• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Okay, who farted?

Golgo 13

The Man With The Golden Dong
Hey everyone,

I rarely post anymore but I do read GAF’s front page and I also follow the ban list when I see a longtime member banned. I actually really appreciate GAF’s transparency in these matters, but it got me thinking; what in THE FUCK is going on with GAF right now? It’s hemorrhaging members; Tesseract, Musky_Cheese, Nymphae, MiyazakiLovesKojima, Arcadia... all gone in the last month or two. There’s more, A LOT more, those are just the ones I kinda liked and noticed when they were gone. Now, I don’t mean “what’s wrong with the moderation team”, because a lot of these are self-requested bans or account closures.

I guess I’m trying to say - Why are so many good people just saying “I’m done”?

I guess I just don’t understand why you would request your account be closed when you could just... not show up, not post, not contribute instead. Is it lack of self control? I’m just puzzled by the whole phenomenon of requesting account closures.

Anyone else noticed this or have any insight?
 
Last edited:

nush

Gold Member
Anyone else noticed this or have any insight?
FT1kDL9.gif
 

Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
My father always says it was the dog. We don't have one.


If someone is requesting a account closure i think that it's a good thing.
It is a way to put things to an end. To be done with something.
You draw a line mentally. And you are being honest to your self.

I don't know these recent bans in person. Maybe there are good people, maybe not.
They were quite active thats for sure.

But have you read some of the things they posted before they got banned.

Really frightening stuff i saw there.
 

OmegaSupreme

advanced basic bitch
For most of them the boundaries of what can be talked about in politics was reigned in. It's still much more open than most places but they didn't like it. Others didn't like that they were banned so they left.
 

JORMBO

Darkness no more
Being a gaming forum a lot of us are connected via other platforms (Steam, PSN, etc) so we can still talk to people if they are not here. Most of the banned people were not super political or had an issue with rule changes, although I keep seeing politics being used as a possible ban reason since all we can mostly do is speculate. Things feel a lot like the 2016ish time now where your friends start to disappear and moderation has bunkered down silently. Oh well. If this adds me to the list also so be it. I’ve been posting less and less like a few years ago and playing games a bit more so it might not be a bad thing :messenger_grinning_squinting:
 
Last edited:
For the most part, I think a lot of this started with the decision to forbid stolen election talk on this forum. It was decided that it's a conspiracy and shouldn't be allowed.

I don't want to speak for anyone, but I'm guessing both sides of this issue are feeling some level of betrayal. With those who left, I would imagine they're thinking "we helped you rebuild this forum as a place opposed to censorship, and now you've turned on us and want to impose limits on the opinions we're allowed to have." Although as I've pointed out, there were definitely people who never were active in the politics forum who left because of these new rules. I feel Mista would be the best example of that. The guy hadn't posted in the politics forum for probably over a year at least, and he was a very active member of the gaming forum.

For those who left because they feel this forum is starting to go in a direction against the principals of free speech and open discussion, I do understand where they're coming from, but at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if EviLore felt some level of betrayal as well. To use a biblical analogy, I'm reminded of the Garden of Eden. "Enjoy this wonderful place I've provided for you, but don't eat from this one tree / don't talk about this one subject" And instead of being grateful, people are just resentful of the limitation imposed on them, without trusting that maybe the person behind the scenes understands something about the situation that they don't, or at least has his own reasons. To see so many of the more active members of your community either walk away or blatantly ignore your decision? I wouldn't think that feels good either. I would think there's an element of "after everything I've done for you?" there, and I can understand that as well.

I hope that's a fair assessment of both sides of this situation. I'm just trying to empathize with each point of view, but I'm still doing so from a point of speculation.
 
Last edited:

showernota

Member
Unless there’s a public flameout like Tess or a goodbye “ban me/I don’t want my account” post, I just assume
saints and sinners shut up GIF by Bounce
 
Last edited:

Golgo 13

The Man With The Golden Dong
I think it’s been a roll-on effect of seeing their favourites leave so they go too. Perhaps they’re all joining a different forum?
What forum? Fucking ResetEra? There’s no gaming forums that aren’t %100 corrupt and totalitarian and woke.
No, I haven’t. And thank god for that.
People were unhappy and left.

