Returning member after a long absence, how would you rate the overall health of this forum?

I have to say this forum feels great right now. On ResetEra I had to walk on eggshells. The place is a landmine.

I feel like I can speak my mind freely here, and I won't get banned as long as I don't actively harass anyone. I quite like this GAF.
 
You could have easily argued your case of why you disagreed (i.e. 'Actually I disagree, it is not a seething hatred of Feminism but a concern about what the modern incarnation of it represents etc. etc.') but instead gave this condescending reply.

If you check my post history, you'll find that I've tried on numerous occasions to contribute to a reasoned discussion on this forum. Unfortunately, some people aren't interested in having a discussion, but would rather push their political tribalism. You'll learn quickly that some comments deserve a serious reply, while others are best taken with a little bit of sarcasm and humor.

Why would I waste my time with somebody who's only here to bash this place, who is most of the time arguing in bad faith and who isn't interested in having a discussion but only wants to spew his venom? If you open with broad attacks and condescending remarks like that, you can expect a little bit of snide in return.

I like this place and I will not have its members painted with a broad brush like that.
 
Last edited:
If you check my post history, you'll find that I've tried on numerous occasions to contribute to a reasoned discussion on this forum. Unfortunately, some people aren't interested in having a discussion, but would rather push their political tribalism. You'll learn quickly that some comments deserve a serious reply, while others are best taken with a little bit of sarcasm and humor.

Why would I waste my time with somebody who's only here to bash this place, who is most of the time arguing in bad faith and who isn't interested in having a discussion but only wants to spew his venom? If you open with broad attacks and condescending remarks like that, you can expect a little bit of snide in return.

I like this place and I will not have its members painted with a broad brush like that.
Yep, strange headache is a great member of the community and has made many top quality posts.

He/she's right, there are a handful of posters on here (everybody knows who they are) who have contributed nothing but drive by, derogatory posts. These are some of the same people who denounce this place as an alt-right haven whilst hypocritically attacking anyone with a non-conformity to extremist left-wing ideology. One of them literally spelled out that that is their sole reason for being here a few posts back. It's completely transparent and completely immature. Basically, it boils down to:

"Oh no, these people have a place they can speak freely now, where they don't feel persecuted and afraid to put forth their opinions. Fuck that! Not on my watch. I'm going to stay here and continue to post nothing but antagonising rhetoric even though I hate this place. I don't want them to have any fun."

That's a spoiled, child-like mentality right there.

The amusing thing is that they can actually do this without fear of getting a ban here. Unlike if I tried to do a similar thing at other places.

Grow the fuck up.
 
Yep, strange headache is a great member of the community and has made many top quality posts.

He/she's right, there are a handful of posters on here (everybody knows who they are) who have contributed nothing but drive by, derogatory posts. These are some of the same people who denounce this place as an alt-right haven whilst hypocritically attacking anyone with a non-conformity to extremist left-wing ideology. One of them literally spelled out that that is their sole reason for being here a few posts back. It's completely transparent and completely immature. Basically, it boils down to:

"Oh no, these people have a place they can speak freely now, where they don't feel persecuted and afraid to put forth their opinions. Fuck that! Not on my watch. I'm going to stay here and continue to post nothing but antagonising rhetoric even though I hate this place. I don't want them to have any fun."

That's a spoiled, child-like mentality right there.

The amusing thing is that they can actually do this without fear of getting a ban here. Unlike if I tried to do a similar thing at other places.

Grow the fuck up.
giphy.gif
 
Last edited:
Yep, strange headache is a great member of the community and has made many top quality posts.

He/she's right, there are a handful of posters on here (everybody knows who they are) who have contributed nothing but drive by, derogatory posts. These are some of the same people who denounce this place as an alt-right haven whilst hypocritically attacking anyone with a non-conformity to extremist left-wing ideology. One of them literally spelled out that that is their sole reason for being here a few posts back. It's completely transparent and completely immature. Basically, it boils down to:

"Oh no, these people have a place they can speak freely now, where they don't feel persecuted and afraid to put forth their opinions. Fuck that! Not on my watch. I'm going to stay here and continue to post nothing but antagonising rhetoric even though I hate this place. I don't want them to have any fun."

