We need to be more positive and less hostile as a forum

[Nawid]

I really want this forum to be a strong one. A lot of people put a lot of effort into making good posts for the site. I made excel sheets of the site's GOTY data because I value the overall input of the community regarding games pretty well. And that side is still far less toxic than say, r/games.

However, especially on the Etcetera side, I find myself often off put by discussion. I myself am pretty politically aligned with the posters here, as a leftist with strong beliefs in equal rights. I also believe strongly that the various social movements of the current day (BLM, MeToo) are helping the country progress.

However, I find that it's impossible to discuss any of this in a more substantial way. The Justin Bieber accusations thread was a good example. From early on, that did not look very true, but it seemed like posters on this site wanted it to be true because they dislike Justin Bieber and they wanted to tear someone down. A user even got banned (which got rescinded) for airing their doubts. I find this type of behavior present all over the website. There's no nuance that can be had in any of these discussions. I feel dissuaded from participating in discussion for fear of being wrong. And I could be wrong! But there's not really much wiggle room for a user perhaps learning from mistakes.

I understand, given the site's origins, why it has such low tolerance for individuals saying the wrong thing. But I personally feel like it's gone far enough to hamper discussion.

Also, on the subject of LGBTQIA+ and racial issues, I feel like there are a lot of assumptions from people not in those specific groups. It may come from a place of wanting to be progressive but as someone in one of those groups, it comes off very poorly. It feels very performative.

I think that sorta sums it up for me. We're lacking in true discussion because of toxicity partially through virtue signaling.

I understand that this is not the internet of 15-20 years ago and moderation has to deal with brigading and some actual malevolent outsiders. I really do. I just feel like what this place has become is a disappointment to what it could have been. I don't understand a lot of the bans. I think I got handed one for being a junior but I've been here since Day 1 from the old site. Kinda silly.

 

[echoshifting]

Didn't expect this thread to bring me around on a like system but I'm there. I do wonder if something with hidden dislikes that could hide a post would cut down on dog piles. And public likes might promote nice and thoughtful posts over hot takes and drive by arguments.

 

[davepoobond]

Didn't expect this thread to bring me around on a like system but I'm there. I do wonder if something with hidden dislikes that could hide a post would cut down on dog piles. And public likes might promote nice and thoughtful posts over hot takes and drive by arguments.

Click to shrink...

yes, a like system works wonders for just being able to agree with a post and not having to clutter up a thread by quoting it just to say you agree.

hiding posts wouldnt be very conducive though

 

[Deleted member 2474]

Didn't expect this thread to bring me around on a like system but I'm there. I do wonder if something with hidden dislikes that could hide a post would cut down on dog piles.

Click to shrink...

no way, it'd do exactly the opposite - any unpopular opinion would downvoted to hell and effectively erased if you did this.

 

[Deleted member 32822]

Maybe we can have a disclaimer before posting that asks people to be kind in their response?

 

[lorddarkflare]

It can be social media in general, not just Twitter that leads to the negativeness because of how divisive their communities can be. I don't feel we need to ban twitter threads; I mean, we even have guidelines for it, but some still slip through / can be allowed because it can be a discussion to be had ( at times. Other times it can be off-site drama with twitter people going at each other ). It's also sometimes how people reveal news / accusations.

Click to shrink...

I think a minimum is maybe to allow news sites to pick twitter beefs up and post those stories instead?

That feels unnecessarily limiting, but it has the effect of focusing discussion.

That combined with a STRONG incentive to post more substantive comments may help.

But ultimately this is not something that can be fixed with policy only.

 

[Cipher Peon]

I completely agree. Alas, I don't expect it to get better anytime soon...

...but on a positive note, I wish the best for everybody here!

 

[Deleted member 11413]

I think that the discussion of "unnecessary threads" is sort of a red herring. Like people have said, the "ignore thread" button exists. You don't even have to go in to it. A certain amount of curation is good and necessary and part of the job as a mod, but like, there's topics that people feel are important to discuss, even if others don't like them or feel like they're necessary. If the issue is how people respond in threads generally, that's one thing, but the allowed topics of discussion isn't part of that.

We've grown a bit since the last time I checked, up to 50k users. I remember looking after I became a mod (so after the end of May last year, not sure when exactly I looked so it might have been more recent than that) we were around 46k?

Click to shrink...

