What was the Escapist like before the ZP explosion?

[Saxm13]

^topic

Always wondered what this place was like before Zero Punctuation and all the other flagship additions (eg. LRR, Unskippable, Escape to the Movies, etc) propelled this site to where it is today.

Escapist still remains to this day as my favourite community on the internet and I sometimes wonder if it was always this amazing.

 

[JoJo]

I wasn't there but it must have been a much smaller community, considering I've only seen one person who's been here since before 2007 (they joined 2004). I know a lot of people leave anyway after a time but you'd think there would be more than that still here for 3 years of forum history.

Edit: Yahtzee's first video here was in August 2007, so that means he was here before virtually everyone currently active on these forums today.

 

[yuval152]

I came here because of yahtzee so I hazes no idiz.

 

[Kunzer]

Good question. Zero Punctuation is what drew me into The Escapist.

I would imagine that quite a few people have the same story to tell

 

[Saxm13]

Keep in mind that it used to be a pdf magazine, so the community aspect was probably a lot less emphasized.

 

[Leemaster777]

I'm going to have to jump on the "I came for Yahtzee" bus.

I'm sure it was probably alot like it is now, except smaller.

 

[Volstag9]

im afraid i have no idea. About the oldest thing i remember was that Yahtzee didn't have his own theme song. I think they had some shows, about the only one i remember was de-rez.

 

[dancinginfernal]

I started lurking early 2008, a few months after Yahtzee's arrival. I couldn't tell you.

 

[Kekkles]

I'm guessing very quiet, personally it was ZP that dragged me in but Extra Credits that made me stay. Now that they're gone I guess it's just the nice atmosphere and friendly community that I like. I'm thinking it must be the Fable 2 vid that made the peak in views since that's the one where all the people I went to school with went "Have you seen this?".

 

[CplDustov]

I came here because of yahtzee so I hazes no idiz.

Love your avatar. Lemon grenades rock

OT: I stumbled on his Bioshock review when looking for ways to get System Shock 2 to run on a modern system. So I don't know.

 

[ABLb0y]

I joined after my cousin showed me the Zero Punctuation video of Bioshock 2.

 

[Prof. Monkeypox]

Those were the days let me tell ya. Things were much better before ya kids came by with ya newfangled ZPs and LPs and the like...
Remember when there were them Bront-o-sauraus walkin' around too. Let me tell ya about this one time...

Actually, I came because of Yahtzee too. I don't even know if The Escapist existed before then. (It did, I'm going by "if a tree falls in the forest..." logic here).

It was probably a bit different, and likely a lot smaller.

 

[Hipsy_Gypsy]

Good question. Zero Punctuation is what drew me into The Escapist.

I would imagine that quite a few people have the same story to tell

Haha, definitely! Did you visit the "What brought you to the Escapist?" thread? Only a mere handful of people had come not because of Zero Punctuation!

Anyroad, I honestly haven't the foggiest. My friend had linked me to the Tomb Raider: Anniversary review and I was pretty irregular for a while then became an official member of the Escapist just at the start of summer there. Heh, I had no idea what it was called for ages so I just referred to him as the "dude who does the Rayman-styled videos". I have to say though; it helps a great deal if I've actually played the game he's reviewing. They aren't really reviews to be brutally honest. :/

Keep in mind that it used to be a pdf magazine, so the community aspect was probably a lot less emphasized.

I did not know that! Reminds me of a zombie media PDF magazine I found earlier in the year though there're more than enough zombie-related media products out there. ;P


x

 

[Xifel]

I guess the fact that noone knows speaks for it self..

 

[CK76]

Yahtzee reviewed Halo on YouTube, linked me here and that was it. I actually didn't bother with the community for a long while after.

 

[Susan Arendt]

We didn't even have forums for a long time. When the magazine first launched, it was the magazine and nothing else. Everything else came along later - and "ruined" The Escapist, by the way, according to many fans at the time.

The change from PDF to online magazine "ruined' The Escapist, adding forums "ruined" The Escapist, adding Yahtzee "ruined" The Escapist, and most recently, adding Jimquisition "ruined" The Escapist.

 

[Futurenerd]

We didn't even have forums for a long time. When the magazine first launched, it was the magazine and nothing else. Everything else came along later - and "ruined" The Escapist, by the way, according to many fans at the time.

The change from PDF to online magazine "ruined' The Escapist, adding forums "ruined" The Escapist, adding Yahtzee "ruined" The Escapist, and most recently, adding Jimquisition "ruined" The Escapist.

No, no. Jimquisition really did ruin the escapist. Sorry.
Also, this drinking games series. What the fuck?

 

[Macgyvercas]

We didn't even have forums for a long time. When the magazine first launched, it was the magazine and nothing else. Everything else came along later - and "ruined" The Escapist, by the way, according to many fans at the time.

The change from PDF to online magazine "ruined' The Escapist, adding forums "ruined" The Escapist, adding Yahtzee "ruined" The Escapist, and most recently, adding Jimquisition "ruined" The Escapist.

No, no. Jimquisition really did ruin the escapist. Sorry.
Also, this drinking games series. What the fuck?

Actually, I think "I Hit it With My Axe" is what did it. Glad they canceled that series. Never liked it myself.

 

[Jinjiro]

We didn't even have forums for a long time. When the magazine first launched, it was the magazine and nothing else. Everything else came along later - and "ruined" The Escapist, by the way, according to many fans at the time.

The change from PDF to online magazine "ruined' The Escapist, adding forums "ruined" The Escapist, adding Yahtzee "ruined" The Escapist, and most recently, adding Jimquisition "ruined" The Escapist.

And laughing at that quote just "ruined" my keyboard. Curse you Coca-Cola, CURRRSEE YOOUU!

Also I shall sit in my 'special' chair and say that Unforgotten Realms brought me here.

 

[DEATHROAD]

We didn't even have forums for a long time. When the magazine first launched, it was the magazine and nothing else. Everything else came along later - and "ruined" The Escapist, by the way, according to many fans at the time.

The change from PDF to online magazine "ruined' The Escapist, adding forums "ruined" The Escapist, adding Yahtzee "ruined" The Escapist, and most recently, adding Jimquisition "ruined" The Escapist.

No, no. Jimquisition really did ruin the escapist. Sorry.
Also, this drinking games series. What the fuck?

Agreed, although jim has not "ruined" the escapist as much as given the site a low point to compare all other videos too.