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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FDP Mike" data-source="post: 917781" data-attributes="member: 325">Heh. You need to hang out at RPG.net more often ....  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Seriously, though, Mike is pretty spot on in terms of characterising the general "rantishness" of on-line criticism of RPGs and their publishers. Those with constructive, well considered, detailed criticisms are actually the breath of fresh air in all the choking smoke of "this sucks!" posts.One possible source of the ineffective type of "angry gamer" might just be found in how gamers treat each other. (I've written about this issue, I guess, in the latest Dragon's Breath installment on the FDP site. <a href="http://www.fierydragon.com/DB/DB_MAY28_2003.htm" target="_blank">Check it out</a>. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> ) You don't see too much anger here at ENWorld, as ostensibly we're all fans of D&D/d20; perhaps only the occasional disagreements about particular products or issues will involve some real mudslinging. Go to a place such as RPG.net, however, and you will see not only much of what Mike is describing and alluding to, but also a lot of destructive behaviour between gamers. Something about the hobby gets folks taking sides. Something about the internet gets folks taking shots at other folks they might never take when face-to-face. Publishers, of course, are gamers, too -- so why spare them from the carpet bombing?An irony that Mike does not address is how publishers are generally expected to keep silent in the face of criticisms and rants. Once a publisher responds, quite suddenly his or her "professionalism" is called into question, and people just decide to swear off that publisher's products because for once the publisher allowed his or her humanity to show through. Certainly, publishers can respond in effective or ineffective ways to criticisms and rants (Jim Ward, for some, might be an example of the latter). Yet I can understand why once in a while the guard is let down and the anger released ....In any case, I'm glad that Mike started this thread. It connects very closely with some issues that I've been pondering lately. Mostly, I simply don't understand all the time how willing some folks are on-line to be hurtful, spiteful, insulting, and destructive. Take care,Mike</blockquote>

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