That's a spoiled, child-like mentality right there.

The amusing thing is that they can actually do this without fear of getting a ban here. Unlike if I tried to do a similar thing at other places.

Grow the fuck up.

For sure! Especially when you can tell that some of these posters are clearly capable of interesting contributions and different points of view! Different views argued respectfully makes discourse interesting. Is it the expectation that we all came here to just... agree about everything? Is that how interactions work with any other social group that you're aware of?

I'm curious if some people bring this labored martyrdom and condescension to their daily conversations at home. What a thrill that must be.
 
Triple-D, I think I like you.
Aww, shucks.

For sure! Especially when you can tell that some of these posters are clearly capable of interesting contributions and different points of view! Different views argued respectfully makes discourse interesting. Is it the expectation that we all came here to just... agree about everything? Is that how interactions work with any other social group that you're aware of?

I'm curious if some people bring this labored martyrdom and condescension to their daily conversations at home. What a thrill that must be.
Nah, the reason why people spill it so vehemently online is because -- in the real world -- no one really talks like this. People spend all day seeing this stuff on Facebook and Twitter; it builds up inside them. They either have to vent to someone in the real world (which, other than for precious, tiny bubbles in some small parts of the world, does not amount to many people) or they vomit it back into their various social media circles. It's why even "dah normies" are getting "woken up" and are realizing that social media is bad for your mental health. I just figured that everyone would literally rot their brains into a stupor, but mainstream outlets are paying attention.

The point being: no, people do not bring this labored martyrdom and condescension into their real lives. Most are too embarrassed or too cowardly.
 
I have to say this forum feels great right now. On ResetEra I had to walk on eggshells. The place is a landmine.

I feel like I can speak my mind freely here, and I won't get banned as long as I don't actively harass anyone. I quite like this GAF.
With that forum, it all depends on what side of things you're perceived to align with. It's gross and rife with racism and sexism but hey, I'm just a white privileged male so what do I know.
 
Stuff like the above is quite annoying about Neogaf but I guess is also true of many forums. You could have easily argued your case of why you disagreed (i.e. 'Actually I disagree, it is not a seething hatred of Feminism but a concern about what the modern incarnation of it represents etc. etc.') but instead gave this condescending reply. This sets a very low standard for a debate that's boring and tiresome.

There are not enough posters here who tackle the best interpretation of their opponents arguments but instead just attack straw men.
If you are making this statement in regards to strange headache strange headache then I must say you picked the wrong user. He has done nothing but provide vast amounts of valuable resources and links to partisan data that articulate his points better than like 99% of users here. It sounds like you wanted him to reply in a certain way to cater to your response and he didn't. That's not condescending or attacking a straw-man. That's my opinion.
 
Aww, shucks.


Nah, the reason why people spill it so vehemently online is because -- in the real world -- no one really talks like this. People spend all day seeing this stuff on Facebook and Twitter; it builds up inside them. They either have to vent to someone in the real world (which, other than for precious, tiny bubbles in some small parts of the world, does not amount to many people) or they vomit it back into their various social media circles. It's why even "dah normies" are getting "woken up" and are realizing that social media is bad for your mental health. I just figured that everyone would literally rot their brains into a stupor, but mainstream outlets are paying attention.

The point being: no, people do not bring this labored martyrdom and condescension into their real lives. Most are too embarrassed or too cowardly.

Sure, that's completely true. Matter of fact there's some brilliant information that suggests our brains weren't made to handle the forever stream of information social media provides and we're not better people for the experience. But I can't say they don't exist - I know a few families who've had Thanksgiving completely crapped up by someone who won't lay off this noise.
 
Thank you to all of you who stayed behind to correct us of our wrong think. I still have not heard a good argument for equality of outcome and will continue to believe that it is the wrong path for society.

As an aside, I think the forum needs to re implement the no cursing policy.

I browse the internet with a profanity filter.

Been doing it for....two, going on three years.

Makes the experience more pleasant, less vulgar.
 
