A lack of any REAL game discussion on the escapist.

[DPeteD]

What do you mean, "REAL" discussion? Like, on whether gaming's art or not? You can only have those discussions so many times. It's expected that these forums concentrate on the latest events, whether it be Bioware allegedly ruining Mass Effect or SOPA being evil.

I don?t think you release it my friend, but you may be part of the problem, there?s a huge amount of stuff to talk about in gaming, just look at how much extra creditz did and are still doing (pity they moved to penny arcade), for example the mechanics and production that goes into games, the design philosophies and such, and simply saying how something sucks isn?t discussion of any kind it?s just annoying.
And frankly there?s only so many times you can complain about X generic FPS, seriously the way some people get on you would think it?s the only genre of game.
But thanks for your opinion.

Also sopa isnt the main problem now, its ACTA.

 

[Dansen]

If you are so great stop complaining about it and do some thing about it. Seriously, these whining threads are just as bad as the meaning less flame threads.

 

[krazykidd]

I sadly must agree with OP . I don't want to but i have to admit it . What to do about it? No clue , just skim for what's interesting and leave the others be

 

[DPeteD]

If you are so great stop complaining about it and do some thing about it. Seriously, these whining threads are just as bad as the meaning less flame threads.

Sir, I wasn?t trying to complain or whine I am trying to do something about it, I am trying to get some discussion going, you however aren?t helping, YOUR JUST COMPLAINING.
And did you read what others were saying? That the good threads are being drowned out by the bad ones, make sure you read what others have said before you make your post.

 

[dyre]

What do you mean, "REAL" discussion? Like, on whether gaming's art or not? You can only have those discussions so many times. It's expected that these forums concentrate on the latest events, whether it be Bioware allegedly ruining Mass Effect or SOPA being evil.

I don?t think you release it my friend, but you may be part of the problem, there?s a huge amount of stuff to talk about in gaming, just look at how much extra creditz did and are still doing (pity they moved to penny arcade), for example the mechanics and production that goes into games, the design philosophies and such, and simply saying how something sucks isn?t discussion of any kind it?s just annoying.
And frankly there?s only so many times you can complain about X generic FPS, seriously the way some people get on you would think it?s the only genre of game.
But thanks for your opinion.

Also sopa isnt the main problem now, its ACTA.

I doubt I'm part of the problem or the solution, since I don't spend much time in gaming discussion. It's not much of a problem anyway. No one's suffering in any significant way from a lack of real discussion on video games on this site.

Yes, yes, EC made a lot of interesting videos on gaming. They also did a lot of research on every topic, and they have an actual game designer (read: expert) on their staff. Most people here cannot match that level of expertise, and for many of those topics, if people don't know wtf they're talking about, it's best if they don't talk at all. Why do you think Religion & Politics is devoid of any real discussion on theology, specific interpretations of holy texts, thoughts on potential improvements on the current system of government, or any of that sort of thing? Because people don't know jack shit on that sort of thing.

On the real discussion that people actually have the requisite expertise to discuss (such as, vague discussions on what constitutes art), there's only so much to be said. I tend to avoid threads about FPS in general since I don't play many of them, so I couldn't really tell you if people have rehashed conversations in FPS threads. I see lots of threads about Skyrim and Mass Effect these days anyway. I've noticed people here are mostly uninterested in the newest Battlefield or Modern Warfare.

And yeah, I guess it's ACTA now. See? Always new material to talk about in place of real discussion. That's how forums are. And Escapist is one of the better forums I've seen!

 

[Dansen]

If you are so great stop complaining about it and do some thing about it. Seriously, these whining threads are just as bad as the meaning less flame threads.

Sir, I wasn?t trying to complain or whine I am trying to do something about it, I am trying to get some discussion going, you however aren?t helping, YOUR JUST COMPLAINING.
And did you read what others were saying? That the good threads are being drowned out by the bad ones, make sure you read what others have said before you make your post.

If you are so great stop complaining about it and do some thing about it. Seriously, these whining threads are just as bad as the meaning less flame threads.

Sir, I wasn?t trying to complain or whine I am trying to do something about it, I am trying to get some discussion going, you however aren?t helping, YOUR JUST COMPLAINING.
And did you read what others were saying? That the good threads are being drowned out by the bad ones, make sure you read what others have said before you make your post.

