With that logic, the world would be boring as fuck if we all get along and agreed on everything then.  Nothing makes for entertainment like watching people go at each other's throat, am i right?

You're describing the other extreme to the comment I was thinking. I think you were being sarcastic? Anyway... It would be boring if we were robots... but too much of one extreme is bad. Face to face, it's more tempered because we have facial language, body language and all that jazz that people have to communicate through. In other words, people are less likely to say the type of shit they would online with such ease because you're actually being identified and witnessing the reactions of people in front of you... they would not have nearly the clout to do it so haphazardly. I think that of most people who act extreme in those situations, this is true. They are acting out something that would normally be inhibited... for good or worse.

That's why I like the whole disengage and come back later strategy. You are more likely to have a better perspective and come back with clearer thought. You won't feel the need to respond urgently and therefore, at that point you will only invest what you feel like investing and less likely to be detrimental. Not because something got underneath your skin. The controversy is still had, but in a good way if you feel like it still. You will build a thicker skin this way. You're also more likely to attract the people who are actually fun in the longterm, not the shortterm. If you're the person who flings poop into the walls, ranting and raving in every "important" topic, people will want to talk to you for all the wrong reasons. I don't think that everyone on a forum enjoys the drama constantly. And of those who thrive on it, they will have no problem finding conversation buddies or maybe they just come to you because they're short on supply, so it's only optional that you give into that pressure.


I've seen a few people ragequit, that's part of why I wrote this thread. People are getting ansy. I actually haven't been here reading most of the weekend. But in all honesty, the threads haven't been that great  (or otherwise just not interesting), so ... I'm not surprised certain people have quit. They probably needed a break anyway. Too emotionally invested.

I wasn't being too sarcastic, but extreme or not, his statement refelcts our current obsession with watching drama between people. We love those "reality" tv shows that involve fighting, arguing, cursing, etc. We like that kind of stuff. It's a lot more entertainment than seeing people passively having a debate or just circle jerking (agreeing) I do my best to stay away from that filth but they still got the ratings.

In other words, drama = entertainment.

My two cents on this topic is that the forum has been going downhill ever since the announcement of the PS4.

Why this forum is amazing is because it brings us gamers together regardless of which console we prefer. We all come from different backgrounds, different countries. So why not celebrate our love of gaming together instead of having the need to bash people's opinions and their choice of consoles.

Yes drama = entertainment. But do we want entertainment at the expense of other people's suffering?
And these people that you might have offended due to your harsh words is very much a person like you. With feelings. We're not just someone from the internet. We're real people. And that that person who you bullied might just have had the worst day of his/her life. Perhaps he/she lost his job, or lost a family member, quarreled with a loved one. And the nasty things you said just made that person feel worse.


Some of you may think "Oh I am only nasty to people on the internet. I am actually nice in person".
How you treat people, even on the internet is a clear reflection of what kind of person you REALLY are.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ONLINE AND OFFLINE PERSONA.

It is the same with people who say "Oh I'm the office tyrant at work and all my workers fear me. But at home, I'm really nice."

What is the point of being nice only at home? Why are you only nice "in real life"?

All of our actions leaves footprints in other people's hearts. Eventually all of us will die. Some of us will live to a hundred, some of us might get into an accident and die tomorrow, some of us are on borrowed time. How do you want to be remembered as a person over here should you die? How do you want to be remembered as a person amongst your friends and family? What kind of footprints did you leave on people's hearts after your life on earth is over?

It is always easy to be nasty to others. It doesn't take effort. How many of you shouted at your family today? What about the past week/month? When you're nasty to others, you're just being a coward. You're taking the easy way out. Because being nasty is the easy way out when dealing with problems and differing opinions.

Being good is hard mode. That's why we have to struggle everyday to do good. To learn to accept and appreciate that people are different from us is hard. But that's what we have to do if we want to stop the Vicious Cycle.

Alot of people say "Ahhh...I'm trapped in this vicious cycle...screw it I'm just going to be nasty to everyone". And things don't change. Things never improve because people think that they can't beat the vicious cycle because they are just ONE person. But all it takes is just one person's effort to change things for the better. A kind word. A smile. Hugs. Saying I Love You. I understand. I appreciate. I accept. I FORGIVE. I respect. I trust. These are the actions and words that the world is really lacking off.

Laugh. Some people don't realize what they're sometimes drinking is piss...

Agreed. That's what I took your comment to mean. But, it's almost redundant conversation that gets overlooked by people sometimes so I can understand the need to point it out the way you did...

And the internet especially is lacking of it because of the anonymity complex. I appreciate your post, chunli :)

And you are right, all of it... there is no difference between Online and Offline persona, the person is fundamentally the same. Yes, we share different shades... I've done a little research into it. It's quite interesting. I don't think that fundamentally we are different people either way. We show one side versus another... but that is all. All of it is of the same mirror, just a different angle of reflection.

And the vicious cycle will continue, as long as people are provided a channel to write dishonest things and live out their internal drama... that's why I think it's so important to develop healthy tools to make the good from the poo. Which would better for our own experiences. Not continue trying to fight a current that's whole purpose for being there is to distract us from doing just that. It's good in life to learn to thicken our own skin anyway... and some people are so empathic, they miss this part to improve their tolerance.

i actually like reading through the forums, wondering what is behind some posts, what makes people act like they do here.
I am also thinking about what causes this behavior, it can not only be found about games or on the Internet, but rather everywhere and about everything, be it movies, or cars, or religion, everybody seems to be constantly compelled to justify to themselves and others their decisions in life.

i think a lot of the entertainment value of these shows is that they show people perceived as "stupid" and watching it and feeling "smarter" and above these perceived "idiots" makes people feel better about themselves.

I agree with everything you wrote. I've been thinking of logging off and lurking for awhile. That's what I used to do before I started posting. I love posting in fun threads like "Whats your favorite" or "Give your Top 10" type of threads, but I keep getting pulled into flame wars and I'm tired of it.

The PS4 announcement did something sinister to this forum and I don't like. Maybe I should just take some time off from the forum and let things settle, but I know it's just going to get worse when the Nextbox is announced and even worse when they launch.