Is The Forum Getting More Antagonistic?

[TheSword]

The forum injunction against politics has been suspended a few times because important issues intersected with the hobby. That then allowed activism into the threads which is all about changing public positions and moving the dial beyond what people of comfortable with. That was always going to cause tension.

The really long threads tend to either be about politics or where people have ideological views about the game. There’s too much magic, fighters aren’t as a good as wizards, killing goblins etc. etc etc.

You learn which topics to avoid if you don’t want to increase your blood pressure.

 

[R_J_K75]

I'm not sure it's any more or any less now than before but I've noticed that opinion-based posts in some instances are picked apart on a minute level and then quoted negatively, condescendingly, or told they are flat out wrong. In these cases, it's not done constructively. When I find myself in this situation, I'll defend my stance once or twice then drop it or admit I'm wrong if someone points out evidence to the contrary.

 

[Lazvon]

I echo whoever mentioned ignoring. I have only been back for 4-months or so; I quickly ignored like 3 or 4 folks, now I see a lot less annoying stuff.

With One D&D testing, I can’t imagine how many posts those 3-4 folks are posting right now, quoting point-by-point why every single “opponent” is wrong and doing so constantly for each and every differing opinion. They are really “winning” the discussions and racking up their “Internet Points”. Yay for them.

 

[Morrus]

I think post reports are certainly up.

I also think the internet is getting more an more antagonistic with people being horrible to each other everywhere you look.

It's likely a combination of things.

 

[payn]

Not sure its "just" edition change.

Conversations tend to polarize into to sides and go downhill more frequently IMO.

Been bothering me for a while.

Still seems like a pleasant stroll to me compared to 2008.

 

[Retreater]

I've done my part to avoid 5.5e discussions. I don't have much nice to say about it, and I'm not especially interested in the development. It's better to stay out (and stay quiet) than to pollute a hobby forum that is a place for like-minded people to talk about something we all (theoretically) love, even if there are subtle differences.

 

[Umbran]

Not sure its "just" edition change.

I don't think it is, either. Antagonism was higher before the edition change notice came out.

Morrus may have at least part of it - people, in general, are more antagonistic on the internet these days, for a variety of reasons.

 

[JEB]

One particular trend that isn't helping is the increase in personal attacks. I don't previously recall seeing so many posts that were clearly picking on specific posters, and not just their ideas, until recently.

 

[Andvari]

"Is the forum getting more antagonistic."

Those are fighting words! Have at thee!

 

[J.Quondam]

There are a few things you can do to help yourself if you feel like taking action:

• The ignore button is effective if there are one or two people that are ruining your experience regularly. You can always stop ignoring someone if you decide to later. I try to take a break from the site if I'm thinking of blocking someone as a way to cool down. It really does help.
• In the longer threads you can skip a page or two ahead and see if the contentiousness is still going. Just skim for the interesting bits and skip the stuff you don't like.
• Start a new thread or find one with a tighter focus on a subject. The 1D&D Expert UA is live thread is a great example of something that quickly gets too big and unwieldy for discussion. Many of the more focused offshoot threads from that one were easier to follow and less likely to get diverted.
• Sometimes it helps to check other sites and see what their discussions are like. This one has become my go to for many reasons (the biggest one being the depth of knowledge and experience of some of the people here) but other sites talk about D&D, shows, movies, etc too.

Good list. I'd add that, when starting a new thread, there's always the option of making it a [+] thread to signal to readers that you want to keep language positive and discussion on-topic.