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[Crayon]

Got to be said the issue at hand here is not anywhere near as bad as it is on era. But if you weren't there for how it started....

 

[near]

Reading through this thread it feels like most people seem to think moderation = bans. It’s not. It’s for the most part keeping the forum and community healthy so far as discussion. Ensuring that members are following rules. Sometimes all it takes is a mod to enter the thread and just tell users to tone it down, or stick to the topic. Because our mods are mostly ghosts who operate from behind the scenes, I feel like some users think its free rein to say whatever you want, however you want. When moderators are visibly active by being part of the discussion and community not only is there effort more tangible, but it also improves discussion, reduces shit posts, and discourages users entering threads in bad faith.

The problem with the purple place is that it out right censors differing opinions regardless of how you articulate a point, because it leans to an ideology motivated politically. GAF doesn’t have that problem, and we wouldn’t have that problem even if moderation is improved here. If users are encouraged to articulate there points better, as opposed to the low effort posts we tend to find in certain threads, then we can still engage in thoughtful discussions. I’ve noticed that some threads can lean to the extreme polar opposite of what we strive not to be as a community, which isn’t healthy either. The way to combat this is only through moderation, one that isn’t politically inclined, but rather community driven.

Things aren’t all that bad here though, and GAF is for the most part still a great place to discuss our hobbies and love for gaming. However, this thread wouldn’t exist or have the engagement it does if there weren’t underlying issues to possibly address.

 

[Platinumstorm]

This place turned incredibly political around covid, and it really did become less about games and more about political rhetoric. It's certainly not as great of a place for gaming news like it used to be.

The threads have evolved from "wokeness" to "dei" and that tells you much about what influences these posts.

I cannot imagine caring so much about the things posted here.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

This place turned incredibly political around covid, and it really did become less about games and more about political rhetoric. It's certainly not as great of a place for gaming news like it used to be.

The threads have evolved from "wokeness" to "dei" and that tells you much about what influences these posts.

I cannot imagine caring so much about the things posted here.

You are describing Western videogames/media

This gaming board is the reflection of the present state of the industry in the West. You won't see any of this being discussed in Asian games. It's disingenuous to be concerned about the effects but not about the cause.

 

[near]

This place turned incredibly political around covid, and it really did become less about games and more about political rhetoric. It's certainly not as great of a place for gaming news like it used to be.

The threads have evolved from "wokeness" to "dei" and that tells you much about what influences these posts.

I cannot imagine caring so much about the things posted here.

You have American politicians playing video games for publicity. You have gaming journalists and podcasters talking about voting. This stuff bleeds into game design and that is the current climate. I’ve learnt more about American politics in the last few years through gaming channels, than I have in my entire life.

‘Woke’ culture is a relevant topic now in gaming, and an important one at that. It isn’t going anywhere.

If you don’t care why are you joining the discussion?

 

[unlurkified]

We should expect communities to devolve into hive minds/echo chambers to some extent over time because that’s just the natural progression of things-humans are social creatures who respond to social pressures.

If anyone wants to be an apologist for DEI, etc., in games and present cogent, compelling arguments, I think a lot of people here would actually welcome that (myself included). I just haven’t really seen that yet, or much of the reverse for that matter beyond one-liners.

I understand your concern OP, I just don’t think more moderation is the answer.

 

[Platinumstorm]

You have American politicians playing video games for publicity. You have gaming journalists and podcasters talking about voting. This stuff bleeds into game design and that is the current climate. I’ve learnt more about American politics in the last few years through gaming channels, than I have in my entire life.

‘Woke’ culture is a relevant topic now in gaming, and an important one at that. It isn’t going anywhere.

If you don’t care why are you joining the discussion?

Because I'd like the forum to go back to being about videogames and less about social policy discussion.

 

[Tangerine]

I'm clearly anti-woke and proud of that fact.

I got my first ever warning for saying the f word. Not rhyming with blagart but with blagartry. So I said something like 'Enough with this woke blagartry." Not to any individual on here, but about the industry.

I had no idea you couldn't say that word on here.

So this place comes down on both sides with warnings then bans imo. I don't mind too much. I won't say it again.