Is there a policy at all on thread titles with regards to trigger warnings/traumatic content? I appreciate the ignore thread forum a lot, helps me to manage the amount of exposure I have to subjects that trigger my trauma. That said, sometimes thread titles here are incredibly graphic/triggering on their own, and you have to see the thread title displayed multiple times in order to ignore it. I'm not suggesting thread titles should be too vague or downplay the severity of the subject, but sometimes it's really rough to open up the forum and be greeted with an extremely harrowing description of sexual abuse/assault without even clicking on the thread.

 

[echoshifting]

god no, it'd do exactly the opposite - any unpopular opinion would downvoted to hell and effectively erased if you did this.

Click to shrink...

Yeah good point. Just brainstorming on dogpiles. They are a problem.

 

[davepoobond]

Maybe we can have a disclaimer before posting that asks people to be kind in their response?

Click to shrink...

there's already a lot of tone policing done here. every other "controversial" topic thread has a paragraph you have to read before posting.

 

[Kinggroin]

I just want to say I love you all. Sincerely.

 

[Ketkat]

there are many topics in this forum i straight-up just will not post in at this point because expressing certain opinions will get me dogpiled, banned, or both. and it's so immensely frustrating because i know as well as many of you do that there's a whole lot of right-wingers and shit who will say exactly what i just said, and they're full of shit and just mad because they can't be racist/sexist/homophobic. unfortunately that fact has made it even harder to voice actual criticism of the site and its culture because well-intentioned criticism just gets lumped in with the assholes and dismissed.

it's exhausting. i've been here since day one, made great years-long friends here and at ol' gaf, and tried to enjoy the place as much as possible, but for too many people on this forum it's just become a game of deliberately trying to pick fights, act holier-than-thou, and oh, definitely this shit:



for instance, right here! in this very thread!



queer people don't want to see a dozen threads about jk rowling being a bigot either! we fucking know! and we're tired of it! these threads do not benefit queer people, they just rub this shit in our faces more and more and give some (usually) cishet allies here a place where they can show off how good of an ~ally~ so they can feel good about themselves. and yet if someone like me were to say this, we'd be accused of trying to silence discussion or dismissing concerns from trans people or whatever the fuck. because there is a dire problem on this forum of performative wokeness, of trying to score points on other posters and call out anyone with a controversial opinion to get them banned for ~justice~. and it's god damn exhausting and it's making this site miserable without confining myself to a handful of threads.

Click to shrink...

Speak for yourself and keep the judgmental performative wokeness accusations to yourself when those threads are full of trans people talking about this issue. We have had years and years of people telling us we were crazy, too sensitive, or just seeing things whenever we tried to tell people that this woman was a bigot actively working against our rights.

She finally does something cis people can't deny and you want us to shut up about it now? Yeah, no shit the stuff she says hurts, but pretending it's not happening does nothing to prevent the lasting harm that she and other Terfs have been having across the globe

 

[NESpowerhouse]

I completely agree. Alas, I don't expect it to get better anytime soon...

...but on a positive note, I wish the best for everybody here!

Click to shrink...

Hey man, you too. Really difficult to stay positive these days. Don't really have the motivation to do anything enjoyable.

 

[Hound]

yes, a like system works wonders for just being able to agree with a post and not having to clutter up a thread by quoting it just to say you agree.

hiding posts wouldnt be very conducive though

Click to shrink...

But if the post you liked gets banned do you also catch a ban? Seems like it would work here as an effective honeypot tactic.

 

[megalowho]

A little self-awareness and a little bit of internal work goes a long way if you're actively trying to be a better citizen of the internet. I don't do a lot of self help reading, but when I came across The Four Agreements a while back it really struck a chord how easily they can be applied to everyday online interactions in particular, both trivial and charged in nature. Simple, self-explanatory stuff when it comes down to it, but tenets I've kept with me over time and often keep in the back of my head when browsing this forum and elsewhere. Perhaps it'll be useful to others as well.

 

[Ketkat]

I think that's a good idea, thanks for suggesting it. <3

I'll make a note to bring it up to the rest of staff~

Click to shrink...

I think Fanto or at least plenty of others receive this exact response every time its been suggested since the site was created.

 

[Speevy]

We've grown a bit since the last time I checked, up to 50k users. I remember looking after I became a mod (so after the end of May last year, not sure when exactly I looked so it might have been more recent than that) we were around 46k?

Click to shrink...

