-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
It feels like it's getting harder to discuss thing calmly in the gaming community
- Thread starter TheEchosOfTheCyborg
- Start date
- Status
Agree totally OP. Some threads pushed people out for any dissagrement but with a poll showed opposite results. Certain groups push people out and try to be the loudest. Polls showed me the majority does not agree.
The gotcha threads pushed me away from this place. My opinion, this place is worse than the old one. Only a certain type of poster is welcome here. They push this as the mainstream.
Topic comes up agree or ban. Agree or dog pile.
Sekiro hard mode thread turning into people hating others with Dissabilities was the end of taking this place seriously.
First thread had pole that backfired on the fake outrage. Then when it died new thread same thing no pole worded differently pops up.
Same posters shout and push point as fact but with no poll to show true forum concensis. It's a joke.
The gotcha threads pushed me away from this place. My opinion, this place is worse than the old one. Only a certain type of poster is welcome here. They push this as the mainstream.
Topic comes up agree or ban. Agree or dog pile.
Sekiro hard mode thread turning into people hating others with Dissabilities was the end of taking this place seriously.
First thread had pole that backfired on the fake outrage. Then when it died new thread same thing no pole worded differently pops up.
Same posters shout and push point as fact but with no poll to show true forum concensis. It's a joke.
I think the average age of users here is fairly low, so the amount of people that dice right into each of your points is high.
Great point. Everything is either the greatest of all time or trash. I puke in my mouth every time I read "naughty gods"
That's the Attention Economy for you. Nuanced opinions don't generate clicks.
Yes I completely agree with you. It's almost easier to post joke takes than your actual opinion
I'm feeling the same way, op. The general nastiness and dog piling has gotten bad. It seems like people are substituting piling on as insight. Everybody HAS to be right and won't let it go. Reminds me of dealing with my teenager but on a much larger scale.
I hate to say it, because I generally agree with the consensus here most of the time, but this is a major, serious problem, across both boards.
Certain things can't be tolerated- such as bigotry/homophobia/racism/transphobia/etc- but folks are getting slammed for acting in good faith here. This place has grown too intolerant of nuance in views.
Last edited:
I agree.
Nowadays it is actually quite exhausting to read this forum: there is a lot of rage around here.
Between the narrow minded views, the dog piling, the mobs, the accusations and the like, it's becoming hard to engage.
Thankfully i've been putting threads on the ignore list, which helps a little, but is is a patch more than anything else.
Nowadays it is actually quite exhausting to read this forum: there is a lot of rage around here.
Between the narrow minded views, the dog piling, the mobs, the accusations and the like, it's becoming hard to engage.
Thankfully i've been putting threads on the ignore list, which helps a little, but is is a patch more than anything else.
That's how I've felt since a very long time.
There's no room left for discussions. If your opinion isn't with the hive-mind, then automatically you face a highly-likely chance of getting banned as well. Has happened to me too. I think it was a month's ban. I didn't attack anyone or fight with anyone. Was just trying to talk about a few controversial topics, where my opinion fell in the "Oh no, he supports racists so let's just report him and ban him."
Anyway, I too do what many people have already said in this thread - use the ignore function.
But that isn't a way out. You're not helping change the current cancel culture. You're only ignoring it, just looking away. So... I dunno. I really don't know what needs to be done to get this forum into a more friendlier place to discuss even the most controversial topics. Sometimes, people have different opinions, even if they don't align with yours. As long as it's civil and you're not hurting anyone, you shouldn't be dog-piled on or labelled names.
There's no room left for discussions. If your opinion isn't with the hive-mind, then automatically you face a highly-likely chance of getting banned as well. Has happened to me too. I think it was a month's ban. I didn't attack anyone or fight with anyone. Was just trying to talk about a few controversial topics, where my opinion fell in the "Oh no, he supports racists so let's just report him and ban him."
Anyway, I too do what many people have already said in this thread - use the ignore function.
But that isn't a way out. You're not helping change the current cancel culture. You're only ignoring it, just looking away. So... I dunno. I really don't know what needs to be done to get this forum into a more friendlier place to discuss even the most controversial topics. Sometimes, people have different opinions, even if they don't align with yours. As long as it's civil and you're not hurting anyone, you shouldn't be dog-piled on or labelled names.
