What's with the Gnome Hate?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Actually, I do, and I will continue doing so. People HAVE done surveys of hundreds or thousands of MMORPG players. See www.nickyee.com.

I'm familiar with the Daedalus Project.

Nick Yee's 2005 paper on demographics in WoW looked at 1,000 players when the game was, at that point, above 5 million players. That's statistically worthless.

His paper is a collection of interesting anecdotes, not a basis for any sort of sweeping generalizations.

But you said that gnome players picked the race because it's tiny. So let's go off of Nick Yee's research, which you pointed to.

Night-Elves and Gnomes significantly more likely to be played by a female player.

What’s interesting is the repeated differences between the Gnome/Dwarf vs. the Undead/Tauren.

Motivation Differences: Character Classes
Low Advancement - Dwarf, Gnome
High Role-Playing - Troll, Gnome
Low Competition - Gnome, Dwarf
High Customization - Night Elf, Gnome
Low Mechanics - Gnome, Dwarf

He should have said "character races" on that chart, obviously. But what we see is that, based on his anecdotal survey, gnome players tend to value roleplaying and being unique, and aren't that worried about playing a powerful race, being better than other players or even what the mechanics of the race are. (Which is ironic, since gnomes make excellent spellcasters in WoW, probably the best on the Alliance side.)

In other words, pretty much what gnome players on D&D threads tend to say.

And that's it for the 2005 study. There's no evidence that people pick gnomes because they want to be short in that one.

Looking at the comments he included in a later update of the PDF, you see people saying they play gnomes and dwarves exclusively (which the chart above also hints at).

Gnomes resurface in his Norrathan Scrolls survey (I couldn't find the date on it). Gnome beggars got more money than half-elf or ogre beggars, especially if they were female.

And that's about it. If Nick has any results that say "people play gnomes in MMOs because they're short," he hasn't posted it as far as my Google Fu shows.

Put that in your little gnome pipe and smoke it.

Could you please drop the hostility?

 

[The Little Raven]

Nick Yee's 2005 paper on demographics in WoW looked at 1,000 players when the game was, at that point, above 5 million players. That's statistically worthless.

In other words, pretty much what gnome players on D&D threads tend to say.

If 1,000 people in the 5 million WoW players is statistically worthless, then the 1,000 people (or less) that participate in these gnome threads out of the 4-5 million that play D&D (if the last claims of population are to be believed) are statistically worthless as well... and it's even worse, because gnomes are only like... half a person (with twice the nose!).

Could you please drop the hostility?

Agreed, there. I'm not a fan of gnomes as a core race myself, but I don't hate them or anything.

...but could you put something in your little gnome pipe and then pass it? Stressful day at the office so far, as one of our founders was just forced out of the company. Time to update the ol' resume and look for an environment that doesn't feel as hostile.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If 1,000 people in the 5 million WoW players is statistically worthless, then the 1,000 people (or less) that participate in these gnome threads out of the 4-5 million that play D&D (if the last claims of population are to be believed) are statistically worthless as well...

I agree.

and it's even worse, because gnomes are only like... half a person (with twice the nose!).

Gnomes have precisely the right amount of nose. Everyone else has freakishly little.

...but could you put something in your little gnome pipe and then pass it? Stressful day at the office so far, as one of our founders was just forced out of the company. Time to update the ol' resume and look for an environment that doesn't feel as hostile.

Gnomes are all about passing the pipe.

And yeah, these are grim times in a lot of places of work.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I still argue that the gnome is just the scapegoat for the halfling's flanderization problem.

But halflings have a big more D&D traction, so no one has had a real problem with it....except for gnome fans, of course.

 

[Nifft]

NO! YOU PEOPLE ARE MISSING THE POINT!

The gnomes STARTED this thread! We're spending all this time ARGUING!! It's what they want!

You're saying gnomes ... are little trolls? Sounds like that little dude in Memory, Sorrow, Thorn.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Mokona]

Nick Yee's 2005 paper on demographics in WoW looked at 1,000 players when the game was, at that point, above 5 million players. That's statistically worthless.

On what statistical theory do you base your analysis that a sample size of 1,000 is too small? It might "feel" too small but it is, in fact, a valid quantity to sample out of a population.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

On what statistical theory do you base your analysis that a sample size of 1,000 is too small? It might "feel" too small but it is, in fact, a valid quantity to sample out of a population.

You're right, I expressed myself poorly. I think his information is indicative without being anywhere near definitive.

Nick Yee's work is based on opt-in sampling. In the case of WoW in 2005, he heard from 1,000 people out of more than 5 million. My guess is that they were mostly older MMO players who were familiar with his EQ1 work.*

* Older meaning they played previous MMOs, and aren't new-to-MMOs with WoW.

 

[Vocenoctum]

OMIGOD! IT'S HIDEOUS! I'VE NEVER SEEN A GNOMISH HOOKED HAMMER USED LIKE THAT!

I'm sorry, Hooked Hammers weren't popular enough and are no longer D&D Compliant as of 4e. Any references to Hooked Hammers (Gnomish or Otherwise) can get the GSL police on you.

You've been warned!

(I once had a shadowrun gm that wanted to advance the game by timeline of when the books came out, for a more realistic feel of advancing technology. Thus, until we reached the timeline in the book where chainsaws were introduced, we couldn't own one... as I constantly reminded him. I may have driven him to drink...)

 

[Vocenoctum]

I(Which is ironic, since gnomes make excellent spellcasters in WoW, probably the best on the Alliance side.)

Except Warlocks, it seems 75% of the warlock's I meet are gnomes.

Also, 80% of female gnomes have those pink ponytails.


I bet your gnomes have pink ponytails!

I will admit that my gnome warrior was partly because of the height thing. It just amuses me that a little girl gnome tanks for a group of humans, most of whom can take maybe half the damage she can. Built Gnome Tough!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

One thing I'm sorry to see didn't make the transition from EQ1 to WoW were the cries of "GNOME POWER!" every time a gnome moved into a new zone in EQ. Very annoying to everyone not a gnome, true, but it was a nice solidarity thing among gnomekind.