Hey escapists, new person for forums in general here and thought this was a good first topic. So pretty much what the title says why did you join? I signed on because I've been lurking round these forums for a while and thought it was pretty cool. Also if you got any tips for these forums they'd be appreciated.
Why did you join the forums?
- Thread starter Mr.Mage
- Start date
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"You've finally arrived, but our records don't show from where."
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Pleased to make your acquaintance! Pretty much the same as you, newbie. I'd been sitting and watching the site's forums on and off for a few years after becoming interested in Zero Punctuation and The Jimquisition. I gravitated to the site partly because it was a happy place and partly because it was a sad place - variety is the spice of life.
Show respect for the humans around you (because they're humans), don't bow to bitterness and cynicism, don't rise to bait, don't partake in gossip and you'll make your life here a lot happier and easier. This is a fun group full of friendly people:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Escapist-United-Nations-of-Pure-Fun
This group is for reporting problems with the site:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Tech-Team
This group is for flagging up stuff that doesn't stand out as wrong on its own (stuff that requires additional explanation):
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Moderation-Team
Enjoy your stay!
I joined The Escapist after around 5 years of lurking without an account. The impression I had from the forum was that it was civil, brought up interesting points and discussed the video/news material the site publishes that I was already a fan of (I even liked Moviebob at one point).
Then the whole Zoe Quinn thing happened. I was enraged, and not because I'm "a mean ol' misogynist that wants to slut shame women". No, I was enraged because the obviously bad things she did were being overlooked and the "straight white male" boogeyman was being attacked left and right, gamers as a demographic were being demonised, slacktivist feminism was getting a lot of attention, journalists were treating their own readers like liabilities. Once journalists and personalities were starting to collectively express that women, LGBTs and non-whites were being actively excluded from video game industry and culture, I felt like I was gonna lose my mind.
In my frustration I made an account and made a topic, basically asking if I was going completely mental. I have since calmed down. My support of Gamergate eventually became pro-leaning neutrality. I realised that the hysterics of Feminist Frequency were not being taken as seriously as I initially thought.
I also wanted to get involved in gender and video game discussions, since I completed my university course a few months before I joined and thus lacked the academic environment I once had. As someone with a gender identity and sexual orientation that aren't easy to define, I felt like I could contribute something to the debate, because I could (to some degree) see both sides of the fence. Especially on male/female issues, where I believe the grass looks greener from each respective side, but from my perspective they're both pretty much similar (in the Western world at least).
So yeah. You could say I joined because of Gamergate but I think it'd be more accurate to say that it was the catalyst that finally ignited the frustrations I already had with certain discussions about gender and diversity. On one side there were liberals of the "bleeding heart" variety, on the other were conservatives and libertarians with a "social issues don't matter, back in my day things were fine" attitude. I agreed with neither and simply wanted to voice my frustrations.
I have since talked to many wonderful people. Some of which have sadly decided to leave because of the Gamergate controversy. They may or may not have liked me but I liked them.
Then the whole Zoe Quinn thing happened. I was enraged, and not because I'm "a mean ol' misogynist that wants to slut shame women". No, I was enraged because the obviously bad things she did were being overlooked and the "straight white male" boogeyman was being attacked left and right, gamers as a demographic were being demonised, slacktivist feminism was getting a lot of attention, journalists were treating their own readers like liabilities. Once journalists and personalities were starting to collectively express that women, LGBTs and non-whites were being actively excluded from video game industry and culture, I felt like I was gonna lose my mind.
In my frustration I made an account and made a topic, basically asking if I was going completely mental. I have since calmed down. My support of Gamergate eventually became pro-leaning neutrality. I realised that the hysterics of Feminist Frequency were not being taken as seriously as I initially thought.
I also wanted to get involved in gender and video game discussions, since I completed my university course a few months before I joined and thus lacked the academic environment I once had. As someone with a gender identity and sexual orientation that aren't easy to define, I felt like I could contribute something to the debate, because I could (to some degree) see both sides of the fence. Especially on male/female issues, where I believe the grass looks greener from each respective side, but from my perspective they're both pretty much similar (in the Western world at least).
So yeah. You could say I joined because of Gamergate but I think it'd be more accurate to say that it was the catalyst that finally ignited the frustrations I already had with certain discussions about gender and diversity. On one side there were liberals of the "bleeding heart" variety, on the other were conservatives and libertarians with a "social issues don't matter, back in my day things were fine" attitude. I agreed with neither and simply wanted to voice my frustrations.
I have since talked to many wonderful people. Some of which have sadly decided to leave because of the Gamergate controversy. They may or may not have liked me but I liked them.
I joined after a few years of lurking of reading the forums and enjoying the content that was around.
