3 reasons why the design team shouldn't visit ENWorld

[Chainsaw Mage]

So, I guess I'm saying I disagree with the article posted by the OP. Healthy interaction with the fans helps devs and the like keep a finger on the pulse of customer wants, needs and concerns. Good practice, if you ask me.

I think the article cited by the OP is in total agreement with you here. He was discussing the destructiveness of UN-healthy interaction with the fans.

 

[Jason Bulmahn]

Jason, forgive me for saying so, but this last statement I've quoted really seems more like a PR statement than a genuine belief.

If some of your fans wanted you to completely abandon Pathfinder and start writing adventures for 4e, that would count as noise, wouldn't it? Unless you can honestly tell me that you would take such extreme opinions seriously.

Noise would be if my fans start talking about the movie Pathfinder instead of the game. If the fans started telling me to write for 4E instead, that is close to noise, but its still related. I am not going to act on it, but it tells me a lot about what they currently think about the current state of the work. It might sound like PR, but you can learn a lot about negative posts, as people are generally the most passionate about the things they dislike. Its why the internet is so negative most of the time. It does not mean I need to act on it, but it does give me useful information.

Of course, there are always exceptions.. and there are certainly posters who do not meaningfully contribute to a discussion, but I don't think you can generically discount all negative posts. You just have to know how to read them.

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing

 

[eyebeams]

Uh oh.

Someone should tell Paizo they're doing it wrong....

Talking to you to sell you things is a tried and true technique, especially if it makes you feel involved.

 

[fumetti]

I don't see how getting as much consumer feedback as humanly possible is anything but a good thing.

If all feedback was rational and courteous, the article would not have been written.

Unrational and discourteous feedback is difficult to use. And can easily lead to a rift between producer and consumer.

Better to hire a middle man to filter the comments into digestible form.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I guess getting good feedback is like going into a dungeon. You can score some sweet treasure but you got to watch out for for the trolls and such...

 

[Leatherhead]

It's called "digital courage." People who would never dare utter a hostile word to someone's face (what you call "aggressively defending their opinions") will often feel quite free to let it fly in email or web forums.

Surely you are aware of this phenomenon?

Having worked in face to face customer service I can assure you that there is no shortage of people who will be hostile to you while looking you in the eye. The idea that this is "digital courage" probably stems from the stereotype that nerds and geeks (the people who play the games we play) are introverted and generally meek in public. Lets face it, anyone who is passionate about something will talk about it emotionally. It doesn't matter where they are talking bout it; on the street, at the store, on the internet, it's everywhere. Even people who are normally quiet often get riled up with some mob mentality.

The only real differences between the real world and the internet are that stuff posted on a forum lasts longer, and forums are full of like-minded people. The guy in the store is going to leave in a fit (or get kicked out) eventually. On the forum the post last for days, months, or even years. The woman on the street is going to have to contend with everyone passing by. The woman on the forum only has to deal with people who are going to the forum.

What's really going on is that the people that the article is targeted too, don't have the skills to deal with people who act like that. Nothing wrong with that. After all it isn't their job, they're techies.