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Why? Whyyyy?.... Why are you still here (on these forums that is)?


Gorth

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Just curiosity getting the better of me. One day I was logging in, checking posts from new accounts that needed approval (for those who don't know, a new account needs 5 approved posts to their post count to get out of moderated status, something that catches a shockingly large number of spam bots, which most people never get to see).

Then I started reading a number of threads, trying to cover those where tempers sometimes flare up a bit or to add some oh so clever snarky remark. Not to boost my post counts, because posts in WoT doesn't count.

Then I tried to remember, how did I even get here in the first place and what has kept me here for so many years. I don't even remember how many years it has been anymore πŸ€”

I remember lurking on the Interplay forums, trying to gather enough courage to register and participate (edit: I was playing a lot of Fallout, PS:T and BG2 at the time), but then the proverbial **** hit the fan before I got my finger out of the warming embrace it was placed in. Lo and behold, the guys from Black Isle had started a new site and a new forum. Lurking for another 2 weeks, I finally bit the bullet and registered (and got a lot of funny remarks for my member number which the forum software showed next to your avatars at the time, 666).

I remember getting into some at times vicious flame wars with Bioware fanboys at the time, who were mightily upset that Obsidian were doing Kotor2 and NWN2. Still surprised I didn't get banned then, I was not being gentle *cough* *cough* No sir (some of them got dragged away, frothing at the mouth while yelling obscenities at me). Watched people come and go. Mostly active in the gaming section and the game specific forums. I was way more a gamer then than I am today.

Sort of sad when it feels like a novelty posting in the what are playing now thread πŸ˜”

I think what keeps me coming back is the sense of "community". Something reassuring about old, familiar faces. People whose quirks you know. So much stuff got rehashed and discussed to death that subjects like religion doesn't even happen anymore. Most people knows where other people stand on such subjects. Good thing we can get the little odd global crisis and end of the world scenario so there is something new to discuss (total nuclear war has been cancelled because of lack of participation).

Anyway, just and old guy reminiscing. Hanging around because I like you guys and girls. Not because of any particular game, thread or subject (not anymore that is).

So, why are *you* hanging around these forums?

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β€œHe who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.” - Albert Einstein

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  • Gorth changed the title to Why? Whyyyy?.... Why are you still here (on these forums that is)?

It started off pretty innocently. I was a big fan of NWN and registered when I heard they were developing the sequel. But I didn't really join the community until I finished KotOR II and was like...this is the ending? What the heck happened? I immediately logged into Obsidian's forum to find answers, and was surprised to find them!Β 

Then I found a thread on the TV show LOST, and found even more answers. Plus some guys were talking hockey. Honestly there are some real oldie but goodie threads that just pulled me on.Β 

Look at this crazy one:Β 

More than 16 years later and we finally have BG3.

Β 

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I honestly have no idea.

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45 minutes ago, Gorth said:

Just curiosity getting the better of me. One day I was logging in, checking posts from new accounts that needed approval (for those who don't know, a new account needs 5 approved posts to their post count to get out of moderated status, something that catches a shockingly large number of spam bots, which most people never get to see).

Then I started reading a number of threads, trying to cover those where tempers sometimes flare up a bit or to add some oh so clever snarky remark. Not to boost my post counts, because posts in WoT doesn't count.

Then I tried to remember, how did I even get here in the first place and what has kept me here for so many years. I don't even remember how many years it has been anymore πŸ€”

I remember lurking on the Interplay forums, trying to gather enough courage to register and participate (edit: I was playing a lot of Fallout, PS:T and BG2 at the time), but then the proverbial **** hit the fan before I got my finger out of the warming embrace it was placed in. Lo and behold, the guys from Black Isle had started a new site and a new forum. Lurking for another 2 weeks, I finally bit the bullet and registered (and got a lot of funny remarks for my member number which the forum software showed next to your avatars at the time, 666).

I remember getting into some at times vicious flame wars with Bioware fanboys at the time, who were mightily upset that Obsidian were doing Kotor2 and NWN2. Still surprised I didn't get banned then, I was not being gentle *cough* *cough* No sir (some of them got dragged away, frothing at the mouth while yelling obscenities at me). Watched people come and go. Mostly active in the gaming section and the game specific forums. I was way more a gamer then than I am today.