The end.

You know the usernames, why not have a look? It's all there.
As I said in my post, it’s not “all there”. A lot of people just vanished without a trace. This post is wondering why, your post didn’t help.
 
What forum? Fucking ResetEra? There’s no gaming forums that aren’t %100 corrupt and totalitarian and woke.

No, I haven’t. And thank god for that.

As I said in my post, it’s not “all there”. A lot of people just vanished without a trace. This post is wondering why, your post didn’t help.

"Totalitarian"

We still doing the "Getting banned on a forum/social media for breaking rules = BEING SILENCED/INFRINGED UPON", huh. We'll find you a safe space one of these days.
 

Golgo 13

The Man With The Golden Dong
For the most part, I think a lot of this started with the decision to forbid stolen election talk on this forum. It was decided that it's a conspiracy and shouldn't be allowed.

I don't want to speak for anyone, but I'm guessing both sides of this issue are feeling some level of betrayal. With those who left, I would imagine they're thinking "we helped you rebuild this forum as a place opposed to censorship, and now you've turned on us and want to impose limits on the opinions we're allowed to have." Although as I've pointed out, there were definitely people who never were active in the politics forum who left because of these new rules. I feel Mista would be the best example of that. The guy hadn't posted in the politics forum for probably over a year at least, and he was a very active member of the gaming forum.

For those who left because they feel this forum is starting to go in a direction against the principals of free speech and open discussion, I do understand where they're coming from, but at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if EviLore felt some level of betrayal as well. To use a biblical analogy, I'm reminded of the Garden of Eden. "Enjoy this wonderful place I've provided for you, but don't eat from this one tree / don't talk about this one subject" And instead of being grateful, people are just resentful of the limitation imposed on them, without trusting that maybe the person behind the scenes understands something about the situation that they don't, or at least has his own reasons. To see so many of the more active members of your community either walk away or blatantly ignore your decision? I wouldn't think that feels good either. I would think there's an element of "after everything I've done for you?" there, and I can understand that as well.

I hope that's a fair assessment of both sides of this situation. I'm just trying to empathize with each point of view, but I'm still doing so from a point of speculation.
This reply gives some good insight. Thank you. I had no idea this was going on because generally I stay out of the politics forum (thank god).
 

NickFire

Member
For the most part, I think a lot of this started with the decision to forbid stolen election talk on this forum. It was decided that it's a conspiracy and shouldn't be allowed.

I don't want to speak for anyone, but I'm guessing both sides of this issue are feeling some level of betrayal. With those who left, I would imagine they're thinking "we helped you rebuild this forum as a place opposed to censorship, and now you've turned on us and want to impose limits on the opinions we're allowed to have." Although as I've pointed out, there were definitely people who never were active in the politics forum who left because of these new rules. I feel Mista would be the best example of that. The guy hadn't posted in the politics forum for probably over a year at least, and he was a very active member of the gaming forum.

For those who left because they feel this forum is starting to go in a direction against the principals of free speech and open discussion, I do understand where they're coming from, but at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if EviLore felt some level of betrayal as well. To use a biblical analogy, I'm reminded of the Garden of Eden. "Enjoy this wonderful place I've provided for you, but don't eat from this one tree / don't talk about this one subject" And instead of being grateful, people are just resentful of the limitation imposed on them, without trusting that maybe the person behind the scenes understands something about the situation that they don't, or at least has his own reasons. To see so many of the more active members of your community either walk away or blatantly ignore your decision? I wouldn't think that feels good either. I would think there's an element of "after everything I've done for you?" there, and I can understand that as well.

I hope that's a fair assessment of both sides of this situation. I'm just trying to empathize with each point of view, but I'm still doing so from a point of speculation.
Count me in as someone sympathetic to both sides. I understand the need to avoid the forbidden fruit from the site's perspective even though I wish society hadn't gotten to this point. I also assume some of the people who left felt like you are guessing. I'm hopeful that a day will come where everyone kind of regroups here with permission, and can accept that the site has to protect itself even as it tries to be as open as possible.
 
