The Stagnation of the Escapist forums.

[Borrowed Time]

*snip*

Hrm, now I'm not exactly sure if I should be flattered, or if I should be locking myself in some small room with a lantern, curled in the fetal position and whimpering quietly to myself. I've never had a stalker of sorts, this could actually be interesting. Although, I think my wife may have something to add to that thought process.

I think I'll stick with flattered for now. It mainly comes down to a matter of time as well. Often I get so devoted to a single thread and topic, carefully thinking my replies (or attempting to) and spending so much time writing a multiple paragraph post that it ends up being disheartening when it is all brushed aside with a single line post. Now, I will admit that most are not like that and I've had many an informative and entertaining debate, but that doesn't reduce the jaded ideal that can creep up on you if enough uncaring one liners get tossed your way. I know I'm over reacting and that it's happened far fewer times then I seem to remember in my own little version of reality, but it can be quite draining.

*snip*

Aye cuddly, we've had our own trying times with text only communication. Heh, now wasn't that a thread?

I guess the issue concerning the older/younger members could very easily be attributed to human nature as well.

"I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on
the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless
beyond words.

When I was a boy, we were taught to be discrete and respectful of
elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and impatient of
restraint."
--- Hesiod, Eighth Century B.C.

and

"The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for
authority, they show disrespect to their elders.... They no longer
rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents,
chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their
legs, and are tyrants over their teachers."
--- generally credited to Socrates

The "older generation" will look down upon the "younger generation" no matter if there is truth in their justifications for doing so or not, as is shown by just those couple examples.

That is also exactly why I included the word "supposedly" and put the "golden age" in quotes. I hear so much about it, yet see so little evidence of it. It seems that as The Escapist grows, so does every aspect of it. Unfortunately, the less desireable aspects tend to be more noticeable then the others, thus focus is drawn to them and detracted from those that deserve it.

 

[TheLastCylon]

As a lurker from late 2008, I can definitely say that the threads were better back then, but these forums are in no way dying.

 

[Macgyvercas]

Are we dying again? I thought it was about time.

We were dying before, Root? Where was this?

 

[NoNameMcgee]

The forum community sucks now (not sure whether it ever DIDN'T though) because, the majority of the people here are elitist, overly-opinionated dipshits who think they're better than everyone else and complain constantly about how 'the masses' are retarded; all while, ironically being completely retarded themselves. Combine that with how socially inept most people here are, and how everyone turns every potentially fun or interesting thing into a list of facts, a hoedown of statistics, or a poll; and we have the Escapist.

The easy-going, likable people here are sadly overshadowed by the hopelessly negative, impossibly idiotic majority who all seem to think they're incredibly intelligent (which just makes it a million times more annoying.)

I gave up on the place a while ago, I'm still not sure why I keep coming here every now and then. It seems I'm some kind of masochist...

 

[Inverse Skies]

Looking at it from my perspective, I had four solid months on here, then about four off, and now I've been back for three or so. In that time I've noticed a lot of new members, some old ones and some have been banned permanently. So, because I haven't spent all of my time on here in a continuous manner, I'll put forth my two cents.

I would say that there is still too much of an emphasis on post count around here, and with the glut of users and threads which are now available on the Escapist it means that some members can achieve ludicrous amounts of posts in a short time. 6000+ posts in essentially three months is staggering, and you must wonder what kind of contributions and effort are being put into things like that.

My feeling is that the site, and the way most users interact on it, is largely based on the core demongraphic of its users, which I've always said has to be 14-17 year old males. Part of the problem is that once you get past that sort of age bracket and mature somewhat, you look back on the actions of kids that age and wonder why they're behaving like that. It's easy to forget that we acted much the same way when we were that age, and popular culture amongst that age bracket being what it is (including frankly silly ideas like a zombie apocalypse and unnecessary Twilight hate) is going to lead to a large amount of repeat topics or threads which might be seen as shallower by those of us who are past those sorts of ideas. Personally I love threads like climate change, where I can get into a massive argument with somebody over it, but those sorts of things don't seem to happen as much anymore.

