@nessisonett The game club is still running. We’re trying 😂 you make a good point about the gulf between the staff and the regulars, I’ve grown increasingly frustrated at the lack of engagement from them on the game club front (I always thought Fraser’s shout out was brilliant on PXB side) Rog was a massive loss to be fair. I doubt we’ll ever fill that void. I did try and throw out an olive branch about the screenshot competition but it came to naught.
Like we didn’t even have the screenshot competition last year for example. It’s sad really.
I remember someone making a forum thread about the screenshot competition a few months ago?
Unfortunately there was barely any replies to it from what I recall, Ral didn't reply when I tagged them (Who ran it the year before after Rog left) and then I was ill all of last month so I never got around to at least starting it up.
Maybe I'm just old, but the slow erasure of forums is sad to me. I know platforms like Discord, Reddit or even Social Media are sort of supposed to be the modern equivalent, but it isn't quite the same. I probably spent way too many of my teenage years on forums, rather than being out and living my life, but with a forum everyone was there for a shared purpose, threads prompted focused conversation on specific things. You knew your place. No matter how niche of a discord server or subreddit you find, it still feels like you've walked into someone's house party you don't really know all that well, and tried to shove yourself into a conversation you weren't invited into, in the hope you have shared interests. Push Square is really the last forum I still regularly frequent and if this forum ever goes completely, I think the internet will be a much lonelier place for me.
@Pizzamorg Agreed. I’ve been able to avoid Discord, Reddit, Twitter, etc and find Push Square forums to be the right level of camaraderie and engagement without being an albatross around the neck that social media tends to be.
When I occasionally talk to gamers in the real world (like visiting GameStop or talking with friends who play) I’m always amazed at how much better informed I am about the hobby and how much more I seem to enjoy it. I think if one gets their information from social media outlets they you get a filtered and curated view of things, targeted often at the lowest common denominator.
Through PS I’ve been exposed to many things I’d never have found otherwise on the recesses of the internet. I know because I was that person before 2017.
I appreciate the breadth of personality and experience that has been present on the forums for years. I hope the community stays together as long as possible.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
I’m always amazed at how much better informed I am about the hobby and how much more I seem to enjoy it. I think if one gets their information from social media outlets they you get a filtered and curated view of things, targeted often at the lowest common denominator.
This for me is a real problem in in real life conversations too, a few of my closest friends know that I weirdly hyper fixate on like "how the sausage is made" on things, so when they bring up like some movie or something I go on a tangent about the tech that was needed to achieve a specific special effect or something, they let me do that.
But when I am just talking to someone about something in person and it is just like the most base level conversation of whatever we're talking about, I am actively fighting the urge to talk about all the stuff that went into that moment or whatever, for fear if I nerd out like that I'll come across as strange to them, so I am not actively enjoying the interaction really.
@Pizzamorg Yes, I’m the same. I often hold back my thoughts because I feel like people judge my nerdism or they just don’t care about the same details I do. At least on the forums here people can eyeroll and scroll past my pontificating monologues at their own pace and preference. 😂
Truth be told, I often hold back even on here. I’m pretty sure no one cares about a lot of the things I find interesting.
Nevertheless, you’d think that if you went into a video game establishment and asked about a new release or brought up conversation about a critically acclaimed game that the staff or people there would know what it is. I’ve been surprised how often I get back a blank stare.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution@Pizzamorg I actively make a beeline for your respective posts when I log in and really appreciate and enjoy your contributions to the forum. I guess I should express that more often. These forums would be much poorer without the people that frequent them.
Massive, massive quantities and a glass of water, sweetheart. My socks are on fire!
I fully agree with what's been said before. Joining a forum is like being among a group of people who are really devoted to the hobby, instead of having this surface-level type of interaction. And social media, like @Th3solution will always cater to the masses more than the conaisseur. That's why on one hand a forum shouldn't be this massive thing.
If it becomes too massive you get problems with more trolls, bad behavior, but also dumbed down conversations. On the other hand, if it gets too small, it dies out. There has to be some kind of golden middle between those two, which I think this forum managed to have in the last 12 years or so.
It's up to us to keep it the way it is. We can't control the greater societal trends, of course, so it's not all up to us. I should really engage in great conversations more instead of lurking and leeching... 🌞
I think what it comes down to is how people.spend their time online. Dedicated forums tend to attract a certain type of person for example Push Square attract Playstation fans, a particular video game forum like World of Warcraft forums attract WoW fans they almost feel exclusive and so most people nowadays probably feel like why I would I got to a WoW forum to discuss a PS5 game. Where on Facebook or Twitter people feel like they can talk about anything, and reach all their friends. They don't need to be a Playstation fan to hang out here or a Minecraft fan to hang out on a Minecraft forum if that makes sense.
