What's your opinion on www.gameboomers.com ?
I was just banned, which I find amazing. I don't swear much, I'm fairly reasonable and I try to support my case! I was there because of the release of Diamonds in the Rough and I have been edited out severely in 3-4 posts, had posts deleted, accused of promoting piracy pretty much (because I mentioned the word "abandonware" somewhere) etc.
I just find insane the level of "security" and "moderation" in that place.
Any other takes?
Opinion, in this thread?!!
Ban Nikolas now for this outrage!
Ah crap I just acted like a moderator, looks like I'm curtains too!
Seriously, they sound like perfectionist geeks who love the power they get running a forum to cater for the lack of any real power they have in real life where people walk over them all day.
I've visited Gameboomers in the past. Can't say I've ever seen anything that I haven't seen on any other (typical internet) forums.
Moderators everywhere tend to be split into two groups; Regular Joe moderators, and Gobshites. There's lots of Regular Joe moderators, and there's lot's of Gobshites. Moderators who spent all their non-moderating life wanting to be moderators usually turn out to be Gobshites. Moderators who do the job because it needs to be done, usually turn out to be Regular Joes.
It's pot luck, though, which type you may encounter.
Banning is usually the sport of Gobshites.
I can't diss GameBoomers too much because it was through their list of Free Games Galore section that I found AGS. The only reason I ever use that site these days is for said free games and their respective walkthroughs.
I don't recall ever even hearing of them, until this post...
I read the thread (I think it's the one that resulted in your banning), and I can't see anything that would warrant a banning. Here's what I could see:
Nikolas: Hey, here's a thread where we can discuss all the spoilery details of DITR and it's awesome ending!
Everyone else: Yeah, that ending was cool. Political implications of ending. Personal relationship to political implications of ending.
Moderator: Hey! Quit going off topic! I'm deleting everything about politics!
Nikolas: Respectfully, as the thread starter, I don't think this is off topic. In fact, this is what I intended the thread to be about: people's personal feelings about the ending of the game.
Moderator: In that case, you've created a thread that breaks forum rules. (?) (Nikolas secretly banned without mention.)
Other Moderator: We don't like people to discuss things like religion or politics here. Thread locked.
If that thread was breaking any forum rules, their forum rules must be pretty strict. And in any case, perhaps a warning before an out right banning.
I've read GameBoomers threads a couple times (never signed up) and they always seemed like a nice place, so I'm just going to assume this is a case of one mod going a little off the rails.
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Sat 12/04/2008 00:59:24
I read the thread ... and I can't see anything that would warrant a banning.
Which is itself a bannable offense, I suspect.
I never go to Gameboomers forums for this very reason. The level of ass-hattery is simply astounding.
Also, thank you Limpingfish for giving me a new word: gobshite. I shall begin using this word at once, and often.... until all my friends demand that I stop.
- Ponch
"abandonware"?
Maybe it's not a moderator, but a bot?
Vince, exactly that!
I can't see the thread actually, since I'm banned (all contents are hidden) so I can't see what was said after that. I don't know even know if they kept my rather long reply with the 3 points, a reply to the mod called MaG!
The previous quarel was about me using the word "abandonware"! ;D The thread was soundtracks in games and I mentioned Betrayal at Krondor and Legend of Kyrandia, and mentioned that both could be abandonware by now. Got told off about mentioning this, replied, replied back, etc...
Completely moronic strictness for no reason!
Vince, do quote the rest of the thread for me, just out of curiosity... ;D (after my post that is)
I once went to a forum where the Administrator was a Gobshite. Seriously, she told lies about me after I was banned and when I asked for proof she didn't have any. Considering she was 21 years old, she acted 4.
Grr, I still get so pissed off till this day; well I shouldn't be, her forum is practically dead long ago.
Quote from: LimpingFish on Fri 11/04/2008 21:48:14
I've visited Gameboomers in the past. Can't say I've ever seen anything that I haven't seen on any other (typical internet) forums.
