This is a private site and their internal rules and tolerance also changes as the staff changes. There is also a problem with all the manner in which things have become issues nowadays like digging around past posts, videos and information about people and then making them take responsibility for those things decades later.
It makes it difficult to moderate and in some ways if their staff is limited I think their mode of handling it also is confined to causing them the least problems. I cannot decide honestly what should be done when individuals have no desire to follow the rules or skirt them and manage to post egregious nonsense.
Stealth deleting is pretty bad too as opposed to a complete lockdown of a thread.
The argument about reasoning with them on here last occurred when we were talking about the pandemic last year I think. I think it worked there, we had a poster telling us that those dying were just part of the normal deaths each year due to respiratory disease. We tore that apart for all to see. That is the way to handle it, but it can start forum wars which start to undermine how rational and reasonable you sound if you are not careful.
Yes EXACTLY. That's the right way to do it.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
That's the scary future we head to in our world, where people (including journalists) feel absolutely justified in censoring what is said, demonizing different viewpoints and controlling all discussion.
You mean just like the old pre-internet world when the only feedback was the "letters to the editor" they cherrypicked and printed?
I dunno. That somewhat pre-dates me, but my recollection is that many of these Letters published, or at least SOME of them, were rebuttals. I do not recall 100% echo chambers where only letters that agreed were posted but... maybe?
Totally depended on the newspaper and their editorial policy - some did it with integrity and some didn't but they all did it with either conscious or unconscious editorial bias.
The biggest difference though was that the printed letters were well written and well reasoned more often than not. There were no "You suck. Stick an ice pick in your eye" crazy shit.
These days everyone has a digital megaphone and the percentage of well reasoned speech vs. the lunatic ravings we can't help but hear, I would guess is 1 in 100 or even lower.
I'm tired of sickos and morons screaming their vile ravings in my ear.
I think it very much depends on the newspaper (some still do letters to the editor) or the TV channel when they used to ask for emails if you remember that? You are right, the letters were and are better written.
There are a few reasons for that, age and what has become acceptable today and "free post". Teens did not right letters to the FT, but they are all over social media now and the standards of behaviour we could expect all ages to hold to have fallen. It is not about anonymity, you could send in an anonymous letter, it is about what is seen as acceptable today. That said people did send what were often called "crank letters", but they were rare compared to the deluge we have today. Of course another factor is you had to pay to send a letter, these days you don't online.
Just like we had far less "wxyz" rage on the street we did not get it when people communicated, now we do. Also social media has become the go to place to become indignant, rant, complain and get outraged, a habitual use is already imbedded.
The argument about reasoning with them on here last occurred when we were talking about the pandemic last year I think. I think it worked there, we had a poster telling us that those dying were just part of the normal deaths each year due to respiratory disease. We tore that apart for all to see. That is the way to handle it, but it can start forum wars which start to undermine how rational and reasonable you sound if you are not careful.
In all fairness on that last part, here in the states our leaders were downplaying the virus with some even comparing it to annual flu virus rates so not surprising some brought that "reasoning" to this site to say similar.
Heck, our leaders are still downplaying the virus. Just yesterday Florida announced it's highest single day number of new covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. (1 in 5 cases in the US are in FL)
Our governor Ricky D doubled down, signing his executive order preventing schools from requiring children to wear masks, leaving it up to the discretion of the parents.
Talk about having to die to maintain our freedoms, children under a certain age can't even get the vaccine yet as it hasn't been approved.
School here starts back again in 3 weeks, God help them all.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Yeah well even as they are hooked up to a ventilator and having difficulty breathing they are insisting it is the flu. There is nothing you can do to dissuade a person from their beliefs short of them dying from it.
That's the scary future we head to in our world, where people (including journalists) feel absolutely justified in censoring what is said, demonizing different viewpoints and controlling all discussion.
You mean just like the old pre-internet world when the only feedback was the "letters to the editor" they cherrypicked and printed?
I dunno. That somewhat pre-dates me, but my recollection is that many of these Letters published, or at least SOME of them, were rebuttals. I do not recall 100% echo chambers where only letters that agreed were posted but... maybe?
Totally depended on the newspaper and their editorial policy - some did it with integrity and some didn't but they all did it with either conscious or unconscious editorial bias.
The biggest difference though was that the printed letters were well written and well reasoned more often than not. There were no "You suck. Stick an ice pick in your eye" crazy shit.
