| Veknoid_Outcast said: So, this is something that's been on my mind for a long time. Do gaming sites like VGChartz and others tend to radicalize members? By radicalize, I mean to shift an opinion toward one extreme end of a spectrum. Before you began posting here (or elsewhere) were you more moderate in your opinions? More open-minded? Did the clash of opinions on a video game forum like VGChartz make those opinions more extreme and/or inflexible? Or was it the other way around? Did the free exchange of ideas and viewpoints on forums like this one soften the intensity of your opinions? Did you find yourself open increasingly to different ideas and perspectives? I'm curious to hear your experiences. Have you become more radical in your opinions and communication since joining the site? Or more moderate? And why do you think that is? |
For VGChartz in particular, it's the exact opposite. I learned to be more moderate with my tone, less accusatory, less flame-baity, less gloating. And that's in large part to the more reasonable and logical users on the site, who either having an valid and educated opposing viewpoint, or have no horse in the race, and offer up logical reasoned responses.
I think there are certainly some sites, that encourage a more radicalized dialogue, but because VGChartz is more about numbers, and the discussion thereof, it kind of shifts the sites main focus away from what radicalizes many other sites. Granted, this could entirely be how I view the site, because, I don't really come here to see reviews or social commentary from the sites writers (I have other sources for that), so I generally don't even read reviews here and thus don't really take part in those discussions.
There are certainly areas VGChartz staff could improve, though. I think some fanbases get away with far worse than others (could just be perception, also), and I think some mods do the site a disservice, by enforcing silly rules, on the pretenses of it 'bothers' people, resulting in bans, that now leave certain community threads nearly dead (which runs counter to the claim that certain infractions, turn users off from commenting in certain community threads).
