I'll be traveling there on white day and she did get me a box of chocolate for valentines, so I can't screw that part up. Nagoya is just coincidental as we are both there for work. I will be giving her my old laptop since she needs one, so I could fill it up with shit that she loves..
I've really only given up when either
A: The person's arguments are bizarre, insane, or they just keep repeating the same stuff no matter how much evidence is presented otherwise. At that point I realize there's no literally no way I'm 'winning' (as much as you can 'win' an internet argument) so I just disappear. Or...
B: It's someone who has averaged 27 posts a day on this site for 4 years, and I quickly realize I cannot compete with the amount of free time they have.
I've really only given up when either
A: The person's arguments are bizarre, insane, or they just keep repeating the same stuff no matter how much evidence is presented otherwise. At that point I realize there's no literally no way I'm 'winning' (as much as you can 'win' an internet argument) so I just disappear. Or...
B: It's someone who has averaged 27 posts a day on this site for 4 years, and I quickly realize I cannot compete with the amount of free time they have.
1. Yes, someone was actually able to successfully change my mind about a topic and effect my personal life. Back during the big JonTron Twitter fiasco about the word retarded, I stopped using it online and in everyday speak. First time I've used it in like two years.
2. No choice, I'm a mod. I see everything... EVERYTHING!!!
I'm of the opinion that it wasn't GamerGate or any particular event that's caused the drop in forum activity, but the fact that Zero Punctuation is now also being uploaded to Youtube rather than being an Escapist exclusive.
An old post where I compiled some numbers
Drathnoxis said:
For a while now it's seemed to me that the site has much lower activity than when I first joined, so I decided to gather some numbers to see if this was actually the case, and whether Gamergate was the cause.
I used Wayback Machine [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/] and found archives that were 1 week apart. Then, I calculated how many new threads and posts were made in that week.
Pre Gamergate
March 2009
Gaming discussion
370 new threads
15457 new posts
Off Topic
496 new threads
22966 new posts
March 2010
Gaming Discussion
471 new threads
16865 new posts
Off Topic
468 new threads
19247 new posts
July 2011
Gaming Discussion
549 new threads
18154 new posts
Off Topic
465 new threads
27292 new posts
May 2012
Gaming Discussion
254 new threads
8359 new posts
Off Topic
213 new threads
11075 new posts
Jun 2013
Gaming Discussion
181 new threads
6954 new posts
Off Topic
73 new threads
3618 new posts
March 2014
Gaming Discussion
98 new threads
2863 new posts
Off Topic
51 new threads
1850 new posts
July 2014
Gaming Discussion
21 new threads
4648 new posts
Off Topic
13 new threads
2170 new posts
Post Gamergate
There was only 1 set of archives a week apart after August 2014
March 2015
Gaming discussion
62 new threads
1953 new posts
Off Topic
67 new threads
2213 new posts
EDIT: October 2015
Gaming discussion
32 new threads
677 new posts
So as you can see, the forum traffic took a enormous hit in 2012 and has been dropping ever since. It seems Gamergate has not really had too much of an impact on The forum activity considering how low it was before Gamergate even began.
If we compare the high point of July 2011 to the low point of March 2015 we see:
Gaming Discussion
Topic creation is down 89%
New posts are down 89%
Off Topic
Topic creation is down 85%
New posts are down 92%
Edit As of October 2015:
Gaming Discussion
Topic creation is down 90%
New posts are down 96%
Off Topic
Topic creation is down 90%
New posts are down 91%
We can see that Zero Punctuation is still very popular by the numbers on Youtube.
From his recent Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam review
Views on Youtube: 345,359
Comments on Youtube: 958
Comments on the Escapist: 38
We can also see that the high point in forum activity was around July 2011. This coincides with the date that the Escapist began uploading ZP to Youtube, which was July 21, 2011 as we can see by the Psychonauts review. The Psychonauts review was his second review for the Escapist and was originally released on August 22, 2007. Also the other reviews leading up to July 21, 2011 all have the same Youtube upload date.
Bottom line: We can see that forum activity had been climbing each year until Zero Punctuation was uploaded to Youtube. The next year, forum activity had dropped by around half and has been dropping ever since. I think it's pretty clear that the decline in forum activity is directly related to Zero Punctuation being on Youtube. People just won't come to the site as long as they can watch ZP somewhere else, and if they don't come to the site, they don't post on the forums.
