DPS meters are controversial in MMOs. We wanted to know your opinion on these tools, and you shared it with us.
Here’s what it was about: DPS meters are a topic in the community where opinions differ. Different large MMOs also approach these tools in different ways:
- In WoW, they are allowed
- In Final Fantasy XIV, they are banned
- In Guild Wars 2, they are tolerated, but there are no official tools from the developer
Therefore, we asked in a survey for your opinion on DPS meters. Here are the results.
Here’s how you voted: The survey ended on March 6. A total of 1,812 of our readers participated. Each voter could only cast one vote.
The distribution of votes was as follows:
- I find them useful and necessary: 44.09% (799 votes)
- I am against DPS meters: 37.03% (671 votes)
- They are indifferent to me: 18.87% (342 votes)
44.09% of you find such tools necessary, especially for the difficult endgame in MMOs. This opinion is thus represented by the majority of you.
However, the readers who are against a DPS meter are only narrowly trailing behind by a mere 6%. With 37.03% of all votes, the option “I am against DPS meters” comes in second place.
Even though the race was not close, the two groups surveyed, those for and against DPS meters, are quite close to each other.
With 18.87%, slightly less than one-fifth of you are indifferent towards DPS meters.
These are your reasons
In the numerous comments, you told us what exactly you like or dislike about DPS meters.
- Proponents of DPS meters emphasize that these tools are well-suited for players who want to improve their own performance in games. This is especially important in difficult endgame content because damage dealers need to contribute their part to the fight.
- MeinMMO readers who expressed opposition to DPS meters were of the opinion that such tools promote toxic behavior in MMOs.
This is what you wrote in the comments: Many of you seem to also view DPS meters in a nuanced way. Regardless of what opinion you hold on the subject, you understand the advantages and disadvantages of the tools.
Even the MeinMMO readers who actually advocate for DPS meters and actively use them find that they can cause harm if misused.
[…] DPS meters can be useful for comparing oneself with others and constantly improving one’s build. On the other hand, I understand that it can deter casual players from raids.
Comment by KushiRecordZ
In Final Fantasy 14, I personally use a damage meter, but I find Square Enix’s stance (prohibition of the tools) very good and correct.
Comment by sirhc
According to you, the usefulness or harmfulness of these tools depends on how they are implemented in games and used by players.
- They are useful when players use DPS meters to improve themselves and help others.
- DPS meters are harmful when players use them to bully and attack others.
Our reader lIIIllIIlllIIlII wrote, for example:
The problem is not the DPS meters, but the problem is how you deal with the results.
I can confront people because they are not meeting their quota, or I can use it as a tool to help pinpoint weaknesses and help those people.
Can DPS meters be used “correctly”?
These were the proposed solutions: Due to the nuanced views, you also made several suggestions in the comments about how DPS meters could be integrated into MMOs without harming people.
One wish that was expressed was for developers to introduce DPS meters that only show your own damage and only for yourself.
This would give players working on their rotations and builds the necessary means without affecting other players.
Another option mentioned in the comments was to only implement DPS meters in the content where they are necessary: difficult raids and boss fights, where the damage dealers have to deliver a certain performance to master the content.
This option was also supported by readers who are generally against DPS meters.
For example, I would find it acceptable if a statistic were output by the game itself in raids at the highest difficulty level.
Comment by Threepwood
What do you think of these proposals? Do you believe there is a way to integrate DPS meters into a game “correctly”? Or do such tools always lead to toxic behavior, regardless of whether one can only see one’s own damage or that of the whole group? Let us know.
We also asked you about themes like next-gen consoles, PvP, and gender choice in MMOs. You can find the results here:
