Regarding locked threads that thematized the globe appearances

So, it happened. After 60 pages worth of replies and suggestions, the main thread discussing the globes appearances has been locked.

"

Eben_GGG wrote:

Hey everyone, I've locked this thread because it has provoked discussion detrimental to the Path of Exile community.

The varying interpretation of this rule has been discussed occasionally. But with the fast locking of other threads thematizing this topic, i have the impression that forum staff has gotten the directive to clear the PoE forums of this discussion.

This is deeply concerning to me.

I think that public discussion should always be allowed as long as rules aren't broken. If a topic is polarizing, shutting down longliving threads must not be the first thing, a moderator is considering. Virtually, its a moderators task to ensure that the discussion occurs in the first place. At least, thats my standards and expectations. I fear, that some people may think that they are being limited to what staff considers adequate for discussion.

In this regard i hope that this thread wont be locked as well and a conversation about the nature of locking said threads may happen. Maybe a GGG employer can elaborate on the decision?

I wrote a PM to Eben_GGG, summing up what i wrote here and so far i've only gotten a copypasted reply. This is, like people may imagine, not very satisfying as a response.

I am amazed at the state of peoples minds. You have people, real people, like neighbors and relatives, dying, being beheaded, being raped, evicted, and shot. The best thing you people can think of to do with your time is bitch about the state of the UI in a game. You people have no freaking sense of reality.

You're all gonna armchair some offense against me and say why it's so damn important that this game cater to your virtual needs that help you fulfill some need to feel like you have accomplished something huge with your ego. Well, damn it, look around you. Read the god damn news. It sucks out there in the real world and it ain't getting any better in here.

Sure, squawk all ya want about mods locking threads and what not. Can't you see it's really just an on going reflection of a bigger societal problem. Our freedom of speech is being stomped on everywhere an the best place you can carry on about it is in an extremely niche game forum.
It's just such a Doh moment.

"

HermitDragon wrote:

I am amazed at the state of peoples minds. You have people, real people, like neighbors and relatives, dying, being beheaded, being raped, evicted, and shot. The best thing you people can think of to do with your time is bitch about the state of the UI in a game. You people have no freaking sense of reality.

You're all gonna armchair some offense against me and say why it's so damn important that this game cater to your virtual needs that help you fulfill some need to feel like you have accomplished something huge with your ego. Well, damn it, look around you. Read the god damn news. It sucks out there in the real world and it ain't getting any better in here.

Sure, squawk all ya want about mods locking threads and what not. Can't you see it's really just an on going reflection of a bigger societal problem. Our freedom of speech is being stomped on everywhere an the best place you can carry on about it is in an extremely niche game forum.
It's just such a Doh moment.

You do realize every single complaint anyone has ever had can be disputed by putting it into perspective, right? Sure, squawk all ya want about our freedom of speech being stomped on everywhere, who cares? We are all going to die anyway and the Sun will eventually explode and eliminate life on Earth, so there is nothing to really worry about.

I choose to care about the forum and the game because I spend a significant amount of my spare time in it. Actually I realized I'm bored and I'll probably have a break, but I did until recently. I don't care about refugees, starving children in Africa or global warming, nor do I want to. I realize all this is insignificant in the grander scheme of things, but then - everything is.

If you prefer to spend your time getting upset because real people are dying, being beheaded, raped, evicted and shot, by all means, go ahead. I prefer to get irritated because I dislike how the forum is moderated and to bitch about it here. I actually believe it is beneficial for the forum and I am providing valuable information to the forum team - whether they think it's valuable or choose to do something about it is an entirely different story. The infinitely easier option would have been to just walk away without saying anything and not waste so much time writing stuff which will probably get ignored and most certainly get trolled in an online forum to a game I may or may not play in the future, to people I don't know and never will.

"

Charanjaydemyr wrote:

Imagine how many lives I could have saved if all the money I'd put into supporting GGG had been allocated elsewhere.

This seriously keeps me up at night.

Wait, no. That's PoE.

I have a good evil laugh each time I spend money for anything. It could have gone for children in Africa instead, but I choose to waste it on PC games. Realistically, every PoE supporter pack represents a [Removed by Support].

"

Bars wrote:

"

Charanjaydemyr wrote:

Imagine how many lives I could have saved if all the money I'd put into supporting GGG had been allocated elsewhere.

This seriously keeps me up at night.

Wait, no. That's PoE.

I have a good evil laugh each time I spend money for anything. It could have gone for children in Africa instead, but I choose to waste it on PC games. Realistically, every PoE supporter pack represents a [Removed by support].

Perhaps you should rethink that statement and your mental state which led you to write it, thats a pretty low mentality i hope this thread is also locked as it quickly degraaded into a place it didnt need to be.

"

HermitDragon wrote:

I am amazed at the state of peoples minds. You have people, real people, like neighbors and relatives, dying, being beheaded, being raped, evicted, and shot.

I would certainly agree with you that there are far more important things to worry about than a video game.

"

HermitDragon wrote:

The best thing you people can think of to do with your time is bitch about the state of the UI in a game. You people have no freaking sense of reality.

Whether we praised a game, played a game, or complained about a game, the time would be as equally unproductive. Or it might seem so, until you look at the animal world, or children and see how much time they spend playing. Even during recreational activities, such as game playing, our minds can be learning, testing boundaries, flexing prowess and testing boundaries. Two lion cubs that leap at each other can do so because the repercussions are small.

Now consider verbal jousting online, it is also a form of play fighting, where no physical injuries are likely, and repercussions are minimal. Because of this, people are often willing to speak up, that wouldn't speak up otherwise. They may comment on things that in real life they wouldn't bother with.

"

HermitDragon wrote:

You're all gonna armchair some offense against me and say why it's so damn important that this game cater to your virtual needs that help you fulfill some need to feel like you have accomplished something huge with your ego. Well, damn it, look around you. Read the god damn news. It sucks out there in the real world and it ain't getting any better in here.

No, you are 100% correct on the relative importance. Path of Exile is recreation. It isn't curing cancer, and it won't stop ISIS. Relaxation is part of a healthy life. Yeah, the minimums of of safety, food, reproduction etc, need to be met, but the rest of Maslow's Hierarchy is just as important if we want human society to progress rather than revert to bipedal animals eking out mere survival.

"

HermitDragon wrote:

Sure, squawk all ya want about mods locking threads and what not. Can't you see it's really just an on going reflection of a bigger societal problem. Our freedom of speech is being stomped on everywhere an the best place you can carry on about it is in an extremely niche game forum.
It's just such a Doh moment.

On this part, I would also agree with you. As I've been reading the news the past few months (and noting and cataloging which news outlets are omitting inconvenient facts that don't fit their agenda), I've been tempted to add something to my signature line towards that thought, but it just seemed so pessimistic that I didn't want to go there. Very real dangers (including to life and property) accompany the loss of freedom of speech, but that's another discussion, and what happens here certainly isn't of that level.

I do think it is important for GGG's integrity that they let players speak out. The UI is a matter of personal preferences for players, and game design/theme considerations for the game company. The locking of threads discussing such, is IMO, contrary to what I've believed GGG to be about all these years:

GGG is a company dedicated to

making a game they liked playing

making a mature game (this doesn't mean explicit, just not overly toned down just to be safe for kids)

making a game that remained challenging

making a game that gave players both the opportunity to be extremely powerful, and the chance to hit a wall of utter defeat

making a game without any Pay to win aspects

being responsive to their players

being respectful to their players

allowing players to express their opinions on what they liked and didn't like about the game.


Although this last one has changed slightly, with some newer limitations on overly negative comments that don't have any real feedback, it hasn't to my memory, been a lock all discussion situation before. Even during the most prolific debatable subject (allocation of loot drops) GGG didn't lock the discussion, but ended up limiting it to a single thread.

That they have seemed to have made an unstated policy change (or the way they look at it) is disheartening to me. I completely understand the need for civil discussion on the forums. A lack of discussion isn't a forum.

I certainly don't expect GGG to cater to every player's whim. Even if they could change on a dime, there are so many opinions on what is best that nothing would get done but implement changes.

I do expect/hope that GGG would continue to let players talk about the things the players consider important.

Personally, I'd love to be allowed to "name" our pets. The two threads I've seen on the topic over four years of playing the game died with only a few agreeing voices. GGG didn't need to quiet those threads. GGG doesn't need to quiet the UI threads either. Players will ignore them on their own, and they will eventually vanish.

Anyhow, this is getting far too long. You did make some great points, but we caring about freedom of speech in a forum for a game we love doesn't really take away from our ability to care about other things.

For me, my time on PoE, is a break from the harsh realities of the world. I could be vegging out in front of the TV, but I choose to be here. Some people care about Game of Thrones. Some people care about what their game widgets look like when they play online games.

OK - time to click the "Submit" button, and hope the thread isn't already locked.

"

stormyknight wrote:

Its not even funny to joke about pal. Maybe stop being an internet meme kid and think about what your writing.

Point taken. Bad joke is bad, I apologize. Although I didn't understand the "internet meme kid" part.

@DalaiLama: thank you, you are a voice of sanity and reason and always a pleasure to read.

"

Charanjaydemyr wrote:

Imagine how many lives I could have saved if all the money I'd put into supporting GGG had been allocated elsewhere.

...If it went to a reputable cause, and the money was spend as the donation was intended.

If not, it could have ended up upgrading some charity executives from First Class to a chartered flight, or even to a third party which bought weapons to take lives.

On the other hand, we all need to eat, to have clothes on our backs, and a roof over our heads, and that includes the people working for GGG. They have put a lot of time and effort into making something for others' enjoyment. History may not celebrate PoE as widely as Shakespeare's plays, but if Shakespeare was rezzed up and given a chance to play Path of Exile, I would bet my last gold florin that the Bard would enjoy the game immensely.

"

Bars wrote:

"

stormyknight wrote:

Its not even funny to joke about pal. Maybe stop being an internet meme kid and think about what your writing.

Point taken. Bad joke is bad, I apologize. Although I didn't understand the "internet meme kid" part.

@DalaiLama: thank you, you are a voice of sanity and reason and always a pleasure to read.

I thought it was funny. The internet is no place for the easy to offend.

Wow, this went off-topic pretty quick.

However, i'm still interested in the issue and will read through the comments, trying to get the thread back on track.

"

HermitDragon wrote:

I am amazed at the state of peoples minds. You have people, real people, like neighbors and relatives, dying, being beheaded, being raped, evicted, and shot. The best thing you people can think of to do with your time is bitch about the state of the UI in a game. You people have no freaking sense of reality.

Actually i do. And in in this regard i also have problems seeing your post as argument to what i wrote. Because whatever you do, someone will have it worse. Should people stop caring about the smaller problems because of that? I dont think so. In fact, i think that people should try to change what is inside their limits to have a chance for changing things. Thats why i post my concerns about forum moderation here, in the forums. Sending them as report to the UN would be proportionally silly, don't you agree?

"

HermitDragon wrote:

The best thing you people can think of to do with your time is bitch about the state of the UI in a game.

*ahem* ...

"

Corpseshock wrote:

In this regard i hope that this thread wont be locked as well and a conversation about the nature of locking said threads may happen.

You seem to be easily annoyed by people talking about the UI. But theres really no need to fear this discussion everywhere.

"

DalaiLama wrote:

Whether we praised a game, played a game, or complained about a game, the time would be as equally unproductive.

"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." - John Lennon

"

DalaiLama wrote:

I do think it is important for GGG's integrity that they let players speak out. [...] That they have seemed to have made an unstated policy change (or the way they look at it) is disheartening to me. I completely understand the need for civil discussion on the forums. A lack of discussion isn't a forum.

People come here to discuss all kinds of things. It could also leave a very bad first impression on them if they get their threads locked or comments changed by the support if their intent was acceptable within the forum rules. And thats the thing. I still need to learn in which way the Globe Discussion threads broke forum rules. Because a thread, that may incite a discussion detrimental to the Path of Exile community didn't cause anything at all. Closing them beforehand seems heavyhanded and thats also something what i'm criticising.

Okay, my comment is getting pretty long. Will stop here.

Edit: Typos and readability.