The Escapist is not sliding downhill so to speak, it's more being diluted. With more users comes a widening of the knowledge base of users, so the site is naturally going to reflect the largest group on there. Of course, even if it has been diluted it means the good threads are still there, and the good users are as well. It just takes patience to find them, and the knowledge that not everytime you log on will good threads be present to discuss. I'm posting less not because I don't enjoy the site, but more because I'm pressed for time. The Escapist is not any 'worse off' than what it was when I joined back in February, I'm just more selective with what I do on here.

 

[MrDarkling]

Escapist is ok but I do like a good discussion.
Anyone know a good place for discussion?
Or maybe....make a forum just for that purpose?

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Freshman or not, the op is touching on things which strike a resonance with a lot of old-timers here such as yourself. Let us not dismiss the message simply because the messenger is unfamilar to us, especially as his orginal post had considerably more intelligence, depth, and courtesy than we have generally been seeing from around here of late.

We have had an influx of new posters lately who have been posting some rather good stuff (op is one such poster), so I am trying to be optimistic about the future prospects of the forum.

Edit: Sik0Seph pretty much nailed my intentions when he addressed your response, so what's written below is just a reiteration of that, essentially.

I wasn't disputing that. I also wasn't really addressing the OP, but more people in general who hang around for 2-5 months and start waving their walking stick talking about the good old days. I'm not about to voice my support for the OP's opinions in one post and denounce him in another! Heh. Although that sounds fun. Folks like BorrowedTyme who are relatively new to the site are definitely improving the community (with intelligent posts) and helping to offset the obnoxious and downright dumb posters. Well, not "offset." It's more like the dumb posters are the massive Orc army, and we're the tiny brigade of Space Marines, if you'll forgive the incredibly nerdy analogy.

 

[Sparrow]

This seems more of a complaint than a way to help the so called problem. You can't just assume you're right though, hence why I laughed at the fact that you posted this:

I guess a lot of Escapees are smart, or at least think they are. That?s all good, but when you go on assuming that you?re smarter than 95% of the population around you, you tend to become a bit of a pretentious ass.

Also...

did i miss the point if i quit reading 1/2 way through?

wow you got far.

...yeah, you may want to summarise your point somewhere.

 

[D_987]

This place is much like any other place on the internet, except it has more elitism than most and considers itself better (contrary to the evidence).

Pretty much - although I can't help but think I'm one of those "arrogant toss-pots" your referring to...maybe that says more about me than you...

What this forum really needs is an ignore feature, it would make sifting through threads far more bearable.

There is an ignore feature - it's not very good as you still see where that persons post would be and have to view the post if someone else quoted it, but it is there.

 

[Baby Tea]

I had someone call me a 'dick', and 'gay' the other day, reported it and I see they haven't even been put on probation.

The reason they did was I asked them to be less hyperbolic and aggressive when they posted the following contribution:

'SHIT REVIEW UR WRONG DIE A LOT'

If people get away with this kind of crap, no wonder it becomes less fun for the people who just want to come here to get along.

Here, see for yourself:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.160205

Well thanks for the heads up.
He won't bother anyone anymore.

As a relatively new MOD, let me say that the 'report' button is woefully underused.
And so is the ability to just go ahead and PM a MOD if you see something. We don't mind a PM, and welcome the ability to strike quickly at people who, essentially, ruin the forums for everyone else.

While there are only a select few MODs, we like to think that it's a community effort to keep the forums 'clean'. You guys press the report buttons, you guys send the PMs. I know a bunch of members already PM me all the time with threads or posts that are breaking rules, and that's awesome! And I know for a fact that other MODs appreciate it as well. We're human, and can't be in every thread at once! If this is the place where you guys want to hang out and post threads, that's great! So take some ownership! Hit that report button, PM a MOD, and don't dignify stupid posts or threads with a response.

