The Public Forum(s)

I really, really hate the forums.

Sometimes I go there to find the answers to specific questions. Invariably I end up sidetracked into ever-increasingly abstract levels of bickering and whining and counter-whining.

So, for those of you that play, well, any kind of online game, here is the basic forum format:

Post #1 - Makes a blanket statement/accusation or asks a seemingly harmless question.

Post #2 - Agrees with Post #1.

Post #3 - /sign.

Posts #4 through #8 - random bumps and /signs and catty agreement.

Post #9 - Disagrees with post #7.

Post #10 - Poster #7 responds with biting sarcasm.

Post #11 - Poster #9 calls #7 a harsh name. Misspells one or more words.

Post #12 - Call to end stupid arguing. Insults #9.

Post #13 - Cries that the game is broken. More insults.

Posts #14 through #18 - #4 calls #7 a moron, misspelling 'moron'. #5 says #1 and #2 are either sheep or corporate plants. #9 vows to quit game, but is still posting three months later, vowing to quit the game. #6 posts random pointless link. #9 defends position by quoting a dev.

Posts #19 to infinity - Endless back-and-forthing with playground insults and cries of, "You are!" "No, you are!" If there was a question in the beginning, it has been answered by post #25, yet people continue to argue. If there was an accusation of nerf-ing then the supposedly nerfed classes will tell people to "STFU" and all other classes will point out how "cheap" they are. If there was a suggestion it has been nit-picked to death by people yelling about how that would "unbalance" the whole game.

That's pretty much how it goes.

Two links today that have games In Real Life. Which I always find strange to say. After all, playing a computer game is no different than playing a board game. It is only the method by which it is played, the computer taking the place of a board or cards or what-have-you. It's not like computer games have to create a virtual world, or that they have the monopoly on the process. Settlers of Cataan, for example, allows for the sort of loose simulation that Simcity employs, and a game like Betrayal at House on the Hill presents a great way of creating a narrative structure from common horror elements.

Anyway, enough justification. Check out Gyft and Cheapass Games.

Of course, I'm not really sure Gyft is a game. Some of the cards contain mini-game type of things. I guess it's more of a social interaction system.

But game sounds better.