Hey all. Before I start I'm expecting this to go to the absolute total bottom of the threadpool, but figured I'd ask regardless.

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So, the question is. How do you build your gaming relationships, and specifically on networks like steam, xbox, psn and in mmos. Really focusing on the multiplayer. 

While I assume many pof you have friends from school who you play with, I would really like to hear form those people who are either univeristy graduates and in the work force, as well as female gamers. 

1. How do you find people who you play with?

2. Do you like or dislike the random pairing systems in XBOX, PSN, and PC multilayer platforms?

3. How long do you usually stay in a clan / guild? What makes you stay / go? 

4. What would you do to make mulitplayer pairing better? 

5. How important is it that someone have a similar background when playing online games, location, vocation, similar accent?

The reason I ask these questions is that myself and a colleague are building a matching platform for gamers called "Party Up Gamer" with the objective of making it the best service available, but we're only two dudes, and our own concept of what people want or don't want may be flawed. 

If you guys would like to read more about what we're doing, check out our blog. Info on what and why is in there. Finally, thanks a million for replying, and sorry if this came off as promotional or spammy. We're not planning on making any money on this at teh moment, and just believe its a service that's needed out there. 

Much thanks, 

- jam

Edit: Bad grammar. 

I think it's a great idea you've got there.  I'm a 37 year old dudeand served four years in the Navy, but I don't play any games with the guys I served with.  I got lucky while playing WoW and ran into a great group of folks I played that game, and later, SWTOR with.  In the intervening time, however, I dabbled in Rift, and have found my gaming home.  A fairly large multi-gaming guild with a fairly strict concept for gaining membership: you've gotta be a pretty cool person in the eyes of the community.

That's how I found and still find folks to play games with.  I'm not certain this is what you're looking for, but it's how I found what I was looking for.  Perhaps included in your new matching service (and I know it's only two of you, so this might be a stretch) there could be a certain amount of research devoted to specific games and their communities, specific attention being paid to larger, multi-platform guilds.  Some folks want the smaller guild feel, so it wouldn't suit everyone, but it's something to go with as you move on in your endeavor. 

Best of luck!

1.In the past I'd find players just by being in the game. Sharing a common interest (group hunting) or fulfilling each other's needs (trading) was how I often met most of the players I've built a friendly relationship with. Nowadays however, you don't really have much choice but to apply to guilds and hope to find one you fit in. That's my experience at least.

2.I don't dislike random pairing on PC (don't play console) but I like to have the ability to take out the unwanted players (if terrible behavior requires me to).

3. Drama and Inactivity. I can't stand either of those in Guilds. As for how long I stay in Guilds/Clans, I'd say the answer is for as long as we share a common interest (similar ideology for example). In other words, it can vary a lot.

4. More focus on group-related activities. Grouping only for Raids is just ridiculous and turns other players into tools to further advance your characters. Also more focus on social and trading activities.

5. While sharing similar backgrounds can help nurture some discussions, I've never felt it to be necessary so I don't generally care much about their backgrounds. Having played similar games may help, but I'd say sharing similar goals (or goals that complete each others) with someone is much better than sharing similar games with someone (as experience and purpose may vary).

That's pretty much all I can think of.

Originally posted by jamigre

Hey all. Before I start I'm expecting this to go to the absolute total bottom of the threadpool, but figured I'd ask regardless.

------

So, the question is. How do you build your gaming relationships, and specifically on networks like steam, xbox, psn and in mmos. Really focusing on the multiplayer. 

While I assume many pof you have friends from school who you play with, I would really like to hear form those people who are either univeristy graduates and in the work force, as well as female gamers. 

1. How do you find people who you play with?

2. Do you like or dislike the random pairing systems in XBOX, PSN, and PC multilayer platforms?

3. How long do you usually stay in a clan / guild? What makes you stay / go? 

4. What would you do to make mulitplayer pairing more better? 

5. How important is it that someone have a similar background when playing online games, location, vocation, similar accent?

The reason I ask these questions is that myself and a colleague are building a matching platform for gamers called "Party Up Gamer" with the objective of making it the best service available, but we're only two dudes, and our own concept of what people want or don't want may be flawed. 

If you guys would like to read more about what we're doing, check out our blog. Info on what and why is in there. Finally, thanks a million for replying, and sorry if this came off as promotional or spammy. We're not planning on making any money on this at teh moment, and just believe its a service that's needed out there. 

Much thanks, 

- jam

 

 

Interesting concept you have. For myself, I'm turning 30 this year and work in manufacturing engineering. For the gaming relationships, it really is a variety of sources of friendships. I met my main friend in Eve Online after I got my ass handed to me by a ninja looter and he took pity on me, taking me under his wing into his corporation. Been flying with him for several years now since then. With other online games, when it comes to getting into a guild/corp/legion/whatever (I'll use guild from now on for simplicity), I usually look at the member list and the general description of the guild to see if they are a) not bloody weak noobs who probably don't know what they're doing, and b) if the general mentality and goals of the guild match what I am looking for at the time.

For the "random pairing systems", that makes me think small PvP matches and group-finder options. Generally they are okay, though if you aren't going with known guild-mates in a specifically built team with the required variety of roles it is definitely possible to get a gimped team and have an uneven match-up with the opponent force.

For staying in a clan/guild, I stay for as long as the guild suits my purposes and for as long as they are worth staying with. If the leader(s) of a guild turn out to be a) universal assholes to everyone including their own members for no good reason, and/or b) the leader has the intelligence of a banana slug and created the guild only because he had money to spare and thought it would be cool, then I'm gone. I don't follow idiots or jackasses. I want a leader that can help me grow into a more powerful player in the game, both in the in-game abilities of my character and my own personal real-world knowledge.

For similar background, it really isn't that important to me personally. As long as another person is willing to cooperate, teach me new stuff if they are more advanced than me or truly listen and learn if they are not, I don't care where they are from or what they do since in the game that is usually rather irrelevant. I actually prefer more variety in the people that I play with; I don't get much exposure to other cultures on a regular basis otherwise.

Originally posted by jamigre

1. How do you find people who you play with?

2. Do you like or dislike the random pairing systems in XBOX, PSN, and PC multilayer platforms?

3. How long do you usually stay in a clan / guild? What makes you stay / go? 

4. What would you do to make mulitplayer pairing more better? 

5. How important is it that someone have a similar background when playing online games, location, vocation, similar accent?

 

 

1. Pure luck, to be honest.  Someone will whisper me from something I say in chat, or I'll group with someone in a dungeon and they'll like me, or something along that lines. (All my answers involve MMO's perspective, I don't play other multiplayer)

2. I don't know anything about XBOX or PS2.  The pc ones don't bother me any.  I really wish they'd get some accountability standards though for conduct.  I realize they'd be difficult to enforce, but imo if the companies don't start doing it eventually, the government will and I know which solution I'm likely to prefer.

3. I don't tend to stay long, but that's because the guilds tend to be the 'ignore everyone' kind that don't group, don't do anything, don't quest, etc.  They seldom even chat.  I don't mind times of quiet and times of chattiness, groups, soloplay, any of that -- but I like to have all of them in moderation.  I've only known 2 guilds that were like that, and I stayed in both of them for years until they finally broke up.  So...I look for a guild with the intent of staying forever.  I generally have no luck in finding it though.

4.  Ick...profile matching, maybe?  I don't know...there's too many variables involved for me to say I have some good idea here.  I honestly don't know.

5. Not very important at all imo - not for playing the game.  Now, for getting to know other people, its better to be within a 'step' or two in any given category so you have -some- kind of things in common for getting to know each other/relate to each other better.  The very wealthy and the very poor usually don't have much in common, for instance.  It doesn't mean they can't, but if you're trying for the most likely matchups then that wouldn't be it.

Hmm...well this is kind of a bummer, I've actually been hashing/working out details to do the exact idea (well, similar at least.)

Best of luck to you.

Guys thanks! This is great! 

