Celebrate old Escapists! The war against the newbies has been won!

[LordLundar]

You must feel so proud of yourself for making the forums a hostile place to new people.

 

[Rylee Fox]

Even with a lot of what drew me to the site gone, I still check the forums all the time. Main reason I bother with this site nowdays, just to see what's going on in gaming news.

 

[stroopwafel]

Hmmm..I think the 'kids' these days just prefer Failbook and Youtube over a forum. It's not just The Escapist that is dwindling in numbers, other than a few popular ones it's most other forums as well. At this point I think the site having more content won't even contribute much to a more active userbase. Hence why it's a smart move of both Jim and ZP to migrate to Youtube. Forums look like they are on their way out. I don't see that changing until the social media fad fades away and/or these companies do something stupid that pisses their users off. Which will happen sooner or later.

Also I think it's a smart move of the Escapist to atleast separate that whole 'gamergate' garbage from the general discussion. That shit always stuck out like a sore thumb, as well as related 'opinions' that polluted the entire forum. Definitely not inviting.

 

[shrekfan246]

Um, "yay"?

This seems to me like it would be a bad thing, and also like it would be connected to the recurring complaints about the pace on the forums having slowed down these last few years.

You could, then, also view it as a victory for the "others". We're just the people that got left behind.

And also this.

I mean, it's already been pretty well determined that a lot of "oldies" have basically stopped posting here entirely. Chances are they're not going to be coming back, and the ones who are still here but just don't pay much attention to the forums anymore likely have their reasons which still haven't really changed. So if the "newbies" stop posting as well, we've just got a situation where oldies and newbies alike come into the forum and see that there are no interesting topics with no interesting posts being made and no interesting discussions being had, and then stagnation and the eventual slow heat death of the universe.

 

[Thaluikhain]

That's a sign that your forum isn't bringing in new people, i.e. not doing well.

This. Add in a chunk of those new users being ban jumpers and yeah. I got banned a while ago, created this new account a year or two later and honestly I don't see why I did.

Well, in that case you wont mind when the mods ban you for ban jumping and admitting it, I guess.

 

[ForumSafari]

Well, in that case you wont mind when the mods ban you for ban jumping and admitting it, I guess.

Of course not, if I ever decide to post again I'll just create a new profile.

No need to be such a tight-ass about it, the Escapist could use any traffic it can get around now. This ain't the Internet's Lighthouse of Alexandria any more.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Well, in that case you wont mind when the mods ban you for ban jumping and admitting it, I guess.

Of course not, if I ever decide to post again I'll just create a new profile.

Fair enough then, it seemed a bit odd to admit to it like that is all.

 

[ForumSafari]

Fair enough then, it seemed a bit odd to admit to it like that is all.

I guess, but in my opinion the Escapist has two main problems:

1. its main appeal outside of gamergaters is to old posters who have nostalgia and are willing to stick with the site while it's rubbish to wait for it to be good again.

2. It used to try and ban its only customers for life for what are, realistically, normally fairly minor infractions. For example my original banpost wouldn't be against the rules of most forums. Hell looking back even my most controversial posts were more polite than Tumblr and Twitter.

The Escapist probably needs to look at whether it really wants to be banning the few people it already has that want to come back.

 

[Antari]

Fair enough then, it seemed a bit odd to admit to it like that is all.

I guess, but in my opinion the Escapist has two main problems:

1. its main appeal outside of gamergaters is to old posters who have nostalgia and are willing to stick with the site while it's rubbish to wait for it to be good again.

2. It used to try and ban its only customers for life for what are, realistically, normally fairly minor infractions. For example my original banpost wouldn't be against the rules of most forums.

The Escapist probably needs to look at whether it really wants to be banning the few people it already has that want to come back.

This isn't the first time the site has experienced a tide change. Patience is relative. And it's funny I've been able to go all this time without any problems. The rules are fairly simple after all.

 

[Techno Squidgy]

Personally, I feel this place could do with some new blood. I want new people who don't have grudges, sides or cliques and just want to talk about video games. I'm gonna go start a thread I think, not sure what about yet, get some conversation going.

 

[Something Amyss]

I don't really care one way or the other, to be honest.

Hell, it wasn't that long ago that *I* was a 'newbie' on this forum. I still think of myself that way from time to time, it's a difficult mindset to shake.

You're still a newbie in my eyes.

That's a sign that your forum isn't bringing in new people, i.e. not doing well.

You know those people who seem to get giddy over the possible repeat of the 1983 North American crash?

Well, if people can be spiteful enough to watch their whole hobby burn, a forum isn't necessarily shocking.

I mean, it's already been pretty well determined that a lot of "oldies" have basically stopped posting here entirely. Chances are they're not going to be coming back, and the ones who are still here but just don't pay much attention to the forums anymore likely have their reasons which still haven't really changed. So if the "newbies" stop posting as well, we've just got a situation where oldies and newbies alike come into the forum and see that there are no interesting topics with no interesting posts being made and no interesting discussions being had, and then stagnation and the eventual slow heat death of the universe.

Usergroups may actually be a bigger issue than attrition. I know several oldies on here who post solely in them, and a lot more who post mostly in them. They don't really want to bother with the forums anymore for one reason or another, but they like community members.

Hence why it's a smart move of both Jim and ZP to migrate to Youtube.

Smart for Jim and Ben, but not necessarily for The Escapist.