But if i ever get warned/banned for saying something is retarded, I think the writing would be on the wall at that point.

I mean that's the next word woke retards are trying to elivate to the n and f word.

Night, blagarts

 

[Calico345]

Because I'd like the forum to go back to being about videogames and less about social policy discussion.

Then the social politics and its agenda needs to get out of gaming. We have to voice our opinion about that. We have to avoid buying products that support those agendas. If you don't care about it but want it to go back to the way it was before, both in the games and in the communities, you have to participate. If not, then sit idly by and wait for the outcome and suffer it either way but do not clamor for a change without actively working for it.

 

[Stu_Hart]

I'm clearly anti-woke and proud of that fact.

I got my first ever warning for saying the f word. Not rhyming with blagart but with blagartry. So I said something like 'Enough with this woke blagartry." Not to any individual on here, but about the industry.

I had no idea you couldn't say that word on here.

So this place comes down on both sides with warnings then bans imo. I don't mind too much. I won't say it again.

But if i ever get warned/banned for saying something is retarded, I think the writing would be on the wall at that point.

I mean that's the next word woke retards are trying to elivate to the n and f word.

Night, blagarts

Ouch... Mr sense of humour has left.

 

[Topher]

Because I'd like the forum to go back to being about videogames and less about social policy discussion.

This forum is about video games. The problem is the video games have become more about this "social policy" stuff. I'd love it if that were not the case for the same reason as you. I don't want to talk about any of this nonsense.

 

[Toons]

I’ve been a longtime (lurking) member and have always appreciated this space for what it is, a forum where gamers can discuss their opinions, insights, and sometimes, their frustrations. However, I’m beginning to notice a disturbing trend here. GAF seems to be morphing more and more into an anti-woke echo chamber, and I think this shift is undermining the integrity of our community.

Let me be clear – I’m not a fan of woke ideology. Like many of you, I have my reservations about how it’s shaping the gaming industry and media at large. The trend toward more woke-friendly narratives and content in games, at times, feels forced and often detracts from the quality of the experience. Criticizing this direction in game development is valid, and these are discussions worth having.

However, what’s worrying to me is how Gaf, in its criticism of "woke" culture, is starting to mirror some of the same behavior that people criticize on another more purple coloured forum, just from the opposite side. The intolerance, aggression, and outright hostility toward other viewpoints are becoming just as prevalent here, and it’s honestly a little disheartening. The constant attacks, labeling, and echo chamber effect are alienating people who might think differently or hold a more moderate view. It's almost as if you’re either all-in with the dominant stance here or you're simply not welcome.

I wish that discussions here were moderated a bit more to promote balanced viewpoints and discourage personal attacks. I’d love to see users show more self-restraint, critical thinking, and maybe even a bit of self-reflection before posting purely emotional outbursts. We don’t all need to agree, but we do need to recognize each other’s humanity, especially when we disagree. After all, we’re all gamers here and came to this forum because we care about gaming.

Tolerance is a two-way street. Just as we criticize certain movements for pushing one-sided narratives and shutting down dissent, we need to be careful not to fall into the same trap. Tolerance means accepting that others might hold views we don’t like or agree with. It means treating others respectfully, even when we fundamentally disagree. I worry that we’re losing that here on GAF.

In the end, we’re all gamers, sharing this space to talk about a medium we care about. We don’t have to agree on every issue, but we should be able to disagree without devolving into hatred or intolerance. I hope we can steer the community back toward a more balanced and respectful discourse before it becomes something unrecognizable....

Youre right. Nothing much else to say. Look how many of the first responses don't even engage your post, just post some reaction gif and ignore.

This is, ironically, exactly what you're talking about. Anything that doesnt fall in line with the majority opinion gets immediately dismissed without an iota of critical thought. Its obviously not the only response(the topic sits at several pages already), but its still sad that that's the first.

All the same, keep fighting the good fight.

 

[GigaBowser]

woke games are crud made by purple hair womans annnnnnnd sell bad nobody wants this crud

 

[Toons]

You are describing Western videogames/media

This gaming board is the reflection of the present state of the industry in the West. You won't see any of this being discussed in Asian games. It's disingenuous to be concerned about the effects but not about the cause.

