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Eve exit survey

I have just completed my EVE online exit survey (I didn't bother to renew my subscription when it ran out). I can't remember most of the questions, it was pretty standard stuff. Who you are , how long your have been playing, what you mainly did in game and what aer you reasons for leaving. I was a bit worried that the "reasons for leaving" questions were a bit unbalanced. For example it offered the choice of "too hardcore" but didn't offer the balancing choice of "too softcore" I amn't a statistician but it looks to me that that will distort your stats right away.

Anyway that isn't what I am writing about. I am writing about a revelation that struck me while I was filling in the "any other comments" box at the end of the survey. I realised that the reason I quit EVE was because after six months I was getting bored and wanted to play other games. My revelation was that this is perfectly normal, acceptable behaviour but that mmo developers don't particularly cater for folks like me because they are focussed on getting a player hooked for the long run. I wonder if they might sell more games if their games contained realsiable goals that could be achieved within a few months allowing players who feel like me to move on with a feeling of accomplishment.

In a recent Tobold Open Sunday Thread there was a bit of discussion about MMO's having an ending with commenters expressing opinions for and against the opinion. While I think it is a good idea I hit a block when I tried to figure out how game companies could preserve their revenues in such a game. Maybe the game doesn't have to end - just have some clearly signalled realisable goals that can be accomplished in a short time span allowing every player to leave with a feeling of acomplishment.
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