The Escapist to me. (and its evolution)

[Veleste]

Has anyone else noticed that not having premium membership doesn't actually take away anything from what you already have?

Running a site like this costs enough money to run a country (very very small country) so it was only natural that they eventually did something like this. Who cares if some members get to watch videos in HD and get custom titles. Does it really bother you THAT much? I'd bet anyone a hundred bucks that 2 months from now you'll have completely forgotten about the membership. This is a viable way for the site to make money and many sites offer premium membership in return for removing adds or allowing you to download their content.

I've been watching the videos on this site since 08 but only recently became a member and paid attention to the forums. The forums aren't particularly deep but I've found the discussions and people here fun. Office Dogs is pretty terrible, I'll give you that but I don't watch every podcast on Revision3 and I don't watch every one here. It's like complaining when there's something bad on tv, you pick and choose your content. If people stop watching something they will discontinue it and replace it with something new.

If you really want to pick the community up, why not create your own topics and post your own insightful opinions, chances are other people like you will see them and respond in kind. We make the community so if we have a problem with it, it's up to us to fix it I for one welcome heated debates about meaningful topics!

 

[Davrel]

Sure is emo in here.

If you want a rant about how the escapist is changing; fair enough. But if all you're doing is just frankly (despite the farcical "please don't be offended" warnings), offending people then; why bother? You just come across as arrogant.

Also its quite amusing to see that the main gripe is "Oh, all the threads are the same" coupled with "You're all carbon copies of what the regular escapist member is with only half the personality."
And yet most of the replies are clones of this same whine: "Boring topics = boring repetitive opinions."
Gee, I think I may have found the cause of your problem, guys. You see?

Honestly, people on a community based forum, moaning about the community, providing nothing constructive, not even trolling - just;
fuck off or shut up.

N.B. The quotes I have used in this post were taken from the posts of other members in this thread and chosen because they struck me as especially blindingly conceited, self-righteous and contradictory. They would have been funny if they weren't sadly genuine.

Please don't be offended.

 

[Stranger of Sorts]

mega snip

You seem to be deluded - heh.

You should make an effort to get to know some of the new people, many of them are great people although you have to dig through what they want you to think of them first. And even if you're bored of posting on the forums, you could ...ya'know... not do it?

 

[hardlymotivated]

As much as I like the Escapist, some of the high post count users certainly give off an all-too-familiar vibe which reeks of "I'm better than you." Perhaps it'd be prudent to get off the high horse and actually make an attempt to get to know the lower post count users before accusing them of being a meaningless bunch of dull clones.

All of this self-titled "misanthropy" and delusions of grandeur really get on the proverbial tits after a while. Complaining that all of the threads are the same inane nonsense solves nothing. If you don't like it, create a thread about something you find interesting, and then like-minded people will flock to it and you'll undoubtedly get a nice conversation or debate flowing. Like Mahatma Gandhi said: "You must be the change you want to see in the world." It isn't too difficult.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

That's your problem dude...the site's doing just fine and people are getting a little too paranoid about this premium membership deal and overreacting.

Thats what I feel. I mean I think its a pretty good idea. If people want to pay to get an upgraded Escapist then thats up to them. I'm fine with the good old regular.

I think its improving actually. I see a bit more openness amongst topics. I'm glad the admins created new sections (Religion and Politics) in order to keep things more organized. And I'm pretty sure the elitism has dropped (even if a few people are still a bit Snooty...well at least they admit it *looks up at the quoted person*...nah I'm kidding).

Yeah you tell....Oh ho ho i see what you did there. You very silly person you.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Well, I have no problems. I guess, although being here a while, racking up a relatively high post count (if you exclude people like Furburt or Pimppeter2), I've remained quite unknown, so there's no one that pays attention as much to what I say and I generally don't feel like my opinions carry too much weight. This is probably to do with the fact that I am bland; I've been on probation once, you can't count on me to do something wacky and I don't have any real quirks.

Also, I don't think the userbase is worse, just bigger. I like it, because all the other forums I am a member of are tiny, so a large, high traffic forum is a nice change. I still think the userbase is good, although I can't fathom some things, such as the massive hatred for MW2 or the equally massive love of TF2, but I get along ok.

The one thing I find that is a bit of a problem here though, is moaners. Not directed at you, but sometimes there is one hell of a lot of bitching going on. I guess no one is as apathetic as me here.

The whole 'celebrity' thing has really died down, with Max banned and no one seems to bother Furburt too much anymore, so I don't feel it's a problem. Pretty much most people with a post count of about 2500+ I tend to recognise, but that's not a given.