It was LRR that got me to sign up and post here, and to a lesser extent Zero Punctuation. A lot of people signed up based on such content, even more recently. I mean, hell, Jim Sterling didn't even start doing The Jimquisition on here until 2011, and people hated it at that point and wanted him to go away. A couple of years later, though, and he was a fairly big draw. And that's not too long ago.

But when shows leave, and when shows are also shown on YouTube, you run into the problem of "well, why even go there?" or even sign up. YHou have strict forum rules here, but you can go on Jim's YouTube channel and call someone a ******.

'bout the only content I follow on here these days is Critical Miss, and I can't help but think I might be more involved if there was still a host of shows I gave a crap about. And I doubt the news is particularly a big draw here. I mean, I read it while I'm here, but only because I'm already here and opening up another news site with the same announcements is more effort than I can be bothered with. But I honestly can't see the news on this site as much of a draw.

Well, there are exceptions, but for reasons best not gone into here.

 

[Something Amyss]

Personally, I feel this place could do with some new blood.

I don't know, blood is awful hard to clean out of servers.

...I should probably stop taking things so literally.

 

[Techno Squidgy]

Personally, I feel this place could do with some new blood.

I don't know, blood is awful hard to clean out of servers.

...I should probably stop taking things so literally.

You should also stop literally taking my things. That's bad. Stop it.

 

[ForumSafari]

This isn't the first time the site has experienced a tide change. Patience is relative.

I dunno, the Internet isn't a fun and games thing any more. The Escapist is in a bad financial state and have been for years, they've been bounced around between companies and it can't be long before they're axed. Aside from fast-talking hat guy they've lost all their content creators of note, most of their decent columnists and their forums are drying up.

Honestly at this stage I could replace the Escapist with YouTube, 4chan and a few other reviewer sites and I'd be happy, I only come here through nostalgia. There are other Internet personalities that beat the Escapists offerings, some are former members of this site. There is far more insightful coverage of general nerd culture and tabletop from Spoony and /tg/, Sci Fi Debris turns out quality TV and film analysis as does Confused Matthew and a few others, Totalbiscuit has my gaming needs covered and to repeat, /tg/ and /vg/ have a better forum experience along with Reddit.

EDIT: As for news I'd take practically anything over here.

 

[shrekfan246]

Hell looking back even my most controversial posts were more polite than Tumblr and Twitter.

To me, that more says that sites like Tumblr and Twitter need to change than The Escapist does (or rather, "did", since things demonstrably have changed around here).

I hate the level of "discourse" that takes place in most places on the internet, because it's the digital equivalent of schoolyard slapfights. That's tedious, frustrating, and above all else pointless because the vast majority of the time nobody involved is going to come out thinking any differently.

There are a lot of discussions I'd love to have that I simply cannot because on the internet there's always someone who is going to bring the entire conversation down to their level.

Usergroups may actually be a bigger issue than attrition. I know several oldies on here who post solely in them, and a lot more who post mostly in them. They don't really want to bother with the forums anymore for one reason or another, but they like community members.

Well, yes, I'm one of those people. ;D

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I was unaware this was a thing. When did this happen?

 

[ForumSafari]

There are a lot of discussions I'd love to have that I simply cannot because on the internet there's always someone who is going to bring the entire conversation down to their level.

I'll be completely honest, when I got banned from here I went mainly to 4chan and honestly, whilst the language is a little more, shall we say, robust and full-bodied than here the level of discourse generally on a few of the boards blows this place out of the water. Not having persistent personalities and ban meters to track makes people more ready to take a punt on an unpopular stance.

If you want serious discussion about a professional issue I'd recommend a specialist subreddit, if you want general meandering conversations then 4chan.

 

[Antari]

This isn't the first time the site has experienced a tide change. Patience is relative.

I dunno, the Internet isn't a fun and games thing any more. The Escapist is in a bad financial state and have been for years, they've been bounced around between companies and it can't be long before they're axed. Aside from fast-talking hat guy they've lost all their content creators of note, most of their decent columnists and their forums are drying up.

There are other draws to the Escapist. They endure the financial difficulties. Which have always been there. This site is more about what do we all want to put into it in the end. No content creator here can ever say they got rich here. But they can get noticed here. If they move on to bigger and better things they have more fans to follow them. I think of the Escapist like a train station. Things are always coming and going. The choice is yours to stay and see whats going on. And possibly contribute if you want to. Or just sit back and enjoy what other people contribute.

 

[Something Amyss]

You should also stop literally taking my things. That's bad. Stop it.

I resent that. Just because I'm a rogue doesn't mean I take anything that isn't nailed down.

...it also has to be shiny!

Well, yes, I'm one of those people. ;D

Are you confessing to kill the forums?

I'm just pointing out this is probably the bigger issue.

 

[Mikeybb]

I'll be completely honest, when I got banned from here I went mainly to 4chan and honestly, whilst the language is a little more, shall we say, robust and full-bodied than here the level of discourse generally on a few of the boards blows this place out of the water. Not having persistent personalities and ban meters to track makes people more ready to take a punt on an unpopular stance.

It's nice to hear there's still some of the good aspects going on there.
I know the reputation of the place has always been that each user dons their favorite asshat like a crash helmet, then unleashes a torrent of anti social posting horrible enough to leave stains on your monitor if you read them, but I've still seen some interesting dialogues in there too.
In fairness, there's a lot of trash too, but panning in that fetid stream of consciousness can lead to some golden nuggets.

I guess I'm trying to make excuses for my inability to stop lurking around on the traditional games board.