Yahtzee is pretty much being wasted by the Escapist. He's making ad money on Youtube, sure. But he could actually be drawing people to the Escapist proper, where he would make ad money AND form the bridge to other Escapist content and forums where more ad money will be made as well as merchandise and pub club memberships. I'm aware that ZP videos are uploaded to Youtube after they are uploaded to the Escapist, but it's obvious it's not nearly enough. They should be uploaded months later, not weeks, and there should be a video up in the meantime that directs people to where they can see the video until it's put on Youtube.
So yeah, Gamergate may have sucked all the fun out of the forums and made everyone bitter, but the forums had slowed to a trickle before that mess ever started.
Musou Tensei said:
Why get links not coverted into clickable links automatically, like on GT?
Why the fuck did you steal my best thread (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.878267-I-am-some-random-fucko-on-the-internet-Ask-Me-Anything-No-subject-is-taboo)?
Site got an influx of hostile new users, a bunch of old regulars left, and content dried up. GG is mostly old news now though, and (usually) safely regulated to Game Industry Discussion (aside from the occasional toxic spill).
Elfgore said:
2. No choice, I'm a mod. I see everything... EVERYTHING!!!
I remember the last time I visited a new forum. Basically, the first place I went was to a thread like this one. Since we have a new influx of visitors from Gamer Trailers, this seemed like a prime time to start a new one. If you're just visiting, ask us anything, about navigating the Escapist, about how people behave, about how not to get banned, whatever. Everyone else, feel free to answer any question that comes up. I'll be away from my computer for the rest of today, so hopefully others can fill in for me until then.
Sometimes. Sometimes I just say fuck it and don't respond and just let the conversation die. I don't actively seek a debate these days, just more or less I throw my 2 cents into the pool and see if it gets a response one way or another. I take Silence as a cue I'm pretty okay. If someone calls me out on something, I may take the time to think about it more deeply.
Basically, Escapist tried to stay as neutral as possible, which ended up being the worst possible option to take. Because pro-Gamergaters got upset that they weren't getting free-run of this place and that there were too many dissenting voices against them. (And before anyone asks, yes, there were quite a few staunchly pro-Gamergate people who suggested both here and elsewhere on the internet that Escapist mods should "clean house" of anyone who's against Gamergate). The anti-Gamergate people on the other hand were annoyed and upset that Gamergate was even being given a platform on this forum at all. So both 'sides' were pissed off at each other, and the militant members of both sides also got pissed off at Escapist too. (For example: link)
And all this warring and constant hostility also ended up pushing away all the neutrals too, disillusioned at what they were seeing unfold on the forums.
In trying to please everyone, Escapist ended up pleasing no one.
Basically, everyone lost. There were no winners out of that mess, least of all The Escapist.
Basically this. To this day I see both side of people being like "The Escapist Sucks" and, ************ the Escapist doesn't suck. They got like 5 rules, obey them and shit is fucking easy son!
Although as a chaotic wild card, I did enjoy seeing the chaos for a while. So it was a win for me, especially when MovieBob finally got fired. (yes, I acknowledge how my hate of the man is so incredibly petty and small of me.)
I remember the last time I visited a new forum. Basically, the first place I went was to a thread like this one. Since we have a new influx of visitors from Gamer Trailers, this seemed like a prime time to start a new one. If you're just visiting, ask us anything, about navigating the Escapist, about how people behave, about how not to get banned, whatever. Everyone else, feel free to answer any question that comes up. I'll be away from my computer for the rest of today, so hopefully others can fill in for me until then.
I've actually conceded several arguments. Every once in a while someone will allow me to see things in a new light. That's why I like the more amicable discussion.
As for drama? Somewhat, maybe. I admit that there are certain pet peeves I'll react to, but after GG I really want to wind that down and be more positive.
Normally I'd give you a high ranking anyway, but with your Awesome Avatar Bonus, I'd say you've gotten a decent 11/10 on the awesome scale.
-Jak- said:
A site history question. So what exactly happened with Gamergate, or any other particular event that caused a drop in activity here on Escapist.
Oh dear. Not pretty. There were issues before, but GG really drove a wedge in the community. Most people joined one of two groups, and had it out every day. It got really bitter. Even people who tried to avoid it saw it pop up in unrelated threads. The sight supported some of their demands, but some of the staff members were strictly anti-GG. A lot of content creators left, or were fired, and as a result the site has had less content. A lot of users got fed up with the fighting and left. Others got banned for letting their tempers flare. The site became much more negative then it had ever been before. I'd say it's quieted down now, and there's been more content, but it was nasty for a little bit.
Still, I'd say The Escapist actually handled it much better then other sites. The moderators did a good job, and the top brass didn't try to shutdown discussion. They handled it about as well as could be expected.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
