How civilized are the Escapist forums?

[Callate]

I don't know, I haven't been on the entire rest of the Internet, only a relatively small sampling thereof.

Compared to many of the forums I've participated in, it's quite civil. There's little tolerance of trolling, and not much of a sense that a popular minority can hammer anyone they disagree with into the ground. Controversial topics can be broached and discussed, usually without sliding into rancor.

I like the Escapist forums; that's why I spend as much time here as I do.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

It may look "civilized", but under that disguise is a barbaric thing. Even the most loved by the community... Their secrets are not so pretty with rainbows.

You said it. Why, Caramel Frappe has had countless people killed just to further his standing here, and Duct Tape Jedi paid off the mods for some sinister plot. I myself am an androgyne emo pirate disguised as a woman disguised as a man disguised as a woman disguised as an androgyne emo pirate disguised as a pirate disguised as a woman disguised as a man disguised as a woman disguised as an androgyne emo pirate.

The fact I only know of one of these members you speak of (though barely) means that there is some sort of Escapist Illuminati! Quick! OP! Get your tinfoil hat before its too late! #34! Get my tinfoil hat! And you, Illuminated Escapist, prepare to be vanquished!

Anyway, serious business aside, these here forums are just that: internet forums. And you know that the internet is anything but civilized, right OP?

And then there's Simulord, whose popularity level I seem to have inherited /right/ when he disappeared. Not making any claims here...

Spoiler

 

[Gottesstrafe]

Not much, really. We all come from the rough part of forum-town where gangs of users dressed in leather jackets and bright pastel polo shirts have been known to set upon each other in highly choreographed interpretive dance battles while brandishing metaphors and memes. Why, just the other day a colleague and I were pirouetting though Gaming Discussion [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/index/9-Gaming-Discussion] with our avatars decked out in our forum gang colors talking about the latest Saints Row installment when we absentmindedly stepped onto Advice Forum [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/index/538-Advice-Forum] territory and subsequently found ourselves ambushed by a mob of finger snapping whiny hormone-driven virgins and "Nice Guys". I just thank God (from Religion and Politics [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/index/528-Religion-and-Politics]) that a band of cape wearing LARPers from the neighboring Role Playing [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/index/540-Role-Playing] intervened before we got our asses kicked to the tune of a beatnic record.

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

OT: One thing I do have against these forums is the level of smugness that seems to exude from a fair amount of user's posts.

What, you mean like this?

Inb4 supercilious derisive platitudes towards the influx of new members/lamenting of current state of forums from those whose only jejune notoin of virtue essentially amounts to 'I wuz ere FIRST!'. (It'll happen anyway)

Honestly.

I've seen a few similarly titled threads where many of the 'good old days' users arrive simply to put themselves above the majority of the user base. I was really only directing that comment towards those of such snooty elitism. As I said just now to another user; 'Don't get me wrong, I really like this community, there are just a few tropes exhibited among some users that really grind my gears and I'm at least not going to pretend I'm above it either. I've made a fair few bewailing, pointless or smug posts in the past that I regret, but I don't delude myself into thinking I'm anything particularly special, or that I'm above the majority of users here. I'll generally make the effort to be civil and thaknfully most of the users here share the same initiative and if they don't the mods tend to keep people in line quite nicely.' It just irritates me to see some of the more narcissistic sitting atop their amassing pile of generalisations, just a select few that bug me, like I said most of the people here are perfectly nice.

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

Well, yeah. It's not an entirely favorable comparison, but it is an accurate one.

Color me skeptical about that...though I since I don't wish to tread anywhere near that place in order to refute or verify that claim, I suppose I'm forced to take your word for it on that one.

 

[Mat Turner]

It is 'civil', most of the time, but there sure are a lot of pseudo-intellectuals all parroting the same middle-of-the-road opinions as if nobody had ever thought of it that way before.

 

[Phlakes]

Not much more than everyone else, but it's still better. Partly because of the strict mods. People always like to complain about strictness, but it keeps the forums a lot cleaner. And also, no goddamn signatures. It's a small thing, but it adds to the cleanness and is friendly to people's bandwidth.

If you want to see the most civil the forums can get, look to the User Reviews. No flaming, few uneducated arguments, and generally friendly people being friendly. And constructive.

 

[UnusualStranger]

These forums are dangerous to roam alone. Bring along a stick.

