Unreal.ie has Gone to the Dogs
August 16th, 2006
This will make no sense to any of you who don’t know what a “shock rifle” is. The staff behind Ireland’s UT2K4 gaming community has let the stress get to them. A new system has been introduced, claiming to “a benevolent dictatorship similar to the very effective situation at Boards.ie”.
For some people, mainly those who tend to speak their mind a bit too often, the Boards.ie model is not one to admire. However, on a site which has seen over 1500 users online at one time, it is effective. The balance is always delicate between the “cynical power-tripping mod” and the “opressed minority”, but they’ve managed to pull it off (thanks to the general good sense of DeVore et al) to become one of the top 5(?) busiest websites in Ireland. On the other hand, in a smaller tight-knit community where passions boil and bubble and grudges slowly fester, a more diplomatic approach is advisable… particularly when the forum in question is an informal hub for a bunch of gamers. It is not difficult to moderate a board and still treat the users with a basic degree of respect.
It is unfortunate for Irish FPS gaming that our last remaining community has laid down the flagstone for their new culture with an unfriendly, inflammatory and disrespectful declaration by the admins. As a (respectfully) argumentative person (i.e., can’t keep mouth shut), I cannot subscribe to the idealogy expressed in the tactless missive which, incidentally, is not open to debate. The only option for me is to sign out for good, goaded by the message that “any individual who disagrees, or feels they cannot live, with the above restrictions may vote with their feet”.
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August 17th, 2006 at 6:13 am
interesting stuff there killy. im not too sure their new stance will have any affect on anything though. iff ppl act like they have been since they joined, all is good. if one gets shit, sort it out. i dunno, im not gonna change anything i do for certain… as are many others.
but over all, i do not agree with that “ruling”. its unnessacery (spelling?) and imflammatory (spelling again)
August 17th, 2006 at 8:26 am
Sorry James, but Boards is only a benevolent dictatorship in the eyes and words of Tom and his sycophantic toadies. Saying it does not make it true.
Boards is in reality an increasingly oppressive dictatorship that is effectively turning itself into just another Bebo or MySpace via homogenisation: caused in part, to be fair, by the actions of evil pricks like Denis Desmond; and in part by simple egomania in at least two of the admins.
Even I’ll admit that “oppression” is a strong word for something that is ultimately voluntary, but there’s no middle ground word for what I’m experiencing. I’ve been prevented from posting in the forum of a not-for-profit and prevented from defending myself, and although that’s certainly not equal to being thrown in jail for no reason, it is a violation.
The supression of discussion on MCD I understand to a certain degree, as the operator of a busy forum myself - although the level they’ve gone to is ridiculous - but throwing me out of Boards for taking the mick out of Jerry is just pathetic.
In the end though, it’s Boards that will suffer for it. The intelligent commentators are leaving, because of the worsening signal-to-noise, and although that’s always evident on a discussion site, it really is turning into just another Bebo or MySpace. They’re welcome to it.
August 17th, 2006 at 9:36 am
dahamsta, I agree with you, although I don’t know who Denis Desmond is. I was an active poster on boards.ie when it was a normal forum, before the unpleasant mod culture developed. I know exactly what you mean by the “oppression” and its impossible to address the issue without prompting a flurry of Ghandi images. I don’t post much anymore, but when I do I have a tendency to pick up minor bans.
August 17th, 2006 at 13:44 pm
Denis Desmond is the bossman of MCD, who you’re not doubt aware are suing Boards at the moment over some postings about Oxygen.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:15 am
This one makes sence “One’s first step in wisdom is to kuesstion everything - and one’s last is to come to terms with everything.”