DoktorVivi, on 27 August 2013 - 02:11 PM, said:
Oh absolutely. It basically just means you can't extrapolate much usable data from complaints (or compliments) on the forum.
One thing to consider is that forums are not the support hotline. People on the support hotline usually have always to do with disgruntled customers.
Forums are also a social tool. People go there to socialize with other fans. They ask questions. They collect information on the game and write tutorials. They share ideas and builds.
And most importantly perhaps, people on the forums are invested in the game and are prone to communicating with others about the game. That means they are your "word of mouth" part of marketing. If that isn't going so well for you, maybe you actually have a problem, even if only 1 % of your players even bother to talk on the forums? Because the other 99 % obviously don't talk much about the game with anyone, they will never bring in additional players. And if they are disgruntled, maybe they just leave silently, too.