The bopping around from guild to guild - hate it myself, and always seems to be the best way to find people thus far. 

And loving the feedback getting the right skill mix and the background / location / vocation aspect of it. We put some emphasis on this, would you say then that age is probably the most important filter? 

@Decadentia, sorry man. Feel free to hit me up anytime you want to brainstorm.

Originally posted by jamigre

Guys thanks! This is great! 

The bopping around from guild to guild - hate it myself, and always seems to be the best way to find people thus far. 

And loving the feedback getting the right skill mix and the background / location / vocation aspect of it. We put some emphasis on this, would you say then that age is probably the most important filter? 

@Decadentia, sorry man. Feel free to hit me up anytime you want to brainstorm.

I think age categories would be best.  Like...say teen(13-15/16), young adult(16/17-24), adult(26-32), and established adult?(32+)  Just off the top of my head?  I know in my life at least, looking back, those are the big 'breaks' where I noticed my attitudes on things and what kinds of things I enjoyed take the biggest shifts.

Originally posted by jamigre

Guys thanks! This is great! 

The bopping around from guild to guild - hate it myself, and always seems to be the best way to find people thus far. 

And loving the feedback getting the right skill mix and the background / location / vocation aspect of it. We put some emphasis on this, would you say then that age is probably the most important filter? 

@Decadentia, sorry man. Feel free to hit me up anytime you want to brainstorm.

Age isn't really a major factor except in weeding out some arrogant whiny kids that are all MEMEMEMEEEE!!! and nothing else. I've known 50 year olds that are asshats, I've known 15 year olds that are bloody good companions. In terms of experience, quality trumps quantity. I would say the most important filter is that the goals/activitites that the guild focuses on match the goals/activities that you want to focus on. For example, if you absolutely love PvP, don't join a guild that avoids it at all costs. It won't matter what the background/age/skill level of the other players in the guild will be, their entire modus opporandi is a polar opposite of yours and your experience there will suck.

Originally posted by jamigre

Guys thanks! This is great! 

The bopping around from guild to guild - hate it myself, and always seems to be the best way to find people thus far. 

And loving the feedback getting the right skill mix and the background / location / vocation aspect of it. We put some emphasis on this, would you say then that age is probably the most important filter? 

@Decadentia, sorry man. Feel free to hit me up anytime you want to brainstorm.

As Kiljaedenas said, you could find 50 years old acting like complete jerks and a 15 years old being very mature.  I could see age being an issue for gamers who care about people's background (as you mentionned in your OP) but otherwise I do not think that a person's age is a main concern.

Hrm.... 

Obvi a reputation system is probably something to consider, social reivews and the like, and since initally we'd have it tied in with a steam, xbox, psn acct, your rep is your lifeline.

Community is also huge, and ensuring that people can keep in touch / contact with one anothe to build those longer lasting relationships. 

But all this brings out a good point, and definitely something to really dive into a bit deeper which is if it's not age, as a determining factor, what is, what is it about someone you play with is that makes those few hours so much more or less fun. 

Perosnality, learning, style, situational reaction, games played, sure.... and evenutally i reckon we could prob build that into an algorith, but for simplicity's sake. Someting overt, easily identifiable.... 

Sorry 1/2 way speaking to you guys and 1/2 way just thinking outlout. In any case, thanks so much for your resonses. 

1. How do you find people who you play with?

I just talk to everybody and start hanging out more and more with people I like.

2. Do you like or dislike the random pairing systems in XBOX, PSN, and PC multilayer platforms?

It's okay, but there has to be a way to queue with friends. Mainly good for fast enjoyment.

3. How long do you usually stay in a clan / guild? What makes you stay / go?

It rellly depends on the game and community. If it's a large guild (over 40 people) it's hard for newcomers to get into it. I prefer guilds with 20-40 people, so all content can be experienced and there's some sort of a family feel. What makes me stay is having fun, getting to know the people and getting attached, what makes me leave is too much drama, asshats and general negative atmosphere.