You're absolutely right OP. I've been guilty of posting snarky posts in the past when I saw something silly but I've stopped. All I was doing was just adding to same kind of shitty discourse that I complain about all the time. The internet is just such a horrible place to argue and trying add any nuance in a discussion feels impossible.
Is there a way to stop this though? I feel like acknowledging the issue isn't enough. The situation is going to keep getting worse. Maybe we should brainstorm and propose forum-wide policies to the administration?
User banned (1 week): inflammatory community generalizations
The problem with Era specifically is that in an attempt to prove how woke they are, people often argue against points you never even brought up. They want an argument, not a discussion.
More than once I've posted something and gotten a reply from someone arguing against shit I never even said because rather than engaging in an actual discussion, people on here just want to argue and prove how right they are and how wrong you are if you don't share every single one of their beliefs.
I always have and still do believe that I'm an extremely liberal and left leaning person but honestly this site just exhausts me and embarrasses me sometimes. It's full of hypocrites who just want any excuse to "cancel" another human being who doesn't live up to the impossibly perfect standards they've set.
I've really grown to dislike this site over time. People here rag on NeoGaf, and while I'd never post there again, at least there simply having an opinion isn't enough to get you banned. The moderation here is terrible, you can catch a ban for simply not being liberal enough, and as a liberal, that's some bullshit. You're not liberal at all if you feel the need to ban and exile everyone who shares an opinion you don't agree with.
More than once I've posted something and gotten a reply from someone arguing against shit I never even said because rather than engaging in an actual discussion, people on here just want to argue and prove how right they are and how wrong you are if you don't share every single one of their beliefs.
I always have and still do believe that I'm an extremely liberal and left leaning person but honestly this site just exhausts me and embarrasses me sometimes. It's full of hypocrites who just want any excuse to "cancel" another human being who doesn't live up to the impossibly perfect standards they've set.
I've really grown to dislike this site over time. People here rag on NeoGaf, and while I'd never post there again, at least there simply having an opinion isn't enough to get you banned. The moderation here is terrible, you can catch a ban for simply not being liberal enough, and as a liberal, that's some bullshit. You're not liberal at all if you feel the need to ban and exile everyone who shares an opinion you don't agree with.
Thanks OP for this thread.
I've noticed the same here, that discussions end in arguments and that the tone is rough.
I still remember when I made the Control review thread and wrote that the reviews are a mixed bag, there were two posts which quoted me and they wrote that in an tone like, a rating of 85 is a mixed bag now, I even read that with a weird undertone, not sure if this was intentional by those who quoted me, I even apologised for it but, the case that I wrote it was a mixed bag, was seen as, your opinion is weird, especially I only seen the 4/10 review, and I regeted that I even wrote that.
There are a lot of snarky posts, drive by posts, or sometimes posts which are not in good faith.
I was really happy when ERA was created, but the community in here, got worse over the time, I still hope this is just a phase and changes sooner or later.
I've noticed the same here, that discussions end in arguments and that the tone is rough.
I still remember when I made the Control review thread and wrote that the reviews are a mixed bag, there were two posts which quoted me and they wrote that in an tone like, a rating of 85 is a mixed bag now, I even read that with a weird undertone, not sure if this was intentional by those who quoted me, I even apologised for it but, the case that I wrote it was a mixed bag, was seen as, your opinion is weird, especially I only seen the 4/10 review, and I regeted that I even wrote that.
There are a lot of snarky posts, drive by posts, or sometimes posts which are not in good faith.
I was really happy when ERA was created, but the community in here, got worse over the time, I still hope this is just a phase and changes sooner or later.
Every internet forum is like this OP sadly , but you should never be afraid to post your opinions about a game you like/dislike , not everyone will agree with you and those who attack other people over something trivial like a game are sad people OP, no need to take those kinds of comments seriously.
It's not just gaming, and it's not just this place either.
It's the whole 2000 internet culture where everyone thinks they know better.
When your audience is the whole world, you'll find supporters for any idea and theory, and with enough supporters, any theory starts to look like the truth.
Forums aren't the place where you go to exchange opinions and maybe change yours anymore; they are just another place where you can get your "likes".
And it only takes a few to turn some people into arrogant little shits who don't need to question themselves.
It quickly esclalates into mob mentality vs mob mentality.
It's the whole 2000 internet culture where everyone thinks they know better.
When your audience is the whole world, you'll find supporters for any idea and theory, and with enough supporters, any theory starts to look like the truth.