Its just the nature of forums to talk about the biggest events or topics, I've seen plenty of threads get more attention then they should have, but it isn't very productive to make threads complaining them. That is why people make private groups, you know...so they can discuss what they like with out having to worry about people who would derail their "REAL" gaming discussions.

 

[DPeteD]

What do you mean, "REAL" discussion? Like, on whether gaming's art or not? You can only have those discussions so many times. It's expected that these forums concentrate on the latest events, whether it be Bioware allegedly ruining Mass Effect or SOPA being evil.

I don?t think you release it my friend, but you may be part of the problem, there?s a huge amount of stuff to talk about in gaming, just look at how much extra creditz did and are still doing (pity they moved to penny arcade), for example the mechanics and production that goes into games, the design philosophies and such, and simply saying how something sucks isn?t discussion of any kind it?s just annoying.
And frankly there?s only so many times you can complain about X generic FPS, seriously the way some people get on you would think it?s the only genre of game.
But thanks for your opinion.

Also sopa isnt the main problem now, its ACTA.

I doubt I'm part of the problem or the solution, since I don't spend much time in gaming discussion. It's not much of a problem anyway. No one's suffering in any significant way from a lack of real discussion on video games on this site.

Yes, yes, EC made a lot of interesting videos on gaming. They also did a lot of research on every topic, and they have an actual game designer (read: expert) on their staff. Most people here cannot match that level of expertise, and for many of those topics, if people don't know wtf they're talking about, it's best if they don't talk at all. Why do you think Religion & Politics is devoid of any real discussion on theology, specific interpretations of holy texts, thoughts on potential improvements on the current system of government, or any of that sort of thing? Because people don't know jack shit on that sort of thing.

On the real discussion that people actually have the requisite expertise to discuss (such as, vague discussions on what constitutes art), there's only so much to be said. I tend to avoid threads about FPS in general since I don't play many of them, so I couldn't really tell you if people have rehashed conversations in FPS threads. I see lots of threads about Skyrim and Mass Effect these days anyway. I've noticed people here are mostly uninterested in the newest Battlefield or Modern Warfare.

And yeah, I guess it's ACTA now. See? Always new material to talk about in place of real discussion. That's how forums are. And Escapist is one of the better forums I've seen!

Yes I know EC has an actual game design with them but we don?t have to be just as good as them, but we can still do better than we are now and how can you say there isn?t much to talk about when you don?t spend much time in the game discussion parts? And it seems you think the only stuff we can talk about is "are videogames art" like I said we can get into the nitty gritty details about gaming the mechanics and such.
And yes I do agree with you on the issue of, if people don?t know jack shit they shouldn?t say anything (because if people followed such a rule things would be way better), but there?s nothing stopping people from doing a little bit of research on their own.

And thanks for the decent post, if people made more posts like your last instead of your first then wouldnt things be better? and yeah sure the escapist is ok but as I said before couldnt things be improved?

 

[FalloutJack]

So, you wish to have a discussion about the lack of discussion.


GWAH?!

Please...just stop, okay? Seriously.

 

[dyre]

What do you mean, "REAL" discussion? Like, on whether gaming's art or not? You can only have those discussions so many times. It's expected that these forums concentrate on the latest events, whether it be Bioware allegedly ruining Mass Effect or SOPA being evil.

I don?t think you release it my friend, but you may be part of the problem, there?s a huge amount of stuff to talk about in gaming, just look at how much extra creditz did and are still doing (pity they moved to penny arcade), for example the mechanics and production that goes into games, the design philosophies and such, and simply saying how something sucks isn?t discussion of any kind it?s just annoying.
And frankly there?s only so many times you can complain about X generic FPS, seriously the way some people get on you would think it?s the only genre of game.
But thanks for your opinion.

Also sopa isnt the main problem now, its ACTA.

I doubt I'm part of the problem or the solution, since I don't spend much time in gaming discussion. It's not much of a problem anyway. No one's suffering in any significant way from a lack of real discussion on video games on this site.