These days everyone has a digital megaphone and the percentage of well reasoned speech vs. the lunatic ravings we can't help but hear, I would guess is 1 in 100 or even lower.
I'm tired of sickos and morons screaming their vile ravings in my ear.
I think it very much depends on the newspaper (some still do letters to the editor) or the TV channel when they used to ask for emails if you remember that? You are right, the letters were and are better written.
There are a few reasons for that, age and what has become acceptable today and "free post". Teens did not right letters to the FT, but they are all over social media now and the standards of behaviour we could expect all ages to hold to have fallen. It is not about anonymity, you could send in an anonymous letter, it is about what is seen as acceptable today. That said people did send what were often called "crank letters", but they were rare compared to the deluge we have today. Of course another factor is you had to pay to send a letter, these days you don't online.
Just like we had far less "wxyz" rage on the street we did not get it when people communicated, now we do. Also social media has become the go to place to become indignant, rant, complain and get outraged, a habitual use is already imbedded.
The argument about reasoning with them on here last occurred when we were talking about the pandemic last year I think. I think it worked there, we had a poster telling us that those dying were just part of the normal deaths each year due to respiratory disease. We tore that apart for all to see. That is the way to handle it, but it can start forum wars which start to undermine how rational and reasonable you sound if you are not careful.
In all fairness on that last part, here in the states our leaders were downplaying the virus with some even comparing it to annual flu virus rates so not surprising some brought that "reasoning" to this site to say similar.
Heck, our leaders are still downplaying the virus. Just yesterday Florida announced it's highest single day number of new covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. (1 in 5 cases in the US are in FL)
Our governor Ricky D doubled down, signing his executive order preventing schools from requiring children to wear masks, leaving it up to the discretion of the parents.
Talk about having to die to maintain our freedoms, children under a certain age can't even get the vaccine yet as it hasn't been approved.
School here starts back again in 3 weeks, God help them all.
Ok now we are getting political; there is a huge tension now between getting back to normal and taking prudent measures while that's done. The main reason for kids to wear masks of course is to prevent onward transmission they rarely get seriously ill, but it does sound like mixed messages are being given, we have that here to. We are moving into a time where it is harder to be sure what the correct measures should be, personally I don't think people should be travelling outside their country except for business until this autumn.
We are meant to avoid politics on here, so I won't say any more about this. One way to self moderate is to do one post then stop yourself, so that's what I am doing.
They definitely do. I will not even read the comments section any more because I watched comment after comment of posters be invisibly deleted. The only time I read the comments is if it's related to Camelot Unchained because for some reason Jacobs used to post over there. It's actually quite ironic now that I think about how Bree handled the Jacobs interview by touting her "journalistic integrity" while at the same time, stealth deleting comments that she disagreed with. That's the scary future we head to in our world, where people (including journalists) feel absolutely justified in censoring what is said, demonizing different viewpoints and controlling all discussion.
Yes, Jacob's comments were always a highlight. But I think he'll think twice now after Bree was so obnoxious. She was downright hostile in the comment section just because the interview didn't work out.
That's the scary future we head to in our world, where people (including journalists) feel absolutely justified in censoring what is said, demonizing different viewpoints and controlling all discussion.
You mean just like the old pre-internet world when the only feedback was the "letters to the editor" they cherrypicked and printed?
I dunno. That somewhat pre-dates me, but my recollection is that many of these Letters published, or at least SOME of them, were rebuttals. I do not recall 100% echo chambers where only letters that agreed were posted but... maybe?
Totally depended on the newspaper and their editorial policy - some did it with integrity and some didn't but they all did it with either conscious or unconscious editorial bias.
The biggest difference though was that the printed letters were well written and well reasoned more often than not. There were no "You suck. Stick an ice pick in your eye" crazy shit.
These days everyone has a digital megaphone and the percentage of well reasoned speech vs. the lunatic ravings we can't help but hear, I would guess is 1 in 100 or even lower.
I'm tired of sickos and morons screaming their vile ravings in my ear.
I think it very much depends on the newspaper (some still do letters to the editor) or the TV channel when they used to ask for emails if you remember that? You are right, the letters were and are better written.
There are a few reasons for that, age and what has become acceptable today and "free post". Teens did not right letters to the FT, but they are all over social media now and the standards of behaviour we could expect all ages to hold to have fallen. It is not about anonymity, you could send in an anonymous letter, it is about what is seen as acceptable today. That said people did send what were often called "crank letters", but they were rare compared to the deluge we have today. Of course another factor is you had to pay to send a letter, these days you don't online.