Sort of sad when it feels like a novelty posting in the what are playing now thread πŸ˜”

I think what keeps me coming back is the sense of "community". Something reassuring about old, familiar faces. People whose quirks you know. So much stuff got rehashed and discussed to death that subjects like religion doesn't even happen anymore. Most people knows where other people stand on such subjects. Good thing we can get the little odd global crisis and end of the world scenario so there is something new to discuss (total nuclear war has been cancelled because of lack of participation).

Anyway, just and old guy reminiscing. Hanging around because I like you guys and girls. Not because of any particular game, thread or subject (not anymore that is).

So, why are *you* hanging around these forums?

Excellent post Gorthfuscious and these types of questions I always find pertinent when we reflect on certain societal questions like " why do people enjoy and participate in Internet forums and what is the most effective role social media should play in civil society "Β 

Anyway the answers to these types of questions matter in different ways and sometimes the work we do requires us to understand general " Internet behavior "Β  for marketing, sales and ideological influence

But going back to your question, why this forum?

Several reasons for me that includeΒ 

  • I like the Moderation policy and think the moderators are very fair and encourage a culture of robust debate. IΒ  was use to being " banned " from most casual forums I use to frequent yet I have been active on this forum for more or less 10 years which is a record for meΒ 
  • Due to limited availableΒ Β time in RLΒ Β I decidedΒ  several years agoΒ  to only participate inΒ Β 1-2 non-work related Internet forums and this is one of them primarily due to relevant posts around certain topics that matter to meΒ 
  • I enjoy the various anecdotal stories and posts that people share around real lived experiences and peoples personal views on many topics . Irrespective if I agree with them I do findΒ  many debates both interesting and entertaining. For example when you shared that link around the Oz banks it allowed me to understand ,from an Oz perspective,Β Β this global view around unfair, at times , " bank bashing " which Β cannot be ignored as public sentiment can drive political change which can lead to government overreachΒ 
  • And then the general gaming feedback is excellent and informative. Its always interesting to get views on games and get peoples opinions on gaming mechanics and the reviews of games

:thumbsup:

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"Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss”

John MiltonΒ 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -Β  George Bernard Shaw

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela

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19 minutes ago, KaineParker said:

I honestly have no idea.

Arent you concernedΒ Β you cant articulate why you spend time on any particular forum?

"Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss”

John MiltonΒ 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -Β  George Bernard Shaw

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela

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The Outer Worlds brought me here, and I've pretty much enjoyed Obsidian games since KOTOR 2 (for the most part) so I figured hey why not.

The thing is though not much people attend internet forums anymore, most people are on social media so the result is that you have a bunch of old timers stuck in the old days attending such places.Β  Like nobody uses GOG (it's has a sliver market share) yet it's quite popular with a lot of old timers for instance, like a cult thing.

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is fitting that a bad scene from a bad movie offers our best answer to gorth's query.

HA! Good Fun!

Β 

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"If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence."Justice Louis Brandeis, Concurring, Whitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357 (1927)

"Im indifferent to almost any murder as long as it doesn't affect me or mine."--Gfted1 (September 30, 2019)

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2 hours ago, Hurlshot said:

It started off pretty innocently. I was a big fan of NWN and registered when I heard they were developing the sequel.

Fan of NWN? I always knew you weren'tΒ to be trusted.

Edit: Wait... Since it's impossible for NWN to have more than one fan, is Volourn your alt? He is, isn't he? The truth finally comes out!Β 

Edited by kirottu

This post is not to be enjoyed, discussed, or referenced on company time.

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I came in with KOTOR II. I was around on the old Black Isle forum but only a little. I was in the NWN forums all the time with Volo, Gromnir and others from BI. When I got here and saw a lot of familiar names is was cool. Most are long gone now.Β 

What keeps me? Interesting conversation. There is a pretty broad range of opinions here. Half the posters are from outside the USA and that is a plus. I like hearing about what's doing elsewhere. And an ousider's perspective on the US is always interesting. Most forums self segregate into opinion echo chambers or a bomb throwing range. That never happened here. It's pretty rare.Β 

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"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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2 hours ago, ComradeMaster said:

Β 

The thing is though not much people attend internet forums anymore, most people are on social media so the result is that you have a bunch of old timers stuck in the old days attending such places.Β  Like nobody uses GOG (it's has a sliver market share) yet it's quite popular with a lot of old timers for instance, like a cult thing.

