So I've been a member of GAF for years now and was around for the mass exodus a little while back that resulted in ResetEra. I stopped posting there last year after I came to the realization that they're just fucking insane. Regardless, they are a good source of gaming news despite the insanity. Everything I post here is probably well known but after months of just observing threads and watching things transpire, I feel the need to vent.
GAF was never perfect, it has its quirks, but I enjoyed the community and was happy to post here. After the exodus, I moved to Era because that's where the gaming community went and that was my sole reason for even being here. I love video games. I was with Era since it opened and then one day last year a thread about the suburbs appeared and long story short, I was accused of being evil and possibly racist because I prefer to live in the suburbs and drive a car. That's when it hit me. Era is fucking nuts. I made some more posts after that but eventually decided I was done. I continue to browse the site for gaming news and have taken notice of just how crazy they are. The sad thing is I agree with them on most issues but I just can't support their extreme responses and reactions. Below is a list of what I consider pros and "what the fuck" items that I've taken away from being on Era. This is all based on my views and opinions.
Pros
- They are progressive or at least consider themselves to be. Nothing wrong with that and I consider myself a left-leaning person or leftist if you will.
What the fuck?
- A so called "progressive community" left this place by posting nasty pornographic images of women to get themselves banned and "make a point". Point not taken.
- You can't create threads to discuss moderation or the site's policies. Why? I firmly believe they want to push a certain narrative and don't want anyone thinking outside the box. And there are definitely more "mods" on Era then they would have you believe. Any threads about social issues are usually filled with the same members enforcing right and wrong and making sure everyone knows it.
- If you voted for Trump or are Republican you're an evil, vile, scum-sucking maggot and a Nazi. Not even remotely true. Yes, Nazis/alt-right individuals are out there and are absolutely horrid but I do not think every single person who identifies as a Republican in America is pure evil.
- Every police officer in America is evil and racist. That's easy to think when all you post is negative stories about the police. To be fair, I do think there are serious issues within the police force that need to be addressed and there are bad cops out there. But I do not think every single police officer is a corrupt racist scumbag or complicit in a racial conspiracy. There are good cops out there, too.
- Hate by association. You do this, which means you support that, which means you really support this, which says this about your values, therefore you're a horrible person. No. Not how that works.
- "Agree with us or you're banned". This is basically the core issue with the site. I've noticed anyone who goes against or appears to disagree with the community will end up being banned for something at one point or another.
- Unjust bans. Just one example although I'm sure you will find hundreds more. A member made several threads to discuss the different "positive" aspects of the economy. He was eventually banned for "dog whistling". After that, I actually took the time to read the TOS and rules again and as far as I can tell, this member never broke any rules. If the topic sheds any kind of positive light on the American government, they refuse to accept it and attack anyone who expresses happiness about such a topic.
- The "community built on love" is full of hypocrites that seem to hate everything and are always miserable. They left this place because they didn't want to be associated with sexist behavior, among other things. They don't like to support any person, corporation, or community with toxic views. Yet, there are individuals on the Etcetera side that have called out the Gaming side as being toxic. Based on their "hate by association" mindset, why haven't those individuals left? There's a lot of doom-and-gloom on Era. We're all fucked, everyone is already dead, and it's everybody else's fault because they have the whole life thing figured out, right?
- "Don't support them" is more like "stop enjoying things". THQ Nordic, Rockstar, Amazon, Epic, Naughty Dog, CDPR, and the list goes on and on. Yes, many of these companies have had or still do have issues and they have to be brought up in every thread associated with them so we "don't forget" and as a result, the threads derail into the same arguments. I agree the issues should be addressed. But, newsflash, there is probably something - whether its a value, person, belief, product, whatever - associated with everything you "consume" that doesn't match up with your values exactly whether it's behind the scenes or in front of your face. Just because you know now doesn't mean shit. I bet a Republican works at a Walmart somewhere in America so I guess we can't shop there anymore if it's not already on the no support list. They all feel the need to constantly try and outscore each other on the moral purity test.
- Separating the art from the artist is "unhealthy" and the word "recontexualized". I've seen it expressed this way and I disagree and thanks to that website, I've come to really hate that word. In my opinion, Mel Gibson is a good actor. He's a racist but what does that have to do with his acting? I don't support his views but I'm not about to burn my Lethal Weapon blu-rays because he's in them. I will continue to enjoy my favorite buddy cop films whenever I want and still advocate for good causes. Watching and/or discussing a movie is not "defending" bad behavior.
- If you stay within the confines of the topic, you may possibly be ignoring an issue and should be ashamed. Example; if you're only discussing the gameplay of Cyberpunk 2077 - in a thread about the gameplay - it means you're not discussing the social commentary which means you're ignoring a real problem in the world and that's what's wrong with society. Apathy due to a lack of empathy. Because apparently they've all played the game that hasn't released yet and know what the developer's true intentions are. It's crazy.
I understand that many members on Era have physical and/or mental issues which may hold them back socially or otherwise. Some are even suicidal based on some of the threads I've seen. I'm not blind to this and I do hope these individuals get the proper help they need which can be understandably difficult and costly given the state of the American healthcare system. I also understand that Era is made up of a lot of individuals that are part of marginalized groups. But their moral and thought policing is ridiculous and the fact that they enforce this type of mentality makes them borderline dangerous.
www.resetera.com