Now I just say around for the people I've meet here and for some of the content that's still around. User groups are a God send some days, but that's just how the forums work sometimes. They're very silly that way.
As for advice? Just don't be a dick, and read the CoC.
If you do that then everyone will love you, and the mods and peeps around here will sing your praises. Or ignore you, whatever happens first.
Now I just say around for the people I've meet here and for some of the content that's still around. User groups are a God send some days, but that's just how the forums work sometimes. They're very silly that way.
As for advice? Just don't be a dick, and read the CoC.
If you do that then everyone will love you, and the mods and peeps around here will sing your praises. Or ignore you, whatever happens first.
I don't know. I'd been following Yahtzee's reviews for a couple of years. I don't know what set me off to finally create an account.
I actually joined not for any of the official content but specifically for the forums. Weird, I know, but I'm actually not really interested in any of the featured content. I was just looking for a site I could join to talk about video games with people and The Escapist seemed to have one of the friendlier communities, so I joined.
Indirectly, because of the Zoe Quinn... let's just be polite and call the whole mess a 'fiasco', shall we? As someone who was not particularly engaged in the social side of the video game world, it wasn't until the middle of October that I actually knew anything had happened, and even then, at first it was brought to my attention by several people complaining about threads being deleted because they were about "that subject" or "the current situation" or "the forbidden topic". I happened on several of these, in multiple places, over the span of a few hours, and began to wonder what the heck had happened since I went to bed the night before. Did the Spaniards invade? Did someone find a link between playing video games and gizzard cancer? Did Peter Molyneux's faceplate fall off and reveal the glowing eyes of an extradimensional alien being? Eventually, I ran across the word 'Gamergate' enough to realize it wasn't just people misspelling 'Gamersgate' (and man, do I feel sorry for how the fallout must be affecting those people), and looked into it. I read up on the history and got very angry. Then I read about how it was affecting the community and got very sad. As someone who remembers a time when calling yourself a 'gamer' would get you looked down on if not beaten up, I realized I couldn't let the community fracture without at least trying to help. This was one of the few places not censoring discussions on the topic, so I signed up.
That was over five years ago now, I can't remember what compelled me to join besides always returning here every Wednesday for Zero Punctuation. I didn't have a home forum after I RuneScape, must have done it on a whim with the intent to abandon the account if it didn't work out.
I joined because it had strict and fair rules which were well enforced. Especially the no low content post thing. People actually had to say some more than "didn't like it". It was also very well laid out. Still is.
On the whole it was/is far better than any other random forum out there.
On the whole it was/is far better than any other random forum out there.
So I could vote in the polls.
I came to the site for Zero Punctuation. Then I started lurking the forums. Then I finally joined so I could cast my vote in poll threads.
I came to the site for Zero Punctuation. Then I started lurking the forums. Then I finally joined so I could cast my vote in poll threads.
Used to watch Yahtzee/ZP HEAVILY during a student service class I had sophomore year.
Eventually I caved in, realized this site is pretty great when it comes to listing news of my interests, and wha la, been commenting ever since.
...now... just need to figure out how to create decent discussions................ maybe someday.
Eventually I caved in, realized this site is pretty great when it comes to listing news of my interests, and wha la, been commenting ever since.
...now... just need to figure out how to create decent discussions................ maybe someday.
Well back then there were alot of funny and interesting threads on here that made me wanted to comment on it (so I was a lurker) so I eventually joined.
Welcome to the Escapist mate!
Don't push the red buttons, stay out from the basement and don't be afraid to ask people stuff by quoting them, were a helpfull family here
[sub]or so I like to believe[/sub]
I was lurking a few months, my mate showed me ZP and I started watching other videos as well.
Then there was a topic about a guy/gal wanting to stop playing WoW, which I had done just a few months earlier so I created an account and gave the person some tips.
Don't push the red buttons, stay out from the basement and don't be afraid to ask people stuff by quoting them, were a helpfull family here
[sub]or so I like to believe[/sub]
I was lurking a few months, my mate showed me ZP and I started watching other videos as well.
Then there was a topic about a guy/gal wanting to stop playing WoW, which I had done just a few months earlier so I created an account and gave the person some tips.
I joined because it seemed like a fun group of people. A lot of them seemed to have vanish though. Although a lot of new pleasant people have joined, I wish they stayed.
But man.. (along with GamerGate) that was the most exhausting stretch of 4+ months I've ever endured on this forum.
I was more annoyed with "OMG SKYRIM IS THE GREATEST GAME EVER!". I was relieved when the forum moved on to the subject of ME3's ending.Fappy said:
But man.. (along with GamerGate) that was the most exhausting stretch of 4+ months I've ever endured on this forum.