Pointing fingers to a cause doesn't mean you cannot influence the image of the result. Even if you want to say "they started it" at some point your response still reflects back on the accuser. And going the equal and opposite direction doesnt solve anything.

 

[Toons]

NeoGAF, more or less, has freedom of speech. At least in the sense that if you have an opinion about something, you're welcome to express it and defend it. In my experience here, even the most terrible opinions are tolerated as long as they're well articulated and not overly antagonistic. Case in point, OP believes that GAF should have more strict moderation - and that's an opinion I don't personally agree with.

If this place truly were an echo chamber, as OP claims, then his opening post would be nothing but LOL emojis. Instead, he's got a lot of thumbs up, hearts, thoughtfulness, and strength emojis. Someone gifted OP gold. In an open forum like this one, the way to combat becoming an echo chamber is to actually post dissenting opinions, and back them up.

Someone literally called him a "retarded cuckmod from era" on page 1. And also got tons of support.

Just because he posted a dissenting opinion.

 

[Sept Terrion Of Nothing]

I'm a new member here and I don't pretend to know neogaf's past fully well. I also gave up "foruming" all those years ago but in recent years I found out that gaming discussions here are really good and wanted to join. I really like good game discussion and really hate politics.

BUT, even though I don't live in the US, the "woke culture" spread to gaming rapidly, especially in recent years. I say it again: I'm not against someone's "sex idendity" and their freedom of choice. But if said community tries to force some of their "ideas" on me or what I like (games, movies etc.), I get total angry. That is something I cannot and will not accept. This is so simple.

Lets just look the latest Dragon Age game. Dragon Age games always had LTBG characters in them. But they were so connected to the world and to lore that it didn't bother me 1 tiny bit. But I saw that "non-binary" Taash's video on the net and I got total furious. "She" was explainin "I don't feel man or woman bla bla blla". Getting angry all the time etc. etc. I don't really care your "sexual orientation", what is this?? I wanna play the game. And then I saw another video of Isabella's "apology", explaining the "Just sorry not enough" shit for 5 minutes. These are all out of Dragon Age's world so much that I wanted to puke when I was watching those videos.

Is anyone here can say that these "deliberate" scenes were put in the game for the "game's sake"? What I see is that the producers forced their worldly political and their everyday thoughts into the game and directly to players. Why am I putting up with this shit? I just want to play games to ease my mind. Why are you putting real world's problems into the game. And they are so disconnected from the lore that from 10 kilometers you can see these scenes's purpose.

This is why I cannot accept their "DEI" movement. They are not sincere, it is not happening naturally. They want to do it forcefully. And hence, here in this forum people voicing their thoughts more vocally. Because it is simple physics: Action and reaction. If you force something onto someone, they will resist with the same or much more force back.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

I'm clearly anti-woke and proud of that fact.

I got my first ever warning for saying the f word. Not rhyming with blagart but with blagartry. So I said something like 'Enough with this woke blagartry." Not to any individual on here, but about the industry.

I had no idea you couldn't say that word on here.

So this place comes down on both sides with warnings then bans imo. I don't mind too much. I won't say it again.

But if i ever get warned/banned for saying something is retarded, I think the writing would be on the wall at that point.

I mean that's the next word woke retards are trying to elivate to the n and f word.

Night, blagarts

Bye retard

 

[unlurkified]

This forum is about video games. The problem is the video games have become more about this "social policy" stuff. I'd love it if that were not the case for the same reason as you. I don't want to talk about any of this nonsense.

Yep, it would be nice if we didn’t have to talk about all this stuff. The problem is that it’s almost completely permeated the industry to the point where we’re starting to see it creep into even Japanese games.

 

[tommib]

I'm clearly anti-woke and proud of that fact.

I got my first ever warning for saying the f word. Not rhyming with blagart but with blagartry. So I said something like 'Enough with this woke blagartry." Not to any individual on here, but about the industry.

I had no idea you couldn't say that word on here.

So this place comes down on both sides with warnings then bans imo. I don't mind too much. I won't say it again.

