Why do you play this game? (Free Market Research for the Dev team)

IkeKim

I ask this question because I was asked this question during month 1 of this game's life.

For some people, the need to complete registry pages drives them to to play this game.

For others, it's defeating spiders, werewolves, and death eaters oh my.

Certain groups like to speed run events.

However there are people that people enjoy playing a game with their friends.

This game helps with fitness goals (by way of having people walk).

We do have Potterheads that enjoy this franchise in whatever form.

There are some reasons where the in-game content is used as a means to an end.

Then there are other reasons where the content is irrelevant.

Here's the hook. In both cases, for a game that has no end game nor does it create any urgency to do any of the in game activities, the actual content is user defined.

But I would be remiss to not state why I play the game.

I'm looking for a Pokemon Go alternative to play with friends that also have burnt out on Pogo. We share the same excitement seeing our screens light up with yellow, orange and red beams. We carve out hours on the weekends for events to get together and play the game. We do a mix of dark detectors and fortress battles while we talk about what's going on in our lives and things that we look forward to (in the game and in real life.

The only reason I stuck w/ Wizards Unite was that I played Ghostbusters World before and had to stop. Why stop Ghostbusters especially when there were much better features in there? Their development team nerfed the drop rates drastically after month 1. They've reduced the amount of point of interests where players could raid. The only new content was cosmetic. My group of friends stopped playing that game because the amount of negative play experiences was to great to overlook. Sadly, Ghostbusters World shut down on 8/2020.

Please. I do enjoy this game. But there comes a point when the game doesn't become fun anymore because we've endured too much negative play experiences. And from 9/3/2020's trace charm update, you killed enthusiasm for a game where on our monthly meetups for wizarding weekends, participation for my group of friends for our monthly get togethers dropped 75% and we've decided to cancel future meetings because motivation to play sunk that low.

For a game with no end game, I repeat the content is user defined.

HypnoticMichael

Thank you @IkeKim for this different take on a number of recent challenges. Allowing users to take meaningful decisions on based on precise and accurate information is fundamental to success for this type of game. To that end, I’m saddened that your group has suffered so significantly.

You asked and so I’ll answer: I started out as I do on all such games: a bit of an all-rounder who wants to get into everything in the game but recognises the limitations imposed by prioritising work, family, friends, volunteering, loss etc. Jack-of-all-trades but master of none (although I would strive to be master of all of I had the chance!). If any one aspect drives me it’s that I want to be able to do more, better. The game becomes just a minor extension of my life in that way.

More recently, the social side has grown and I am indebted to a few friends who are fairly local but whom I have never met (of course!) in providing an extra dimension to how I experience HPWU, but I fear for those players especially hearing of your experiences, as while that interaction plasters over the cracks that development flaws create, ultimately the game itself will dictate its own destiny and some if not all of my small group of friends may very well leave. In a reflection of some recent concerns with game mechanics, once something good is so dispiritingly and abruptly taken away, I’m not sure how much appeal will remain.

Amandina

I played for the distraction from living in Florida and having covid and lingering heart issues from covid. I used to be able to walk 10 miles in the heat. Now I can walk a few blocks and then I'm exhausted. The game modifications really helped and it felt like the devs were in touch with what living in this pandemic is like. Not so much now.