 

[Borrowed Time]

Well, not "offset." It's more like the dumb posters are the massive Orc army, and we're the tiny brigade of Space Marines, if you'll forgive the incredibly nerdy analogy.

Goomba, I have to ask... can I ninja that? *big nerdy grin*

I try. I don't always succeed and as I stated before, I've been guilty of almost turning into one of those green hulks on occasion. Generally though, I end up getting a slap in the back of the head and go back to firing off the seemingly infinite ammo belt of my heavy bolter at the hordes of slime spewing, vacant expression wearing, fungal life forms that incessantly attack our small yet defensible position. Now isn't that a mental image?

WaaAAAAA*cough* er I mean, For the Emperor!

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Hello all,

My first post as you can see, unfortunately it had to be in such a disheartening thread. While it may be overly presumptuous to present a social commentary regarding a forum on which i have never posted (i have lurked for quite a long time however), it seems to me that the escapist is merely continuing it's usual cycle. Like every forum, 'the escapist' is merely the sum of it's parts, in this case the sum can unfortunately be less than its parts, predominantly due to trolls etc..

On the recent issue of MaxTheReaper's ban, i personally found this to be very unfortunate. He was an entertaining poster, despite his evident elitism. While many found him annoying, his general intelligence was undeniable, although he fell into the trap of resorting to abuse when reasonable debate fails. Members such as this seem necessary to any forum, each of you know his name and personality, he is a recognized member of the community, both liked and disliked by many. These personal relationships conferred via the medium of forums break down the cold anonymity of internet communication and make the forum a more personable and enjoyable place. Whilst I am fully aware that he repeatedly infringed upon rules involving unreasonable conduct, i feel that banning a member with such a high post count and evident interest in the escapist community was counterproductive as his contributions far outweighed the negative effects of his mild slander.

The reason I signed up, a mere 5 minutes ago, was to participate in discussions such as this and the many others, particularly in the off-topic discussion, although I am unhealthily partial to gaming also. In my opinion, the community of the escapist is still alive an kicking, it can be seen in the participation in this thread. Just looking over each post, many people have quoted previous posters, demonstrating that they have in fact perused each post, despite their frequent length. When even a small amount of people are willing to respect the other members of their forum, when they are under no duress to do so, i believe that there is truly hope for the environment to continue to progress and be an enjoyable place for everyone.

In the possible reality that i am completely off track, please, point me to one of these other internet forums i am hearing so much about ... not 4chan

Just wanted to pipe up and say that I only mentioned "a recent member's ban" because in my opinion his posting habits ended up changing a lot of attitudes and gaining a lot of admirers/emulators. I don't think anyone was more aware of or annoyed with it than he was, but the point remains. And then of course it segues nicely into a mention of selective moderation.

I only bring this stuff back up because I'd hate for this thread to become about the ban. Threads like that tend to get locked, and I want to keep this going as long as possible.

Besides, almost all bans come down to people not knowing when to say when.

Though I wasn't even aware of The Escapist when the supposed "golden days" existed, I did lurk a little before joining. I'd have to agree with you Goomba. There's only so many times that you can argue the same points over the same topics before it does nothing but add to your own continual loss of sanity. This is made even more apparent, unfortunately, when actually holding intelligent debate over the internet. Special olympics anyone? Ah, what a cliche and one I'm very guilty of participating in.

*this bit snipped to save page space. Sorry*

I've never really understood the mentality of "OMG post more so I am seen" as I would rather my posts have a degree of quality to them then quantity. This really is a place for me to come when I'm bored though, as unfortunate as that is to say. I would much rather be spending time with my wife and kids, playing games or working on my computer (damn thing is overheating again, that's what I get for SLI'n 2 8800GTs, 26Amps per card is just sickening) then lurking these forums.

That brings up the much more interesting question of what graphics card I can put in a 2-year old comp running Windows XP. Not a PC gamer, but would like to become one for TF2 and some other games. PCIE slot here.

I could tolerate having the same debates over and over if they were with people who understood what debating is. But even that gets old, or I'd be PMing Cheeze Pavilion constantly and starting arguments.

I'm telling you guys, though, that the atmosphere pre-MtR (figure it out) was different. Maybe not BETTER, but it was different.

One thing I am ever so thankful for is the Religion/Politics board. It's like the stupidity hive mind. The highest concentration of dumb is there now, so I can enjoy the main page of the website in peace.

 

[Pimppeter2]

I disagree. I've made 8000 posts, 2000+ of them have been quoted. That means 1/4 of my posts get quoted.

In order to get discussion you have to say something interesting. However if your post gets ignored, you don't need to throw a hissy fit.

I've made great reviews that only get like 20 posts, however 500 people read them. And lots know me for my reviews. You don't see me complaining.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Well, not "offset." It's more like the dumb posters are the massive Orc army, and we're the tiny brigade of Space Marines, if you'll forgive the incredibly nerdy analogy.

Goomba, I have to ask... can I ninja that? *big nerdy grin*

I try. I don't always succeed and as I stated before, I've been guilty of almost turning into one of those green hulks on occasion. Generally though, I end up getting a slap in the back of the head and go back to firing off the seemingly infinite ammo belt of my heavy bolter at the hordes of slime spewing, vacant expression wearing, fungal life forms that incessantly attack our small yet defensible position. Now isn't that a mental image?

WaaAAAAA*cough* er I mean, For the Emperor!

Some days you're the Librarian, other days you're an Imperial Guardsman facing a pack of ferocious forum Warp Beasts. Can I draw a comparison between a recent forum member's ban and the Horus Heresy? Why yes I can! I think I'm actually growing a pocket protector on my shirt as I type this. And my glasses are getting thicker. Where did these braces come from?

[small]For the record, I'm a Scout. I cap the strategic points.[/small]

 

[irishstormtrooper]

did i miss the point if i quit reading 1/2 way through?

Yes. Yes you did. And I'm pretty sure you just proved OpiateChicken's point.

 

[Borrowed Time]

That brings up the much more interesting question of what graphics card I can put in a 2-year old comp running Windows XP. Not a PC gamer, but would like to become one for TF2 and some other games. PCIE slot here.

I could tolerate having the same debates over and over if they were with people who understood what debating is. But even that gets old, or I'd be PMing Cheeze Pavilion constantly and starting arguments.

I'm telling you guys, though, that the atmosphere pre-MtR (figure it out) was different. Maybe not BETTER, but it was different.

One thing I am ever so thankful for is the Religion/Politics board. It's like the stupidity hive mind. The highest concentration of dumb is there now, so I can enjoy the main page of the website in peace.

Ooooh, computer talk! Hrm, what are your other specs? Windows XP is a decent OS (it's what I had until I fell into the beautiful and glorious trap that is Windows 7). It also depends on what you want to run. Just TF2 or are you planning on doing more?

I never really experienced The Escapist pre-MtR myself. Funny enough, one of my first posts I had "the recently banned user" tell me he/she/it was going to nail me to the wall through my eye sockets. Luckily I'd lurked long enough to know that was his/her/its way so didn't take any offense and actually teased him/her/it about it for a while to come.

Though I've gotten involved in religious/political debates before, I'm definitely avoiding that board. It's actually quite nice to not have those threads staring me in the face when I peruse the off-topic board now. I can instead involve myself in debate that isn't based completely on individuals berating each other over their faith, no matter what the faith is in or isn't in.

Some days you're the Librarian, other days you're an Imperial Guardsman facing a pack of ferocious forum Warp Beasts. Can I draw a comparison between a recent forum member's ban and the Horus Heresy? Why yes I can! I think I'm actually growing a pocket protector on my shirt as I type this. And my glasses are getting thicker. Where did these braces come from?

[small]For the record, I'm a Scout. I cap the strategic points.[/small]

I'll lay down the covering fire.

 

[Frankydee]

I got maybe a few sentences in before thinking "yupp, got another one."

I could go on but usually these things go on to blame the new people so I'll just let this run its course.