Just purely out of curiosity, does anyone recognise me at all?

 

[khaimera]

I agre with pimpy. Hell look at my probation. I was just kidding around. I was told that calling people suckers, which is a meaningless insult anyways, is an insult and deserves probation. If I ever leave this site it will be becuase many of you here get far too much enjoyment from acting as police officers and ratting on people who post things that you do not like.

At leats I have a personality and am willing to share when I'm mad, or make jokes that other's won't like. Its me being me and not being who this site wants me to be. I get not wanting this place to become hostile and infantile, but the censorship nearly always goes too far. If there is one thing wrong here, its censorship of emotions. Without anger we might as well just be robots who spew off facts so that we can impress each other with our knowledge. Many of you fit into this category.

Heck fluffy bacon said he didn't give a fuck and then got suspended for it. Why can't he say he doesn't give a fuck? Thats how he feels. People get off on reporting, I swear.

 

[Ophiuchus]

I don't understand the problem with censorship. I've never held back from saying what I think, yet I've kept a 100% clean moderation record for over two years of being here. Maybe that's because, as the guy a couple of posts up said, people don't take any notice of me or my posts because I don't have a huge post count or strive to be popular, but I think the point still holds.

I'm pretty sure The Escapist staff actively welcome debate - problems only arise when people forget that it's possible to speak their mind without being rude.

 

[LaffmanAKAJPLaffo]

I can't really say anything seeing how I joined just more than a year ago...but... Some things are getting better whilst others are getting worse. As a bit of a side note what is it with The Escapist and religion?

 

[Anarchemitis]

yes

I concede.

Mr Part, please play us the old hymn to give us pause the fading of old communitiy intimacy; of life, love, learning, intruige, arguments, drama, laughter, tears, and the days of our lives well wasted.

 

[Sir Ollie]

Just purely out of curiosity, does anyone recognise me at all?

Wadders isn't? or something like that.

 

[MelziGurl]

The site is changing, it's evolving just like everything eventually evolves. I personally don't have a use for the Publishers Club, I'm not on here enough to care or have any kind of emotional attachment. If the site starts going down the shitter then whatever kind of attachment I do have to this site will eventually fade away. It's that simple really, no need to vent rage over it.

 

[Pegghead]

The escapist can change and change but I'll keep posting here, because no matter how many "Exclusive member-ship deals" they have (I don't really care for this publishers club stuff) or shows like game dogs and I hit it with my axe they put up I'll always love coming here and being able to talk about games, debate the zombpocalypse and meet some genuinely interesting people.

 

[Kuchinawa212]

Here we go. This is what we can do. The Escapist dies. Say all this stuff cause it to overload and just die.

We wait...
it clears out, and we come back.

There you go, problem solved

 

[MrDarkling]

I'm either blind or just not on the Escapist enough.
It's a place of laughs and debates and games, that and of course the great entertainment.
I do like this place and in some sense I hope to become a respected member one day, HELL maybe even work for the Escapist for all I know but I think I need to catch up on my grammar skills first

 

[ma55ter_fett]

Ahh, more venting for me.

Frankly, I think this is the last straw for my time here. I came here a while ago, though not as long as you two, but the site has changed, and I think I've either outgrown it or out lived it. The giving out exclusive stuff is nice, but not exclusive forums.

At the risk of sounding like a melodramatic *****, I think I may be leaving the site for good, and only popping in once in a while to drop a review or Run review Wars.
I dunno. I mean, its just not the same site I fell in love with. I hate having a huge post count, and that's a big reason that I may be leaving.

I dislike not being able to do something that "isn't pimppeter2" to some people. I was a lot like NoMoreSanity until my ban, and my second ban. But I softened up becuase I didn't want to get into any more trouble. but frankly, I miss being able to argue my ass off (the reason I joined the site), without a group of people that "know me" telling me I'm behaving strangely.

I posted this in the Asylum group, so I'll post it here

Its not only the premium content. Its everything. That was just the last straw. When I joined, I couldn't even count the people that I cared about on the forums. It has to do with my sudden "popularity"

Now, I think there's less then ten people that I genuinely like running into on the forums. Souplex, WanderFreak, Zombie Fish, Neon Bob, orranis, and Swollen Goat. Its not to say I don't like the rest of you guys, but its something I've been feeling for a long time even before this.

I've been with the site since '07. And too much has changed. Whether its for the better or the worse is subjective. I frankly feel nothing for the people on here any more.