4. What would you do to make mulitplayer pairing better?

Make it required for MMORPGs to advance in leveling. Force people to interact and make friends.

5. How important is it that someone have a similar background when playing online games, location, vocation, similar accent?

I think that's not really a problem. It's nice if there are some similarities, but there are no limits. I prefer people with the same mindset, as that doesn't lead to different goals.

Originally posted by jamigre

1. How do you find people who you play with?

2. Do you like or dislike the random pairing systems in XBOX, PSN, and PC multilayer platforms?

3. How long do you usually stay in a clan / guild? What makes you stay / go? 

4. What would you do to make mulitplayer pairing better? 

5. How important is it that someone have a similar background when playing online games, location, vocation, similar accent?

 

1.  In the past, random encounters out in the world, paying attention to the guild tags of those whom have been especially courteous.

2.  A definite dislike and I do not use them at all.

3.  If the members/leaders are nice I stay a long time, whether there are five members or fifty.  Currently with the same guild for five years.

4. Maybe designating play style and how important the other person's gear is to you.  Personally, I play just for fun, not to pass judgment on other group members and am always happy to have anyone along, even if they haven't grouped before.  This is the main reason I don't use group finders in games.

5.  Similar age is great but background is not important at all.

Usually I'll play with random people and if we keep playing I'll just add them on my buddylist or they will do the same. 

1. How do you find people who you play with?

Generally from grouping up with them at some stage, add them to friends list, and go from there. I generally play healers, and I'm lucky in that I've had a lot of good tanks add me to their lists and ping me in-game to run group stuff with them. Also, depends on the game, I've made friends through crafting, trading, and even through testing content on public test servers. Ofc also through guilds. 

2. Do you like or dislike the random pairing systems in XBOX, PSN, and PC multilayer platform?

Generally dislike, I'd rather play with friends where possible. I never expect great things from PuGs which is essentially all those things are. To be fair, I have had pleasant surprises in MP sessions though, so maybe I'm just overly cynical. 

3. How long do you usually stay in a clan / guild? What makes you stay / go? 

If I'm happy in a guild I'll stay in it as long as I'm still playing the game. Drama is something I don't enjoy, so the only time I ever quit a guild was because the soap opera of guild drama stopped being entertaining and started being really irritating. Fun people will keep me around, l33t kiddies are seriously offputting. If you need to brag about your epeen, I'm gonna assume your compensating for something else ; ) Should I mention that my epeen aversion could be due to being female and having it used as a chat-up ploy once too many times?

4. What would you do to make mulitplayer pairing better?

I dunno, maybe matching people based on playstyle?

Hardcore (the min-maxing epeen squad) / Wai so srs (the just for fun, non-stress option) / I'm new here (for new players and more experienced players that want to help them out)

5. How important is it that someone have a similar background when playing online games, location, vocation, similar accent?

Personally, it's the opposite; I find it more appealing to play with a wide range of people. I think part of the joy of online gaming is the wide variety of people that you meet. I dislike whiny players, ragers and people who loot-whore...and men chatting me up...and ERP (ewwwwww)...but everything else is fine by me. 

Originally posted by jamigre

-snip- (since if I erase this line it adds my post into the quote box >.>)

1.) In MMOs, I usually play tanks. So the times I pub, sometimes people make small talk or just chat about random things. This is usually how all my long lasting friendships started. The ones that became friends just because it was a good run, we usually barely ever talked after that. So having a common ground to talk about things is what's most important.

Roleplaying is another one. When not IC, I usually end up talking about random things with the RPer, just getting to know them since if the RP hits off then we'd be hanging out with each other a lot.

For non MMOs, back when I was heavily active in TFC, Quake and BF2, I'd find a few servers I liked based on ping, map rotation, and my general experiences. So I'd always go to one of those servers. Before long I'd start recognizing the name of other regulars there and vice versa, and we'd start the small talk, which would eventually lead to friendships.

2.) I hate "Quick Match," which is all prevalant when I try to play online on the consoles. I'm not too active now on online PC gaming (outside MMOs, obviously) with randoms, but even there I don't bother if my only way to find an online match is solely through Quick Matches. Give me a server browser list, please.

