the monopoly guy post=18.72558.767416 said:
stompy post=18.72558.764623 said:
Fire Daemon post=18.72558.764509 said:
TheNecroswanson post=18.72558.764472 said:
Well, welcome to the internet, trying to take anything seriously is like trying to tell a rapist to not have sex. It accomplishes very little.
Gone are the days when the Escapist was different to the rest of the Internet.
It's a shame. I suppose that's what happens when you get a massive community, instead of the tight-knit one. I suppose that's how Cheeze and werepossum feel about the likes of me...
As for the topic, I suppose it's because of human nature.
Maybe, and this is just a thought, there could be a badge, and it would be a vault. It would be given to notable intelligent posters. The badge would serve a purpose though; people that have it have access to "The Vault" a forum topic like gaming discussion and user reviews, where the notable posters could...well post.
That sounds kind of elitist I know but this way the people that actually want to have an intelligent conversation can have one.
While I admit that made my nipples hard for a moment, I see four immediate problems with it. First, someone has to choose WHO is making intelligent posts. That's hard to do without making a bit of an echo chamber, as the normal human condition is to attribute more intelligence to those who agree with you. Second, some people may seem like total tools on one topic, but quite intelligent in another. Third, if you move the intelligent conversation into a vault, there's no reason for intelligent people to hang around
The Escapist long enough to get into the vault. That leads to a slow death by attrition. And fourth and most important, the Internet in general and gaming sites in particular attract a young clientèle. Young people evolve quickly, especially given good examples. We've seen posters of dubious quality turn into intelligent, serious conversationalists with good points. Excluding those who make less than intelligent points leads to excluding people who are in fact intelligent, but are used to a different style of forum.
Wilson and Nilcypher have elected to have a slightly more relaxed, slightly more friendly attitude toward the banhammer in order to grow the site. From what I've seen, it's worked pretty well. Most of the intelligent posters I first saw a year ago are still here, whilst numerous newer but also intelligent posters have joined. True, you have to wade through more silliness, but overall I'd say
The Escapist has improved. It remains a place where I can go to see well-framed arguments from fiery young Marxists like Labyrinth without actually having to hang out with them, which would be time-consuming and kind of creepy.
Also, I keep picturing a woman when I think of Joe. Have I totally lost my mind?
