Sigh... not even gonna read the comments b4 typing tbh... quick glimpse almost got me to hit EJECT already...


Online communities give me something I don't get IRL.
At a surface level that is simply a level of intellectual engagement that is otherwise... hmmm... let's say unsustainable.
At a more emotional level there is ofc the aspect of identity and feeling like belonging in a common hobby community (pun / aliteration intended).

More context is that, in truth, I don't really contribute much. Those more quixotic days are over.
At any level that's because I'm older now. So I neither give as many fucks about it, nor do I really have as much time to give - other priorities be they joyful or mournful.


So now that the stage is kinda set, let's answer you. You're basically asking why GOG, and in GOG why general forum.

The game specific forums are a barren wasteland and as I recall have always been such. I will lurk in them occasionally at best but as my playing time is also reduced (see above for I'm older and other responsibilities yadah yadah) I don't think I have clicked to game specific forum in some years (likely hyperbole).

So the general forum is the only game in town (hehehe). Despite which I will say I do go to the handful of other language fora on occasion and they seem tonally quite different. But they came around much later than the main General which is the core around here for sure and the one I'm used to.


Then, it's games and old games that brought me here ofc. Via abandonia I think. HOTU before that. Games Domain before that. I lurk very heavily to start with (which can be several years) - my lurking being a generational aspect I think. I don't just remember the days without the webz, I also had formative experiences in other fora which burned me on the engagement / participation model that is inherent online.

(it's amazing to think way back and compare to what were my first really heated "messes" - flame wars in the lingo? - in online fora - skipping the ones with heavy personal overtones it is particularly instructive to think of the 9/11, WMD, Iraq war period and how despite the incredibly higher stakes - like, corpses level of seriousness - somehow it feels like recent spats a la GG managed to get only more toxic... anyway...)

Politics in a very broad sense is what actually and typically pulls me in to participate more. The funny think is that my "brand" of politics is very individual (I would say ethical - by which value driven rather than purely goal oriented) but despite several levels of identification with liberal (in the US sense) causes (postmodern, personal is political, god is dead, death of the author, yadah yadah) I am very, very, extremely, opposed to most of the policies / prescriptions derived by most folk with similar.... hmm let's say ethos. I would probably say similar soul ofc. (it's not that I am particularly religious, just that the language for values/morals usually comes from those religious domains)

These two poles will represent the majority of my contributions. With the political / community angles likely to dominate since I both see them as fundamentally more important and where I can contribute "better" (in a Ricardian comparative advantage sense ofc). But again, that's mostly in the past now, despite irregular pangs of conscience / habit that pull me back here.

PS: replying to you fits the political/community pole, because duh


So let's wrap this up with the more challenging part - I tried to be fair to that emotional undertone of your curiosity in the previous but you might need to read between the lines some (or much, or not at all - I tend to overestimate / underestimate a lot of things about other people)

I almost never feel that I have a like minded approach with others. Although to be fair that is less so with games. With games I have several pet peeves / favorite subjects around: completionism, game preservation, entertainment economics, customer entitlement, IP, ludology vs narrative, etc... where I fit in. Maybe never with a majority but well enough. Politically and community wise however - well... :) My sensitives might be close enough to the majority but I am... hmmm let's say sufficiently true to myself... that I hardly ever manage to align when it comes to policies and actions. So yeah, clearly more outsider than anything else - which ofc is only reinforced by my conscious lurking. It's not like I particularly mind being an outsider though. There is a certain mystique to go with it which can be leveraged.

It does interfere with the bonding though. Oh boy does it. And that for me is the worst balancing act involved in online existence, in GOG, but not only.
1 - continued interaction (even if that is lurking) breeds familiarity, appreciation and respect. Even love if one is honest with themselves. Now... don't get dirty boyz... I know, I know... difficult with all the smut around but that is so much NOT where I'm going with this.
2 - for me in particular since I come around to some extent to find a level of engagement that I can't find IRL (hmmmm... it's just harder honestly... not like impossible but between language barriers and intellectual / introspection / rhetorical skill barriers... pfffff) said bonding can be particularly seductive in a "grass is always greener" "covet thy neighbor" sense.

So yeah, ofc I bond. I think anyone that says otherwise is lying to themselves because we humans are social animals. Do I really want to bond is the question. And that I don't know? The yearning is there, but the pulling back that is justified by other priorities is also there.

Whether it is selfish of me to use you all to get what I want, or selfless of me to give what I can regardless... idk... it's ultimately your responsibility to sort me where you want in your lives, and I'll carry on until I don't.

