Guild Wars 2

In recent months I’ve stopped posting much on the forums. There are a number of reasons for this, but most source from the general hostilities that persist in all internet forums. This is discussion about why I think that is. The purpose of the discussion is to inform and to encourage thought about these ideas.

1.
On forums we are, at the outset, just two things: Our name and a post. As example: I am Eirdyne. These words are my post.
- Name
- Post

2.
Our Name and our Post is effectively our ‘visual’ identity to the person reading the post. This is important as I feel that many people treat their posts much as they would a statement made while playing in-game.

3.
Posts are usually presented in a paragraph form. They may range from one to several many paragraphs.

4.
Replies to posts are usually short, ranging between a sentence to just a paragraph.

5.
Posts are naturally agenda-oriented.
This is true regardless of whether it is to say, “I love [insert subject]!” or bring attention to something regarded as an issue posts.

6.
Replies are just as naturally agenda-oriented.
Simply because the person who has made a post has something to say it follows that another person will have something to say on the matter.

7.
Posts and their replies are no different, in presentation, than a delayed form of in-game chat.

8.
Posts and their replies are permanent fixtures.

Summary 1:
The elements of forum posts 1 through 8 inform upon how posts are perceived, created, and for what they are initially utilized.

9.
The delay between Post*_ing_* and repl*_ing_* is much slower than in-game discussions.

10.
This delay between Post*_ing_* and repl*_ing_* creates a sense of personal distance between the Post*_er_* and the Repli*_er_*.

11.
This fixed personal distance between Post*_er_* and the Repli*_er_* changes the sense of personal responsibility for Post*_er_*s and the Repli*_er_*s in their words to one another and/or Developers.
This affects intensity of indifference people have toward one another as posts/replies and their impacts have delays.

12.
The delay in post-to-reply and reply-to-reply on forums highlights a primary difference between in-game and chat-room style text-spaces.
- Forums are not regions of communication, but text-spaces.
- Forums and everything on forums exists as text-alone.
- Communication may be defined as ‘the conveyance and furtherance of understanding’
- Mere reception of a textual package is not communication.

Summary 2:
The elements of forum posts 9 through 12 inform upon:
- how and under what conditions Posters and Replies are exchanging textual transmissions.
- how personal distances impose a state of person-to-person indifference between

13.
Forums are inherently places of voiced concern and upset.
- Note: There exists no portion of the forums which read “Feedback & Suggestions: Communicate with our developer team”.
- As a consequence of Anet’s forum design there exists no single area to discussion players concerns, whether in part nor in whole, regarding any element of the game. This enforces and encourages an toxication of all forums as players who have an issue with something then post their issue within the related available forum regions.
- As players who have genuine issues post into regions of the forum not wholly designed for that purpose they come into contention with those players who do not. This content shifts the ‘mood’ of the entire forum space impacted and further enhances toxification.

14.
Forum Posts are made in ‘letter’ form.
People making posts represent their Posts as one would a letter. Forum posts are rarely designed to receive any sort of reply.

15.
When Forum Posts are designed to be replied to a reply which is not replying to the requested discussion margins should be understood as deliberately antagonistic only.
There is a real culture in Guild Wars 2 forums to make posts which deliberately aim to sabotage or cease discussion of a topic. These are always quotation replies and/or replies roughly three paragraphs or shorter.

Summary 3:
The elements of forum posts 13 through 15 inform upon the general climate of forums, their function, and what contributes to their toxification.

Yeah, well, some people are immature. That’s life. No getting around it. Are you gonna just stop talking about things because of it?

Or am I misunderstanding in assuming you’re trying to make a point? It’s very odd, the way you’ve presented this.

16.
Many replies are ‘baited’.
These are usually in the form of ‘critiques’, but frequently occur in company with comment on the topic itself.
- Factors of ‘baited’ replies arrive in two forms: diminutization and minimization.
- Deminutization is almost always directed at the Post itself
- Minimization follows, either immediately in the same reply that initiates the baiting or in one of the several that may follow.
- Minimization aims to directed toward the person – ’ as to minimize ’.
- The straight-desire of this practice is alienate sympathy for the Poster and present, by affect, that deminutization and minimization have taken place with evidential success.
- Not infrequently the underlying success of this effort is embellishment for the person who has initiated it; either as self-aggrandizing or to impel a larger agenda

__
Not directed at you Andred, but thanks for reminding me about that kind of usual character on forums. As for continuing to post… I don’t know. Writing this was as enlightening to me as I’m sure it is validating for so many that have tried to make sensible, balanced, and fair discussions. It is a post that says exactly what it is at the beginning.

- Minimization aims to be directed toward the person – ’ as to minimize ’.
- – That is, it usually occurs in company with allusion rather than direct assault.