To A Healthier Gaming Community!

[Cendres]

I always enjoy these threads and you are right we should remember that we are talking to other human beings just like us and try to envision ourselves face to face, at least this helps me. However I grew up when forums first appeared and the forum warrior is pretty strong in me, it can be hard to resist a well placed flame or two, it's almost like it's part of the communication process. I can also say that some of my best online battles with people have resulted in lasting online friendships oddly enough. Maybe because we all enjoyed a good debate?

I'm not trying to excuse the behavior but just shedding some understanding on how it happens. :P I'm also a card carrying member of the Bioware network and to that I can honestly say that the social network was the worst thing to happen to our community. When it was just a forum like this one it was fine, and I've known a lot of the same old members from back then and they were all pretty mature intelligent people. Then ME2 blew up the community (or was it DAO?) and we've got too many people to deal with. Like the WoW forums... >.>

This is why a smaller community is a good thing in this respect.

[Hestern_Nestern]

I always enjoy these threads and you are right we should remember that we are talking to other human beings just like us and try to envision ourselves face to face, at least this helps me. However I grew up when forums first appeared and the forum warrior is pretty strong in me, it can be hard to resist a well placed flame or two, it's almost like it's part of the communication process. I can also say that some of my best online battles with people have resulted in lasting online friendships oddly enough. Maybe because we all enjoyed a good debate?

I'm not trying to excuse the behavior but just shedding some understanding on how it happens. :P I'm also a card carrying member of the Bioware network and to that I can honestly say that the social network was the worst thing to happen to our community. When it was just a forum like this one it was fine, and I've known a lot of the same old members from back then and they were all pretty mature intelligent people. Then ME2 blew up the community (or was it DAO?) and we've got too many people to deal with. Like the WoW forums... >.>

This is why a smaller community is a good thing in this respect.

Oh, believe me, I've made my own ifrit-charged responses back in my day. It is a rather amusing truth, I suppose, that IRL I am a very easily annoyed person, despite how understanding I try to be online. But, on the internet, it is so much easier for me, because I can ignore my stronger emotions and focus on giving meaningful responses to other posters. Of course, a mean response is so much quicker to write, as when I am being nice I spend twenty minutes OR MORE on most of my posts just to get the right flow to the thing and also the right intent crafted down.

I am trying to improve the way I approach everyday conversations IRL and I like to use the internet as a way to practice that technique. It seems to be working for me -- well, ever so slowly. Did I mention the ever so slowly bit? Teehee.

Thanks for your post and for allowing me to understand a few things.

Edit: I forgot to say that I have made a few friends through good "debates" as well. It's weird but - hey - sometimes it works. (insert laughing emoticon here)

[Altena]

emo stuff

I am the dead opposite.. I am a kind, gentle, caring soul in RL..

On here I can be a royal arse.

As for repeat threads, I would much rather a page full of threads about completely different topics, over a page full of threads whinging about beta not being out.. That is the sort of level we are hitting at the moment.