Last edited:
Fucking Roblox!! My daughter spends so much time on that game. lol



I would love to see a shift where political gaming threads move to off topic so that the gaming side stays more "fun" oriented. Like if its about a game or studio it should be in gaming but if its about kotaku/polygon articles or Anita Sarkesian it would go in off topic.

I couldn't agree more, and I've thought this for a while. If people complain that the gaming media is too concerned with politics, and should stick to video games and not their ideology, then why don't we lead by example?

Not that we shouldn't talk about the politics of video games, but if the argument is that sort of game journalism has more to do with politics than gaming, perhaps those threads shouldn't be in the gaming section.
 

It's just not the right time. People mostly want to talk about politics at the moment and the wounds from the split last year haven't fully healed. Be patient, we will hopefully get to that point eventually. That said, I have noticed that the proportion of political threads has reduced slightly in the last week, so that's progress at least.
 
It's just not the right time. People mostly want to talk about politics at the moment and the wounds from the split last year haven't fully healed. Be patient, we will hopefully get to that point eventually. That said, I have noticed that the proportion of political threads has reduced slightly in the last week, so that's progress at least.

It is also the middle of summer. There really isn't a whole lot to talk about game-wise. Give it time, as you stated, and we should have a lot more talkin' over on the gaming side once games start releasing more often.
 

We're talking about two somewhat different things. You're talking about NeoGAF having a separate forum strictly for talking politics, which I can see both pros and cons for doing.

Off Duty Ninja and I are talking about encouraging people to post threads about political gaming articles and topics in the off topic section, and moving future political gaming threads there, because those threads have more to do with politics than video games. That's true just as one might make the argument that the articles those threads are based on have more to do with ideology than video games.

Of course, all that would depend on what the staff of this forum want more than the users. It's just a suggestion.
 
Last edited:
We're talking about two somewhat different things. You're talking about NeoGAF having a separate forum strictly for talking politics, which I can see both pros and cons for doing.

Off Duty Ninja and I are talking about encouraging people to post threads about political gaming articles and topics in the off topic section, and moving future political gaming threads there, because those threads have more to do with politics than video games. That's true just as one might make the argument that the articles those threads are based on have more to do with ideology than video games.

Of course, all that would depend on what the staff of this forum want more than the users. It's just a suggestion.

I kinda like this suggestion because it would leave the gaming section to purely news/discussion and I imagine that would make a lot of people happy.
 
We're talking about two somewhat different things. You're talking about NeoGAF having a separate forum strictly for talking politics, which I can see both pros and cons for doing.

Off Duty Ninja and I are talking about encouraging people to post threads about political gaming articles and topics in the off topic section, and moving future political gaming threads there, because those threads have more to do with politics than video games. That's true just as one might make the argument that the articles those threads are based on have more to do with ideology than video games.

Of course, all that would depend on what the staff of this forum want more than the users. It's just a suggestion.

aye you cool with the higher ups? put in a good word for me ill make a great mod
 
We're talking about two somewhat different things. You're talking about NeoGAF having a separate forum strictly for talking politics, which I can see both pros and cons for doing.

Off Duty Ninja and I are talking about encouraging people to post threads about political gaming articles and topics in the off topic section, and moving future political gaming threads there, because those threads have more to do with politics than video games. That's true just as one might make the argument that the articles those threads are based on have more to do with ideology than video games.

Of course, all that would depend on what the staff of this forum want more than the users. It's just a suggestion.

Off-topic is already messed up enough as it is.
It doesn't need more.
 
I said when the forum reopened that things here would get worse before they got better. The pendulum has swung to the opposite side of where it was, instead of worrying about if you'd offend some new group that you'd never even heard of, now you have to wrangle racists, sexists and other bigots and shoot down their stupidity if you want to have any kind of discussion. It's not good, but like I said, it's in the process of getting worse before it gets better. We're a year, maybe two, from the forum healing and getting to a point where it can start growing again. It's in a bad place right now, but it will get better.
 
