which gives them free items.
Nope, it's not. I'd take pre-F2P STO back in a heartbeat. But to boil down my comments...
There's enough people that either 1) Don't know about the F2P Changes 2) Don't care about the F2P Changes or 3) Willing to tolerate the F2P Changes that our voices on this matter don't matter to Cryptic and PWE.
I for one am going to move on and stay. I don't like it but what's done is done. I tell you what though, if it wasn't Star Trek I'd be outta here. They should be thankful for suckers like me who keep falling for their marketing tactics just because they love Trek.
It's more or less too late for Cryptic to change their business model. At this point it's pretty clear that their hopes are pinned on the F2Pers, and that they've gone about as far as they will in appeasing the existing playerbase. At this point, as it always has been, the success or failure of STO lies entirely on Cryptic. Which is as it should be, really. Make a good game, and the players will pay to play it. So... short of giving a prediction of doom or gloom, I'll just say we'll see. Maybe the volume of silvers buying additional stuff will be enough to fund Cryptic to roll out additional content. It's a slightly different model than other F2P transitions, so it's really hard to say how well it will go. So, we'll see. At this point I'm mostly an observer anyway; the dog that I had in this race has more or less run their course.
And now for something completely different! (because we need some humor here!)
Unless of course this is a massive Uwe-Boll-style tax write-off, but that's the stuff of bad comedy. A game company -- and more importantly the game company's employees -- figuratively lives and dies on the games' reputations. That's the sort of thing that makes laughingstocks of everyone who worked at that company. And a tax-write-off scheme is visible from a hundred miles away, so I think it's safe to lay that idea to rest.
But can you just imagine Uwe Boll as a Pakled? =D "He makes movies strong!"
...just to have it fade away in a couple of years.
Running dozens of STFs to get the digital shiny I want is not (for me) a grind. I have no need to pay for the stuff I want and not playing just means I go off and do something else equally entertaining...
Impressive dissertation but, to my mind, based on a fallacy.
Mirror-master makes an excellent point - At the launch of S5, it seemed that a large portion of the player base had no idea what was going on. Plus, many of them did not care.
This is where, I think, Cryptic gets the idea of the vocal minority. Let's say they have 100,000 accounts (not subs, accounts). If they register 100 unique complaints about topic X (not just the same 5 people over and over) in the forums, that is 0.001%. Granted, more than 100 are probably upset about topic X and don't bother with the forums, but when the VAST majority doesn't appear to care, why would Cryptic bother making anything but minor tweaks?
While Katic makes some very good points regarding PR, tactics, and choice, the underlying issue that this (and many other arguments against F2P and related changes) is predicated on is: The previous financial model was sustainable.
Based on what I've read about Cryptic, Atari, PW, and all those shenannigins . . . . I am not convinced that it was.
I also think the failure of the nameless hordes of MMO's before STO is testament to the fact that subscription based MMO's are difficult to make and keep sustainable.
Corollary - the success of several F2P MMO's suggests that a F2P model is sustainable.
As a player who wants STO to continue for many years to come (decades if possible), I understand and accept that changes may have not only been needed, but required to ensure its survival. I prefer survival in nearly any form to wholesale loss.
I prefer to live in the world of the real and the possible, rather than the ideal and dream. Is STO my ideal Star Trek game? No. Is it one that I still enjoy playing with my friends? Yes.
Do I care if they are trying to manipulate players using double speak? Since I recognize it as such . . . no, not really. I'm aware of the tricks marketers/PR use to get people to think X and do Y and I don't care. If I were to get mad about what Cryptic is doing then I should also get mad at my local grocery store for putting the Milk in the back. It's the same #$$%ing thing, tricking us into buying more by making us pass by all the other isles and see the "specials" and "deals" as we walk to back for the milk.
I ain't gonna go yell at my local grocer over that.
Time will tell if Cryptic made the right choice in moving to a F2P with the elements it currently has (DL grind, c-store, crafting issues, etc). I for one, will keep playing (if not paying [lifetimer] until I not longer find it fun.
Now then - let me be your lightning rod of Hate
Wait just a moment, while I search for my Cattle Prod... (I think my GF has it somewhere in the bedroom)
I'm here for the long-haul also...
I just want it TO BE a Long Haul.