"Totalitarian"

We still doing the "Getting banned on a forum/social media for breaking rules = BEING SILENCED/INFRINGED UPON", huh. We'll find you a safe space one of these days.

It's not breaking the rules on social media that is the issue with people being banned from social media. It's selective rule enforcement and being banned when you haven't broken any rules that leads to people being silenced and infringed upon.
 
It's not breaking the rules on social media that is the issue with people being banned from social media. It's selective rule enforcement and being banned when you haven't broken any rules that leads to people being silenced and infringed upon.

I definitely agree with the selective rule enforcement. Private companies gonna private company, but choosing how and who to punish based on their political beliefs is shitty.
 

T8SC

Member
If people want to throw their toys out of the pram, have a flameout and/or request a ban for no good reason then so be it, everyone is replaceable and I've got no time for attention whores.

The greater concern is those who have left for genuine reasons, such as Melon, Sidney Prescott or Ailynn. They're a loss to the forum and they haven't caused problems or anything to cause them to leave under a cloud.

(Sidney Prescott has returned now though, which is nice to see).
 

Outlier

Member
Some times (one way or another) it's good to get away from social media influence...

Maybe they found a higher purpose, in their lives.

It sucks, I know. I've noticed some people gone that I liked seeing, but you have to remember. This is all temporary and no one is required to keep up appearances.

Try to build or find reasons for sticking around, from within yourself. Not from others.


I come here because I some times see topics that interest me and I want to share my thoughts and feelings on those topics.
 
Last edited:

DESTROYA

Member
Thus is the fate of GAF-celebs. It gets to a point where things go to your head and some people aren't able to separate their celebrity status from just being a normal person.

My opinion, anyway.
GAF-celebs .......LMAO
Look I get some members are more popular than others but to call them celebs is a pretty big stretch .
I consider all GAF members just that fellow members that are part of the same community as you and me , to put them above others says more about how you perceive people than actual status.
 

Pejo

Member
GAF-celebs .......LMAO
Look I get some members are more popular than others but to call them celebs is a pretty big stretch .
I consider all GAF members just that fellow members that are part of the same community as you and me , to put them above others says more about how you perceive people than actual status.
Whether or not you like it, you can't say you didn't immediately know names like brap/MHK/cunth not only by avatar/persona, but also reputation. The literal definition of celebrity is "the state of being well known."

I'm not making up the term here. It doesn't matter to me whether you held them in high regard or thought they were annoying cunts, but you knew who they were. They knew that you knew who they were. That does something to the human mind. There's expectations involved now that something they say has to be the right level of wit and edginess, or whatever their shtick is. I'm assuming that gets tiring after a while.
 

MudoSkills

Volcano High Alumnus (Cum Laude)
Forum celebs are totally a thing. The 'in-crowd' who all get along, have their own in jokes etc and the people who try to get into their orbit. Largely developed here because for a long time there weren't that many people who stuck around.

Things changed and when they suddenly didn't have the run of the place some left, while some of them made complete shitheads out-of themselves. The exact same behaviour people were rightly slagged off for on their way out in 2017.
 

Sejan

Member
My father always says it was the dog. We don't have one.


If someone is requesting a account closure i think that it's a good thing.
It is a way to put things to an end. To be done with something.
You draw a line mentally. And you are being honest to your self.

I don't know these recent bans in person. Maybe there are good people, maybe not.
They were quite active thats for sure.

But have you read some of the things they posted before they got banned.

Really frightening stuff i saw there.
I've always blamed the dog. A while back, my 2 year old took a huge, stinky dump and immediately yelled at the dog. Proud dad moment.

With that, people always go or come. A community will always shed members and the hope has to be that it is getting new members at a similar or greater rate. Gaf actually shows stats for online visitors and membership on its front page. It would be relatively easy for someone to watch those stats and gauge the health of the community over time.
 
Top Bottom