I said when the forum reopened that things here would get worse before they got better. The pendulum has swung to the opposite side of where it was, instead of worrying about if you'd offend some new group that you'd never even heard of, now you have to wrangle racists, sexists and other bigots and shoot down their stupidity if you want to have any kind of discussion. It's not good, but like I said, it's in the process of getting worse before it gets better. We're a year, maybe two, from the forum healing and getting to a point where it can start growing again. It's in a bad place right now, but it will get better.

i mean people try and not put people into categories or left or right or whatever but man its funny how whenever people come in to give their thoughts now it is always strangly the same like the guys post above. like literally identical
 
i mean people try and not put people into categories or left or right or whatever but man its funny how whenever people come in to give their thoughts now it is always strangly the same like the guys post above. like literally identical
It's almost like when people observe things, they can see what's happening.
 
All in all, this site is a heck of a lot more inclusive than it was in the past. The posters on this site seem like real people now. People are free to speak their minds, and you'll get a wide range of honest opinions. At its worst, NeoGAF was a toxic echo chamber. Thankfully, the admins are no longer trying to shape a narrative or push an agenda. NeoGAF is morphing back into a discussion board that actually encourages discussion.
 
Resetera is a place that you can't even have a different opinion.

I was told that the dynamic of men chasing women when they're interested in them and the whole game that proceeds, does not exist.
 
What is your specialization?

Sociology/Philosophy but last years I am in Special Education schools ( ages 14 and up).

You do you, but I'm not going to bend over backward praising their staff in any way shape or form. They are, collectively (I say collectively because I'm assuming they may not be 100% assholes and there could maybe be a few exceptions) garbage.

Unfortunately in cases of large migrations, you'll need a core userbase that has to keep the site floating. They do not even have to be moderators. This adds even more pressure to mods. In cases where I was banned I sent them mails, explaining my reasoning and apologising and they responded immediately and politely. I am not a native English speaker, am not American and have not kept up with all those online wars and toxines.
But in the last ban I got no response at all. Not even one where they said the ban was irrevocable. I was a member for almost 1 year and have never provoked anyone, intentionally at least and was ready to accept and apologise for my lack of good arguments. Then I realized this was something beyond the mods control, so I left it there.
This was a valuable lesson to avoid politicised forums from now on.
 
I do think it might be a good idea to split politics into it's own sub forum. So have gaming, gaming archive, off topic, politics.

Political discussion can really tank forums when it is not their primary purpose. Which is why many of them simply don't allow that type of discussion in the first place. I don't think that should be the case here, but maybe it would be better to segregate it.

This forum should mainly be about gaming and fun off topic stuff, with a large dose of light-hearted ness. There is way too much negativity on the internet these days and it's hardly a good match with gaming, a hobby which should be fun.
 
I'm not quite 40 but close.

It was easier for me to just remove those folks out of my life. Outgrew my childhood friends, as they stayed in the same place.

Same here. Turn 40 this year, long left my childhood friends behind. I grew up in a poor rural state and all of them (the one's I know of anyway) are still stuck in the same shitty small town (as are my parents) and I haven't talked to all but one of them in over 20 years. I only have one college friend I still keep in touch with somewhat as well (I went to the main state university). Beyond that I got the hell out of dodge for grad school and have been a big city person ever since. Between that and being a professor in a social science I'm pretty much surrounded by like-minded people.

Life's too short to be around people constantly annoying you, arguing with you all the time etc. IMO. Just not my thing. I'm not saying I like echo champers like Era either. I just choose to mostly stay out of political debates and get involved in my own ways in the real world as trying to change individual's minds is fruitless. Better to spend time and money getting out the vote on your side, writing your reps and getting others to do so etc. than trying to change people's minds. People have always been stubborn and are even more so in this tribal, social media era.

Otherwise, I'm just focused on enjoying my life and living it to the fullest with like minded people who do the same. I'm not going to feel bad about my privilege, life is short so I'm going to enjoy it while trying to give back some time and money where I can to help those less fortunate. All the while ignoring people who annoy me and I think little of. *shrug*


I kinda like this suggestion because it would leave the gaming section to purely news/discussion and I imagine that would make a lot of people happy.

Off-topic is already messed up enough as it is.
It doesn't need more.