Painting every option as bad isn't a very smart move when "bad" at is very heart is subject to the views of others. It's only a dilemma if an individual views all options as bad. You cannot say for certain that is the case, and any claim to the contrary just makes you look foolish.
Your argument is quite well written, but fails on a very basic level.
I'll concede that bad is subjective, but I do not concede that it cripples my argument.
Torture, is almost universally considered to be a bad thing, yet there are those (masochists) who would enjoy being tortured. That it can be enjoyed, that is, can be a "good" thing for a few does not make torture itself a good thing, or even an "ok" thing, especially not when if it were to be foisted upon those who don't enjoy it.
I will admit there are a select few for whom grinding the same content is an enjoyable activity, but I would reserve the right to say that it's fair to say the majority does not.
I will admit there are a select few for whom forking over real-world currency is an acceptable way to gain advantage and enjoyment in the game, but I would reserve the right to say that it's fair to say the majority does not share that feeling.
I will admit there are a select few for whom not playing game is a perfectly acceptable option, but I would reserve the right to say that it's fair to say the majority does not find that a desirable option.
A few well-defined exceptions do not cripple an argument.
One of the real questions is, is there anybody out there for whom all three exceptions apply?
The reason I ask is, if I make a poisonous cocktail of arsenic, cyanide, and ricin, and I have three Lab Mice and (for the sake of argumentation) each one has been made immune to one of the poisons, can it be said, because of the specific mice, that the cocktail is safe for mice?
We are not given each option in a vacuum, we must choose one of the three, and simply because some of us may be content with one or even two of the options, does not make all the options good ones.
This is not a choice, it's a dilemma.
Of course, I don't know if Cryptic had a sustainable business the way it was before. Quite possibly not, and this is the only way they can earn their money. They use their double speak to make it more attractive to me, but it's not quite convincing. But it can be enough for others, and that may be good enough for them.
The social player - plays the game for 2 reasons: 1. Likes star trek 2. has friends who like star trek and play the game. This is the sort of player who plays regularly but not daily, and only for extended periods when they schedule time with friends. For this player, PVP does not matter. They do not care to put in the time or effort to be good enough to play PVP with anyone but their friends. They do no care about having the best loot, beyond having gear of the appropriate level (e.g. Hmmm, I'm a captain now. I should probably replace that MkIV Deflector) Their interest in primarily in story content. They may not have leveled a Klingon to 51 yet. They have a LIFETIME SUB. They either don't or rarely post in the forums.
For this type of player, grind is irrelevant. They don't care about getting that badass Item Set, or if they do want it cause it "looks cool" and can get it "without any work" (e.g. the Breen Set)
For this type of player, pay does not matter. They have a lifetime sub. But even if they didn't, the game is going F2P, so they won't be paying either way. Heck, maybe now they can get other friends who love Star Trek (who don't have as much disposable income) to play with them.
For this type of player , quit isn't even on their map. As long as they enjoy some aspect of the game (story missions, DOFFs, etc) and their friends are still playing, they will keep playing.
If I am correct and this is the sort of person that is similar to the majority of players, I think you see why Cryptic is A. doing what they are doing B. only slightly changing their plans C. ignoring most the "vocal minority" complaints
Frankly, none of the F2P changes impacted that type of player beyond the new free stuff they get. "Oooh, I get the original series enterprise now? Neat!" "Doffs? Cool! An added level of realism!" "Random gifts for Xmas? They didn't do this last year! That's nice of them!"
Katic, your example precludes the possibility of there being mice outside of your lab that are immune to all three, and that triple immunity may actually be the most common state. There are are MANY players (like the type described above) who do not have to choose ANY of your poison pill options, and the forums would do well to remember that. It tends to be a bit insular around here on topics like this.
Additionally, to generalize from self is to risk making one of the first common mistakes of Human Research.
For example:
Just because the changes to the US mail system impact you negatively and you have a set of "bad" options because of the changes, it does not logically follow that all Americans are negatively impacted or that a majority of Americans are negatively impacted. Of the 300,000,000 of us in the USA it is entirely possible and likely that less than 1% will be impacted by the changes in any way shape or form and have to make your forced choice.