3.) The clans I've been in, I was always there for at minimum a year. Usually I'd stay until the clan downright disbanded for a number of reasons. Nowadays I don't bother that much with clans (guilds in MMOs), usually since i'm not as active as I could be.

When I joined clans, I never went out looking for them. It either happened through the regulars I'd meet on the servers I'd play saying they liked my style or whatever, and they'd ask me, or in MMOs when a friend would ask me to join or suggest to me I'd join them.

Never "filled out an application" to join a guild/clan, and I never will.

Since I usually join through people I've known, my experience has been that I tended to fit in with the others. And that's what makes me stay in guilds or clans, is the company I find there.

4.) Since i'm not that active anymore (again, due to time constraints), I can't really add any suggestions. I'm only sharing my past experiences =)

5.) Not important at all. Don't care where you're from, and I've had friends from all over the world and from different vocations. As long I like their company and they like mine, then that's all that's important.

Good luck with your project ^^ It'll be nice for people who look for others to play games with, or just generally hang out with.

EDIT: Didn't mean to keep the quot >.>

This is a neat idea. I would add that for me, play style and personality is what I look at when I find people I enjoy grouping with. I appreciate someone who has a similar play style to my own. Someone who knows how to play their class and is not looking for a free ride. I have met plenty of nice but useless players. If Im looking to group and experience content, I want the person to have the same goals and know how to achieve them.

I value being fair and consistent when sharing loot and experiencing content. It helps that someone is on the same play schedule as myself, so I suppose time zone does play a part. I avoid people who I feel have a negative or nasty attitude or outlook. That to me is most important.

Originally posted by jamigre

Hey all. Before I start I'm expecting this to go to the absolute total bottom of the threadpool, but figured I'd ask regardless.

------

So, the question is. How do you build your gaming relationships, and specifically on networks like steam, xbox, psn and in mmos. Really focusing on the multiplayer. 

While I assume many pof you have friends from school who you play with, I would really like to hear form those people who are either univeristy graduates and in the work force, as well as female gamers. 

1. How do you find people who you play with?

2. Do you like or dislike the random pairing systems in XBOX, PSN, and PC multilayer platforms?

3. How long do you usually stay in a clan / guild? What makes you stay / go? 

4. What would you do to make mulitplayer pairing better? 

5. How important is it that someone have a similar background when playing online games, location, vocation, similar accent?

Two sets of answers since I play diffrent types of games for diffrent reasons, so obviously answers could not be same.

I . For mmorpg games:

Answers:

1. Just find them in game world, by meeting them, doing things togehter and if we liked each other than staying in contact or /and joining their guild.  Since mmorpg's change in design and gameplay - that kind of approach is harder nowadays, which is big turn off to play mmorpg, which result in me not playing them and even if I do then playing less.

2, Don't like automatic pariing  them (in mmorpg's)

3. For as long as I play certain game. I don't really join "multiple games" guilds.  I stay with guild if I like people there. Socializing and playing wise.

4. For mmorpg's - throw out automatic pairing and design gameplay and game world so people just pair naturally during gameplay and in open world - just like you get to know ppl in RL.

5. Of very small importance. Only some hugely irritiating manner of speach or stuff like that can matter. Almost never happen. Personality and how person / player behave is much more important than where is he / she from, accent, etc

II. For muliplayer (like rts, moba and other lobby quick pvp fix games) :

1. Play those games alone, don't really look for meaningful relationships there. Sometimes I get to know some ppl in pub games, and then pair with them if I accidentaly meet them again in pub game, but that's about it. Not really much on socializing in those kind of games.

2. For those kind of games guess it is ok, though I don't like (well hate actually) that you can make endless new accounts - that result in veteran games just making new account to "own noobs" <-- waste of time and bad experience for new players or less skilled players. It is like griefing.

3. Don't join guilds in non-mmorpg games.

4. Remove / severely limit ability to make "fresh" account. One player = one account. 

5. Does not matter.