I posted in the thread on Era about the decline in activity. I hardly ever post on the site, I'm mainly a lurker who dips in now and then for a read.
Among my complaints was the fear of getting banned for spurious reasons. I argued that it doesn't encourage conversation (you know, the whole point of a MESSAGE board) and creates an echo chamber.
Obviously the thread got locked.
Just checked the site this morning, and in the ultimate irony, received a message stating that I had been permanently banned from Era for 'inflammatory metacommentary'.
Like I said in the thread, Era is just a total bummer to me. Such a depressing read, so the ban is actually welcome - it gives me a reason not to go back, and nearly ticks off a new year's resolution for me (don't waste time on bullshit).
However, the fact that I got a permanent ban for expressing my own personal opinion , which I genuinely don't think was offensive or inflammatory, just sums up the entire site for me.
I don't think I'm going to come back here - no offence to you guys but I could probably stand to take a break from forums for a while, but man, all the noise around what should be a fun hobby, VIDEO GAMES!, is really distracting.
All the best to you anyway. At least I know I won't get banned on here for this post...