Just like we had far less "wxyz" rage on the street we did not get it when people communicated, now we do. Also social media has become the go to place to become indignant, rant, complain and get outraged, a habitual use is already imbedded.
The argument about reasoning with them on here last occurred when we were talking about the pandemic last year I think. I think it worked there, we had a poster telling us that those dying were just part of the normal deaths each year due to respiratory disease. We tore that apart for all to see. That is the way to handle it, but it can start forum wars which start to undermine how rational and reasonable you sound if you are not careful.
In all fairness on that last part, here in the states our leaders were downplaying the virus with some even comparing it to annual flu virus rates so not surprising some brought that "reasoning" to this site to say similar.
Heck, our leaders are still downplaying the virus. Just yesterday Florida announced it's highest single day number of new covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. (1 in 5 cases in the US are in FL)
Our governor Ricky D doubled down, signing his executive order preventing schools from requiring children to wear masks, leaving it up to the discretion of the parents.
Talk about having to die to maintain our freedoms, children under a certain age can't even get the vaccine yet as it hasn't been approved.
School here starts back again in 3 weeks, God help them all.
Ok now we are getting political; there is a huge tension now between getting back to normal and taking prudent measures while that's done. The main reason for kids to wear masks of course is to prevent onward transmission they rarely get seriously ill, but it does sound like mixed messages are being given, we have that here to. We are moving into a time where it is harder to be sure what the correct measures should be, personally I don't think people should be travelling outside their country except for business until this autumn.
We are meant to avoid politics on here, so I won't say any more about this. One way to self moderate is to do one post then stop yourself, so that's what I am doing.
Since you brought the subject up technically this is your second post.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
They definitely do. I will not even read the comments section any more because I watched comment after comment of posters be invisibly deleted. The only time I read the comments is if it's related to Camelot Unchained because for some reason Jacobs used to post over there. It's actually quite ironic now that I think about how Bree handled the Jacobs interview by touting her "journalistic integrity" while at the same time, stealth deleting comments that she disagreed with. That's the scary future we head to in our world, where people (including journalists) feel absolutely justified in censoring what is said, demonizing different viewpoints and controlling all discussion.
Yes, Jacob's comments were always a highlight. But I think he'll think twice now after Bree was so obnoxious. She was downright hostile in the comment section just because the interview didn't work out.
Bree was obnoxious? Hey, the less coverage CU and Mark get, the better for everyone.
As said in the Who's Tommy, "let's forget you better still."
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
They definitely do. I will not even read the comments section any more because I watched comment after comment of posters be invisibly deleted. The only time I read the comments is if it's related to Camelot Unchained because for some reason Jacobs used to post over there. It's actually quite ironic now that I think about how Bree handled the Jacobs interview by touting her "journalistic integrity" while at the same time, stealth deleting comments that she disagreed with. That's the scary future we head to in our world, where people (including journalists) feel absolutely justified in censoring what is said, demonizing different viewpoints and controlling all discussion.
Yes, Jacob's comments were always a highlight. But I think he'll think twice now after Bree was so obnoxious. She was downright hostile in the comment section just because the interview didn't work out.
There was a time MJ used to post here too. That was a long time ago. I think it stopped probably around the time Warhammer Online started going south.
I think the problem is that, here, negative comments are far less likely to get swatted away, whereas at MOP they do stealth delete them. It might make that site more "friendly" to developers who are looking at the site from the outside, but it's really more about stopping people from posting what they want.
To me this site is all about the good articles
which has not changed and the comments which has changed. So I will not now
read any articles I cannot comment on, this is not some sort of protest, this
is not some sort of sit in or whatever.
I would have agreed a few years ago, but my perspective has changed.
I agree it's important to have places for open discussion. These forums have been great, it's a really great bunch of frequent posters, most of whom are genuinely knowledgeable about the gaming industry. I've learned so much coming here - from game design ideas, to monetisation, high-level business practises and all sorts of hardware tips.
At the same time, I feel people these days are just not open to discussion most of the time. This is way less common on these forums, but you do get the situations where it quickly turns into "You are an idiot because you think X", instead of "I think Y and it's different to X in this way".
