[arg_discuss] Re: Communities and resources

[Brooke Thompson]

> On a related note, a lot of people think that UF players = hardcore
> players. I think that used to be true, but for most big new games,
> the majority of the posters on UF have never played an ARG before
> (this is certainly the case with PXC).


I don't believe that a player has to have previous experience with an ARG
before in order to be considered a hardcore player. I would have classified
you and many others, for example, as a hardcore player during the Beast and,
I know, that the majority of the hardcore players for Metacortechs were both
new to ARGs and new to Unfiction. I think that UF, just like any online
community and any game has a very vocal minority and that minority often
steers the game and the other players. That not only tends to be a part of
my definition of a hardcore player audience but it also makes them visible
and easy to track. And, as they are the vocal minority, it is quite easy for
one to look at them as representing UF as a whole (whether this is true or
not, right or not is another issue). 

Obviously, not everyone at UF is a hardcore player, however, it is a rather
safe assumption, I think, that the vast majority of a game's hardcore
audience will also be active and, most likely, vocal on Unfiction (or
whatever forum is serving as the "central hub")

- brooke