Once again I have to disagree with your views on certain topics. For example you dismiss " Internet Forums " as the domain of irrelevant old timers .....just for the record do you consider SM a better medium for the exchange of valid and informative information?

But my main point is there are many types of Internet Forums and many of them discuss topics that are not subjective but based on facts and data and they very relevant and yes you need " old timers " to contribute if you want to educate and inform people because of what is known as institutional\workΒ Β experience and life experience.Β 

Young people and people without this experience quite simply wouldn't be able to constructively contribute towards topics that require this. So I think your cynicism towards Internet Forums is based on the forums you clearly frequent and that has lead toΒ  you being misinformed about the real benefits anyone can gain from the Internet and mediums like forumsΒ 

Β 

"Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss”

John MiltonΒ 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -Β  George Bernard Shaw

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela

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I want royalties for that thread title. Gorth knows what I'm talking about. :p

2 hours ago, Gromnir said:

is fitting that a bad scene from a bad movie offers our best answer to gorth's query.

HA! Good Fun!

I'm not sure that scene is bad as much as it is badly executed. Although that might be the same. The intention was, I guess, to show Neo finally becoming the Übermensch. He rejects Smith's proposed reasons, his own, everything, and finally says: Because I choose to. Then he plays Jesus in Gethsemane and wins in the only way possible, by taking himself out of the equation that Smith is supposed to balance.

No, wait, you're right. Terrible movie(s), terrible scene. :p Leave it to the Wachowski brothers (or were they sisters at this point already?) to mess up a Cyberpunkish sci-fi thriller by creating two sequels filled with philosophical and religious allegory to the point where it becomes a confused mess of nonsense.

No mind to think. No will to break. No voice to cry suffering.

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57 minutes ago, majestic said:

I want royalties for that thread title. Gorth knows what I'm talking about. :p

Your lawyers and my lawyers. The dark alley at 2am. Pistols only... πŸ˜‡

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I wandered into the depths of the abyssal horrors here when Alpha Protocol was in the works. I'd been playing the games long before, but I never really focused on the process of development in them until I'd seen some of Obsidians teasers into what was going on, the conversational trees and choice and consequences as part of what AP would be. Then the news of it's delay and I wandered into the forums to see related news and keep track of things.

Then I got to make a few snarky comments and watch Wals and various Soviet Comrades snipe back and forth. ;)

Now I simply get to revel in the fact that I win the leaderboard most days with my non-gaming posts....

Β 

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"Cuius testiculos habeas, habeas cardia et cerebellum."

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Partly I'm still here cause I'm a mod, partly inertia, partly because I still very much enjoy Obsidian's games.

The heyday of the boards to me was when people like metadigital, allanschu, llyranor/nickiam, dark_raven, darque, thepixiesrock, musopticon, baley, launch, hades or schmart were around. That's when I had a lot of fun just posting, both here and at the other place. Things were fun, felt fastpaced, and hijinks were had. Among the leftovers from that time are people like me, Gorth, Gromnir, kirottu, Guard Dog, hurlshot, Amentep, humanoid, malc, shadysands, numbersman, gorgon and others I'm not remembering. A lot of these have been around as long as I have. Some were even regular posters in the BIS days, where I only lurked.

Β 

Anyway I am old, and I have an enduring emotional connection to this place and Obsidian itself, so I am here. Also, sometimes I get loot from Obsidian, which nowadays is a source of angst for my kid, because he wishes he could get Fortnite stuff from Epic Games. That's certainly a perk.

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Well I haven't been here as far back as you guys, for the better as I doubt I would have had anything of value to add back then (I'm unsure if I still do), but I mostly joined for the discussion on the "spiritual successor" of the Infinity Engine games and trying to talk some sense in to people regarding it.

Nowadays I don't go outside of the Obsidian Community section, but then again I don't play games nearly as much as I used to. As for why am I still here...Why not, there are a lot of interesting people around here with their own opinions and it's nice to hear a different opinion.

