Impact of CiV on player cohort

[wuzmaster]

I am just wondering, how CiV is going to affect the type of player sticking with this game. Sure enough, most Civ4 players will give it a go, can't wait to get their hands on it. But being decisively different, will it offer enough leverage to the builder or peace freak, will it disappoint the warmonger for lack of SOD's and sudden intricate requirements on war-strategies? CivIV is a game that my 10yo daughter finds just as fascinating as her old man, who is pushing 50
Not only played by all ages, but also by people from all walks of life, CivIV has stood more than just the test of time. I wonder if CiV can live up to general expectations and do the same. Pretty big shoes to fill. What do you guys think?

 

[PieceOfMind]

Your post is an effort to read but I think civ5 will be a good enough game to warrant a purchase. Trying to compare it to civ4 before it's even released is pretty pointless IMO. I don't believe every sequel has to outdo its predecessor and I don't know why everyone automatically expects them to. If that were so, the only games we ever saw would be sequels. Civ4 was a great game (more speficially BtS) and I won't be disappointed with civ5 necessarily if I happen to enjoy civ4 more.

 

[wuzmaster]

Points taken PieceOfMind. I guess no one can really answer this until having played the first few games of CiV. Nevertheless, would you happen to know about any stats about who (age distribution/ profession etc) is playing CivIV.
Apart from that, I'll try to be less "efficacious" with my wording in future

 

[PieceOfMind]

There have been polls asking cfc members about their age. IIRC the most common age for voters is around about the 25-30 mark. However I would expect this to vary depending on subforum e.g. CivRev forum vs. Civ2 forum. I think every time a new civ game comes out there is an influx of new, mostly younger, members. I noticed you joined cfc much longer ago than I did so you'd probably be a better judge of that.

I don't think one would be able to find much correlation between profession and civ 4 playing. That said, I would expect that anyone who works long hours wouldn't have as much time for playing games, and civ4 is a pretty time-demanding game. The only games I can think of that require more patience and/or time are flight simulation games, perhaps grindy MMOs too.

 

[Shurdus]

Points taken PieceOfMind. I guess no one can really answer this until having played the first few games of CiV. Nevertheless, would you happen to know about any stats about who (age distribution/ profession etc) is playing CivIV.
Apart from that, I'll try to be less "efficacious" with my wording in future

With in the millions sold, I think it is safe to say that Civ is pretty much a game for everyone. There may be a bias towards teenage and young-adult boys - because I think those groups are the majority of players - but in general I feel like everyone may enjoy civ.

I am pretty sure however that girls in their early teens playing civ is a minority.

On a sidenote, please use civ5 since it clearer than ciV. It looks fancy but it is hard to miss the nuances of your post.

 

[wuzmaster]

Fancy that! It crossed my mind that, Civ might be a game for the suppressed child in us (as my wife put it) and would have raised the age bar by 10 years or so.
In that age bracket most are well and truly established, stressed with their jobs and disillusioned with their partners. A most fertile ground for the realms of Civilization.
I'll be damned! But that's exactly what is fascinating about Civ - it seems to have something for everyone.
However, I am not so sure about the forum becoming younger with every new version. The opposite might be closer to the truth as players age with the game (like me). Also, I can't help the feeling that, there is a large number of female players out there, which does come a bit as a surprise to me (don't stone me for this faux pas).
I wonder, if lending the fingerprints of Panzer General to Civ5 is just a result of Jon Schaefer being at the helm or if it really is more of a calculated marketing strategy to target the younger players? Hmmm
Thx anyway for your input