An Appeal to The Escapist for a More Broad Scope

[zama174]

I think the OP has a point. He isn't saying its bad here, simply that it could be more diverse. And honestly I think he is right, I'd love it if the escapist had a place to talk about books or philosophy. However to the OP, if you are looking for a good group to debate philosophy with you should check out the league of reason. : http://www.leagueofreason.co.uk/index.php

 

[BlueberryMUNCH]

You're well spoken. Cool.

Nah, I totally see where you're coming from, and maybe it's a good idea, but at the end of the day...this is a gaming website. Which is something that trumps any argument.
We have an off topic section, which is doing just fine. So there's no need to branch out so broadly. That's what I think, anyway.

...but they should make an Anime section. JUST. SAYING.

I've said it before, and I'll, say it again. Adding any more miscellaneous forum sections will begin to splinter the community. Hell, there's people that inhabit the forum games with 30000 posts that I've never even seen before.

The only thing I would add is a separate anime section to confine the recommendation threads to one place. Many others have called for this as well.

On another topic, I think the reason everyone gets along here so well is that, aside from strict moderation, people automatically have something in common with everyone else when they come to this site. If we cater to too many groups of people at once, there might be too much clashing of interests.

Wow. You're annoying. First off, I was going to agree with the first part of your post after I mentioned the Anime...and then I read on and see you did anyway. You cheeky rascal you xD.

But yeah, you're right Will; well said lad.

 

[solidstatemind]

Broader. ..a broader scope.

Now that the hazing is over with ( ), let me share with you a thought or two.
You're going to find that the diversity you seek can be found here, but that you have to dig for it.

Why is this? Most people are drawn to the site via gaming-related articles, podcasts, and videos in the first place. People who come here for ZP? Gamers. People who come here for Extra Credits? Gamers. People who come here for news articles, are looking for gaming news. And so on. Q.E.D.

That is not to say that the site is entirely devoid of other content- to wit, MovieBob's movie reviews (although, granted, the Big Picture definitely has more of a gamer flavor). The occasional articles that are only tangentially related to gaming.

But again, the name of the site is not necessarily a mission statement.

Hey, not trying to be discouraging, (as I said, I have seen plenty of threads about religion, philosophy, regular news items, music, books, tv, etc) but if you are specifically looking for a site that has a well-balanced range of subjects, the Escapist is probably not your final destination.

Or here's an idea: be a driving force for change instead of simply asking for it-- create thought provoking forum posts about other subjects than gaming. (Just be sure to put it in the right sub-forum!)

But please, stay. If you found your way here in the first place, the Escapist can't be completely devoid of subjects that interest you.

 

[TheMatsjo]

Finally a chance to read these threads again, hooray!

To 75% of responses: I know what the Escapist is, I'm making a suggestion that it could be more. I'm not saying there's something wrong with the site, I'm saying it could be more diverse. You don't have to explain what the site is, I know. Things grow, change, evolve, and I'm proposing we should think about things like that.

I know there are many sites where you can do all kinds of stuff, and I won't let the absence of dedicated sections hinder me in any way, my point is that escapism and gaming is bigger than what is currently being presented. The Escapist has made it a point to get out of niche constraints in the past (as has been mentioned by others) and I think that's a very positive thing to do. All change and development costs time, and I'm not under the delusion that just slapping on new dimension will improve this site (it could very well splinter, as has been mentioned).

I definitely intend to keep posting stuff like this, and about a lot of non-gaming content in general, I just hope it won't be designated as off-topic forever.

Cheers.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I'll come right out and say this; I love the Escapist, I visit the site pretty much daily and find it to be an exemplary source of learning . . . bolstered by an incredibly positive and mature community.

Mmmm-hmmm.

I always wonder where people have been hanging out on the Net when they make comments like this. Don't get me wrong, the Escapist isn't bad by gaming forums standards, and it's enjoyable enough or I wouldn't be here, but...

Since when are visual media the holy grail of escapism?