Moderators everywhere tend to be split into two groups; Regular Joe moderators, and Gobshites. There's lots of Regular Joe moderators, and there's lot's of Gobshites. Moderators who spent all their non-moderating life wanting to be moderators usually turn out to be Gobshites. Moderators who do the job because it needs to be done, usually turn out to be Regular Joes.
It's pot luck, though, which type you may encounter.
Banning is usually the sport of Gobshites.
Reminds me of the prefects in the video game "Bully"... :-\
I sometimes go on that site, to check for news about U.S. releases of European games. But I didn't know they were so uptight there.
Quote from: Nikolas on Sat 12/04/2008 01:25:45
The previous quarel was about me using the word "abandonware"! ;D The thread was soundtracks in games and I mentioned Betrayal at Krondor and Legend of Kyrandia, and mentioned that both could be abandonware by now. Got told off about mentioning this, replied, replied back, etc...
Yes, Legend of Kyrandia is... I found them last year on some site, the 3 of them. Reminded me of when I played them as a child ;D
It should be pointed out that no one should read that thread unless you're into spoilers on DITR's ending. If I had read that thread before playing the game I'd have been robbed of a nice "Whoah!" moment. Everything I'm posting here has been sanitized, however.
Here ya go Nik. Here's the remaining (pertinent) posts after your evil post:
Quote from: MaG
Please reread my post - I did not delete any reference to the game. I deleted non-game political discussion. Please be clear about that.
No matter what the game's ending is: still that discussion should be limited to that ending and not the situation of [possible spoiler removed by Vince] and politics in different countries at present.
No I have not misinterpreted something. As stated - personal preference is my reason.
Quote from: Nik
Do keep in mind, however, that I did start this thread, personally, pretty much with this in mind, as I consider it a serious subject and gameboomers is populated by mature people who can discuss such matters. Without being allowed to discuss this matters, there's non need for this thread really. All one can say is "wow! nice ending!", or "Wow1 I didn't expect that. I waited for the x to be nnn and so on". or whatever...
You stated that you purposely started the thread with that in mind rather than the quality of the game, the graphics, the puzzles, the music, the flawlessness - then I agree with you as you stated: there's non need for this thread really.
It does show that you deemed that the discussion of the game to lead to the breaking of the rules of GameBoomers.
Quote from: jedi valiusHi Mag,
this is a tricky situation as the very ending of the game and the after-ending comments do specifically refer to the present situations and the different views about the subject, hence the discussion about it. Moreover this thread was started as a commentary to DITR's ENDING specifically I think if I am not mistaken...I read as much in another DITR thread where Alkis asked whether a thread could be created to discuss the ending. I think this discussion is not more off topic than say a discussion about Mary Magdalene and Jesus (religion) would be in a GK3 discussion thread hehe. The very nature of the game's ending prompts this type of discussion, but I also understand the forum's wishes to limit the discussion to the game itself. In this case it is a very thin line...and I respect your wish to draw the link where you see it goes too much off topic.
Quote from: BeckyHi jedi --
GameBoomers is a place where we've found that discussing religion and politics is tricky enough that we simply avoid these topics. This would include avoiding a "he he" discussion of Mary Magdalene and Jesus.
There are other forums where you can talk about such controversial issues in a game -- Just Adventure has just such a forum.
We have a huge variety of gamers from all over the world, and many have political and religious sensibilities that can be wounded and they don't always speak up for themselves. We try to be proactive in keeping anything out that might offend those with various religious and political beliefs.
I hope everybody understands and helps us keep the forums friendly, nonpolitical and well, noncombative.
