This week's column devoted to The Secret World takes a look at how news outlets sometimes opt to frame Funcom's game in a negative light despite the fact that, indeed, TSW seems to have already turned the corner. See what we've got to say and then leave your thoughts in the comments.

Like it or not, the way things are reported or framed creates a certain viewpoint that allows people to associate positively or negatively to a given article. A byproduct of being human is that we tend to create these viewpoints or write in a way that creates these associations without meaning to. We also tend to have something called confirmation bias, in which we favor information presented to us that confirms our existing beliefs or hypotheses. 

Read more of Victor Barreiro Jr.'s The Secret World: Doing Right By Gamers.

If Funcom made brilliant games we would not have to discuss things like this, yes?

I'm not trying to sound smart, but it is what it is when you look closely.

I think they deserve kudos in getting back on track in delivering Issue 3. Issue 4 sounds great and hopefully they can keep up the content to justify the subscription. Because the content up till now, has been top-notch.

There are very good points and merits to those outside interviews you linked to your post. 

However - I would HARDLY say that you've been part of the "problem".  If anything you've been very despairingly loud and unambiguous about how you are every bit as perplexed as the high execs as to why this game did not perform and why it "deserved better" - to paraphrase you. 

In fact in SPITE of this website most tenacious efforts that game has unfortunately tanked in the wild and editorial typescontinue to be as blindsided to it now as they were when the turn of events became clear.  It is obvious that much remains to be learned. There are obvious reasons for TSW mediocrity which continue to be ignored or gloseed over. Those interviews and your own blog demonstrate that.

Stay away from the whole topic of TSW, from MMO's in general for a whole week.  Don't even read news about it.  Nothing.  Then go back and log into the game and see how it feels.  I think  you'll be closer to your answer then.

Originally posted by kulhat

If Funcom made brilliant games we would not have to discuss things like this, yes?

I'm not trying to sound smart, but it is what it is when you look closely.

 

 

 

It's a good solid game, with a very loyal playerbase.

Just because most of the reporters didn't really bother investigating the game more, didn't understand it (typical WoW syndrome) and bashed it to no end.

The user critics are an atonement to that. Gamers actually played it, liked it and gave it a good score!

I tried GW2 and got bored within 2 weeks, while I am still having a blast with TSW after 3 months.

The RP dimension I am on is very active with good population and being in a nice Cabal helps too. :)

So people can doom and gloom and say the game is dead. Well I don't see that every night I log in and play.

Cheers

Originally posted by kulhat

If Funcom made brilliant games we would not have to discuss things like this, yes?

I'm not trying to sound smart, but it is what it is when you look closely.

Talking about briliance ... Funcom is among the few innovating companies in the mmorpg world, both in technology and features. They also don't seem to be afaid to gamble with unfamiliar to mmorpg veteran features.

Their problem is usually the execution and polish.

Them stopping doing mmorpgs just mean one less innovator on the market and the bigger domination of copycats and feature recyclers.

WEll compared to other games TSW is actually pushing out updates like they said they would.  The digging deeper update was off by 2 weeks but that was do to an expliot they found and fixed. 

Anybody knows my track record with Funcom knows I used the word failcom a lot with them over AOC,  however TSW is so much better than AOC.

At least TSW is trying to do right by the player base.  We need more stuff in game.   Just having 3 zones so far you tend to repeat a lot of stuff over while grinding out the wheel.  I yet to run any dungions or lairs but eventually I hope to do that. 

It is a nice game, I play it when I am not wanting to play eq2.

Yep, the game is a lot better than most people think.  Funcom's problem is that they are too tight with this game time.  A free trial of more than a few days is mandatory.  There really are very few games that offer the different feel of TSW.

It is not a perfect game, but if you want something a bit different you should give it a try.

Originally posted by JeroKane

It's a good solid game, with a very loyal playerbase.

 

Juding from your avatar, I'm guessing you are one of those loyal players. If so, how is what you said different from what any loyal player will say about the game they play?

This was Funcoms 3rd attempt at making an online MMO that meet all the lead up hype and promises. Alot of foks are still waiting ! With fewer Funcom staff now.

It still has the highest sub fee of any MMO and a cash shop at the same time.

I enjoyed my month with the game but that's it, I would play it again if it were below normal sub price or free to play.

A good, solid MMO is not enough today to survive on the market, especially if your producer has impossible profit expectations.

The major fault of the game is the lack of cotent and many generic features like the bland pvp. Pure theme park MMOs have no future, they have no ability to to produce content faster then players get through it.

Originally posted by Blindchance

A good, solid MMO is not enough today to survive on the market, especially if your producer has impossible profit expectations.

The major fault of the game is the lack of cotent and many generic features like the bland pvp. Pure theme park MMOs have no future, they have no ability to to produce content faster then players get through it.

What lack of content?  Most people screaming this either haven't played the game or missed half the hidden missions throughout the zones! /facepalm

A couple weeks back I rerolled and started fresh with a new char and when I was back in Kingsmouth I ended up discovering tons of new missions I had overlooked the first time. And I still haven't found and done all the available missions in that zone.

I think people in general are more likely to focus on negative information, especially in regards to MMORPG. I wouldn't have known that the game is now profitable and that the game's population is now growing if not for this article. They've managed to do this without doing a F2P conversion and they've kept up their updates.

Everyone is so focused on how the game didn't get the launch it wanted, they don't seem to want to believe that it's possible for a game to turn things around.

I laugh, alot, about the bit in there about "unintended bias" and "framing things negatively" in regards to FC, from anyone at this site.

Here, at MMORPG.com there is the exact opposite bias: "everything is framed positively" and games are typically reviewed with an eye on giving the highest possible score and overlooking the sometimes glaring weaknesses/faults a game might have.

Call that: the intended bias. "MMORPG.com: where there is never a bad review of a "AAA" mmo."

And go look at the review page for the list of "major" mmos at this site, you will see that the "official score", with one exception, is ALWAYS higher than the player scores. And not by a little, most are in the .6-.7 higher range. Except one, once (and that was close).

So, I see it as a big "pot meet kettle" moment when any writer here talks about rating or review bias in the smallest degree.