I'm sure we all have a lot to say about the Blizzard story. And I'd be keen to hear some people's opinions on how to design better corporate structures. I think many people here are well qualified to discuss those things. But I can almost guarantee the comment section of those articles would devolve into political attacks way before we could have an insightful chat about anything.
So all in all, it's probably a fair call to not have comments at all. As much as I care about free speech and learning from each other, it's probably better to have comment sections open on topics where genuine discussions can happen, and save us all time with threads that have a 95% chance of going way off topic in less than 5 posts.
I would have agreed a few years ago, but my perspective has changed.
I agree it's important to have places for open discussion. These forums have been great, it's a really great bunch of frequent posters, most of whom are genuinely knowledgeable about the gaming industry. I've learned so much coming here - from game design ideas, to monetisation, high-level business practises and all sorts of hardware tips.
At the same time, I feel people these days are just not open to discussion most of the time. This is way less common on these forums, but you do get the situations where it quickly turns into "You are an idiot because you think X", instead of "I think Y and it's different to X in this way".
I'm sure we all have a lot to say about the Blizzard story. And I'd be keen to hear some people's opinions on how to design better corporate structures. I think many people here are well qualified to discuss those things. But I can almost guarantee the comment section of those articles would devolve into political attacks way before we could have an insightful chat about anything.
So all in all, it's probably a fair call to not have comments at all. As much as I care about free speech and learning from each other, it's probably better to have comment sections open on topics where genuine discussions can happen, and save us all time with threads that have a 95% chance of going way off topic in less than 5 posts.
I see what you are getting at, like I said the old way was not great, just better than no comments in my eyes. The problem with identifying where "genuine discussions" won't happen is you will get "controversy creep", that's a natural administrative process. Using a system where you have decided you need to be cautious about anything you will end up deciding to be more and more cautious. In the same way that health and safety has expanded, once you start down that road there is no end to the journey.
Even back when I did that repetition of the article in the Pub, Mike said some of the comments went over the line. I was surprised, I thought we had shown that we can have discourse without war as it were. Though you may have seen the quickly shut down comments on the first articles in the Activision series, we hardly held our end up, some of the posts were way out there.
Just something to think about, if "political attacks" stifle debate, where does that leave society? I don't think there were as many posts that could be characterised in that way as some of you do, but clearly some were. To me that's just the wrong way to address the problem, for me this is not about free speech by the way, it is about what is the best way to resolve differences of opinion in any area of society.
You of all people, who spend a lot of your time telling posters to calm down and act like adults should know why articles about gaming companies that broach social subjects, employment conditions or politics have been locked for comment.
Why is it that MMORPG.com is an entity that can do as they please (censor speech, however bad and terrible it may be), but any other business can not (supposed working conditions, benefits, salary, mandatory health procedures)?
Why is stating one's "opinion" only "bad/wrong" when it disagrees with "yours?"
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse. - FARGIN_WAR
You of all people, who spend a lot of your time telling posters to calm down and act like adults should know why articles about gaming companies that broach social subjects, employment conditions or politics have been locked for comment.
Why is it that MMORPG.com is an entity that can do as they please (censor speech, however bad and terrible it may be), but any other business can not (supposed working conditions, benefits, salary, mandatory health procedures)?
Why is stating one's "opinion" only "bad/wrong" when it disagrees with "yours?"
Not understanding your point, every social media platform censors what they wish, not just MMORPG.com
In the context I think you are asking, stating an opinion can be considered detrimental if inflammatory, off topic, or otherwise undesirable by the site's owners.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
That's the scary future we head to in our world, where people (including journalists) feel absolutely justified in censoring what is said, demonizing different viewpoints and controlling all discussion.
You mean just like the old pre-internet world when the only feedback was the "letters to the editor" they cherrypicked and printed?
I dunno. That somewhat pre-dates me, but my recollection is that many of these Letters published, or at least SOME of them, were rebuttals. I do not recall 100% echo chambers where only letters that agreed were posted but... maybe?
Totally depended on the newspaper and their editorial policy - some did it with integrity and some didn't but they all did it with either conscious or unconscious editorial bias.
The biggest difference though was that the printed letters were well written and well reasoned more often than not. There were no "You suck. Stick an ice pick in your eye" crazy shit.
These days everyone has a digital megaphone and the percentage of well reasoned speech vs. the lunatic ravings we can't help but hear, I would guess is 1 in 100 or even lower.
I'm tired of sickos and morons screaming their vile ravings in my ear.
