Abstract
In this work, we use player behavior during the closed beta test of the MMORPG ArcheAge as a proxy for an extreme situation: at the end of the closed beta test, all user data is deleted, and thus, the outcome (or penalty) of players' in-game behaviors in the last few days loses its meaning. We analyzed 270 million records of player behavior in the 4th closed beta test of ArcheAge. Our findings show that there are no apparent pandemic behavior changes, but some outliers were more likely to exhibit anti-social behavior (e.g., player killing). We also found that contrary to the reassuring adage that “Even if I knew the world would go to pieces tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree,” players abandoned character progression, showing a drastic decrease in quest completion, leveling, and ability changes at the end of the beta test.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | 26th International World Wide Web Conference 2017, WWW 2017 Companion |
| Publisher | International World Wide Web Conferences Steering Committee |
| Pages | 435-444 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781450349147 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2019 Jan 1 |
| Event | 26th International World Wide Web Conference, WWW 2017 Companion - Perth, Australia Duration: 2017 Apr 3 → 2017 Apr 7 |
Other
| Other | 26th International World Wide Web Conference, WWW 2017 Companion |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| City | Perth |
| Period | 17/4/3 → 17/4/7 |
Keywords
- ArcheAge
- Closed beta test (CBT)
- Massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG)
- Online games
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Software
- Computer Networks and Communications
Cite this
I would not plant apple trees if the world will be wiped : Analyzing hundreds of millions of behavioral records of players during an MMORPG beta test. / Kang, Ah Reum; Blackburn, Jeremy; Kwak, Haewoon; Kim, Huy Kang.
26th International World Wide Web Conference 2017, WWW 2017 Companion. International World Wide Web Conferences Steering Committee, 2019. p. 435-444.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
}
TY - GEN
T1 - I would not plant apple trees if the world will be wiped
T2 - Analyzing hundreds of millions of behavioral records of players during an MMORPG beta test
AU - Kang, Ah Reum
AU - Blackburn, Jeremy
AU - Kwak, Haewoon
AU - Kim, Huy Kang
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - In this work, we use player behavior during the closed beta test of the MMORPG ArcheAge as a proxy for an extreme situation: at the end of the closed beta test, all user data is deleted, and thus, the outcome (or penalty) of players' in-game behaviors in the last few days loses its meaning. We analyzed 270 million records of player behavior in the 4th closed beta test of ArcheAge. Our findings show that there are no apparent pandemic behavior changes, but some outliers were more likely to exhibit anti-social behavior (e.g., player killing). We also found that contrary to the reassuring adage that “Even if I knew the world would go to pieces tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree,” players abandoned character progression, showing a drastic decrease in quest completion, leveling, and ability changes at the end of the beta test.
AB - In this work, we use player behavior during the closed beta test of the MMORPG ArcheAge as a proxy for an extreme situation: at the end of the closed beta test, all user data is deleted, and thus, the outcome (or penalty) of players' in-game behaviors in the last few days loses its meaning. We analyzed 270 million records of player behavior in the 4th closed beta test of ArcheAge. Our findings show that there are no apparent pandemic behavior changes, but some outliers were more likely to exhibit anti-social behavior (e.g., player killing). We also found that contrary to the reassuring adage that “Even if I knew the world would go to pieces tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree,” players abandoned character progression, showing a drastic decrease in quest completion, leveling, and ability changes at the end of the beta test.
KW - ArcheAge
KW - Closed beta test (CBT)
KW - Massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG)
KW - Online games
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85060306741&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85060306741&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1145/3041021.3054174
DO - 10.1145/3041021.3054174
M3 - Conference contribution
SP - 435
EP - 444
BT - 26th International World Wide Web Conference 2017, WWW 2017 Companion
PB - International World Wide Web Conferences Steering Committee
ER -