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"because they filled mommy with enough mythic power to become a demi-god" - KP

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A lot of colorful characters have drifted in and out of here over the years. And I know of three that passed away while active members. All three were good people. Even if one was a merciless troll, he was still a good dude at heart!Β :lol:

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"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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18 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

A lot of colorful characters have drifted in and out of here over the years. And I know of three that passed away while active members. All three were good people. Even if one was a merciless troll, he was still a good dude at heart!Β :lol:

The flip side to that is the question of how many kids have been produced by forum members over the years, and the odds of them becoming gamers who lurk on forums in the nextΒ  x years....

"Cuius testiculos habeas, habeas cardia et cerebellum."

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22 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

A lot of colorful characters have drifted in and out of here over the years. And I know of three that passed away while active members. All three were good people. Even if one was a merciless troll, he was still a good dude at heart!Β :lol:

Who has passed away from a members perspective, I assume this is members from the olderΒ  days ?

"Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss”

John MiltonΒ 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -Β  George Bernard Shaw

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela

Β 

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12 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

Who has passed away from a members perspective, I assume this is members from the olderΒ  days ?

Sand/Hades, Keleverin, & Tarna. You should have been around for Tarna. Hades was the troll. But they were good dudes and all way too young to go.Β 

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"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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I used to be quite active on LucasForums (RIP) thanks to KotOR. Pretty sure I registered here almost as soon as the forums were announced due to overwhelming excitement for KotORII. Been here waiting for new game announcements ever since :)

"Art and song are creations but so are weapons and lies"

"Our worst enemies are inventions of the mind. Pleasure. Fear. When we see them for what they are, we become unstoppable."

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7 hours ago, kirottu said:

Fan of NWN? I always knew you weren'tΒ to be trusted.

Edit: Wait... Since it's impossible for NWN to have more than one fan, is Volourn your alt? He is, isn't he? The truth finally comes out!Β 

Whoa whoa, Volo is a fan of the NWN OC, and that is weird. I guess I should have said I was a big fan of the NWN toolset and mod community. :p

I was actually pretty active in a project called A Land Far Away, which was a multi-server persistent world. I tried to help build the Luskan server, but I was pretty terrible at development. I haven't check on that project in a decade, and it looks like it is still going!

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18 minutes ago, Achilles said:

I used to be quite active on LucasForums (RIP) thanks to KotOR. Pretty sure I registered here almost as soon as the forums were announced due to overwhelming excitement for KotORII. Been here waiting for new game announcements ever since :)

You were here a few months after the forums got started. If you check your profile you can find your join date, and if you check your username number you can see how small it is(yours is 1981).

The forums started February 2004, on the 7th. Gromnir, Amentep and I are some of the ones still active who actually joined on the first day. I wonder if there are full blown lurkers still around. Mr Brown perhaps?

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"My hovercraft is full of eels!" - Hungarian tourist
I am Dan Quayle of the Romans.
I want to tattoo a map of the Netherlands on my nether lands.
Heja Sverige!!
Everyone should cuffawkle more.
The wrench is your friend. :bat:

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21 minutes ago, Hurlshot said:

Whoa whoa, Volo is a fan of the NWN OC, and that is weird. I guess I should have said I was a big fan of the NWN toolset and mod community. :p

I must be the alt, in that case. I don't think the OC was as amazing as MotB, but I do think it's very good and under-rated.

8 minutes ago, Pidesco said:

You were here a few months after the forums got started. If you check your profile you can find your join date, and if you check your username number you can see how small it is(yours is 1981).

The forums started February 2004, on the 7th. Gromnir, Amentep and I are some of the ones still active who actually joined on the first day. I wonder if there are full blown lurkers still around. Mr Brown perhaps?

I must have lurked for a while then :)

Thanks for the info!

1 hour ago, Raithe said:

The flip side to that is the question of how many kids have been produced by forum members over the years, and the odds of them becoming gamers who lurk on forums in the nextΒ  x years....

I couldn't get mine interested in anything other than Minecraft and Overwatch. Seems to have lost the taste for vidya since he started college.

"Art and song are creations but so are weapons and lies"

"Our worst enemies are inventions of the mind. Pleasure. Fear. When we see them for what they are, we become unstoppable."

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