Maybe. But the benefit NOW is that on a site like this, with the click of a button you won't ever hear that sicko or moron raving again. I've had to give someone a year long time out. Might do it again. I actually prefer when someone I disagree with starts making moronic statements. Let the world see that raving for themselves. Often the most effective argument is to let someone expose themselves. Maybe I give our fellow posters too much credit but I assume that when someone posts moronic ravings that everyone can see it and that just reinforces the reasons why their argument is wrong. We should ALL be capable of critical thinking.
Yet you want to "silence" them so no one else can see their "sick and twisted" views? You can moderate yourself, by blocking specific posters. Why do you want them silenced when you can do it for your own self interest?
Personally, as I've said many times before, let the "racists" and other undesirables speak their stupidity. Let them be known
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse. - FARGIN_WAR
You of all people, who spend a lot of your time telling posters to calm down and act like adults should know why articles about gaming companies that broach social subjects, employment conditions or politics have been locked for comment.
Why is it that MMORPG.com is an entity that can do as they please (censor speech, however bad and terrible it may be), but any other business can not (supposed working conditions, benefits, salary, mandatory health procedures)?
Why is stating one's "opinion" only "bad/wrong" when it disagrees with "yours?"
Not understanding your point, every social media platform censors what they wish, not just MMORPG.com
In the context I think you are asking, stating an opinion can be considered detrimental if inflammatory, off topic, or otherwise undesirable by the site's owners.
Their house, their rules.
Wasn't the "Blizzard" article about how Blizzard decided to run their own company?
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse. - FARGIN_WAR
You of all people, who spend a lot of your time telling posters to calm down and act like adults should know why articles about gaming companies that broach social subjects, employment conditions or politics have been locked for comment.
Why is it that MMORPG.com is an entity that can do as they please (censor speech, however bad and terrible it may be), but any other business can not (supposed working conditions, benefits, salary, mandatory health procedures)?
Why is stating one's "opinion" only "bad/wrong" when it disagrees with "yours?"
You're seriously trying to put this site locking comment on some topics on the same level as institutional abuse of employees by an employer?
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
That's the scary future we head to in our world, where people (including journalists) feel absolutely justified in censoring what is said, demonizing different viewpoints and controlling all discussion.
You mean just like the old pre-internet world when the only feedback was the "letters to the editor" they cherrypicked and printed?
I dunno. That somewhat pre-dates me, but my recollection is that many of these Letters published, or at least SOME of them, were rebuttals. I do not recall 100% echo chambers where only letters that agreed were posted but... maybe?
Totally depended on the newspaper and their editorial policy - some did it with integrity and some didn't but they all did it with either conscious or unconscious editorial bias.
The biggest difference though was that the printed letters were well written and well reasoned more often than not. There were no "You suck. Stick an ice pick in your eye" crazy shit.
These days everyone has a digital megaphone and the percentage of well reasoned speech vs. the lunatic ravings we can't help but hear, I would guess is 1 in 100 or even lower.
I'm tired of sickos and morons screaming their vile ravings in my ear.
Maybe. But the benefit NOW is that on a site like this, with the click of a button you won't ever hear that sicko or moron raving again. I've had to give someone a year long time out. Might do it again. I actually prefer when someone I disagree with starts making moronic statements. Let the world see that raving for themselves. Often the most effective argument is to let someone expose themselves. Maybe I give our fellow posters too much credit but I assume that when someone posts moronic ravings that everyone can see it and that just reinforces the reasons why their argument is wrong. We should ALL be capable of critical thinking.
Yet you want to "silence" them so no one else can see their "sick and twisted" views? You can moderate yourself, by blocking specific posters. Why do you want them silenced when you can do it for your own self interest?
Personally, as I've said many times before, let the "racists" and other undesirables speak their stupidity. Let them be known
I think something was lost in translation. I 100% agree. When I say click of the button I mean ignore.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
You of all people, who spend a lot of your time telling posters to calm down and act like adults should know why articles about gaming companies that broach social subjects, employment conditions or politics have been locked for comment.
Why is it that MMORPG.com is an entity that can do as they please (censor speech, however bad and terrible it may be), but any other business can not (supposed working conditions, benefits, salary, mandatory health procedures)?
Why is stating one's "opinion" only "bad/wrong" when it disagrees with "yours?"
You're seriously trying to put this site locking comment on some topics on the same level as institutional abuse of employees by an employer?