You're mostly all dull, personality less copies of eachother. Hub is exactly like Furburt, and their exactly like lord C, and Demented teddy, who is exactly like snooty, and JK and ext.

You're all carbon copies of what the regular escapist member is with only half the personality.

I miss being able to call someone a fucking idiot without ten people breething down my neck telling me that "the real pimppeter2 wouldn't say that".

You guys are all nice, but after all it is a fuckin website, and I'm sick and tired of the community.

I feel like the community has out grown me. Its no longer my home site, or even the place I enjoy coming to that much.

I guess its just a habit. I guess my moment of like yours would be when Max was banned. Not that I was particularly close to the kid, but he signified the end of the users I was part of. The other two being people like you and New Classic and Zombie Fish, but for a long time you guys had all been on a posting hiatus, and I never say any of you. Then Max and Sanity got banned, and all I was left with was people like Hub and Furburt, who are great people, but I just don't care about them.

I'll scroll down to read Zombie Fish's or your post, but I rarely scroll to find what Hub has said on the subject.

I feel "trapped" in with a group of people I cannot identify with.

So those are my random musings on the subject taken from conversations I've had today and lumped into a big post for everyone to enjoy.

Again, don't be offended about this. This is just my honest opinion and some venting. I just really need to get this stuff off my chest.

I dunno, I think its a bad idea. Mainly becuase the people that are most loyal to the site are teens like me with too much time on their hands, and no credit cards. I may pay the fee just to "support the site", because I do love the site. But I just can't shake the feeling that things have changed, and for me personally for the worse.

This essentially.
I honestly agree 100%. But, I'm not gonna leave. The games are too much fun.

EDIT:
I'm also sick of how easy it is to get a probation/suspension/ban. Some people like MULTI KILL did deserve it, but if I remember right Max always had the kind of "Burn in hell" personality. And he had tiffs with the mods, but the ban may have been a bit too far. Now, I can't remember what his banning post was, but I'm going to go check again now.
Also, I'm not trying to start anything with any of the mods or question there work, I just think the site got really strict really fast...

EDIT 2:
Oh, duh, it 404'd. But regardless, the mods have gotten really strict, and I know I haven't been here as long as other's, and my voice may not count for as much as the "cool guys" but whatever.

FINAL EDIT:
Oh, in regards to the community bit, THANK YOU.
That is the thing I HATE on this site. A lot of the people seem so stuck up. So many think they're better than everyone else, I brought this up in the post I got a probation for in the "Let's bastardize an entire culture!" thread. I brought up how it seems like everyone wants to assume they're better than the majority of society just because they're at this site. I'm not saying everyone is like this and I can pick out a TON of people who are the most AWESOME people you could meet! But, there are a lot who think they're above the people in the real world.

I find it sad that Pimppeter2 was put on probation for a post that I frankly found extremely mature, insightful, lucid, thoughtful, meaningful, and magnificently worded (which is what I thought all posts are supposed to be).

I will also admit that whatever else Max was, he was always good for a laugh (though mostly at another?s expense).

Hate me for my blandness or ignore me for my seeming conformity Pimppeter2 but the day you leave, will be a sad one indeed.

 

[ma55ter_fett]

Hub is exactly like Furburt, and their exactly like lord C

YES! I am original!

OT: Just as long as people who don't get the "DLC" don't get treated as second class citizens by the staff, mods and various people who bought premium, then I'm fine.

If they take away any of the stuff we have now then I will leave.

Is this where the fear is coming from? The whole idea that the premium people will look down on the free users? The free users aren't losing anything from not buying the DLC, everything will stay the same, its just adding things not taking things. I'm sure the escapist will be the same site no matter what.

There is some argument about them ?not taking anything away? I think that Loading Ready Run may be losing its high def option

The one thing I am sure of is that the premium membership takes away the idea that everyone has an equal voice on the escapist.

My argument for this is simple.

Do you think that the mods will be as willing to ban a premium member who acts like a douche as opposed to a non-premium douche?

Even a dog won?t bite the hand that feeds it.

 

[The Austin]

You are taking a meaning out of his post that seems almost impossible to take.
Obvious idiot is obvious troll

He called the entire Escapist boring carbon copy's with only half a personality.
And I heard from Pimppeter, and he wasn't meant to be offensive, he was just stating his feelings. It's unfortunate that Pimppeter feels this way, but at least we understand his point now.

......And this has NOTHING to do with Pimpeter, but you can't even form a proper sentence. Seriously, I can hardly understand what you're even trying to say.


So do The Escapist a favor, next time you call someone an idiot and a troll, try not to make yourself look like one.