- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Toady I made a return visit to The Septagon after over a month of being away from the Main Forums. To say the least I was appaled at what I found. After discussing this with a few in the IRC Channels I knew what I had to do. I'm gonna try to sugar coat this as much as possible, so it doesn't come out as a blatant insult to the community, and I may get banned for it, but so be it, the point has to be made.
The Community is Dead! Yes the Forums are seething with activity and there are more members and Chapters on B.net than ever before but make no mistake the community "is" dead. I'm not even and Old Skooler and I can think back to better days. I joined Bungie.net on November 11th 2004 under the name of snowmanaxt. Friday will mark my One Year anniversary on Bungie.net, and it almost makes me cry to see what it has turned into.
Lets think back a bit.
I'll begin with Chapters, they used to be a part of the community. Chapters worked together, helped each other. Founders passed on thier knowledge to other Founders, members respected Founders and the work they put in, instead of taking advantage of it. Chapters were created to provide content for members and places to gather to discuss certain topics, Chapters had meaning. Today I see Chapters created for the sole purpose of being the biggest and best or as a direct retaliation to another Chapter. Chapters actually war with each other Chapters and members actually try to "conquer" Chapters of all things. Members treat Founders with little or no respect, knowing they dont have to provide them with the content they do. What happened to the Community?
Next we move on to the Main Forums, they used to be a community also, believe it or not. I remember a time when I could visit The Septagon and entire page of intelligent conversation and debate over community issues. I remember The Underground as a Hub of oldskool activity where newskoll members could collide with the oldskoolers in intelligent conversation. I remember a Zanzibar and Optimatch full of actuall Halo 2 Multiplayer and Live discussions. I remember a community.
Now on the other hand, there is no community, in it's place: A Flood. The Sptagon is full of members trying to write thier own little guides to everything, even if it's already been written, just to get recognition, not to help people. When a question is asked, sure it answered, but then echoed 15 more times, the same answer, and argued over who gets credit for answering it. The Underground is full of entirely one post. Halo 3. Instead of keeping it all to one or two threads memebrs feel the need to make a brand new Thread for each and every idea instead of adding it to the already existing thread. Those few threads that belong are quickly pushed off the page and it seems the Old Skool community has left, its Forum overrun by The Flood.
Zanzibar and Optimatch are full of Cheater and "Bungie do this, Bungie do that" threads. Instead of real suggestions and debates members choose to whine over topics, even those that have already been addressed, and stoop to flamming to keep themselve entertained. And now onto The Flood. Here members are given a chance to talk about absolutely anything as long as it does not break the Code of Conduct. It's filled with tons of Forum Games and Random stories, like I'd expect, but I'd also expect it to contain some intelligence. Members are given the chance to discuss almost anythign here, to an extent and I have yet to see one Intelligent Coversation and/or debate last. Those few that have been made were filled with flamers and/or Spammers and quickly fell off the first page.
The Community is Dead! The Flood has been Born!
Here comes the part where I drop the Sugar coating and tell you how it is, plain and simple. The Community, those who worked together, got along, respected one another, and understood the meaning of the word, is gone.
The Flood, a seething mass of idiocy and hipocricy has replaced it. The Community is now full of concieted -blam!-s, elitest punks, and anarchists. Instead of working with one another they choose to fight over mindless drabble. They mass in groups, shutting out the rest of the community in elitest camps, they have a total disregard for gramar and rules. Some actually get off over posting unnecessary and unwanted material and breaking the rules.
But, I should correct myself, The Community isn't dead, only transformed, into the Flood. For isn't that how you would describe this behavior? Please make no mistake, this isn't an insult to a few people, or even a group of people, this is a blatant "slap" to the face of the "entire" community.
Though, while I sit and write this I realize that it will only make notice to the few community members left, and will either fall off the radar or become a flamming ground for The Flood. So what's the point you ask? The Point had ot be made, my only hope is that someone sees this and trys to make a difference, us few community members left are giving up, after so long with no progress.
Oh yes, a few Community members still exist, though they have receeded to thier own digital hideouts and rarely venture out into the Flood. And with this I leave you, to receed back to my own digital hideout. The day "The Community" returns so shall I, untill that day: farewell Community, farewell Septagon, farewell 7th Column.
-Ancient