Since most of the membership doesn't f***ing read, unfortunately. I tried starting a book thread on R&P once. There were four other posters, one of whom contributed an Ann Coulter "book," and it sank without a trace. It's a videogame site and attracts people whose primary interest, in most cases, is games.

That's because you started it in R&P, a savage, lawless wasteland where intelligence is a handicap and the crazies run the Asylum.

It's not that bad, but still not the place to be expecting literacy. Book threads in Off-topic do quite well for themselves.

 

[The Gnome King]

Why don't we have forums for books, music, philosophy, sports, arts etc? And if you're thinking "well that would be a lot of work moderating more threads" I'd say "Good!" that means there're more people active on the site!

I have mixed feelings.

On the one hand, I wouldn't mind a place for philosophy or sports, but right now those topics usually take place in the Religion/Politics forum (for philosophy) or Off-Topic (For sports and, rarely, philosophy) ...

... on the other hand, the problem usually is that when you try to have too many subsections of forum boards people get bored and/or confused about what goes where. As it is we have people posting about religion and politics in the off topic forum and the mods have to move posts. Would The Escapist become more active if these other forums existed? I don't know - there are a few forums here (like advice) that don't see much usage as it is.

So, I have mixed feelings.

 

[Di'kut]

There used to be some news room contributor who did stuff not related to videogames, thank the heavens she left, she made reading news about videogames a pain in the ass. I'm a close minded bastard who doesn't like change, so I'd rather have things stay the way they are. Where videogames take the focus and, most of the time, interesting news relating to the world as a whole are posted.

 

[Lilani]

-snip-

The Escapist has rapidly broadened the scope of what is covers, as of late. They only just got Moviebob within the last year or two, and Loading Ready Run, Unskippable, and Extra Credits are also very new as well.

The Escapist is primarily a video game web site. It's what they started out doing, and it's the primary thing that they still cover today. Though lately they have been able to expand with Moviebob's vast knowledge of other nerdy mainstays, like movies and comics, video games are still primarily why the Escapist is here and it's still what their main audience primarily expects.

Now, if the Escapist has the money and the resources to start covering books too without it hindering any of their other current content, then why not? But it's not just a question of quantity, either: it's a question of quantity. The Escapist struck gold with Moviebob. He's both charismatic and very knowledgeable about what he does, and is very adept at putting what he thinks into words. If they can't find someone like that with books, then it will just seem like a half-assed attempt at getting more people in, and the whole web-site will suffer as a consequence.

Personally, I think the Escapist is doing fine right now. They've got a good balance of quality and quantity with their content, and both are increasing at the same rate. "The Escapist" is just the name of the magazine. It's not necessarily supposed to mean that it covers EVERY SINGLE form of escapism known to man, from video games, movies, and nerd news to books, sports, board games, horseback riding, spelunking, and erotic asphyxiation.

The Escapist has a niche audience, yes, but that is exactly how they also provide the great content that they have. They know exactly who they're catering to. And if they tried to juggle every single other hobby in there all at the same time, at least before they have the resources to do so, then that quality and focus will get lost in the mix.

A jack of all trades is a master of none. The Escapist is currently a master of video games, movies, and nerdy news. I don't see why they should change this if they're comfortable with it.

 

[TheComedown]

The site could not sustain a books forum.

Wait, because your 1 thread (that you posted in RP of all places) took a nose dive, no-one on this site reads?

Let me restate this. Your 1 (One) thread, which was posted in the wrong place by the sounds of things, didn't get any attention. Right? Because of this, you are butt hurt and believe we are all dyslexic illiterates?

Shit loads of threads bomb every single day, shit loads. (oh yeah btw, why you can swear here, censoring fucking is pointless especially when you still give us have the letters and the context allows for no other word.) Threads bomb all the time, you're hanging out in the wrong part of town, and there loads of book threads around, yeah they aren't as popular as the game related ones, but maybe that has something to do with the fact that this is a website, now get this, about games and not about literature.