Yes, yes, EC made a lot of interesting videos on gaming. They also did a lot of research on every topic, and they have an actual game designer (read: expert) on their staff. Most people here cannot match that level of expertise, and for many of those topics, if people don't know wtf they're talking about, it's best if they don't talk at all. Why do you think Religion & Politics is devoid of any real discussion on theology, specific interpretations of holy texts, thoughts on potential improvements on the current system of government, or any of that sort of thing? Because people don't know jack shit on that sort of thing.

On the real discussion that people actually have the requisite expertise to discuss (such as, vague discussions on what constitutes art), there's only so much to be said. I tend to avoid threads about FPS in general since I don't play many of them, so I couldn't really tell you if people have rehashed conversations in FPS threads. I see lots of threads about Skyrim and Mass Effect these days anyway. I've noticed people here are mostly uninterested in the newest Battlefield or Modern Warfare.

And yeah, I guess it's ACTA now. See? Always new material to talk about in place of real discussion. That's how forums are. And Escapist is one of the better forums I've seen!

Yes I know EC has an actual game design with them but we don?t have to be just as good as them, but we can still do better than we are now and how can you say there isn?t much to talk about when you don?t spend much time in the game discussion parts? And it seems you think the only stuff we can talk about is "are videogames art" like I said we can get into the nitty gritty details about gaming the mechanics and such.
And yes I do agree with you on the issue of, if people don?t know jack shit they shouldn?t say anything (because if people followed such a rule things would be way better), but there?s nothing stopping people from doing a little bit of research on their own.

And thanks for the decent post, if people made more posts like your last instead of your first then wouldnt things be better? and yeah sure the escapist is ok but as I said before couldnt things be improved?

It's possible for people to do some research, but then we'll just have discussions in which 90% of the material is straight from wikipedia. There's a huge difference between being educated on a topic and doing some research on a topic. I guess I can understand that you want more discussion on the technical details of gaming, but this isn't really the place. The Escapist is just a forum for everyday gamers, whose minuscule knowledge on video games is usually comprised of their experience playing video games and the news they read on IGN.

I'm sure there are forums specifically for aspiring developers who discuss all the nitty gritty details of gaming. You should try those forums; it'd certainly beat trying to have a discussion with a bunch of people who did some basic research but are otherwise clueless about the subject.

Dunno if things would be better if people made posts like my last instead of my first. One could argue that I couldn't have made my second post before I made my first. It's partly your fault for not specifying what you meant by "REAL game discussion." Also, I felt your tone was a bit pretentious (and having a Union Jack in your avatar didn't work in your favor, lol)

EDIT: going back on your original post, I suppose it would be possible to make a group of people who were experts on the subject, but if you're drawing from the Escapist userbase, I bet that would be a very small group. Better to find a more specialized forum!

EDIT2: I forgot to clarify, I usually skim the threads of the gaming discussion forum when I visit the site (I found this thread, after all!), but I don't spend much time discussing things there.

 

[Jdb]

With all the complaining, you would think news about upcoming cures to everyone's "modern industry blues" would reach dozens of posts. Instead, they're mostly ignored or met with more complaining - "Oh look. Another shooter... *yawn*. This industry has no creativity." It's confusing.

 

[LiquidSolstice]

I wouldn't mind the Escapist having better forum hierarchy, perhaps with a sub-forum with dedicated individual game threads.

 

[DioWallachia]

So I?ve been regularly reading the escapist for a few years now and while the escapist has a good deal of content that brings me back, I?ve noticed that amongst the community there?s often a lack of proper game discussion amongst the forums and comments and such, were it quite often just boils down to butthurt complaining, rageing at the latest releases (instead of suggesting other games to play) and groupthink, and if not that its endless "what did you think of this game" ad infinitum.

Now this could be down to the way the escapist is structured (It?s difficult to get a discussion going amongst a small group of people as all your posts are lost amongst other comments, I prefer the way reddits threads are done, much more easy to get a discussion going) or it could be a vocal minority ruining it for others, that happens anywhere in life.

Now don?t get me wrong, I?m not leaving the escapist anytime soon, but I just wanted to see if others had the same opinion and instead of complaining, is there any way we could fix it?
(like ignoring therds with sensationalist titles)

And for goodness sake we don?t need a flame war and if you?re not going to contribute to the discussion you don?t need to say anything at all, now... make your voice heard Escapist.