Looked a round a bit... so we have another flame going on... I see where this is coming from now...


Here's the TL:DR version of the above post I guess... and then I EJECT

I am passionate about games
I kinda sorta care(d?) about this joint
I love some of the people in here

Sayonara

My overall feeling is that it's cool to have this international group of people brought together for the shared enjoyment of games - something that brings us joy in our lives, regardless of background. That's a good foundation, and I think we should remember that this is why we're here: games are a sizable part of our lives, and it's interesting and fun to talk about them, discover new games, kibbitz over likes and dislikes of gameplay, etc. So no matter how much things may get heated in this or that particular discussion , we should always be able to wipe the slate and go back to this thing we love.

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I don't contribute in any meaningful way anymore.
I used to, but now it feels like wasted effort.

Just scrolling down the first page irritates me with the sheer amount of BS, and now if I talk it is mostly to underline how ridiculous some people are.
This place is only marginally about games and fun banter today, most threads are loads of crap with neo-feminism, gamersgate, the ignorant's view on poilitics, conspiration theories... you add the rest.
Someone is always out to seek a fights, spitting on some group or another, claiming to be free to have an opinion while suffocating others (and I am referring to ALL extremists here).
Basically, like any social network.

I stick around because, despite everything, there are still some good people. I wonder for how long though.

The main reason I am here is to discuss video games, particularly older games and especially older turn-based RPGs. Unfortunately, it seems there aren't enough people actually interested in discussing games on this forum.

(Also, the game-specific forums could use more love.)

And thanks to you for A) returning, and B) continuing to further the discussion of games. Not specific games, but more of each person's thoughts about gaming and how we view our hobby. Frankly, I find these to be some of the more interesting discussions around here.

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I'm a parasite.

Not sure... Boredom? Or maybe it's just the giveaways. :P

I haven't cared about these forums for a long time, but lately I'm getting more involved with it. But I'm too lazy and antisocial to make any remarkable contribution.

In all honesty, I gave up on this place several months ago. I'd have probably made a "goodbye" post of some sort, the only thing that keeps me around is the fact that I'm taking care of the giveaway. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have anything to tie me down. I used to be a lot more optimistic and a lot less cynical, but after heading to other forums and especially Discord and seeing way greener pastures, I kind of realized how blind I was the whole time to just how much crap I was putting up with and thinking was normal. At this point, I've fairly firmly subscribed to the theory that the more you immerse yourself in the forum, the more you start to see yourself become a toxic shell of your former self due to all the craziness that goes on in here. I've seen it happen to several here and I could honestly see it starting to happen to me. No more. I'm tired of it.

Politics are one of the things ruining this place, in my opinion. Perhaps its biggest downfall.
The games, eh, my tastes are pretty niche and not shared by most.
The everyday hubbub is the biggest appeal, I guess? Depending on what you define it as. In all honesty, I'm less here/active with the video game threads and more just the general nonsense ones.

No clue what the like-minded approach thing is supposed to be asking.
I've met quite a few people on here I've grown quite fond of. Admittedly it's more often through Discord than the forum. You get a far different feel for people when the conversation is quicker and they're not thinking out everything they send you like it's a letter. Not to mention that voicechat is a whole different level of communication.
I've pretty much always been an outsider when it comes to most topics on this place since most here are way nerdier than I am, but that being said, I would definitely consider myself as a part of the GOG community.

Aw, poor zeo. :(

Here, I made you a thread: https://www.gog.com/forum/general/puzzle_games

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I generallee lurk more than I contribute, but now and then I see something that peaks my interest and feel the urge to post.

But I try not to post too much in case I create a ripple that leads to a wave and then the whole Earth goes KABOLOOII!! And I'd feel really bad.

But there do seem to be a lot of folks that really do want the world to go KABLOOII!! ...and I hope they wait until we've at least established permanent colonies on the moon and Mars...

...though Women might prefer Venus despite all evidence that Mars is better... I mean, look what happened with Eden ;)

But we can't then ignore all the other planets....

Mercury is hot and a good place for French folk who like hot curries.

Jupiter is best for angry folks 'cause it's like one big storm.

Saturn is for those loyal couples... 'cause it's got perpetual rings.

Uranus is for all the deviant folk.

Neptune is for those who like music... and Eiffel 65 especially.

And Pluto is where Disney will move their future headquarters... and declare that it's a planet again!

Guess the rest of us will just have to figure out how to all get along on planet Earth.