Pyrian on 21/2/2016 at 23:00
Cripes that's a depressing read. And some people considered that TTLG's silver age.
Sycamoyr on 23/2/2016 at 13:27
It's ok, I've moved past that and learned to see it as a rite of passage. There's probably not a lot of newbies who will be able to say they were the object of a deathtoll onslaught and lived to tell the tale.
Stitch on 24/2/2016 at 01:03
I'm not entirely sure why Facebook is even part of the discussion in this thread, as Facebook and online forums are good at two completely separate sets of things and there isn't a lot of overlap. Which isn't to say that Facebook isn't in competition for our time, but I think it's a bit of a red herring to focus on in discussions like these.
So why has my TTLG posting dropped off a cliff?
(
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144253&page=6&p=2261897&viewfull=1#post2261897) I touched upon this way back in the dethtoll departure thread, but the short of it is (1) marriage, fatherhood, life moves on, etc., and (2) TTLG grew increasingly negative as an online discussion board and it just didn't seem like contributing here was worth the work anymore. The first issue isn't going to get any better, but the second certainly has. Unfortunately, Comm Chat is now largely abandoned, and as such posting things feels less like engaging in a conversation and more like flinging bottled letters into an ocean in the hope that someone might see it.
It's heartbreaking, as I genuinely miss this place and the conversations we used to have. I "grew up" in a public and searchable fashion amidst you all, and it isn't an exaggeration to say that TTLG has helped shaped how I communicate, how I think, and even who I am. I've met some great friends that span the globe, and--
what the actual fuck--had drunken adventures with some of you across the globe. Seriously, just
think of that--the role this place has played in my life is absolutely
insane.That TTLG is never coming back, of course, and that's okay. Everything changes and life marches relentlessly on. But if we could resurrect enough TTLG to give me back my place online to chat about what's going on in the world (both big and small), that'd be lovely.
fett on 24/2/2016 at 13:54
Stitch - so you don't relate the rising popularity of FB with the waning interest in TTLG? Just curious, I guess that may not be everyone's experience. I know for myself, as I started to find TTLGers on FB, I dropped off looking for them, or conversations with them here. My mistake was thinking one could replace the other, and ultimately, it hasn't. I now find myself not so much nostalgic for "those days" but just a deeper interaction with the people I've grown to be good friends with via FB, on the phone, and in RL. I just want to carry on from where we are now - there's no way that will look like it used to around here, but that would be really boring anyway. It just seems like there's so many things I want to discuss with these friends that I know and trust, things that get lost on FB. It's not like our lives stopped when we dropped off posting here - there's not only lots to catch up on, but new discussions to have as married people, parents, grown-ups, etc. That's what I'm hungry for. It bothers me that I didn't find out about some people's divorce or job loss, or illness for months or years because I missed it on FB. That's inexcusable for me as a friend and I can blame it directly on my dependence on FB to inform me of personal things that people may not share on there, but would feel comfortable talking about here.
Thirith on 24/2/2016 at 14:05
All of this is guesswork on my part, but I'd relate the waning activity on TTLG at least as much to people getting older, having families, spending less time online, being less interested in games, having different priorities, without necessarily being all that conscious of these things.
PigLick on 24/2/2016 at 14:12
Thirith - exactly, its just a organic movement of people getting older and moving on or changing. For me I still frequent these forums for game discussion, because I value the opinions of people who post in gen gaming (well most of em).
Stitch on 24/2/2016 at 18:09
I think it's more than just an aging community, though, as there are other forums I've participated in for the past ten or so years that are still alive and kicking. Participation may be down somewhat, but not to the severe degree that has plagued Comm Chat, where I can check back in and see that nobody has posted anything in the past six hours.
Of course, those still-thriving forums never had a history of actively trying to scare away fresh blood.
Quote Posted by fett
Stitch - so you don't relate the rising popularity of FB with the waning interest in TTLG? Just curious, I guess that may not be everyone's experience. I know for myself, as I started to find TTLGers on FB, I dropped off looking for them, or conversations with them here. My mistake was thinking one could replace the other, and ultimately, it hasn't.
Not to be a dick, but <I>of course it hasn't</I>. Facebook works great as a place to share things with friends and contacts, but it's a horrible platform for discussion. It's going to siphon off some content, sure, as is Reddit, since there are things both of those platforms do better than an online forum. But do you really think I'm going to write six paragraphs about why the new Star Wars movie kind of sucks as a reply to my cousin's status update? No, I'd rather turn to a wide open online forum where there is no concept of "my space" vs. "your space" and anyone can wander in and throw in their two cents.
(p.s. the new Star Wars kind of sucks)
The problems plaguing TTLG run far deeper than competing communication platforms.
Sulphur on 24/2/2016 at 20:08
Honestly, I think there's a fairly simple, and also fairly depressing answer to this. The old guard have been peeling away for quite some time now, whatever the reason - hate me for saying this if you want, but I'm going to posit a lack of interest as a factor along with growing older and things like raising a family happening to them - and there hasn't been an influx of new people to offset this. How many new members does TTLG get on a monthly basis that regularly engage in posting around the main forums, let alone CommChat?
And of those, the few who've dared to dip their toes into CommChat's waters in the past 5 years probably found their feet coming away a bleeding mess with a couple of piranha attached to their tendons, not quite understanding that this is what the words 'rite of passage' mean. In winnowing out the wheat from the chaff, we've maintained the status quo at our own peril. Less people leads to less posts leads to less responses, which is a self-perpetuating cycle that, unchecked, will lead to only ZylonBane posting here by the time 2065 rolls around -- much to his delight, I'm sure.
henke on 24/2/2016 at 20:34
Deus Ex, Thief 2 and System Shock 2 coming out around the same time 16 years ago is probably what drew most people here. Maybe if Underworld Ascendant or System Shock 3 turn out to be amazing we might see a similar influx of new members in a few years? DXMD coming out this year will probably be reliably good, but nothing that'll get new people signing up in droves.