Can anyone blame Cryptic for not acceding to every demand of the 1%? At what percentage should they undo the F2P changes? 10%? 25%? Is the portion of the player base trapped in the forced choice more than 25%? Really?
TL/DR=
To answer your rhetorical question Katic, Yes I think there are people for whom all three exceptions apply (i.e. don't have to answer your forced choice). I play STO with some of them weekly.
Simplicity would dictate that said assertions are grouping Cryptic in with the bunch as PWE takes the helm of ultimate decision veto in respect to game mechanics and how they are implemented upon the player base as a whole.
This is a little backwards if I may deconstruct your post for a brief moment.
1) We as people naturally have a need for someone to tell us what to do. This has been a cornerstone of the capitolist agenda for many decades as it dictates how we shop, what we like, and who we listen to. People in the USA anyway are primarily sheep and they follow the flock...even if they are being led off of a cliff...complacency is the root of this as we are bombarded constantly with the system telling us what to eat, where to go, what to buy...you get the idea.
2) The ultimate goal of any business is to make money and retain customers....you must understand the simplicity in this. It's not how to entertain the mides of the select few that would raise a ruckus, it's how to entertain the majority whom will continue playing for whatever reason. When you consider that technology has become the fore front of the human sleeping condition only then can you understand that if this game doesn't keep you, another will due to our inherent need to fill that void that the idiot box creates when we are not planted in front of one. The company that is PWE will continue on down the road with or without us for the reasons of profit and capitol management. The majority would have to be pretty peev'd to cause any real change to the liking of the few. Most business operates like this.....the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one.
3) As far as freedom is concerned I hardly believe that usuing the game as a example is going to drive your point as we are constantly told we have freedom of choice...when in reality the majority of the world population (to include the USA) have never known true freedom. I doubt even the OP has actaully realized what true freedom really is. So splitting hairs for the games sake doesn't make sense. In reality you have no choice, the same companies that drive your patronage are the same ones you are enslaved to. But for the sake of the OP's example I will put it this way. If you do a thing that you do not enjoy, why continue to do it? Is it the fantasy that this is only temporary and it could get better? Again complacency at its best.
We all have our reasons for continuing down the STO gravy train of high hopes and shattered expectations. You only need realize that this is a business...and sometimes good intentions don't always make the right path of action. PWE needs to learn this on their own...and like a parent scolding a child, there is nothing we can say to change PWE's mind on what things should be.....you just have to let them figure it out as they go along and discover what works, and what flops.
Me? I continue to play cause it angers my wife so, a little head game in my own right. That and it's the only game with an IP that I cannot resist and have always been a fan of.
You do have a choice...a few of them actually....
-Keep playing through the mess and see what comes about...you might be surprised at where PWE takes it and like it.
-Stop playing and play something else that suits your fancy.....warning the grass is not always greener on the other side.
-Rant and throw a tantrum at the current state of affairs and risk being banned or labeled a negative nancy where as no one from the player base or the game devs will really care what you think.
So see? you do have a choice, just don't let pride overshoot principal. I would hate to think all those at Cryptic have worked so hard to produce something they poured their hearts into just to be bashed from all sides over a decision that wasn't theirs to make in the first place.
As far as psychology in business is concerned......thats mostly the marketing aspect as they go to school just to get a degree and learn how to think up stupid TRIBBLE for the sleeping masses to buy into. If you don't believe me....goggle forever lazy and feel free to buy one......:rolleyes:
Its a game guys....thats all.....love it or hate it.....if you don't like it....leave it.....or wait and see what comes about.
So . . much to . . . respond to . . . . not enough words in english to . . . express . . . . blaugh.
passes out
J/K, here's few thoughts (but this is entirely off topic from the OP)
You seem to have a very low opinion of humanity (and 'Merica specifically). Plus, based on what historical and/or physical evidence do you use terms like capitalist agenda, human sleeping condition, enslaved . . . or am I just another soulless minion of orthodoxy? These sound like terms I hear entirely calm and reasonable people like Glenn Beck use.
True Freedom? Do you mean that a person who has true freedom has the ability to live and act exactly as they want? Sorry, but I think the countless people murdered each year would have something to say about that. (not to mention all the OTHER serious problems with a "truly free" society, but that's this WHOLE other discussion)
What false statement was that, exactly? (can you cite a forum post or news release?)
