- GameJunkieJim
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- Exalted Mythic Member
From the 7th Column Council Thread:
Posted by: Mabian
Posted by: Nedus
I'm inclined to agree with Shai here. There's been a "decline of personality", as he states that's been around since the announcement of Halo 2.
I'm not exactly sure what that is supposed to mean. That the majority of members don't partake in certain discussions? I'm lost...
No, I don't think that's what he meant.
Let me see if I can explain it from my point of view and air out some of the dirty laundry we have here.
We're languishing, and have been for some time now. I'll tell you my story, even though I'm a fairly young member here compared to some who lie in the shadows, wanting to stay but desparately looking for a reason to.
One reason is people. At the risk of promoting an elitist attitude, when I joined the Seventh Column chapters were designed around local gamer groups, designed around setting up LAN parties and contests, and a few larger groups that focused on bringing the entire Column together in central hubs, themed groups that dealt with a certain aspect of Bungie.net and the Seventh Column as a whole. However there has been an influx of people who never had a 'breaking in' period, who missed the point of the Column.
The groups started being about how many members you could get, rather than how decent the group managed it's niche. Way back whenever, the groups were good for something helpful, and one was so helpful, it got recast as a main forum section (The Septagon you're in now). Now the groups actually have become a problem, and a constant source of annoyance and spam for many.
Mjolnir Battle Tactics, for example, spammed the Wikipedia page for Bungie.net with group advertisements, Popular Fusion and they have this inane "Group War" going on, and people actually have "Do not send me group invites" in their signatures. This is retroactive for the column, and both of those groups are causing more harm than I care to see.
They've missed the point. Terribly.
I've gotten so jaded over these things that I've probably passed on several decent groups because I don't wanna be caught up in a mad bid for members. They don't care any longer about providing for the community, they care about being better than the rest of it, and that's the worst kind of elitism.
Seventh Column Council, great idea, horrible execution. Too many people wanted power over the site that they didn't need.
What do we need? Less concentration on silly things like Stat Tracking and whatnot. Yes, the Game Viewer is cool, but how does that help the Column? The most common useage I've seen for it is to brag about how good you are, or how bad someone else is. *yawn* I don't give a -blam!- how good you are. That's not why I'm here. We have MLG for hardcore stat mongers. Bungie.net is where I meet people for a friendly game. Where I discuss the finer points of the Easter Eggs, and theorize on the storylines of the games. It's where I come to check up on my friends, and see what's going on with Bungie.
Now I sit in the Underground and lament that people have gotten so selfish. People who completely crap on others for no other reason than liking another Bungie game more than Halo, or going into the Halo 3 Forum and seeing 400 replies to a topic berating the post starter for an idea or theory. Guess what, all ideas are equally valid, yours or the next guy's.
Look at Bungie.net's reputation on multiple gaming sites. It's frustrating for me especially, and I imagine others, because when we came here it wasn't like this at all. People were somewhat respectful, and even the spammers were on topic for the forum they posted in.
Look at yourself Bungie.net. You've gone from a tight knit gaming community to a mass of spam topics, elitism, and random hate. The forum used to be well moderated with only 5 or 6 moderators. Now we have close to 15 and we're still losing ground. It had to be said.
I long for the days where SketchFactor actually updates the 7thColumn page regularly. Or even the Council Idea would work if it could get people that weren't so worried about controlling aspects of the site.
This is likely to be inflammatory, and I want to apologize in advance:
Bungie, we have to know - do you give a crap anymore?
I've seen a site where the developers were frequent posters, especially Frankie back in the day, where the people had amazing groups that were amazing because they didn't try to be.
I've seen that site degenerate, I've seen over-commercialization of an intellectual property. Yes, some of that stuff is very cool, but do we need a movie? A Comic Book Series? Are we going to do a machinima show on Adult Swim next? When is enough enough? I don't mind these things, actually, it's the thought process behind it. You seem to have ignored the fans that kept Bungie Lore alive in their hearts, in favor of the cash cow of the daytrippers. Making money is forgiveable, even encouraged! I would love for you to have more money to expand and develop. But to do it at the expense of a core fanbase is not considerate.
Halo 3, great, I'm all for it. But remember that we are not walking wallets. We have feelings, and most of them are benevolent to Bungie's interests. Don't forget us in your search for money.
My brief history at Bungie.net was setting up a group for my clan down in Florida, meeting a few people, having a blast with the various stories and activities in the Off Topic forum, working out theories on Halo 2 in New Mombasa with Eagle and chaplain and Wra7h, among others, talking with various people around the 7th Column and forging friendships.
The personality of the forums is dying, and I want to do something about it. But it's gonna take a lot more than a Council. It's going to take employee interaction, and a vast willingness of the members to change for the better.
I sincerely apologize for any personal offense anyone takes, and do not wish to lose my status here as it helps me do a little good for the forums, but your decisions are your own.
[Edited on 8/1/2006]