Researchers study EQ2 server logs News
MMO PC News by Oli Welsh
An article on Ars Technica reveals that Sony Online Entertainment has bequeathed the complete server logs of its EverQuest II MMO to academic research.
The massive logs, consisting of some 60 terabytes of data, contain everything that's ever been done by over 400,000 players on every server of EverQuest II in its four years of operation.
A collaborative group of researchers at several institutions has begun data-mining the logs, along with demographic surveys, to see what they can discover. They're interested not just in gaming habits and commercial concerns like customer churn, but also what the game can tell them about real-world social interaction.
It has long been supposed that virtual worlds might provide a way to collect data on human behaviour on a massive scale. Everything done in them is stored, and all data belongs to the game operator, so there are no legal questions of invasion of privacy - although some players might disagree.
The demographic data suggested that the average EverQuest II player was, contrary to stereotype, healthier than the US average, and well-adjusted. The five per cent of players used the game for role-playing, however, were described as "psychologically much worse off than the regular player".
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Comments: 1-12 of 12 in total
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iokthemonkey
17/02/09 @ 12:40
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My Log:
Day 1: "WTF? This is shit. Why does my character look retarded? How come my healer mate does more damage in combat than my monk? Why is everything brown? Oh great I got killed by a green mob." Day 2: This is shit. Day 3: No log-in Day 4: No log-in. Day 5: Okay, so I'll try again and... WTF? I levelled up and now my armour is crap? Oh well, let's try this crafting stuff and... okay, this is... Oh, I died. Day 6: Account Cancelled. |
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Well I can tell 'em that most people in a mmorpg are horny buggers who have to use innuendos at every moment they can. The others just take themselves too seriously and need to visit the Anal Doctor. 1% (me) just wants to be left the fuck alone and not have to read "Do this, do that, you noob!"
There, saved them sometime methinks. Oh, side note. I didn't have a clue what was happening in EQ2. Edit: I'd have headlined this as "Your secrets sold to highest bidder!"
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 17/02/09 @ 13:10
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Comments: 1-12 of 12 in total
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