That's good to know. I want Resetera to be around for a while. It's the one place on the internet I can come to talk about issues and ask questions without feeling embarrassed.

Speaking of the "positive" side of forum, one of the most obvious things lacking from Resetera is a bit of humor. I don't mean there's never anything funny, but having colorful personalities who are making you bust a gut constantly made an old forum I used to visit enjoyable. Also, funny stories about things that may or may not have happened (nothing serious) liven up a forum. Also, and I know this is counter to the rules, but a little bit of good-natured ribbing about one's favorite console/team/show/thing is not always bad. It can be absolutely terrible, but extinguishing it entirely made our discourse boring. Think about it. It's grown men talking about their favorite controller instead of being racist/sexist/homphobic. I'd prefer the first one.

We also need more users who post really complex, dedicated topics. I remember the person who used to post the PSN weekly threads at the old place. He did a really good job. We need users who put in work making certain types of threads like they get paid for it, even when they don't. That's what makes people stick around.

 

[lorddarkflare]

I really want this forum to be a strong one. A lot of people put a lot of effort into making good posts for the site. I made excel sheets of the site's GOTY data because I value the overall input of the community regarding games pretty well. And that side is still far less toxic than say, r/games.

However, especially on the Etcetera side, I find myself often off put by discussion. I myself am pretty politically aligned with the posters here, as a leftist with strong beliefs in equal rights. I also believe strongly that the various social movements of the current day (BLM, MeToo) are helping the country progress.

However, I find that it's impossible to discuss any of this in a more substantial way. The Justin Bieber accusations thread was a good example. From early on, that did not look very true, but it seemed like posters on this site wanted it to be true because they dislike Justin Bieber and they wanted to tear someone down. A user even got banned (which got rescinded) for airing their doubts. I find this type of behavior present all over the website. There's no nuance that can be had in any of these discussions. I feel dissuaded from participating in discussion for fear of being wrong. And I could be wrong! But there's not really much wiggle room for a user perhaps learning from mistakes.

I understand, given the site's origins, why it has such low tolerance for individuals saying the wrong thing. But I personally feel like it's gone far enough to hamper discussion.

Also, on the subject of LGBTQIA+ and racial issues, I feel like there are a lot of assumptions from people not in those specific groups. It may come from a place of wanting to be progressive but as someone in one of those groups, it comes off very poorly. It feels very performative.

I think that sorta sums it up for me. We're lacking in true discussion because of toxicity partially through virtue signaling.

I understand that this is not the internet of 15-20 years ago and moderation has to deal with brigading and some actual malevolent outsiders. I really do. I just feel like what this place has become is a disappointment to what it could have been. I don't understand a lot of the bans. I think I got handed one for being a junior but I've been here since Day 1 from the old site. Kinda silly.

Click to shrink...

The problem loops back to a greater problem: we don't know what is going on in people's heads.

Not being a member of a group should not mean you cannot substantive discuss the issues. People will definitely say and do things to appear part of the in group, but those are usually drive-by posts, and those should definitely be cracked down on.

So anything we are left with, even if it seems performative, we have to take at face value because as long as the discussion is substantive, we have no way of knowing if it is not sincere.

I guess what I am saying is that I don't agree with the bolded assertion.

 

[WordsintheWater]

I don't see it improving really. One of the major problems is that people go into threads and make a comment about something that vaguely has to do with the issue to set people off instead of actually talking the topic at hand.

 

[Cipher Peon]

Hey man, you too. Really difficult to stay positive these days. Don't really have the motivation to do anything enjoyable.

Click to shrink...

I get it, it's pretty tough.

I've had covid for the past three months (asymptomatic for a few weeks but still positive) and I've left my home only for tests and the rare trip to my backyard. Trying to stay positive though, it could be much worse and I'm doing lots to keep myself happy.

 

[Deleted member 1476]

False equivalency. Sports threads are not serious, and that's how people talk about sports. Fun is not against the TOS last I checked.

I used the JKR threads as an example because it's recent. I can acknowledge that there may have been better examples to use instead, especially in June.

Click to shrink...

Guess what's not against the TOS either?

If you don't like it, ignore it. The button is even outside the thread now.

 

[Dr. Feel Good]

This entire forum is literally just how the other place was in in mid 2016. Everyone is over sensitive, bans are thrown out like crazy with no consistency, and there's a massive mob mentality on any disagreement, whether it's gaming, politics, or general social issues.