You are lucky there is as much variety here as there is, if you go to some other gaming websites you'd get laughed out of town at a fleeting mention of a book.

 

[TheComedown]

The site could not sustain a books forum.

Wait, because your 1 thread (that you posted in RP of all places) took a nose dive, no-one on this site reads?

I wasn't claiming a causal relationship, no. Just an example, not necessarily strictly representative. But yes, people who do read books are, as a proportion of the site's population, pretty rare. I take this to be a straightforward statement of fairly uncontroversial fact. The ranting about "dyslexic illiterates" is in your head, not mine.

Now relax. Take a valium. Maybe two.

But you are basing your idea of how many readers are on this site solely on the response to your 1 thread, which a) was posted on the wrong board, and b) got burried so quickly at the very least 90% of the community didn't see it.

 

[Plurralbles]

read their mission statement and see if you're not shoving things down their throat and saying something they've never claimed.

Founded in 2005, The Escapist is a leading video gaming destination offering video game enthusiasts high-quality, innovative and exclusive content with a considered approach to its audience. The mouthpiece of the gaming generation, The Escapist aims to capture and celebrate the contemporary video gaming lifestyle and the diverse global video game culture by way of in-depth features, thought provoking articles and relevant columns authored by leading video game authorities, as well as cutting-edge video shorts, engaging forums and robust social media elements that incorporate the video gaming experience. Honored with both a Webby Award and People's Voice Award in 2008, The Escapist is responsible for the web's most viewed video game review series, Zero Punctuation, in addition to introducing the first-of-its-kind Internet Film Festival for Gamers and the March Mayhem game developer competition. The Escapist is part of Themis Group, Inc.'s online media arm Themis Media, and currently generates over 25 million page views each month.

Oh right...

Yep. Notice all the, "Video Game" references and no, "escapism".

 

[Daveman]

tbh, if there's something you want to discuss, start a thread about it, don't start a thread about other people starting a thread about it.

There are tonnes of topics covered in the forums and if you can't see that that's your loss.

The Escapist isn't about Escapism, it's about video games. Everything is provided by them is gaming related except for a few extra features which relates to similar interests such as film and television and other typical nerd activities.

By all means feel free to discuss what you want in the forums, but you might have to actually look for the discussions as they may not be the most popular ones on what is a gaming website.

Honestly, I can't see where you're coming from on this. There's plenty of discussion to be had if you put any effort in.

 

[OldRat]

Uhh... I'm not exactly sure why it should be anything but what it already is. You could make the same argument of "but things could change and there could be a broader scope" for ANYTHING out there.

Nobody goes to Rock, Paper Shotgun to tell them they should totally also cover console games, since being a PC gaming site is their thing. They could do that too, of course, but that's not the idea of the site. You could go to a radical ultra-fundamentalist religious site and tell them they should totally include an atheist board, but that's not what they're about.
And if it's the name you're having troubles with, then you should probably start your campaign against inaccurate naming conventions with something a bit more significant than a gaming website.

 

[Woodsey]

The fora directly reflect this lack of scope by calling pretty much anything that isn't game-related off-topic (I'm even posting here NOW!) and somehow not belonging on this site while even the very act of engaging in discussion on ANY topic is a diversion from every day life and thus a form of escapism when you think about it.

Why don't we have forums for books, music, philosophy, sports, arts etc? And if you're thinking "well that would be a lot of work moderating more threads" I'd say "Good!" that means there're more people active on the site!

Because its a gaming site, with a smattering of film articles?

We're not saying they're the only types, we're saying they're the main types people on here enjoy. That's why they have the most attention paid to them.

Not exactly a gaming/film site if you're opening forums for every possible topic on the planet.

You're taking the "The Escapist" name a little too seriously.

 

[TheComedown]

But you are basing your idea of how many readers are on this site solely on the response to your 1 thread

I just finished telling you that is not the case. You don't help the literacy case by persistently refusing to read the posts you're replying to.

Then what exactly are you basing your claims off? You never said, all you said was no you're wrong with out actually saying why.