True Confessions Of A Marketing Intern

It has been over a year since I first paid for it. I haven’t been able to quit very long ever since. There’s just something about it, knowing that there are 11 million other people doing it too, makes me feel better.


But what is it about Blizzards World of Warcraft that makes it SO addictive. I have a few theory’s but as an addict who has quit (and then come back), no single answer will do.

For many teens (and adults), fitting in is a problem; in World of Warcraft, you find millions of people, who don’t know who you are, so they cant judge you, it makes it easy to get caught up in the hype and stay there for a long time.

You can make friends who you can talk to (via text or voice) and play with on a casual come and go basis. Everyone is very friendly and open to helping others, so you can always find a friend or someone to do that crazy dungeon with. And if your not into making friends, you can play solo for hours and hours on end without ever needing to speak to another human.

World of Warcraft is portable. It’s runnable from the folder that it is originally installed to on your computer and because its specific to your online account, you can copy the folder onto your flash drive and take it and play anywhere.

$15 a month is cheap entertainment for parents who don’t want their children out on the streets, its cheap for students working part time jobs, and its really cheap for everyone else (even the unemployed). Knowing that there is a place that you can go (without leaving your home) where people don’t judge you, are friendly, always online and always happy to help, is defiantly a place where many people want to be. I believe that these are a few of the reasons why so many people have come to play World of Warcraft.

This is a visual representation of the me2everyone virtual world.

I recently noticed a discussion post on a LinkedIn group in which I am a member.  The post was listed under the header “Jobs” and read “100 FREE Shares & Employment Options with a new Internet business”.  While I am not currently seeking employment, I was drawn in by the title and I clicked to learn more.

The post went on to describe the “job” as:

“Takes 30 secs to get the gist. www.me2everyone.com/409376 A 3d party investor for a creative new internet business (ebay meets Linkedin) is offering 100 FREE shares for a free membership and 200 for referrals. It’s simple, quick, there’s no financial cost or risk to you. www.me2everyone.com/409376″

What I find particularly interesting about this virtual world, called me2everyone, is the focus on business (you can view the landing page video below).  I did click through and register, mostly out of interest in emerging virtual worlds.

The landing page immediately discusses how you can make money and find jobs inworld.  Even the hook to get new members involves offering shares, which is obviously business related.  After I registered I learned that the world is not yet active.  They are building a solid base before launching this summer (2009).  This is presumably an attempt to overcome many of the pitfalls that Second Life has encountered.

This focus on business may attract businesses and marketers, but will it scare away users?  Will it become spam filled?

I really like the idea of giving out shares as a way to attract people to the world.  Not only will it draw entrants, it is a great way to ensure people will return to the world.  By offering shares people feel invested in the success of a company and are more likely to promote the world and to return once it has launched.

The world also appears to be less graphically intensive than Second Life which may help retain users once they register.  I am very interested to see where this world is headed.  Is this the virtual world we’ve been waiting for to make virtual world marketing mainstream?  I guess we’ll have to wait until next year to know for sure.  Of course, who really knows where technology will be in 365 days….

L.O.R.D.S interface

All this WoW talk has really inspired me to consider the evolution of virtual communities.  My first experience with an online environment was playing a games called L.O.R.D.S on BBS.  BBS were a precursor to the World Wide Web (WWW).  Essentially it was a local network of users who could dial into a variety of BBS site.

L.O.R.D.S is a text based game and players were limited to about 15 minutes of gameplay per day (http://tiny.cc/vByEA) .  This limit was due to server constraints.  Also, only 1 player could operate in the environment at a time.  While in there you could still attack other players, message them , develop relationships, and even marry inworld. It is certainly noteworthy that someone has reinvented LORDS for the digital age (http://www.lordsgame.com/).

WoW (World of Warcraft) is like L.O.R.D.S on steroids.  Wow has taken all the recent advancements in technology and applied it to create a world similar to that of L.O.R.D.S.  Players can attack, build relationship, and unofficially marry just as they could in L.O.R.D.S.  The main difference is that now they are not limited by time constraints and they can interact real time.

