The RolStoppable Appreciation Thread

[angrypoolman]

Louie said:

I don't have that many cool stories to tell but I just realized the extent to which Rol influenced these forums. Back in 2007-2010, the glory days of the Wii and DS, Rol basically led the Nintendo community on this site.

So, to add my own story, I want to talk about Sean Malstrom and Rol's possible secret identity.

If you don't know, Sean Malstrom was a famous blogger (he still blogs, but is a lot less famous now). In fact, he was the blogger that spread the word about Nintendo's strategy: The Wii was a disruptive product and the DS a blue ocean product. If you hear these words today, it's because of Malstrom's blog posts from 2005-2007. He had one piece called "birdmen and the casual fallacy" in which he explained why the Wii was a success and why Sony and Microsoft struggled and couldn't just copy it. It was a magnificent piece. 

I'm pretty sure Rol read Sean Malstrom's blog. In fact, I wondered if Rol was Sean Malstrom.

Rol was basically the gospel of Malstrom on this website, even though he never directly admitted it. Rol had a deep understanding of the Wii's success and as I was fascinated by these business theories, I gobbled them up and so Rol and I often argued side-by-side. Rol so perfectly explained the things Malstrom explained (just in other words) that I often wondered if Rol had a secret identity. Was he actually Malstrom? I will never know, but I think it's a cool theory.

i remember this very well. the blue ocean strategy and how the rol understood the wii before anybody around here. it was also amusing to watch people squirm and not be able to accept the dominance of the wii. back in these days, we used to have the top 5 selling games every week on the front page. for like a year it was wii sports, wii play, wii fit, mario kart, and call of duty. hahaha. people just couldnt cope and Rol didn't make it any easier for these folks. 

i appreciated having him on this site because he would represent my point of view in a sophisticated way. in a way that i had no interest in, and maybe if we are being honest couldn't even if i tried. lol. i also have wondered for years, who even is Rol? is he really just some guy on an internet forum? for some reason i always thought there was more than meets the eye. mysterious fellow.