Just like GAF imploded and was a hell hole of discussion this place is becoming the same. This isn't a right vs. left thing its the culture and environment the leadership cultivates. People don't speak their mind, discussion becomes entirely one sided, civility is thrown out the window, and people stop engaging.

Frankly though I don't know if it's a ERA specific thing though, a lot of the internet has sadly become this way. The days of "community" like message boards just don't really seem to exist anymore. Discourse is rarely civil, people don't read or put effort into back and forth discussion, and everything has become a massive echo chamber.

The Biden/Reide thing was the biggest eye opener for me here.

 

[davepoobond]

But if the post you liked gets banned do you also catch a ban? Seems like it would work here as an effective honeypot tactic.

Click to shrink...

you're probably right, it mostly goes into the culture of banning and what's a bannable offense. i personally wouldn't see it as "fair game" but I guess it also depends on how "terrible" the post is, too.

 

[Nawid]

Speaking of the "positive" side of forum, one of the most obvious things lacking from Resetera is a bit of humor. I don't mean there's never anything funny, but having colorful personalities who are making you bust a gut constantly made an old forum I used to visit enjoyable. Also, funny stories about things that may or may not have happened (nothing serious) liven up a forum. Also, and I know this is counter to the rules, but a little bit of good-natured ribbing about one's favorite console/team/show/thing is not always bad. It can be absolutely terrible, but extinguishing it entirely made our discourse boring. Think about it. It's grown men talking about their favorite controller instead of being racist/sexist/homphobic. I'd prefer the first one.

We also need more users who post really complex, dedicated topics. I remember the person who used to post the PSN weekly threads at the old place. He did a really good job. We need users who put in work making certain types of threads like they get paid for it, even when they don't. That's what makes people stick around.

Click to shrink...

I think the latter will happen once the community stops becoming more constructive than critical. I myself am guilty of this. I also miss the former from the old site.

 

[Arc]

Guess what's not against the TOS either?

If you don't like it, ignore it. The button is even outside the thread now.

Click to shrink...

Dude I literally just acknowledged that I could have used a better example.

 

[HammerFace]

Just like GAF imploded and was a hell hole of discussion this place is becoming the same. This isn't a right vs. left thing its the culture and environment the leadership cultivates. People don't speak their mind, discussion becomes entirely one sided, civility is thrown out the window, and people stop engaging.

Click to shrink...

I'm sorry but why do you think GAF fell apart? Because it wasn't a lack of civility. That's for sure.

 

[JDSN]

I think when somone post a Bad take, you should see what others responded to it, if the six or seven responses covered what You were gonna respond just move on.

 

[Rizific]

seeing a lot of use of the word "exhausting" here and thats exactly what I would say describes browsing this place. want more positivity? then whats with the flood of daily "look at this bad thing, come in here and get mad with me about it" threads? its fucking daily, without fail. both in etc and on gaming side. after ive been giving my ignore button a work out for the past few years, its become much more tolerable, but still.

 

[timedesk]

I think a minimum is maybe to allow news sites to pick twitter beefs up and post those stories instead?

That feels unnecessarily limiting, but it has the effect of focusing discussion.

That combined with a STRONG incentive to post more substantive comments may help.

But ultimately this is not something that can be fixed with policy only.

Click to shrink...

I think the problem with this suggestion is how do differentiate news that has origins in Twitter and "twitter beefs". Stuff like Trump tweeting policy intentions, or Rowling's screeds get picked up by news outlets but obviously have their roots in social media. Even things like people being racist in parks can become major news stories for a week.

I think your idea has merit. I think most people want this forum to be a place people can feel safe in. Constant exposure to depressing stories can definitely take their toll on everyone, especially vulnerable groups. My instinct is to support your idea, but I don't know how it could be implemented the best way. I hope my comment didn't come off as rude, or overly critical.

 

[lorddarkflare]

This entire forum is literally just how the other place was in in mid 2016. Everyone is over sensitive, bans are thrown out like crazy with no consistency, and there's a massive mob mentality on any disagreement, whether it's gaming, politics, or general social issues.

Just like GAF imploded and was a hell hole of discussion this place is becoming the same. This isn't a right vs. left thing its the culture and environment the leadership cultivates. People don't speak their mind, discussion becomes entirely one sided, civility is thrown out the window, and people stop engaging.