It is interesting to watch the evolution of virtual worlds.  To see text based games evolve into 3D virtual worlds in just over 10 years.  With such dramatic evolutions in technology I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years will bring.

The Cure To WoW Addiction

My previous post pertaining to World of Warcraft (WoW) made this appear to be the epitome of Virtual Worlds.  This is not totally the case.  While they are certainly doing a lot right, they still have room for improvement.

1. Slow Load Times: This is a common complaint for most online Virtual Worlds today.  Virtual Worlds require a lot of processing power and cutting edge graphic cards.  Slow response time can create a world of frustration for a typical WoW user (http://tiny.cc/Chtxh).  Unfortunately, this is a problem that only time and better video cards can fix.
2. Inconvenient Updates: As was stated in my previous post, one of the powers of WoW is their consistent updates.  This is a double edge sward though.  These updates are run during peak hours (on the East Coast of North America) and can cause trouble for users online at that time.  The good news is that Blizzard, the company that created WoW, is aware of this inconvenience and they are looking to reduce downtime (http://digg.com/d14X96).
3. Full Servers: When an avatar is created in WoW it is assigned a server.  If that server is full then the user can not log in.  They can move to a different server but a fee of $25 USD is attached to the move.  WoW will occasionally let users switch from a busy realm (server) to a realm which is less occupied.  In the future they may consider allowing users to switch realms for free
4. Addiction: Once again, this is both a positive and a negative.  Form a corporate perspective this is great.  WoW has become the crack of Virtual Worlds.  From a user perspective this can be devastating.  People have lost jobs, friends and relationships all due to WoW addictions.  WoW Insider has an excellent article explaining the WoW addiction and offering light counseling to anyway who may feel addicted to the game (http://tiny.cc/dVN7b)

Mii World

Nintendo has made a huge comeback, thanks in no small part to the advent of the Mii (http://tiny.cc/PLlG2).  A Mii is an avatar a user can create on the Nintendo Wii console.  Nintendo has done a phenomenal job integrating Mii avatars into new product offerings and adding Mii components to older games.

The biggest limitation facing the Mii right now is during avatar creation.  There are a limited number of forms to choose during creation and avatars are only customizable within the confines of these forms.  While this does pose some restrictions on avatar customization, Nintendo has still allowed the user to have a certain amount of freedom; for example, I have seen avatars with upside down heads.   This may have been a calculated move by Nintendo as they are often positioned to a younger audience.  Limited customization will simplify ease of use and reduce the learning curve.  They may increase future profit potential by allowing users to purchase avatar accessories and forms, similar to what is currently available in Second Life.

Nintendo has done an amazing job integrating avatars with current product offerings.  Most of their new games allow the user to play with either a traditional Nintendo character or with a Mii avatar.  They also integrate the Mii characters into the aesthetics of the games.  A great example of this is with Mario Kart (http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/51172).  Mario Kart is a race car game that has been a part of Nintendo’s product offering since the Super Nintendo.  Mii characters are integrated into the aesthetics of the levels.  You can often see one of your friends in an ad on the side of the road during gameplay or operating one of the obstacles in the levels.

Nintendo’s integration efforts are not limited to new games.  Included on the Wii console is a Nintendo store where a user can purchase older Nintendo games online.  Nintendo has included Wii integration into most of these games.  A great example of this is with Dr. Mario.  Dr. Mario is a popular Nintendo game that has been around since the original Nintendo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Mario_(series)).  It is very simple to play and has remained one of their most popular games.   The Wii system includes Mii avatars as doctors helping Dr. Mario fight the germs in the game.  While they do not affect gameplay it is fun to watch an animation of your friend’s avatar on the screen while you are playing the game.

By integrating Wii avatars into most games Nintendo has increased the popularity of the Mii.  The 15 minutes or so that is required to create a Mii was originally a deterrent for me.  I did not create my first Mii until I realized how integrated the Mii is with the Wii product.  This also encouraged me to get many of my friends to create Miis.

I’ve only begun to scratch the surface on how Nintendo has effectively created a virtual world using Mii avatars.  I would love to hear how you have been affected by the Mii.  Let me know your most and least favorite aspect of this virtual world.