Edit: I decided I might create an escapist user group that would help get some good conversation going, of course if someone has already done that or wants to do it themselves feel free to tell me, and of course give suggestions on this.

So.... i guess that talking about these things doesnt count as a discussion:
1) Plot and writing inconsistensies in Legacy of Kain
2) Analizing why Half Life 2 gets the "Best Game Ever" award and yet no game producer has taken the oportunity to not only make a game based on it but also expand on everything that it did right. This also applies to Painkiller, whose spiritual successor Bulletstorm is regarded as a lesser game.
3) Expanding on that subject on 2) Why is it that developers in the Age of Information, where one could easily find clues about making a better game, they still manage to miss the target. For example we have Serious Sam 3 that acordding to the sources, it just SS1 in HD and still makes Painkiller look good even if it was made in 2004

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

If you are so great stop complaining about it and do some thing about it. Seriously, these whining threads are just as bad as the meaning less flame threads.

Sir, I wasn?t trying to complain or whine I am trying to do something about it, I am trying to get some discussion going, you however aren?t helping, YOUR JUST COMPLAINING.
And did you read what others were saying? That the good threads are being drowned out by the bad ones, make sure you read what others have said before you make your post.

A lot of people are going to have this view of your OP though. There is no way of broaching this subject without coming across as supercilious.

I think it's good that recent games and news are discussed alongside deeper subjects. The forums are busy recently and a restructuring may be in order. However, that doesn't automatically mean that people here have nothing worth talking about.

 

[Terminate421]

Currently we keep having threads involving the "last enemy you killed" in some variation or another.

Those are the REAL annoyances. They're just more complex ways to say what game you played that are usually stupid.

 

[Karathos]

Must say I agree. The quality of actual discussion about gaming on this forum has sharply crashed lately. Then again it's no wonder when you look at the quality of some thread openers. People need to learn the meaning of "personal opinion". Especially the "PERSONAL" part.

You might not like EA or their games - fine, someone else might.

You might not like this about Skyrim - someone else might.

Etc etc.

 

[Freechoice]

I think it's good that recent games and news are discussed alongside deeper subjects. The forums are busy recently and a restructuring may be in order. However, that doesn't automatically mean that people here have nothing worth talking about.

Yeah, it kind of does. Most threads are either bitching or what's your favorite whatever.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I think it's good that recent games and news are discussed alongside deeper subjects. The forums are busy recently and a restructuring may be in order. However, that doesn't automatically mean that people here have nothing worth talking about.

Yeah, it kind of does. Most threads are either bitching or what's your favorite whatever.

I'll have to disagree with you there, I think there's many worthy topics that crop up. I myself recently made a thread asking peoples opinion of Final Fantasy 13-2 because I was unsure whether to purchase it. I don't think that falls under either of those.

 

[shrimpcel]

I cannot say I agree with you. To me, the Escapist's forums seem much more civilized and educated than most other forums made for gamers.

The Command & Conquer forums are full of nostalgic old-timers who cannot let go of the past, the Battlefield forums are somewhat similar but also contain some sort of "rival" faction to this group of "veterans", I was completely distraught by the aggressive response I received when I simply asked what Total War game I should buy first if I intended to start playing that franchise. My friends tell me that League of Legends and Call of Duty feature similar horrors on their respective websites.

Really, the Escapist is a relative haven of peace.

 

[Freechoice]

I think it's good that recent games and news are discussed alongside deeper subjects. The forums are busy recently and a restructuring may be in order. However, that doesn't automatically mean that people here have nothing worth talking about.

Yeah, it kind of does. Most threads are either bitching or what's your favorite whatever.

I'll have to disagree with you there, I think there's many worthy topics that crop up. I myself recently made a thread asking peoples opinion of Final Fantasy 13-2 because I was unsure whether to purchase it. I don't think that falls under either of those.

I saw that post. One example amidst the myriad cesspool of idiocy does not prove the contrary.

The answer is no, btw.

 

[D0WNT0WN]

Discussion, We dont have that here.

We have people scoffing at other people on their high horses.