Forums aren't the place where you go to exchange opinions and maybe change yours anymore; they are just another place where you can get your "likes".
And it only takes a few to turn some people into arrogant little shits who don't need to question themselves.
It quickly esclalates into mob mentality vs mob mentality.
Yup, I agree OP. I've done my best to curb how much time I spend here because it's largely just exhausting, and I rarely come out feeling fulfilled or like i had a worthwhile conversation. There are diamonds in the rough, and great people here, but I have become VERY liberal with that ignore button, both for threads and users. I feel like adding the Ignoring threads feature has been the single biggest reason I haven't been pushed away from the site completely. Too often I'd go into a thread I know would be shitty, feel tempted to contribute to the shitty discussion with another shitty take that doesn't contribute anything to a shitty discourse.
My genuine advice is to find a browser extension that limits your time here to an hour a day, or will block the site during certain times of day. It sounds corny, but it's gone a long way to keep me able to enjoy my time here. And honestly, you don't miss anything. No discussion here is unmissable.
My genuine advice is to find a browser extension that limits your time here to an hour a day, or will block the site during certain times of day. It sounds corny, but it's gone a long way to keep me able to enjoy my time here. And honestly, you don't miss anything. No discussion here is unmissable.
My idea, have a elected Community Council, similar to what Sufficient Velocity has, where elected users discuss things like this with the staff, and can push for reductions/removal of bans.
It's going to take accepting input from outside the mods, and perhaps some public criticism of practices.
I adblocked blacklisted the entirety of the other site long before the schism leading to the creation of this one purely because of the dogpiling and bad faith arguments. I engage minimally in this site for the same reason.
After the last couple of days, I finally started doing it. Never ignored anyone on any forum in over two decades of posting on the Internet, but I finally had to. The negativity and non-stop hatred from some people was just getting to me. So far have 25 on ignore and, while it's not something to be proud of, it has made my browsing experience here quite a bit better.
This is the only site I use ignore users and ignore threads feature, there's the regular bunch that love to derail threads and go without any warning/ban.
People WANT to argue. That's why they're here and what's why they're the most active. No discussions, just arguments.
They may not come out and say it, but it's what entertains them the most.
They may not come out and say it, but it's what entertains them the most.
Honestly, between the lack of nuance discussions and the constant trolling as of late(in epic threads especially) make me avoid this place more and more and if I do come here it's for communities threads. At times this place is just a fancier GameFaqs.
Yup. Totally agree. Just because one has a valid dissenting opinion seems to just toss a powder keg down the hallway. And then that one person gets called everything under the sun. It didn't used to be too bad in the past but in today's social climate you get thrown to a bunch of rapid wolves with little to no discourse.
I remember when the "old place" went to shit and this community was formed. I was pretty excited about that. I thought that ERA would take the good, ditch the bad, and make a better place overall for everyone to come and discuss games. I bought into the philosophy that ERA was built as a community that welcomes everyone with open arms and keeps the nasty, hateful people out. In reality this place turned into something that isn't much better than the old place was. To be honest, I still have yet to find an online community that does accomplish that and I'm starting to think there never will be due to how people act online. Sucks.
I like ERA, don't get me wrong, but a lot of the time I read through these threads and shake my head and wish people would be better. Just posting this alone made me nervous about being attacked, and that's a shame.
I like ERA, don't get me wrong, but a lot of the time I read through these threads and shake my head and wish people would be better. Just posting this alone made me nervous about being attacked, and that's a shame.
This place is fantastic for game discussion but as a general rule I will never post about anything even remotely political here because frankly it's not worth the bother. I will say one shitty thing I've noticed is people in threads saying things like "...says the troll with only 80 posts. Nice alt account, troll."
Like really? I've been here for months and I barely have like 60 posts because I try to think and write carefully and contribute to the convo, but there are plenty of people who would completely dismiss me because of it. It's the worst kind of gatekeeping.
Like really? I've been here for months and I barely have like 60 posts because I try to think and write carefully and contribute to the convo, but there are plenty of people who would completely dismiss me because of it. It's the worst kind of gatekeeping.
It's really horrible. Just like the "junior member" hate people used to engage in on GAF a long time ago. As if you need to have made a certain number of shitposts to get your count up before you can be considered not a troll.