Not trying to derail the thread here.....but to answer your query.....
Perhaps I do carry little faith in humanity...war will do that to you. Only you must understand I've been a globe trotter since birth and seen all forms of authoritarian rule in all forms and sizes. Jaded? Maybe so....not really low of faith in humanity however as there are good people out there.
And please do not compare me to Glen Beck...he's a paid shill for the mindless to follow. And need I remind you that history repeats itself. When I speak of true freedom, it's not what you think...it is not the presence of anarchy, but the presence of equality all around (not speaking of entitlement or socialist agenda) but rather the true freedom to do what you want as long as it does not hinder another life in anyway.
Also try not to insert emotion in my words as there are none. It is simple and to the point, very matter of fact really. Granted it is based on my perception of such notions as to what I believe to be true....lets face it, truth is a grey area in itself.
Freedom is what we do not have the luxury of, and yes the world as a populas is controled either directly or indirectly by the decisions of others......so no, we are not truly free. To illustrate my point check out the movie Human Resources (youtube has it) everything in there is factual and outlines the monkey bananna syndrom we all live in. We are slaves to money, that is what I meant by that statement.
The OP is correct in one way, the perception of choice versus the pitfall of dilemma and the settling for this because I cannot have that ideal. For that there is a graceful bow.
Hows that?
You could also make a conscious choice to completely ignore parts of STO to the extent where you ignore all of it and go do something else till something better comes along and you're back doing it.
It's like when I was a kid and I'd look at my plate and complain about having liver in it. The best response I could get from my parents was "Then don't eat it!" I'd never gotten them to say something like "OK, so I'll make you something else instead."
Later in life, I learned that once you're a grown up you can make your own food... in fact, you kinda have to!
Life is about making Free Will and making choices, but Free Will isn't about having your way without any consequences to your choices. Deal With It like the adult you are.
This is A FANTASTIC post, extremely well said!
I am going to take so much perverse pleasure in airing all the dirty little secrets Cryptic will no doubt try to disappear before the Silvers come in.
This.
From my time in other F2P games (when I was Younger Runescape, much more recently BSGO and WoT) I have discovered that I have a proclivity for logging in for two weeks or so out of every 4 months to get an occasional fix before the grind puts me off and I spend my time elsewhere.
I think the devs assume that the point where I get bored and leave is the point where Silvers will start shelling out cash.
This may be true for a minority of them, but I'm guessing the majority will leave and jump to the next Free MMO.
The market is fairly well saturated now, so the only players who will stay are Star Trek fans who couldn't afford the sub, and if they couldn't afford the sub chances are they are not the crowd to depend on for mircro-trans.
Your argument is crippled because you are trying to define an objective result to a subjective input... There are probably as many exceptions and variances to your 'excpetions' as there are people playing. Hence your debate over good or bad (and the torture example is in incredibly bad taste) is purely subjective and applies to no one but yourself.
Another truth is that we only have one inalienable right in life --- the Pursuit of happiness. One can always pursue happiness regardless of one's circumstances in life. You may not find it, but you can always chase after it.
Life can be taken from you as quickly and easily as one's Liberty.
Sub "Klingon pain stick" for "Cattle Prod"
LoP, you're absolutely right.
Or, you would be, if games were meant to exactly replicate the series of dilemmas and disappointments real life inevitably throws at someone. But that's not why people play games. people play games for entertainment, for fun, for enjoyment. It is meant to be a respite from the real life situations you describe.
Those are some reasons play, what it boils down to however....is detachment from real life for a while. You cannot disagree that by playing any game for some given time that all one is really doing (for whatever the reason) is disconnecting from reality. Enjoyment falls into this category as does entertainment.
Which is ok, everyone needs to unhinge every once and a while....yet when you get down to the root of what a thing is, then and only then do you recognize the triggers that make a thing be.
Good show OP, very thought provoking...I can dig it......
I like the post but it's nothing new that Cryptic have been telling us there are 5 lights.
But no, this isn't the way I want this game run but it's all too obvious Cryptic don't care about anything but money after all the integrity, quality and respect they've abandoned to get money.
I'm expressign my displeasure by keeping my money in my wallet because they sure as hell don't care if I'm playing or not.