Frankly though I don't know if it's a ERA specific thing though, a lot of the internet has sadly become this way. The days of "community" like message boards just don't really seem to exist anymore. Discourse is rarely civil, people don't read or put effort into back and forth discussion, and everything has become a massive echo chamber.

The Biden/Reide thing was the biggest eye opener for me here.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, as I mentioned earlier, discussion places where everything is on the table are sort of doomed to this.

The problem is, more focused places of discussion have the effect of tacitly endorsing a bunch of shitty behavior because challenging it is 'off-topic.'

 

[Deleted member 4034]

Speak for yourself and keep the judgmental performative wokeness accusations to yourself when those threads are full of trans people talking about this issue. We have had years and years of people telling us we were crazy, too sensitive, or just seeing things whenever we tried to tell people that this woman was a bigot actively working against our rights.

She finally does something cis people can't deny and you want us to shut up about it now? Yeah, no shit the stuff she says hurts, but pretending it's not happening does nothing to prevent the lasting harm that she and other Terfs have been having across the globe

Click to shrink...

Not to downplay those effected and really go into the issues with substantive posts but with each of those threads there are just the dozen of "yikes", "oofs" or specifically with JK "fuck terfs" posts which give off a very Tuxedo mask meme vibe. Which does feel low effort performative once it becomes that predictable and those same people go on about how "progressive" we are.

and that's not specifically on JK threads, same for when anyone is outed for doing something shitty. Maybe it's time policing, but I wish the overall standard for replies were a little hire. Like gaming era saying "no three word posts".

 

[GYODX]

I think when somone post a Bad take, you should see what others responded to it, if the six or seven responses covered what You were gonna respond just move on.

Click to shrink...

I agree with this.

All it takes is *one* bad take for a thread to get completely derailed.

Good takes don't get nearly as much engagement.

 

[Bradford]

I think people should in general do research, and know for sure what they are talking about before talking about it. I think encouraging less sensational or pointless threads would help. I also think that there is a difference between discussing depressing material optimistically, and being pessimistic and negative.

The world is bad. There are many bad things going on. We do not need to take that out on others or be hopeless about it. The amount of very clear suicide and depression threads recently has been alarming and contributes to the general toxicity of the forum lately.

I think we can continue to tackle complex, nuanced, depressing topics in gaming and politics without being so hopeless about it. Framing is a powerful tool in discourse.

I joined this forum because it was a place where enthusiasts can discuss games in depth, whether that be critique or praise. But what I mostly get nowadays is "DAE think [popular game] is Actually Terrible" or "Should I Play [Y universally beloved and critically acclaimed game]" with the discussion inside mostly being drivebys or really shallow and inane warring.

Another suggestion I think might help is introducing another subsection for community games or experiences like thread-based Let's Play's like SomethingAwful. Something small like that goes a very long way towards building community and creating a continuol interest in games and the people here. It's just a small idea, but it would be such a welcome change from the mostly unfiltered wild west of this forum's four major categories now.

 

[Nawid]

One idea I have is to lock low-effort OPs. No more two sentence OPs or OPs that just shows tweets. I don't think it's a complete answer but I can see it helping.

 

[lorddarkflare]

I think the problem with this suggestion is how do differentiate news that has origins in Twitter and "twitter beefs". Stuff like Trump tweeting policy intentions, or Rowling's screeds get picked up by news outlets but obviously have their roots in social media. Even things like people being racist in parks can become major news stories for a week.

I think your idea has merit. I think most people want this forum to be a place people can feel safe in. Constant exposure to depressing stories can definitely take their toll on everyone, especially vulnerable groups. My instinct is to support your idea, but I don't know how it could be implemented the best way. I hope my comment didn't come off as rude, or overly critical.

Click to shrink...

If anything I think you were not critical enough. There are gaping holes in my idea that you could drive a semi through.

 

[Weiss]

At the very least these threads are making me think about how I carry myself on this site, and I think ultimately how we personally act is the most important part of affecting change.

I get into arguments here and it's not always with good intent. Sometimes I'm in a controversial thread and stirring shit because "it's funny."

 

[data]

A little self-awareness and a little bit of internal work goes a long way if you're actively trying to be a better citizen of the internet. I don't do a lot of self help reading, but when I came across The Four Agreements a while back it really struck a chord how easily they can be applied to everyday online interactions in particular, both trivial and charged in nature. Simple, self-explanatory stuff when it comes down to it, but tenants I've kept with me over time and often keep in the back of my head when browsing this forum and elsewhere. Perhaps it'll be useful to others as well.