RetiredPush Square Moderator and all around retro gamer.
@Th3solution@Pizzamorg I actively make a beeline for your respective posts when I log in and really appreciate and enjoy your contributions to the forum. I guess I should express that more often. These forums would be much poorer without the people that frequent them.
I genuinely appreciate this. I appreciated too when I joined Push Square how people said they had actually seen and liked stuff I'd written on Nintendo Life, too. I know I've not always been the most well liked person on there, clashing with many over certain topics I have stubbornly strong opinions on, so when a person says they liked X thing I'd written, it is a just a nice reminder that you aren't disliked by everyone 😂
@Pizzamorg Haha, I'm never the most well liked forum member either, but this place has always made me feel welcome. I appreciate that it's such a tight-knit community where everyone (mostly) gets along and is happy to join in on any discussions. It's a shame to see it shrinking in members over the years, but I can't say I've always been the most active either. I hope to never see this space dying, because it's genuinely my favourite place and people to talk and read about games with.
Thank you all for your kind words, really very much appreciated. Sorry I didn't get a chance to reply yet, I've had a lot on but I read them all as they came in and they meant a lot to me 😀
I gotta shout out @hallowmoonshadow@ralizah@crimsontadpoles too, loved our chats on crash team racing back in the day and along with @lieutenantfatman , some deeper chats in the chitchat thread and reviews thread and various quizzes
Big up to @mcnoisy too for being a stalwart of this forum and @tjuz@ltsarge and tigertiger (i forget their forum tag 😬) as well!
And of course Rog in the star trek and mgs threads!
I have definitely missed a lot of people out but it has been a number of years and I just wanted to give as much props to people who have made a difference in my life
@ralphdibny I'm playing catch up on this thread a bit so apologies for the late reply, but thank you for writing that post. You've hit the nail on the head in a lot of ways.
Roger deleted me on PSN too which I was a bit surprised by, as I got on very well with him. But I don't think there's any malice in it, it felt like he was having a life reset sort of moment. Sometimes you just have to clear out to move forward, so hopefully he's doing good.
I've been on Push Square since 2015 and there have been occasional dips in how busy the forums get, but it does feel quieter overall these days. I feel guilty when I think about this, as I've definitely been less active over the past year or so. The last eighteen months has been difficult for me (divorce, deaths in the family, job loss, all sorts of upheaval) but I'm coming out of it now (hopefully!) so I'd like to try and engage with things like Game Club a bit more. Perhaps it's down to us as regulars to give things a kick when needed.
Anyway good luck with everything, you're a good person and I've enjoyed all engagement I've had with you. Give us all a look in if you ever need to let off steam. The Push Square doors never close.
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@Gremio108 hey buddy, how could I forget to shout you out?! I always loved your puns and lame dad jokes in the comment sections 😅 (that is very much a compliment btw, not a dig - thought I should clarify because tone can get lost over text!) and also the frequent Angela Lansbury references! 😅😀
Sorry to hear about all that going on with you, I think a lot of similar stuff has happened with me tbh even if the detail/wording is a bit different. I probably don't give it the acknowledgement it deserves in how it's shaped me and my attitude lately.
I see your PSN in your signature, I'll give you an add jic I actually lose contact on here. I'm not on it much tbh but I do like to stay connected with people anyway.
@ralphdibny Haha, compliment fully accepted, lame dad jokes are what I aspire to!
Often it's hard to see the impact these things have on you until you've come out the other side. I'll grab that add later on when I get in. All the best to you too.
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@ralphdibny Good luck with your future endeavours! I'll raise my glass of my next St Austell pint to you
@nessisonett I've drifted off this place a fair bit which has (mostly) unintentionally coincided with Rog going. I always found this place slightly more difficult to keep up with than a couple of other forums I use more regularly as the big threads on here can feel a bit disjointed and hard to keep on top of if there are multiple conversations going on.
I think there hasn't been that one big release for a while for everyone to rally around in a thread either. The Returnal thread was great for all supporting each other along.
Just out of interest @Thrillho and I dunno if it breaks the rules for you to answer this question, so if it does don't answer I don't want to get you in trouble 😂 But what other forums do you use? I'm very much from that internet era, and a lot of forums I used over the years have closed down, so if you are on some active ones it'd be kinda nice to check out.
Forums
Topic: Goodbye/Vacation Thread
Posts 981 to 1,000 of 1,008
Please login or sign up to reply to this topic