7. Are These Forums Dead?

It seems like every time I check here there are fewer and fewer posts, fewer recent topics, and less activity on these forums. I can't even remember the last time the Recent Topics tab had more than one page. It makes me sad, and I don't think it will change, but I wonder if it's because people actually think the forums are obsolete or because they have discussions that would be better suited to the forums but forget that they exist. Either one could happen I guess.

Assuming these forums never actually get shut down, I'll do my part to help revive them even though I don't think I'll get anywhere. I'd be interested to hear what people think the reasons are for the lack of use—I expect it's just Discord—and maybe it's just nostalgia, but I don't think so, because there are actual reasons why we should keep these forums in use. They're really good for longer discussions where lots of people have opinions to express. They're also great for sharing content, and the categorization on here is something incredibly appealing to me.

What do other people think? Do you like the forums? Do you hate them? Do you wish they were used more but don't have anything to say so you just don't say anything? Do you want to see them blasted into oblivion, never to be seen again? Personally I'd love to see them more active, since they are a nice way for me to stay involved with the community without being in the Discord server, but I want to know what you all have to say.

I don't think that forums are necessarily obselete as such, but I do believe that the "era" of forums have come and largely gone. I think, at least in my eyes, programs like Discord have largely replaced what would be posted on these forums, simply because its an easier, faster and more convenient way to either talk to groups of people or indiviuals separately. It was different in the MSN/Skype era because, from what I remember (and I barely remember it), there was no real collective group chat to talk to everyone in the community, it was more fragmented into small separate groups since the focus was more personal messaging between 2 people.

I do think that there legitimate reasons to keep the forums around, I would not want this history to disappear and there are things that I think are better suited being posted on forums, however there's been really nothing that I would prefer to post here rather than on Discord (apart from maybe a WRR thoughts post). I would prefer the forums to be more active because of some nostalgic attachement, and while I don't think the forums will die out complete since it has already been established for many years now, but realistically I think programs like Discord has largely taken over the functions that people would usually use the forums for, for better or for worse.

I'm sure other people have their opinions and can add things I've not thought of, but here's my 2 cents.

Nature Freak wrote:
Do you like the forums? Do you wish they were used more but don't have anything to say so you just don't say anything?

This sums it up for me. I think neither the forums nor something like Discord would replace the other, although convenient conversation in numerous short and unrefined messages naturally comes under much heavier use. It's nice that conversation on the forums is cleaner.

I meant to respond to this sooner as well.

[email protected] wrote:
programs like Discord have largely replaced what would be posted on these forums, simply because its an easier, faster and more convenient way to either talk to groups of people or indiviuals separately.

Yeah I think that's a large part of it, because I'm sure it's not just these forums that have been getting less active once Discord takes over in communities.

[email protected] wrote:
I do think that there legitimate reasons to keep the forums around, I would not want this history to disappear and there are things that I think are better suited being posted on forums

Maybe for me there are more things that I would want to post on the forums than through places like Discord, things that most other people would just use Discord for. I think it has to do with how I am not very assertive and so whenever lots of people are talking about something at once it's hard for me to voice my opinion because I don't have a particularly strong presence. So I prefer the forums for the aspect that everyone's thoughts are separate and legible, and that if there's a lot of discussion happening at once, or if people have a lot to say, it's much easier to read and express it all through the cleaner medium of the forums rather than through a rapidly scrolling chat where everyone is talking so quickly and clamoring to get their voices heard. That's why I naturally prefer the environment that the forums have and why I definitely don't want them to die out.

Kalle29 wrote:
I will also start doing competitions on the forums in near future so there is activity to come.

What do you mean by "competitions"? Whatever it is, it sounds exciting, and I'm glad the forums will pick up from that.

I haven't posted here for literal years but I'd love to play in a multiplayer tournament again. Seems some of us might have a bit more time now because of the virus and everything. That would be fun!

Miss you guys.

~Kwill

As a relatively new player I'd love to be able to participate in some sort of tournament, even if I get my ass kicked

This forum Is going through same problem as every other forum that started in year 2007ish and beforehand. The information flow is so large that instant messaging apps like discord Facebook and google groups are taking over. I myself am part of forums that sees no action on the main forum, but does quite well on Facebook. Benefit of this is faster message flow. Disadvantage is information not getting archived. We will see what future holds but as far as I know entire MB community is on discord, and this forum is used as main announcement area.