I -barely- "stay" now, and it isn't any specific fault of the Escapist, but failings of the broader gaming site "culture" now. A culture, that has become fragmented and toxic; not just in the sense of differing opinions, but in a more rabidly polarizing "you're with us or against us" sort of way.
Whether it's being co-opted by political hacks or cheapened by its largest producers, there's always a story and someone with an axe to grind, and it doesn't matter how indefensibly stupid or pretentious the subject, there are loonies who will jump to its defense even when facts align to the contrary.
Or put more simply: Gaming sites are becoming less about games, and more about the baggage surrounding them.
Ergo, the less of that stupid "baggage" I have to deal with, the more I value a site. But speaking honestly, I only log in to occasionally chat with others via messaging and read the occasional cool article; most of my "net time" is spent elsewhere now, under a different alias.
For the Escapist, I will grant this much: I respect the site owners and (most of) its operators for at least acting like real people who are legitimately interested in the subjects they approach for reasons other than political pantomime.
And the mods. I'd be remiss if I didn't give the Escapist mod staff a shoutout here.
Call me a brown noser if you wish, but I think the moderation here is second to none in 16+ years of forum dwelling.
I've done moderation on other sites (long ago) and I'll admit it's not all that fun, nor is it easy to hit the right stride that promotes discussion without acting like a killjoy.
Worse, it's a thankless volunteer job (extremely few web positions like that are paid in any way), so when you get moderators that don't piss everyone (but a small clique) off or end up as a powerless joke, be sure to thank them because odds are good you won't encounter that terribly regularly.