But if i ever get warned/banned for saying something is retarded, I think the writing would be on the wall at that point.

I mean that's the next word woke retards are trying to elivate to the n and f word.

Night, blagarts

That you survived 500 posts is a mystery we will never solve.

 

[Vick]

Because I'd like the forum to go back to being about videogames and less about social policy discussion.

Then you should want the industry to go back being about videogames and less about social policy.

How do you accomplish that, or at the very least try? By complaining about it.

You're welcome.

 

[TheSHEEEP]

I’d love to see users show more self-restraint, critical thinking, and maybe even a bit of self-reflection before posting purely emotional outbursts. We don’t all need to agree, but we do need to recognize each other’s humanity, especially when we disagree. After all, we’re all gamers here and came to this forum because we care about gaming.

I mean, you're not wrong, but welcome to the internet of 2024.
The civil times are long over.

 

[Dafegamer]

Actually Gaf is pretty tolerable from both sides
(Woke and anti woke individuals) Sure you have some users clearly hoping on the Anti-Woke bandwagon, but you also have plenty of Users that are the complete opposite. All in all Gaf isn't that bad actually. You should visit sites like Twitter to see some real brainrot from both sides

 

[cireza]

I have been around for quite some time, so I will leave a word on the topic here.

The main thing that comes to mind is that people should not let topics, ideas become an obsession. This is the danger here, in my opinion. Discussing about woke/DEI/censorship etc... is all perfectly fine, and it should happen here if it is a subject of current society. We can be factual and point at things happening and make links between them etc...

However you should be wary of when your behavior is slowly turning into an obsession. When you start feeling like you need to go into every single thread to post about it, is the time when you might want to reflect a little bit on what is happening to you. Don't let these topics/ideas steal all your thinking/gaming time, you definitely deserve better and ultimately, it will make you feel miserable.

I like to talk about a philosophy book that is an easy read : Erichidion from Epitectus. This book talks about how to reach happiness by being able to distinguish between things that depend on you, things on which you can have a direct influence, and other things that you do not have control on. By understanding the difference between both, you can better approach life and ultimately reach happiness.

This is a quick summary and English is not my native language, but I hope you get the idea. These are principles I have been living by for more than 20 years and I can tell you that despite many hardships, I have never felt miserable or thought that things were being forced on me. This is a larger topic than discussions on a forum, of course, but I think the link with a possible obsessional behavior can easily be made in this case.

In any case, my post was more about people and keeping a healthy state of mind. All the best !

 

[PeteBull]

Because I'd like the forum to go back to being about videogames and less about social policy discussion.

Thats the thing- u didnt see anything like that in topics on Astrobot, simply coz that is apolitical game, when game is highly political and skews into one side on top with clear degrade in quality(and i say it as a fan of the genre and the DA series, still got my launch DA:I copy for ps4) u will have ppl call stuff out, show screenies, comment on it, make gifs/memes/vids etc, that is normal.

To just give u how different stuff was not that long ago to how it is now, same sony who we know what pushes in many todays games(lucky no astro, for us, game's quality and sony's profits) made game with this cutscene

Even that quickly and cheaply made remaster sold 4m copies btw, since core gamers do buy games at launch, at full price, unlike "modern audience"
Now show me not even sony's but any relatively recently made big budget western AAA game that has similar pandering not to clownworld but to us- straigh males- both in sexuality and brutality.

 

[mdkirby]

Most social networks and gaming communities have been ban happy with anything that is not very left in regard such discussions, for years. Neogaf does not, so it’s a safe haven for such discourse (providing it’s civil). As such you will see more here. Neogaf also tilts slightly to the right in my experience, and we’re currently in an election year where these cultural touchstones are front and center, so this discourse will be turned up to the max. In addition to that, this year has seen the dam break in regards push back, not only against the way certain ideology is presented in games, but also against predatory GAAS. As a result of these combined factors were experienced increased negativity in the discourse, this does not come from a place of necessarily wanting games to fail (tho that may be a component), but fundamentally of wanting gaming to thrive, and heal from recurring self inflicted wounds that are harming the industry and alienating large amounts of players.