Quote from: jedi valiusHi Becky,
my hehe comment was not about the Mary Magdalene thematic but about the fact that games with large thematic lend themselves to wide discussions that sometimes go beyond the game. And if somebody has political or religious sensibilites that can be wounded, I think DITR is not a game for them or a game they would approach at all. I believe anyone who even enters the DITR ending discussion forum knows very well what will be discussed and the sensitivity of the thematic. Moreover our discussion was not combative at all so no harm done there \:\) My point was simply that some games ( and they are very few indeed) would be hard to discuss without dealing with the thematic. I think that to avoid any further discussion, you will have to close this specific thread as it is not the posters who are off topic but it is the very game which deals with a specific sensitive thematic. My two cents anyway \:\) I'll leave it to you to deal with this in the way you deem most appropriate. And thanks for the mention about the Just Adventure forum which I think Alkis and Nickolas might find interesting as they can start a new thread there if they so wish.
Quote from: MaGThank you for your comments.
This thread has veered into topics that are not about the thread.
Yes - this topic is definitely closed.
Thanks Vince. :)
They are morons!
Gee, sounds like they are only interested in talking about the technical aspects of a game. ::) I know that if I'm not allowed to talk about the themes of a game, I'd rather not talk about it at all...
The moderators don't seem like (real) gobshites, but whoever wrote the rules obviously was a bit of one.
Actually pretty much any forum I've been do not allow political or religious discussions. Simply because they lead into shity 20 page thread.... (take a look in threads about religion or politics in here).
Problem is that the ending of DiTR lends itself to such a discussion! As for the rest it's obviously that MaG is having trouble with me all the time.
(Becky is much nicer, at least to me, and we have been exchanging PMs. Just for the record).
On the contrary the mods and admins look exactly like gobshiters.
* We don't allow piracy, but the word, and only the word "abandonware" is pretty much nothing. No links no anything and it doesn't deserve even a mention.
* We don't allow politics into the forums but "DiTR ending is about the x situation which does exist" is far from that and certainly, since I worked into the game I wouldn't even consider using it as a platform into starting a discussion about the x.
Ridiculous!
I didn't even realise 'abandonware' was such a taboo word...
Yeah, it's one thing to mention the word, a totally different thing to post links to warez sites and stuff...
Besides, I think preemptive moderation is a bit fascist. Sure, discussions with religious themes tend to derail after a while, but discussions about religion as a meta subject, as an aspect of a game or plot or whatever, can be very rewarding and often necessary to make interesting interpretations of said game/plot/book/movie.
At least wait until the discussion has gone out of hands before locking it. If it's on topic and thought through, what's the harm?
Someone should go there and discuss the game "Left Behind" ;) or come to that, "The Shivah"
I actually like the Gameboomers website itself. It covers quite a lot of games, including a large number of AGS titles. I've never posted in the forums, though, but I generally don't actively participate in many forums anyway.
Like I said, internet forums are, by and large, a mixed bag, and I'm sure Gameboomers is no different.
I still think a ban, simply because you questioned the forums stance on political/religious discussions, is rather draconian.
It's even worst, because the political/religious discussion came in direct connection to a game, and a game I've worked on actually! Imagine my surprise.
Yeh that's just ignorance and lack of respect on their part.
Shows them to be the amateur outfit they really are.
Ok, some site's administration is a bunch of complete and utter gobshits.
They think they should lock topics, erase posts and ban people because they can.
I've never been there and - thank you very much, Nikolas - I never will. Judging by what I've read they did not deserve the bliss of my presence. And - again, thank you very much, Nikolas - they never will.
Proof of the ineffable wisdom of this esteemed forum is that they've never made me a moderator. We have mild-mannered people running this joint instead, and a very relaxing joint they roll, too.
Yeah, I love the moderators around this forum.
Also,
Quote from: Ponch on Sat 12/04/2008 01:07:13
Also, thank you Limpingfish for giving me a new word: gobshite. I shall begin using this word at once, and often.... until all my friends demand that I stop.
- Ponch
Word-stealers suck. That's our word ya pikey!
Edit by Andail: Just a...minor typo corrected...yep.
Quote from: Emerald on Sun 13/04/2008 13:39:42
Word-stealers suck. That's our word ya pikey!
"Pikey"? See, there's another word I can use! Thanks, Emerald!
- Ponch
Only use it if you want to upset gypsys and other travellers...