If your accusations are true, why isn't Blizzard being sued out the wazoo?
Do I agree with their business practices? No. Do I think I think a bunch of clueless (about running a business) "activists" has any say about it? Nope. What laws been broken?
Talk about "entitlement." "I can run your business better than you can!"
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse. - FARGIN_WAR
That's the scary future we head to in our world, where people (including journalists) feel absolutely justified in censoring what is said, demonizing different viewpoints and controlling all discussion.
You mean just like the old pre-internet world when the only feedback was the "letters to the editor" they cherrypicked and printed?
I dunno. That somewhat pre-dates me, but my recollection is that many of these Letters published, or at least SOME of them, were rebuttals. I do not recall 100% echo chambers where only letters that agreed were posted but... maybe?
Totally depended on the newspaper and their editorial policy - some did it with integrity and some didn't but they all did it with either conscious or unconscious editorial bias.
The biggest difference though was that the printed letters were well written and well reasoned more often than not. There were no "You suck. Stick an ice pick in your eye" crazy shit.
These days everyone has a digital megaphone and the percentage of well reasoned speech vs. the lunatic ravings we can't help but hear, I would guess is 1 in 100 or even lower.
I'm tired of sickos and morons screaming their vile ravings in my ear.
Maybe. But the benefit NOW is that on a site like this, with the click of a button you won't ever hear that sicko or moron raving again. I've had to give someone a year long time out. Might do it again. I actually prefer when someone I disagree with starts making moronic statements. Let the world see that raving for themselves. Often the most effective argument is to let someone expose themselves. Maybe I give our fellow posters too much credit but I assume that when someone posts moronic ravings that everyone can see it and that just reinforces the reasons why their argument is wrong. We should ALL be capable of critical thinking.
Yet you want to "silence" them so no one else can see their "sick and twisted" views? You can moderate yourself, by blocking specific posters. Why do you want them silenced when you can do it for your own self interest?
Personally, as I've said many times before, let the "racists" and other undesirables speak their stupidity. Let them be known
I think something was lost in translation. I 100% agree. When I say click of the button I mean ignore.
That was directed at Iselin, not yuourself
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse. - FARGIN_WAR
You of all people, who spend a lot of your time telling posters to calm down and act like adults should know why articles about gaming companies that broach social subjects, employment conditions or politics have been locked for comment.
Why is it that MMORPG.com is an entity that can do as they please (censor speech, however bad and terrible it may be), but any other business can not (supposed working conditions, benefits, salary, mandatory health procedures)?
Why is stating one's "opinion" only "bad/wrong" when it disagrees with "yours?"
You're seriously trying to put this site locking comment on some topics on the same level as institutional abuse of employees by an employer?
If your accusations are true, why isn't Blizzard being sued out the wazoo?
Do I agree with their business practices? No. Do I think I think a bunch of clueless (about running a business) "activists" has any say about it? Nope. What laws been broken?
Talk about "entitlement." "I can run your business better than you can!"
I don't even know what the fuck you're talking about or what point you're trying to make.
Mine is very simple blocking comments or banning users (you should reacquaint yourself with this site's rules about infractions) in a piddly ass corner of the internet is not even close to being on the same level as working conditions at a place where you spend 1/3 of your life to make a living.
Yet you're saying that they're the same with statements like "...any other business can not..." or "Wasn't the "Blizzard" article about how Blizzard decided to run their own company?"
Give your head a shake. How this site decides to moderate and how any employer treats their employees are not even in the same universe of egregiousness.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Yes, Jacob's comments were always a highlight. But I think he'll think twice now after Bree was so obnoxious. She was downright hostile in the comment section just because the interview didn't work out.
Bree was obnoxious? Hey, the less coverage CU and Mark get, the better for everyone.
As said in the Who's Tommy, "let's forget you better still."
It was a really bizarre incident
MOP had asked to interview MJ back in Feb / March. MJ had agreed. MOP sent through their questions to Mark who answered all of them but one. There was one question he didn't want to answer for legal reasons.
Then, for the next couple of months, every article about CU was followed by a bold disclaimer box saying something like "CSE is still refusing our request for an interview, but we'll get it to you as soon as we have it". Essentially, Bree was baiting Mark for months.