Click to shrink...

I like this. These are nice and simple while giving an explanation. I think it could help with the discourse with friends due to how contentious we can get.

I completely agree. Alas, I don't expect it to get better anytime soon...

...but on a positive note, I wish the best for everybody here!

Click to shrink...

You're not the only one with that mindset. I definitely have had that mindset on and off with regards to this forum.

We should definitely try to adjust / change that so we can have a more positive outlook, because for me, expecting nothing can lead others to expect nothing and go about their day.

I think discussing it like in this thread can definitely bring the topic to the fore front and hopefully bring about the changes where we can try to have better discourses.

 

[GYODX]

At the very least these threads are making me think about how I carry myself on this site, and I think ultimately how we personally act is the most important part of affecting change.

I get into arguments here and it's not always with good intent. Sometimes I'm in a controversial thread and stirring shit because "it's funny."

Click to shrink...

Oof, that's wild. Why would you admit to that?

/s

 

[Deleted member 4034]

Also, it'd be nice if more people actually read the OPs before posting. The fact that you even have to put Read OP in the title says a lot.

 

[Poodlestrike]

Is there a policy at all on thread titles with regards to trigger warnings/traumatic content? I appreciate the ignore thread forum a lot, helps me to manage the amount of exposure I have to subjects that trigger my trauma. That said, sometimes thread titles here are incredibly graphic/triggering on their own, and you have to see the thread title displayed multiple times in order to ignore it. I'm not suggesting thread titles should be too vague or downplay the severity of the subject, but sometimes it's really rough to open up the forum and be greeted with an extremely harrowing description of sexual abuse/assault without even clicking on the thread.

Click to shrink...

We typically try to keep the titles as clean as we can without running the risk of them failing to adequately warn people. A lot of the time, if it doesn't get reported, we don't see it in time, though. S'why reports are so valuable.

There is some research on the topic that makes me wonder, though. Apparently trigger warnings can actually be harmful - as in, they increase the amount of distress experienced - if people proceed to then expose themselves to the content anyway.

That's good to know. I want Resetera to be around for a while. It's the one place on the internet I can come to talk about issues and ask questions without feeling embarrassed.

Speaking of the "positive" side of forum, one of the most obvious things lacking from Resetera is a bit of humor. I don't mean there's never anything funny, but having colorful personalities who are making you bust a gut constantly made an old forum I used to visit enjoyable. Also, funny stories about things that may or may not have happened (nothing serious) liven up a forum. Also, and I know this is counter to the rules, but a little bit of good-natured ribbing about one's favorite console/team/show/thing is not always bad. It can be absolutely terrible, but extinguishing it entirely made our discourse boring. Think about it. It's grown men talking about their favorite controller instead of being racist/sexist/homphobic. I'd prefer the first one.

We also need more users who post really complex, dedicated topics. I remember the person who used to post the PSN weekly threads at the old place. He did a really good job. We need users who put in work making certain types of threads like they get paid for it, even when they don't. That's what makes people stick around.

Click to shrink...

I think I speak for everybody when I say that funny people who put in work to produce content and are not bigots are people we want more of and if you have a stockpile of 'em you're hording I'm going to have to ask you to share 😂😂

 

[HardTimesFamilyPride]

A little self-awareness and a little bit of internal work goes a long way if you're actively trying to be a better citizen of the internet. I don't do a lot of self help reading, but when I came across The Four Agreements a while back it really struck a chord how easily they can be applied to everyday online interactions in particular, both trivial and charged in nature. Simple, self-explanatory stuff when it comes down to it, but tenants I've kept with me over time and often keep in the back of my head when browsing this forum and elsewhere. Perhaps it'll be useful to others as well.

Click to shrink...

Been meaning to re-read this. Thanks for the reminder. It really does come down to putting effort into self-awareness and trying to be better. Which gets disheartening when threads like this tend to turn into people bringing up their bans; often there was a reason for them.

 

[Weiss]

Oof, that's wild. Why would you admit to that?

/s

Click to shrink...

I mean, let's say you were serious about that response: Is it wrong of you to want to respond that way to me admitting to trolling in already flammable threads?

I think constructive responses are always better, but sometimes "oof" is all that needs to be said to something that just isn't worth responding to in any other way.

 

[Stuggernaut]

Man... flashbacks of "that that shall not be named"... I remember how toxic that place got. This one has its days where it is just a nasty place, but a am a huge fan of a lot of our community. Good people with good hearts as far as I can tell.

There will always be people that will shit stir and overreact.... gotta just roll with it or it will drive you insane. I stopped trying to intervene years ago because people just don't want to hear it. Now I just stick to positive discussions and fun stuff, or informative info etc... and stay out of the nonsense.

A big thing that happens here, since we are talking about it, is a person will make a post and that someone will twist it to be some vile thing and start up a shit storm around that person...sometimes many a ban results... and so often it is something exaggerated, taken out of context, or flat out not even read with a basic level of understanding... then the pile on fest begins and it's too late because emotions get heated.

It reminds me of a Ted talk about "Red Chickens" which talks about people being overly defensive and reaching success on the backs of others... interesting watch.... Google it ;P

 

[Deleted member 4034]

At the very least these threads are making me think about how I carry myself on this site, and I think ultimately how we personally act is the most important part of affecting change.

I get into arguments here and it's not always with good intent. Sometimes I'm in a controversial thread and stirring shit because "it's funny."

Click to shrink...

That explains a lot.

 

[Magic-Man]

One idea I have is to lock low-effort OPs. No more two sentence OPs or OPs that just shows tweets. I don't think it's a complete answer but I can see it helping.

Click to shrink...

Depends on context. A lot of game rumors/announcements pop up on Twitter and there's often not any need to do a bunch of background info.

 

[GYODX]

I mean, let's say you were serious about that response: Is it wrong of you to want to respond that way to me admitting to trolling in already flammable threads?

I think constructive responses are always better, but sometimes "oof" is all that needs to be said to something that just isn't worth responding to in any other way.

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There's also the option of not responding at all. ;)

 

[Nawid]

Been meaning to re-read this. Thanks for the reminder. It really does come down to putting effort into self-awareness and trying to be better. Which gets disheartening when threads like this tend to turn into people bringing up their bans; often there was a reason for them.

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But on the other hand, if the bans are on the ridiculous side, that deserves to be brought up. I mean look at the Bezos guillotine thread right now. People are not happy about it, and it was a major issue of the old forum as well.

 

[Deleted member 1476]

Another suggestion I think might help is introducing another subsection for community games or experiences like thread-based Let's Play's like SomethingAwful. Something small like that goes a very long way towards building community and creating a continuol interest in games and the people here. It's just a small idea, but it would be such a welcome change from the mostly unfiltered wild west of this forums four major categories now.

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I've been doing this for some time with people that I know on other platforms, where we talk about what happened during a specific playthrough. It can really be funny and creates some narratives that wouldn't be possible otherwise, like cheering for a certain character or etc (think about a game like XCOM, or Xenonauts). I doubt it would get much traction here though, OTs of smaller games / hangouts are barely alive right now. Nowadays it is much easier and safer to just find a Discord with same-minded people and keep it there.

 

[Nawid]

Depends on context. A lot of game rumors/announcements pop up on Twitter and there's often not any need to do a bunch of background info.

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That's a good point! This site does seem to be largely about the breaking news.

 

[lorddarkflare]

Not to downplay those effected and really go into the issues with substantive posts but with each of those threads there are just the dozen of "yikes", "oofs" or specifically with JK "fuck terfs" posts which give off a very Tuxedo mask meme vibe. Which does feel low effort performative once it becomes that predictable and those same people go on about how "progressive" we are.

and that's not specifically on JK threads, same for when anyone is outed for doing something shitty. Maybe it's time policing, but I wish the overall standard for replies were a little hire. Like gaming era saying "no three word posts".

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One idea I have is to lock low-effort OPs. No more two sentence OPs or OPs that just shows tweets. I don't think it's a complete answer but I can see it helping.

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I can get behind these, but the second these rules begin to be applied to fun, positive threads it will feel overly authoritarian.

And I think the overall problem is that people are getting mixed signals.

In a less serious thread, like say a movie announcement. One can shit post and generally not substantively contribute, as long one is generally vibing with the overall thread.

A lot of these 'yikes' and 'oof' posts are just that. I think it is the serious-thread equivalent of 'this movie looks sick' or 'day 1'