On Videogame Forums

[icycalm]

This is the title of an article I have been meaning to write for years now, but which for whatever reason I keep pushing back... In the meantime, people keep signing up to this forum, or simply browsing it, and many, if not most of them, are surprised or enraged at the goings-on... I mean I had to ban three people in the last 48 hours, and overall I have banned more than 50 people out of about 300 registered users (note that perhaps half of those 300 never even made a single post, so chances are that if all of them had posted many more would have been banned...). In other words, this place probably has by far the highest ratio of banned-to-regular posters on the internet -- so what gives?

The answer to this, and many other related questions, will be in the article once I write it, but for the time being I just feel I need to give a quick answer to all those well-meaning visitors who have no idea how forums work (or don't work, as is usually the case) and who might be puzzled at the way I am running this place.

The idea is that I don't have the time, nor the inclination, to discuss things with people who I deem are stupid. I don't devote any of my precious time to stupid people in everyday life, so I don't see why I should put up with them in my forum, and allow them to clog up my threads with pages and pages of endless, pointless idiotic blabber. So, basically, everyone here is being constantly judged by every single line they post. Once I have decided that someone is stupid, I immediately ban them. This ensures that only a handful of intelligent, knowledgeable people retain posting privileges, and makes me feel happy and confident to allow the resulting discussions to be published under my domain name.

That's it for now. I'll have a whole lot more to say on this subject in the article...

[Basil_Pesto]

Could it be that you ban everyone because you're a colossal asshole? I remember when this site was full of interesting (if barmy) ideas, now it's become a tangled knot of recycled philosophy (none of which any of your gang seem to truly understand) ruled over by despotic lunatic more focused on cleansing his forum than welcoming proper debate. I understand it's your domain, and you have full say over what goes, but by waving the ban-hammer so liberally you have curtailed any proper discussion in favour of the sycophantic ramblings of your mindless acolytes.

I disagree with your ideas, but at least they were your ideas. You sir, have grown to be quite the disappointment.

[icycalm]

See, this is what I am talking about. Now why would I want someone who talks to me like that to be able to post in my forum? All he'd do would be to fill my threads with similar nonsense. And now imagine FIFTY people like him allowed to run free around here. It would be impossible to get anything done (see also: the rest of the internet).

I really do appreciate it when people come straight out at me like that. It's much less of a hassle for me to get rid of them this way. I have no regrets either, in contrast to when I ban stupid but well-meaning people.

[icycalm]

And here, let me answer some of his moronic criticisms, for the benefit of similar-minded morons. So that perhaps they'll be kind enough to go back to the IGN forums and leave me the fuck alone.

Could it be that you ban everyone because you're a colossal asshole?

I am sure that's part of it too. "Colossal" is the key word here. As in: bigger than anyone else.

I remember when this site was full of interesting (if barmy) ideas

It still is: check the frontpage. And things are only going to get barmier.

now it's become a tangled knot of recycled philosophy

"Recycled philosophy", lol. Like, for instance "recycled mathematics". Or "recycled anthropology". But that's how uneducated people think. Everything for them must be new. They are new themselves.

See how useful that "recycled philosophy" can be? It saves me having to say again things that have already been said, and much better than I could ever have put them. And guess why this is a good idea. That's right, because it gives you the time you need to go further.

(none of which any of your gang seem to truly understand)

They sure do understand a lot more than you, though! Hurts, doesn't it? This is because "intellectual superiority is everywhere and under all circumstances the most hateful thing in the world".

ruled over by despotic lunatic more focused on cleansing his forum than welcoming proper debate.

"Proper debate", lol. Whoever said this forum was about "proper debate"? No -- THE REST OF THE INTERNET is about "proper debate". This forum is about doing something much more useful. It's about helping people understand whatever the fuck it is we talk about on the frontpage.

I disagree with your ideas, but at least they were your ideas.

They never were my ideas. That's not how ideas work. No one can "own" an idea. You are just too stupid to realize this.

You sir, have grown to be quite the disappointment.

Oh, I have disappointed Basil_Pesto. However will I be able to atone for this?

:(

[c001357]

http://xenozipnotes.blogspot.com/2009/03/moderation.html

This post isn't necessarily directly related to fighting games. Though, in a way it is related to all games due to web chat forums and other services that our online communities use.

Basically, I find it ridiculous when people complain about moderators or rules for basically any medium.

Say you owned a site, and other people enjoyed that site a lot so they asked to join you. Now some of them are doing something you don't like on YOUR site, do you let them continue? Of course not, you are the one paying for a site that you're letting others use for free. It's yours to do whatever you want with. You don't owe anybody anything and so you kick them the fuck off if you feel like it.

So anywhere from places like PayPal or Amazon to smaller places like Shoryuken.com/forums and Dustloop.com/forums, or even places in between like Battle.net or X-Box Live

They don't owe you anything. It's not yours. They are allowing you to use their service under specific rules/conditions. They offered it. You are not entitled to jack shit. It's not even a "public" service either since they are all independently/privately owned. They are simply inviting "the public" to use their service under a Terms of Service agreement, which they can make up or change in any way they please, at time they please. They do not need any reason what-so-ever to moderate or ban anybody, regardless of whether it makes sense or not. They're allowed to, because it's their site to do whatever they want with. And they can put people in charge of moderating as they see fit.

Of course, if it isn't logical and/or if it happens often (or happens to "you" since lord knows you're special!) then yes it's a shitty service, just get over it and find another service that isn't shitty or fucking deal with it.

See, personally I remember a time back before web forums, deviantart, photobucket, XBL, BNet, and all those other places didn't even exist, which is really only a couple decades ago for the majority of internet services. Thus, I am so sick of hearing people complain about moderation/ToS. It's even to the point where I'm also sick of hearing the moderators complaining about the spoiled ingrates that complain to them.

Just play.