The Daedalus Project
Like most people, it seems I’ve had misconceptions about MMORPGs. For example, I always assumed that my demographic was in the minority. After all, I’m in my mid-twenties, work full time, and I have a wife and a son. I play mainly as a way to relieve stress and spend time with my brother, who lives too far away to see in person with any frequency. Naturally, I was under the impression that I was an anomaly, an older, mature gamer who happened to still like video games when they were still considered the passtime of children and teenagers.
Well, as it turns out, I was wrong. According to the Daedalus Project, people like me are hardly the minority. In fact, the average age of MMORPG players is apparently 25, with about a quarter of players being teenagers. There is also a significant number of players who, like me, work full time and have a family. Little did I know that my entire generation seems to be hooked on the phenomenon.
I haven’t had a look over Mr. Yee’s research methodology, but his results seem sound, or at least as sound as can be expected with volunteer self-reporting. With an educated understanding of research psychology, part of me can’t help but nitpick. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to gather as much data on the subject, even with a well-funded research initiative.
Whatever the case, cheers to Nick Yee and his enlightening findings on MMORPGs. I certainly won’t be looking at World of Warcraft the same anymore now that I know I’m not the only oddball adult playing it.