All of the problems other people have mentioned are one that I would include but I would word them doubly strong.
In fact, I find this thread both extremely aggravating and extremely worthless. I strongly disapprove of this experiment, its intents, its reasoning, and its moral premises.
Your data, even in the context of trying to prove Hawken is not P2W, plus your definition of P2W, is not meaningful except to say that you as an individual can achieve a specific feat.
Given an objective of deconstructing stigma, this fails because it does not account for others definitions of P2W. It also fails to account for how people develop the idea that Hawken is P2W, so even proving Hawken is not P2W in any definition barring extremes that define P2W as having no payment elements (only grind elements) is relatively impactless.
That is to say, showing that you can "make it" without paying shows nothing else and it's completely irrelevant to any practical considerations of why new players dislike Hawken when they use the term "P2W".
It's also a fairly abhorrent, elitist concept to see exist in the first place and it runs very closely to ideas that since one can name someone who "made it" under extremely oppressive socio-economic conditions justifies those oppressive socio-economic conditions. (EDIT: I think the logical fallacy that exists in this sort of situation is similarly applicable here but it is hyperbole to compare it to inequalities existing in socio-economic contexts.)
This has been an extremely short-sighted thread and I'm happy to see others pointing out how utterly flawed and meaningless this is.
At least you claim to try to teach those other players. It is the one redeeming factor of this OP.
EDIT: I'm very disappointed that some posters here think of this thread as relevant or claim that others are thinking illogically for thinking of Hawken as P2W when, for the most part, people simply mean to say "excessive grind".
Somehow, players are supposed to " build skill " with a mech they doesn't mesh with their basic play style? Do you consider that new players might be different and have a better time, first having fun, and through that, learning?
EDIT2: I have overreacted here. However, I would recommend reconsidering trying to prove Hawken is or is not P2W. (1) It is not something that is really worth disputing, because of (2) most people don't actually think of Hawken being P2W OR they use P2W as the closest approximation to what they mean.
Edited by WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW, 08 April 2015 - 10:53 AM.