Matt Colville's Community

[TheAlkaizer]

So, Matt Colville released a video about community building recently. I like Matt, he's a smart guy and I almost always learn something from his videos, or they're just generally interesting. So his latest video was definitely on my radar.


Then, I heard/read it being praised by three different people in an afternoon and thought "Yeah, I need to get to it".

First of all, it was enjoyable. And interesting. I learned a lot, especially because I have an interest in making things and finding the people that might enjoy those things. But more importantly, the video made me self reflect on some behaviors I might have online when I'm participating in a community (like ENWorld). It specifically made me realize that I have a nasty habit that does not improve the spaces I'm participating in. A nuisance. Something to seriously improve on.

The reason I'm sharing it here is two-folds:

1. I think it's an interesting topic. It's related to TTRPGs and I think most folks here will have a good time watching it.
2. I think many people (not here specifically, but in general) have something to learn from this video.

I did think of ENWorld specifically a few times. I enjoy this space. But when Matt talked at length about individuals that spend most of their time talking about things that they dislike as opposed to things they like, I immediately thought about the growing need for (+) threads to keep conversations positive and fun to engage with. So I think if a few of us could learn a thing or two from the video.

I am curious to see if anyone else has such reflections, or what they think about Matt's analogies or general philosophy behind communities, moderation, price, etc.

 

[Morrus]

But when Matt talked at length about individuals that spend most of their time talking about things that they dislike as opposed to things they like,

I haven't watched it (and I don't have an hour to spare as it's nearly 11pm and I need to go to bed!) but yes--this is a fundamental concept, especially in online spaces. I've been saying it for 25 years, and I still struggle with people who just threadcrap constantly with negativity. And here it's pretty good--places like Facebook and other mainstream social media platforms (gasp, YouTube!) are awful for it, to the point of toxicity.

So yeah. Talk about the stuff you like. Not only does that make things more pleasant for everybody else, you'll find you probably enjoy the experience more, too.

 

[SteveC]

This is a fantastic watch and I'd recommend it to anyone who's making something, or seriously wants to.

 

[Staffan]

I did think of ENWorld specifically a few times. I enjoy this space. But when Matt talked at length about individuals that spend most of their time talking about things that they dislike as opposed to things they like, I immediately thought about the growing need for (+) threads to keep conversations positive and fun to engage with. So I think if a few of us could learn a thing or two from the video.

I haven't watched the final video yet, but I caught Matt doing a draft version over on his Twitch channel.

I think what we have here is a "Squeaky wheel gets the grease" situation. When people like a thing, there generally isn't all that much to talk about. Maybe someone does something that builds upon that thing ("Here's a cool magic item/monster/spell/NPC I made."), but that generally doesn't generate a lot of discussion. But when someone identifies something they consider a problem, that can generate a lot of discussion: Are they correct in their assessment? Is perhaps the actual problem somewhere else ("A and B cause a problem, so we should fix A." – "Have you tried fixing B instead?")? Assuming the diagnosis is correct, what is the solution? And as a result, online discussions tend to trend toward the negative.

 

[TheAlkaizer]

But when someone identifies something they consider a problem, that can generate a lot of discussion

Matt makes this distinction in the full fledged video.

I'm paraphrasing, but coming and saying "I'm unhappy with this aspect of 5E, it doesn't work for me. Am I misunderstanding it? What could I do if I want to achieve X?" is technically being critical of the game, but not out of dislike of the game. This would never warrant a (+) thread. And it can create really interesting discussion.

 

[overgeeked]

I'm paraphrasing, but coming and saying "I'm unhappy with this aspect of 5E, it doesn't work for me. Am I misunderstanding it? What could I do if I want to achieve X?" is technically being critical of the game, but not out of dislike of the game. This would never warrant a (+) thread. And it can create really interesting discussion.

It shouldn't warrant it, but it would still need it. There are quite a few people who simply cannot abide anything even remotely negative or critical being said about 5E. They always treat anything negative as a user error rather than anything like a fault or flaw with the game. Even when the designers come out and explicitly say they flubbed something, see Mearls and resting / boss fights, and you still get people saying he's wrong and the game is great and perfect.

 

[Retros_x]

ere are quite a few people who simply cannot abide anything even remotely negative or critical being said about 5E. They always treat anything negative as a user error rather than anything like a fault or flaw with the game. Even when the designers come out and explicitly say they flubbed something, see Mearls and resting / boss fights, and you still get people saying he's wrong and the game is great and perfect.

But this are not the problem community members they were talking about who are negative only, without constructive criticsm. The haters. Yes, toxic positivity can be a problem too, but the constant negatives in many communities is the main issue that was adressed here. See every fan subreddit that gets more than 10k members.

 

[Distracted DM]

I've been procrastinating on watching this one, maybe now I'll make the time, thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Aldarc]

But when Matt talked at length about individuals that spend most of their time talking about things that they dislike as opposed to things they like, I immediately thought about the growing need for (+) threads to keep conversations positive and fun to engage with. So I think if a few of us could learn a thing or two from the video.

I am curious to see if anyone else has such reflections, or what they think about Matt's analogies or general philosophy behind communities, moderation, price, etc.

I agree. I keep this comic on hand and periodically post here. Stumbling on this comic was something of a reflection point for me. I like it because it's something I also remind myself from time to time. I think that there are much more productive ways for people to spend their time than complaining and/or crap-talking about games and playstyles that they dislike. There are ways to criticize games without being a toxic wangrod.

Since D&D 2024 came out, I have drastically reduced my posting in the D&D sub-forum, and I increased my presence in TTRPGs General. I realized that D&D 2014/2024 are "not for me" and decided that it's easier to move on. I would prefer talking about the things that I actually play, amplifying the games that I enjoy, and what excites/interests me in the hobby.

 

[The Soloist]

1) I mostly stay away from D&D topics on EnWorld.
2) Learning not to reply, was a great help.
3) I cast 'Silence' on individuals who stir the pot needlessly, using the ignore button.

I no longer watch Matt. I see his video is 1 hour long. From my experience all his videos could be 15 minutes long. I don't have the extra 45 minutes for him.