Civilized is an interesting word to use. As I really wouldn't call us that, as it is the Internet. But, the mods, for all their flaws and misgivings and at times underhanded approaches, do their best to be fair and keep things rolling as they should. Some of them actually give a damn and chat with ordinary users.

The people in each forum can be split from time to time, some never leaving one or another, but it works out better that way. We have our tastes, conversations, unspoken rules, broken rules, and things that just roll without anyone giving too many damns. Overall, the place is alright to hang out at from time to time. Don't come here too often unless you got people who also come here quite often, because like any forum, unless you got people to chat with, you ain't got much to do.

So on the scale, we are "mock civilized". Not quite the most proper people you'll meet, but we do what we can and don't feel too bad about it.

 

[AMMO Kid]

It's civilized till people get pissed off. Good enough description?

 

[Divine Miss Bee]

it's too civilized to be fun anymore. people used to know how to use the search bar, and now you get reported for making any kind of joke because nobody can stand to be disagreed with or even the tiniest bit offended in any way. so the older members are right to say it used to be better, i've noticed a huge downward spiral since i joined last february and i have been told i came in right in the middle.

 

[TacticalAssassin1]

It's very civilized. Probably too moderated. Who cares if I only have three words to say, as long as they're relevant?
I've never had to not post because I don't have anyone to back me up, I don't really get what you're saying about that.

 

[Pakkie]

Were like a weird ass way tuned down version of 4chan, We have oldfags and newfags, some people troll, some people obsess over these forums and we have a mix of different opinions/people but in the end we all kinda get along as a community... in a weird way, yea, 4channy.

 

[white_salad]

It's a very civilized place until you bring up something the escapist doesn't like. Then it turns into the normal internet.

 

[Garchomp445]

Since there is no issue with the whole "modesty" thing, I would have to respond with a "I don't know because I've only been on one forum in my life that is not primarily focused on minecraft or pokemon, which is this one".

Looking back at those forums... eh, the escapist may be a little better.

Spoiler: I was going off on a tangent about a different forum, so I

Oh wait, I'm wrong, I was on one unrelated to minecraft/pokemon. It was a cat roleplay forum based on the "Warriors" series authored by some sap with the name of Eric... something... Anyway, It was much more pompous than this one (Obviously, if you're sifting through applications for your clan(s) you're going to act high-and-mighty to the 8 year old who thinks he can roleplay over the internet(Falsely)), and I only posted one or two things, but actually it has no relation to this conversation so I should

Put it in a spoiler tag.

 

[Berenzen]

I consider the escapist an upper-middle class forum. Not upper-class- the IGDA forums are pretty well upper-class, as well as the Something Awful forums- but fairly classy in terms of the rest of the internet, the mods are not too hammer happy, yet enforce the rules fairly solidly.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Were like a weird ass way tuned down version of 4chan, We have oldfags and newfags, some people troll, some people obsess over these forums and we have a mix of different opinions/people but in the end we all kinda get along as a community... in a weird way, yea, 4channy.

See? I'm not the only one who thinks this. Off topic is /b/, Gaming is /v/, R&P is /pol/, advice is /soc/, forum games is spread amongst all of the subforums on 4chan, but especially /b/, user reviews would go into either the appropriate on topic forum or, once again, /b/, the job board would be all those posts telling people how to get free money on /b/, and I guess R9k would be the "Escapist Commentary" section analogue, since it's aimed at original content. We're a watered down, more civilized 4chan.

 

[Nokiro]

To the people talking about 4chan: you do realize most /v/ hates us right?

 

[Jimmybobjr]

Escapist is Less civilised than Youtube comments, More Civiised than Any Memebase Comments, and about as insane is The Bay12Forums - With less magma, blood, Goblins and Baby Merpeople farming.

 

[retyopy]

Escapist is Less civilised than Youtube comments, More Civiised than Any Memebase Comments, and about as insane is The Bay12Forums - With less magma, blood, Goblins and Baby Merpeople farming.

Less civilised than youtube comments? Really? That's pitiful on our count.

 

[Brutal Peanut]

I'm not sure, I don't actually have much experience with other forums; but I know we are far better then the youtube comments.However, on another thread someone implied because of the way I live I must be a 'fucking lunatic'. Hmm, nope, still better than a majority of YouTube comments.