I've been around gaming forums for the past 20-ish years but have only been on the receiving end of a dog-pile once, which was here on Era. Since then and like you, I limit my interactions to simple posts or problem-solving. For a forum that promotes inclusiveness it really feels like making a post is sticking your neck out.
I had more to say, but I re-wrote it about 30 times then decided to delete it because I don't know if I'm going to upset someone (a user or mod) - a sentiment that, looking up, seems depressingly common.
We all thought that for about a week, then the slow realization came that if you bring all the same people to a different forum, things probably won't change much haha
This is against our posting guidelines and something we do moderate, if you see posts like this, kindly report them.
Yeah I noticed this too. I've been lurking old neogaf for many years and I'm lurking ERA from the begining. I don't really have time to argue all the time and dogpile on people so my post count isn't 9999 posts.
Those people will still point at you and call you a troll because lmao look at this dude he only has 80 posts, must be troll account.
Yeah I'm basically afraid to post now and won't really be active in the future. I made an excited comment about Tetris coming to PC finally a few weeks ago, and since it was in a thread discussing the fact that the game didn't release on one specific store front.. apparently an onslaught of users reported my post as trolling. Literally a post saying "I'm pumped to finally have this game in VR." Keep in mind it was basically the only active Tetris thread since the real release is a year old. I mean, the fact that apparently multiple people reported that post which I made in complete sincerity and excitement tells me that there is absolutely something going awry here. I still think about it. It makes no sense. Extremely questionable behavior.
Hell as a member of the LGBTQ+ community it seems like this forum should be especially suited to me. I don't consider a place a safe haven because frankly if I have a different opinion or if I'm ~gasp~ wrong there could be 3 pages dedicated to calling me subhuman.
Huh, do you really expect 10 people to reply "how dare you" to that post? :D
Unless you only have right wing political views there's no need to stay back from political discussions though. I engage frequently in political threads, despite not even being a native English speaker - so far I've not been into trouble and can't see anything contrary happening either. Plus everyone on the site started with a low post count at some point. Like what kind of controversial stuff made people say that you're a troll? I'm genuinely curious.
No one has ever called me a troll here, and I've never said anything controversial unless it's about how garbage I thought MGSV was. I was just relaying something I'd noticed. I'm also not right wing in the slightest, but the fact that that's what you're implying from me saying "I don't post about politics on this video game forum" is kind of exactly what this thread is about. I didn't say "keep politics out of video games," I don't think politics should be banned from discussion, but engaging in political debate doesn't personally interest me here in this particular venue, and that was enough for you to imply I "only have right wing political views" and that I must be salty because I've stirred up shit here when that couldn't be further from the truth.
Last edited:
yup, it is very tiring, even for users like me that do not post a lot and mostly look for info and impressions, and resetera imo is far worse than the old place, maybe it is just because everything is worse and not because of the forum, but that is my personal impression.
And with a next generation incoming , things are probably going to get tougher
And with a next generation incoming , things are probably going to get tougher
I think the OP and alot of posters are really overselling these issues. I read alot more than posting an have come across some of this stuffs being talked about so, ya it is a thing. But its super not enveloping an crushing the whole forum. Theres waaaay to many threads where this stuffs just plain completely absent for that ta be true.
There should've been an age point of entry to this forum when it first started. I've said it before you must disclose your age and it should be posted under your avatar. I have just over a hundred posts on here in what, almost two years because what's the point in discussion if no one responds to a discussion post if the last 100 posts are dog piling on one user saying the same thing.
Except that, for a lot of people, the definition of "right wing political views" has been ever expanding over the last few years to encompass more and more people with traditionally not-right wing views.
Last edited:
True to an almost comical degree. Then shit gets too black and white for there to even be a meaningful discussion of anything, though most arguments aren't even on topic.
If you add a mod to ignore and they tell you to knock something off, people will just use that as an excuse when they get punished for continuing on
non-starter to add staff to ignore, that's never been a thing anywhere I've been
I'm sorry, I didn't want to step on your toes. I was genuinely curious and didn't imply anything. To me your post sounded like you got ridiculed for a low post count and I thought you couldn't express your political views, so I just misunderstood your post then.
Sorry but I disagree with you on this point.
It's okay, I'm sorry I rushed to defend myself. Our little exchange is another reason I don't like to discuss heavy things on random online forums, without nuance and context I took your genuinely curious question too personally and responded a little too aggressively.
- Status