Eventually, Mark decided to respond and explained the problem (legal issues with a single question), at which point Bree went off on a rant about journalistic integrity. Unfortunately, it just came off as disingenuous, especially considering the lack of journalistic integrity across the majority of the games industry! I don't think we ever got the interview either, despite it being done months ago.
As for stealth-deleting comments, I've definitely had that happen a few times. Which is weird as im not exactly a sensationalist poster! I wouldn't have minded if I'd gotten an email telling me what was wrong, but nope, just returned to an article and discovered my stuff gone.
Currently Playing: WAR RoR - Spitt rr7X Black Orc | Scrotling rr6X Squig Herder | Scabrous rr4X Shaman
Comments
It makes it difficult to moderate and in some ways if their staff is limited I think their mode of handling it also is confined to causing them the least problems. I cannot decide honestly what should be done when individuals have no desire to follow the rules or skirt them and manage to post egregious nonsense.
Stealth deleting is pretty bad too as opposed to a complete lockdown of a thread.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
Heck, our leaders are still downplaying the virus. Just yesterday Florida announced it's highest single day number of new covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. (1 in 5 cases in the US are in FL)
Our governor Ricky D doubled down, signing his executive order preventing schools from requiring children to wear masks, leaving it up to the discretion of the parents.
Talk about having to die to maintain our freedoms, children under a certain age can't even get the vaccine yet as it hasn't been approved.
School here starts back again in 3 weeks, God help them all.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
We are meant to avoid politics on here, so I won't say any more about this. One way to self moderate is to do one post then stop yourself, so that's what I am doing.
Yes, Jacob's comments were always a highlight. But I think he'll think twice now after Bree was so obnoxious. She was downright hostile in the comment section just because the interview didn't work out.
Cheers
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
As said in the Who's Tommy, "let's forget you better still."
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I think the problem is that, here, negative comments are far less likely to get swatted away, whereas at MOP they do stealth delete them. It might make that site more "friendly" to developers who are looking at the site from the outside, but it's really more about stopping people from posting what they want.
I agree it's important to have places for open discussion. These forums have been great, it's a really great bunch of frequent posters, most of whom are genuinely knowledgeable about the gaming industry. I've learned so much coming here - from game design ideas, to monetisation, high-level business practises and all sorts of hardware tips.
At the same time, I feel people these days are just not open to discussion most of the time. This is way less common on these forums, but you do get the situations where it quickly turns into "You are an idiot because you think X", instead of "I think Y and it's different to X in this way".
I'm sure we all have a lot to say about the Blizzard story. And I'd be keen to hear some people's opinions on how to design better corporate structures. I think many people here are well qualified to discuss those things. But I can almost guarantee the comment section of those articles would devolve into political attacks way before we could have an insightful chat about anything.
So all in all, it's probably a fair call to not have comments at all. As much as I care about free speech and learning from each other, it's probably better to have comment sections open on topics where genuine discussions can happen, and save us all time with threads that have a 95% chance of going way off topic in less than 5 posts.
Even back when I did that repetition of the article in the Pub, Mike said some of the comments went over the line. I was surprised, I thought we had shown that we can have discourse without war as it were. Though you may have seen the quickly shut down comments on the first articles in the Activision series, we hardly held our end up, some of the posts were way out there.
Just something to think about, if "political attacks" stifle debate, where does that leave society? I don't think there were as many posts that could be characterised in that way as some of you do, but clearly some were. To me that's just the wrong way to address the problem, for me this is not about free speech by the way, it is about what is the best way to resolve differences of opinion in any area of society.
MJ posted in the CU subforum here on mmorpg.com (but no anymore, AFAIK)
Yes, she was. Also, I agree that less coverage of CU is a good thing. At least if there is nothing substantial to show.
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
In the context I think you are asking, stating an opinion can be considered detrimental if inflammatory, off topic, or otherwise undesirable by the site's owners.
Their house, their rules.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
Wasn't the "Blizzard" article about how Blizzard decided to run their own company?
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
That was directed at Iselin, not yuourself
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
Mine is very simple blocking comments or banning users (you should reacquaint yourself with this site's rules about infractions) in a piddly ass corner of the internet is not even close to being on the same level as working conditions at a place where you spend 1/3 of your life to make a living.
Yet you're saying that they're the same with statements like "...any other business can not..." or "Wasn't the "Blizzard" article about how Blizzard decided to run their own company?"
Give your head a shake. How this site decides to moderate and how any employer treats their employees are not even in the same universe of egregiousness.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED