Internet: good or bad for D&D?

[Victim]

One observation I have, which has held true on every forum for every hobby I've seen:

The people who don't read internet forums are happier about their hobby than those who do.

My old gaming group (which still plays, just 1500 miles from where I am) do not read internet forums about D&D. They don't buy or know about 3rd party products. They just buy WotC stuff (though they've decided to stick to 3e, seeing 4e as price gouging). They have no clue that D&D is broken, or that certain rules are broken. They are as happy as can be with the product.

There's a truism to the saying "ignorance is bliss."

To qualify this observation, I have no doubt you can find unhappy or happy people in either camp. It's more that the general unforumed people are happier than the forumed. I've seen this phenomenon across the spectrum of people and hobbies.

I don't think you have the cause and effect nailed down in your interpretation. I don't think it's a matter being informed leading to less happiness. It seems more likely to me that people who are not having a satisfying experience with their hobby will instead to derive some enjoyment out of it via reading books, forums, writing theories, etc and other related activities.

 

[jdrakeh]

I don't think it's a matter being informed leading to less happiness.

That can have something to do with it, especially with regard to errata. Knowing about specific errors has resulted in several people that I know (myself included) feeling compelled to track down and use the official fixes for said errors where, had those errors never been singled out on a forum, we likely would never have known they existed and continued to play using the rules as written. In such cases, ignorance can be bliss, as Janx asserts.

 

[humble minion]

Speaking for myself, I wouldn't have or ever have had a game group without the internet (thank you, aus.games.roleplay on UseNet...)

 

[ProfessorPain]

I think the internet has been helpful, particularly for those of use who are well past our highschool or college years. It is a great way to find new gaming groups, and it provides an endless source of material if you are a GM. I also feel like it gives me a lot of exposure to other gaming styles.