i believe that the problem is like all ecosystems once the apex posters are killed off the whole ecosystem struggles, posters that would create original unique threads i believe draw in new members and conversations at least thats why i joined the forums.  im not really blaming the mods for this either its more the posters fault (specific posters) that would go to a mod immediately to kill of these said apex posters.

i agree bout the site lay out i was a fan of the blue and white days i like simple basic things once you start putting all these extra stuff in i just loose interest on what i was originally had in mind to do.  another thing that i believe has happened is b/c the console sales wars arent as big as they were in 06-08 (meaning unknowns on what will happen) then theres really no more interest since this was/is a sales site, once ps3 gets closer to 360 or WiiU and next gen MS and sony consoles release you may get more influx, but i doubt you'lll ever have 06-08 days ever

I wish the website would focus more on sales like it used to be. I mean just look at the Hot Topics. No sales thread. I know that's what I focus on lately.

I also hope to see the Prediction League back.

I think there are just too many sub-forums.
Why not use tags, ie. [Nintendo] when the post is Nintendo is related. Multiple tags, too.
This way, you have everything under 1 roof and everyone can see what threads are getting attention.

Well, there's no controversy. When I came here, it was basically out of stunned disbelief that the Wii was actually outselling the PS3 (man, those were fun and exciting times) and I found out that this site had the sales data. What's going on in the gaming world to spark conversation? The 3DS got a price cut? PS3 and Xbox 360 are doing just swell?

We need another war. It's just like how the U.S. tends to go to war to spark the economy or keep our minds off of George Bush. We need a full fledged, exciting console war to kick off and add some flare to the forums again. That won't happen until the PSV comes out and everybody takes sides (this is the undercard) or until the Wii U vs. PS4 vs. Xbox Snuggly comes out (The main event). In the meantime, get used to having old topics rehashed (Trophies vs. Achievements, Best Graphics) or a bunch of topics about ancient gaming history (any thread I make).

Or, we can just get Snake612 to come back and bring the real talk.

sorry didn't mean to offend... i'm not able to respond on the "too many boards" as I only ever use the hot topic link and the My topics for followups.... well not true, I do click on PC forum once every 10 days to see zarx's weekly thread ^^ there's so many that it's easy to find (and that justifies your point 2.. no activity in a board means it's not a necessary one...))

Well, I recently learned this term and it's meaning: USP - Unique Selling Point.
This site's is the sales data. Alas, that data is much more restricted now. Without that data, this is just another games site, and there it scores low on usability, news, reviews. There were two things that made me come to VGChartz: sales data and Hot Topics. Both are much worse than before. Now I come from habit......

The potential for controversy exists still (Nintendo is doomed, Sony is losing money continuously, Kinect is not it), and on this site controversy was based on numbers, which made it different from any other sites. Not anymore.

Interesting analogies can be drawn between VGChartz monetizing and the Games Industry Monetizing. Let's see how this last controversy plays out.

I agree that this site should be streamlined a lot. I know there is a lot of content, but there must surely be a better way to organise things.

I agree completely. We need access to full sales data, streamlined forums and less copy pasting from other sites. But nobody seems interested in doing that.

Of course I do have a neogaf account...

I agree these forums aren't what they once were. I remember I used to come on here check every forum but now there's just not enough activity, I just go to Hot Topics and see if anything interesting is happening

I really think the forum should take some ideas from neogaf, one thing I'd like to see more of is "official" threads for games. I remember when FFXIII launched we had one and it was pretty active. Is there any policy on here for them or can people just make them?

I really think things like that would help increase discussion because not every small thing is worth starting a new thread for

i agree with everything for the most part,and most of the new format is annoying, but i've considered afew other factors and that's that theres really nothing to be hyped about.

Vita and Wiiu are fine but on the larger scale of things theres nothing to really be excited about.

big games? wht big games! the industry has become much more predictable in the past few yr's leaving nothing to talk about, nothing big, nothing news worthy as it all plays its part gaming sites are just at a low point and if its not more interesting than a sneeze then don't count on forum go-ers to come back to gaming sites in droves until next gen.

i try to post in every thread just to support the community, but its taking all day now.