To those that are in support of this move, and arguing for spaces where "we can just talk about games" I'd ask, what's stopping you now?
This forum is one where a significant amount of political discourse around gaming occurs, but then the majority of what I see is the type of conversation you seem to desire. That of the more tangible elements of games such as mechanics, visuals or whatever. That all still occurs in great volume.
On a forum where political discourse is not banned, these threads of conversation interweave on discussions about a game. Conversations about Cyberpunk will include discussion about the representation of gender as well as those about if the shooting will feel good. One does not preclude the other.
The argument many are making is that the line being drawn is arbitrary. The overarching themes of a game can represent as significant a part of a game as the art style or the loot system. It's down to you which parts of that you personally engage with.
This new forum seems to draw a line in the sand saying "these parts of games cannot be discussed" likely in response to the current political climate, but it's essentially inhibiting conversation about the very same games.
Tl:dr - You can still engage in conversation about a game strictly based on the enjoyment of it without touching on GRAPES already, without those topics being outrightly outlawed. This move simply stifles any conversation about the wider gaming package that doesn't adhere to this arbitrary line.
This forum is one where a significant amount of political discourse around gaming occurs, but then the majority of what I see is the type of conversation you seem to desire. That of the more tangible elements of games such as mechanics, visuals or whatever. That all still occurs in great volume.
On a forum where political discourse is not banned, these threads of conversation interweave on discussions about a game. Conversations about Cyberpunk will include discussion about the representation of gender as well as those about if the shooting will feel good. One does not preclude the other.
The argument many are making is that the line being drawn is arbitrary. The overarching themes of a game can represent as significant a part of a game as the art style or the loot system. It's down to you which parts of that you personally engage with.
This new forum seems to draw a line in the sand saying "these parts of games cannot be discussed" likely in response to the current political climate, but it's essentially inhibiting conversation about the very same games.
Tl:dr - You can still engage in conversation about a game strictly based on the enjoyment of it without touching on GRAPES already, without those topics being outrightly outlawed. This move simply stifles any conversation about the wider gaming package that doesn't adhere to this arbitrary line.