This is something that has puzzled me for quite a while now, as it seems like the comment section beneath the articles is often awash in negative voted comments that were completely innocuous, including many that were actually hidden from view.

I've experienced it myself and seen it happen to others who write the tamest of comments, sharing some opinion or observation. It's reached the point that I often feel the need to upvote a comment I disagree with just because it's trending dangerously close to being rendered invisible lol

Anyway, it just seemed weird to me as, here on the forums, there doesn't seem to be nearly so much venom. Things certainly get heated, but it doesn't match what I see in the articles comments.

So I just thought I'd ask, do you downvote comments there? If so, how often? I'd just like to see if the discrepancy is all in my head or if it is indeed uniquely hostile over there lol

Ka-pi96 said: I personally downvote comments of people who complain about downvotes (sorry ) or those with poor spelling/grammar, or the ones that are trolls.

lol I've never complained about it over there, that would be suicide.

Yeah, I've noticed this too, been this way forever. People downvote things they don't agree with, I guess, which is not at all the point with downvotes at all. There are many well constructed arguments that go against how I feel on a subject and these should be rewarded, this is how one promotes good discussion, online or otherwise.

Aye, that's why I've taken to handing out upvotes even when I disagree for good posts, but that hardly makes a difference and they generally wind up hidden beneath too many downvotes.

I used to get downvotes just for being a supporter on here. "Oh that guys has upvotes, must have used his supporter benefit to upvote himself to the top. Better downvote him."

Ka-pi96 said: I personally downvote comments of people who complain about downvotes (sorry ) or those with poor spelling/grammar, or the ones that are trolls.

Pretty much this for me, outside of spam posts most of the time it's the whiny stuff I just downvote to get rid of it from sight/site (both works)

I rarely see peoples tame opinions getting downvoted there though, unless you've got an example of it John? might be something you're missing, a backhanded compliment or something which isn't quite as it seems. "Nice one, PC users get a good game to play this year" something like that... as in it's calling the game good but also implying that it's the one game which is good on the system in a year. Somethings can have fairly severe double meanings.

Let's face it, people get downvoted for their reputation on here. If someone who doesn't like you on vgchartz sees your comment then they'll likely to downvote it.

I clicked "Yes, occasionally" in the poll, because I don't downvote everything I disagree with, but I will downvote blatant trolling. Non-constructive comments that add nothing to intelligent debate/conversation like "Switch sucks, buy PS4" or "Breath of the Wild is garbage, Horizon rules" deserve to be downvoted into invisibility. But recently, for example, when someone got downvoted just for mentioning a region release of a Vita game, I upvoted them to even it out since that's just plain silly.

People can upvote and downvote what ever they agree or don't agree to imo.

I generally downvote everything.