Yeah, I'd love the political stuff out of gaming. Agree a politics sub-forum in general would be preferable, but I'd take moving them into OT as well if a politics forums is a non-starter. That would at least keep more of the crazies out of gaming and let that focus on gaming news, rumors and chatting about what people are playing (Game OTs).

This forum should mainly be about gaming and fun off topic stuff, with a large dose of light-hearted ness. There is way too much negativity on the internet these days and it's hardly a good match with gaming, a hobby which should be fun.

God, so much this. That's what brought me to forums and has kept me on them for 25+ years. It's so lacking these days with everything being so hostile and confrontational.

As I said before, I think a politics sub area could mitigate that. Cheapassgamer.com has mostly died off, but they had a "Vs." political forum area that kept those conversations there. Lot's of heated debates there but it came that crap out of the Offtopic/Lifestyle forum that was just all that lighthearted fun stuff, non-political news, relationship/life advice threads etc. Game politics weren't really in there, but I quit posting over their way before gamergate etc. made gaming so political. About the only politics in gaming back then was when some politician would try to blame school shootings on violent games and what not.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Honest opinion....it's fine but could be more active.

The gaming side is a bit slow and, if I can be honest, the one thing that annoys me about GAF right now is that a lot of current users are constantly complaining about different gaming outlets/companies and their "agendas" and liberal views.... yet at the same time that's pretty much all they want to talk about. In one thread they'll be like "You know, I just wish games remained the focus of the conversation instead of politics" yet threads like "this dev has an agenda" and "polygon/kotaku said this!" are the only ones that seem to consistently get to 5+ pages, which is kinda frustrating.

Off Topic is also a bit slow and still mostly politics but IMO way more enjoyable to participate in because you can actually state your opinion without having to fear getting banned for having "the wrong one"
 
The gaming side is a bit slow and, if I can be honest, the one thing that annoys me about GAF right now is that a lot of current users are constantly complaining about different gaming outlets/companies and their "agendas" and liberal views.... yet at the same time that's pretty much all they want to talk about. In one thread they'll be like "You know, I just wish games remained the focus of the conversation instead of politics" yet threads like "this dev has an agenda" and "polygon/kotaku said this!" are the only ones that seem to consistently get to 5+ pages, which is kinda frustrating.

That is a fair point. I'm on the left and would love to see gaming be more about gaming--but I have posted some arguments in some of those "agenda/polygon" type threads. I'll stop doing that and hope those threads die off more, and also start putting some of those people who only post in those type of threads and rant about SJWs left and right on ignore. All while continuing to try to post more pure gaming stuff over there. If enough of us do that, hopefully it can get back to being a healthy area to discuss games and away from focusing so much on politics.
 
Then I realized this was something beyond the mods control, so I left it there.
Could you elaborate on this a bit? How is this beyond the controls of the mods, they, together with the admins, make the policies and decide how to moderate the forum, where is the control if not in the hands of the mods?
 
I said when the forum reopened that things here would get worse before they got better. The pendulum has swung to the opposite side of where it was, instead of worrying about if you'd offend some new group that you'd never even heard of, now you have to wrangle racists, sexists and other bigots and shoot down their stupidity if you want to have any kind of discussion. It's not good, but like I said, it's in the process of getting worse before it gets better. We're a year, maybe two, from the forum healing and getting to a point where it can start growing again. It's in a bad place right now, but it will get better.

So... kinda like the real world? These people exist. We've learned what banning them for their wrongthink can lead to. You don't always get to have it your way and sometimes you have to just deal with it. Unlike real life, you can even put them on your ignore list.
 
That would just stink up OT more than it already is. They need to go elsewhere.
You already dislike all the political stuff in OT so I can understand what you are saying. I think many of us feel that it is even worse on the gaming side because we just want to talk about games themselves and the mechanics, tech, etc. without all the moral and political questions muddying it up.
 
Funny, I made a similar thread in the early days of ERA and got totally shot down, too. Like absolutely no one thought it was a good idea. I felt like an idiot.

That is because Era thinks that EVERYTHING is political. Even Yoshi grabbing apples off a bush with his tongue.
 
Top Bottom