For much of the last decade everyone has been living in and building walled garden echo chambers. Stepping out of that can be startling on occasion

 

[mdkirby]

I have been around for quite some time, so I will leave a word on the topic here.

The main thing that comes to mind is that people should not let topics, ideas become an obsession. This is the danger here, in my opinion. Discussing about woke/DEI/censorship etc... is all perfectly fine, and it should happen here if it is a subject of current society. We can be factual and point at things happening and make links between them etc...

However you should be wary of when your behavior is slowly turning into an obsession. When you start feeling like you need to go into every single thread to post about it, is the time when you might want to reflect a little bit on what is happening to you. Don't let these topics/ideas steal all your thinking/gaming time, you definitely deserve better and ultimately, it will make you feel miserable.

I like to talk about a philosophy book that is an easy read : Erichidion from Epitectus. This book talks about how to reach happiness by being able to distinguish between things that depend on you, things on which you can have a direct influence, and other things that you do not have control on. By understanding the difference between both, you can better approach life and ultimately reach happiness.

This is a quick summary and English is not my native language, but I hope you get the idea. These are principles I have been living by for more than 20 years and I can tell you that despite many hardships, I have never felt miserable or thought that things were being forced on me. This is a larger topic than discussions on a forum, of course, but I think the link with a possible obsessional behavior can easily be made in this case.

In any case, my post was more about people and keeping a healthy state of mind. All the best !

I would hazard to guess that there is a sizable over representation of neurodiversity among neogaf members, as there is in gaming communities writ large, so ofcourse there’s going to be a level of obsessiveness.

 

[Eesha]

Most social networks and gaming communities have been ban happy with anything that is not very left in regard such discussions, for years. Neogaf does not, so it’s a safe haven for such discourse (providing it’s civil). As such you will see more here. Neogaf also tilts slightly to the right in my experience, and we’re currently in an election year where these cultural touchstones are front and center, so this discourse will be turned up to the max. In addition to that, this year has seen the dam break in regards push back, not only against the way certain ideology is presented in games, but also against predatory GAAS. As a result of these combined factors were experienced increased negativity in the discourse, this does not come from a place of necessarily wanting games to fail (tho that may be a component), but fundamentally of wanting gaming to thrive, and heal from recurring self inflicted wounds that are harming the industry and alienating large amounts of players.

For much of the last decade everyone has been living in and building walled garden echo chambers. Stepping out of that can be startling on occasion

doesn't help that if other places are filled whit Toxic communities whit a bunch of Yes Man that literally scorn you if you even dare to make even a minor negative comment about.

 

[mdkirby]

doesn't help that if other places are filled whit Toxic communities whit a bunch of Yes Man that literally scorn you if you even dare to make even a minor negative comment about.

It’s a symptom of the hyper partisan times we live in. Everyone is generally forced into a box in one far side of a two choice divide. It means there’s little space for centrism or nuance…in “most” places. It also means whatever the views are of those who control a platform or community, typically become extreme in enforcing that hyper partisanship, particularly in left leaning places where opposing views are generally banned. Right leaning is generally (tho not always) self selecting, vs enforced.

The mods here are pretty great tho.

That said, I’m kinda surprised this thread hasn’t been shut down as it’s focussed discussion on cultural ideologies is innately going to be a political discussion. And direct discussion of politics is generally not permitted here, and is a key means by which the relative peace is maintained within the community. Ie opposing views and discussion are permitted, but not direct political discourse.

 

[Jinxed]

I'm clearly anti-woke and proud of that fact.

I got my first ever warning for saying the f word. Not rhyming with blagart but with blagartry. So I said something like 'Enough with this woke blagartry." Not to any individual on here, but about the industry.

I had no idea you couldn't say that word on here.

So this place comes down on both sides with warnings then bans imo. I don't mind too much. I won't say it again.

But if i ever get warned/banned for saying something is retarded, I think the writing would be on the wall at that point.

I mean that's the next word woke retards are trying to elivate to the n and f word.

Night, blagarts

Just to be sure, was this for the use of retarded? I use this sometimes so I just want to make sure. I don't think I've seen people banned for that word so it's probably something else?