Have some of the usual members left Racketboy forums ?

[Luke]

Yeah, many people either left over time or simply post very little. Kind of a shame, honestly, I miss them a lot

Yup, and after the charity stuff I'm out.

Why, how come?

Little talk of retro games (except from long time members), too many mods that run people off, and "discussion" is nearly absent as is welcomed confrontation. It's more of a circle jerk around here than a forum. People get butthurt if you type "God Damn", or "Fuck you and your gaping gash", in fact it could get you banned.

Not that the forum should read like a youtube comment section, as it is outlined in the "rules", but this forum has become more boring than a bowl of oatmeal.

The Halloween thread was awesome. The games beaten thread is still fun to read. The What like/ticked you off today has turned into "What made you whine today thread". There really isn't any conversation. Just posts. No engagement. Plus this post will probably be followed by "Oh yeah? Maybe you aren't looking at the right threads", which is also...ugh.

[MrPopo]

"Fuck you and your gaping gash", in fact it could get you banned.

The fact that this surprises you speaks volumes about you.

[Tanooki]

I read well before I signed on with irregularity so I get it. I did the same with the Digital Press forums even longer before I popped up on there 3 years ago with an account. If this place has any member retention issues and recovery similar to DP I wouldn't worry. I've been quite surprised over the last few months the slow trickle of old accounts from the earlier mid 00s coming back to life with people reading and posting again. I have no idea if people are trying to dig up lost members or they're finding their own way back for whatever reason. Whatever the case, it's probably the same here eventually.

I do agree that a dead front page for a good stretch surely wasn't helping, same problem occurred over at DP too. I started writing a few articles for a little while until life got in the way (for consistency sake) and a few others started doing them on occasion too which helped wake the place up a bit.

[Thierry Henry]

People get butthurt if you type "God Damn", or "Fuck you and your gaping gash", in fact it could get you banned.

I don't doubt at all that what might be tolerable/acceptable elsewhere, could well see you being moderated out of existence on here.
I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, though.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Little talk of retro games (except from long time members)

I've been here about four years and have noticed a gradual shift away from retro gaming discussion. If "Your Guide for a Retro Gaming Lifestyle" wasn't plastered on top of the site I wouldn't realize that this is ostensibly a retro gaming website. It feels more like a "general" gaming forum than a retro one, and a large portion (majority?) of members here seem to be current-gen fans who will occasionally buy/collect retro games (but not actually play them?). Now it seems that when I post about retro stuff it's quickly lost in the void of PS4, Xbox One, modern PC, whatever talk... This isn't a "complaint" - it's an observation.

Demographics here are still very favorable, and this forum remains a gem among the bullshit you see elsewhere among the internet "gaming community."

As for Luke - I'd hate to see you go, as you are something of a fixture here and are always knowledgeable and entertaining.

[Jmustang1968]

I would say there is still a lot more retro talk than the average gaming forum. It just isnt overwhelmingly retro.

Problem with retro discussions, is that they are old. There isnt much news involving retro gaming except for the re-releases/sequels/new clonse consoles. But talk about those are also considered new gaming as well. So we basically get the same discussions over and over. The hidden gems have been found, and the classics have been discussed to death.

[mjmjr25]

To note; what was not retro when many of us joined...now is. Gamecube, Dreamcast, NDS, etc.

[Exhuminator]

this forum remains a gem among the bullshit you see elsewhere among the internet "gaming community

I've done the legwork and I assure all of you this man speaks the truth. Finding a truly good gaming forum on today's internet is a monumental effort. While there are a few other gaming forums I occasionally frequent, only Racketboy feels like a genuinely friendly place with actual knowledgeable people about.

Part of the reason this forum doesn't attract new members with continued regularity, is because it is ostensibly labeled a "retro" site. Older people seeking retro discussion have likely already found the forums they wish to speak about such things on. Younger people aren't likely to seek out retro themed game discussion due to generational disparity. By that, I mean that younger people naturally gravitate to new things because they are less vested in nostalgia as one becomes so in age. Yes there are exceptions, but speaking holistically this is an actual factor that matters.

With any forum there is always a cyclical ebb and flow of casual memberships, with the bulk of the discussions upheld by true stalwarts. The trouble with highly specialized forums such as Racketboy though, is that you attract a smaller percentage of membership than you would with a more generalized approach. While this boutique method has its advantages, the disadvantage of condensing connoisseurs into a small place is two fold. There's only so many of us, and after a while we know what each of us thinks about pretty much everything. And then you're left with deja vu conversations (or worse yet contempt bread from familiarity).

I have noticed in the past year this forum lost a lot of its regulars. (I personally miss Dsh because he was so good at raising my blood pressure.) I would love to see some come back, or even better new members become more engaged. Also I believe there are a lot of silent lurkers* who would serve this place better by actually participating in it. Our best bet is to try and be more inclusive and responsive to new members who speak up and not just gloss over their responses simply out of disassociation. I've seen that behavior whittle away many a forum on the net, and there's damage here too because of that bad habit.

*For example I lurked here for years before I actually started posting.

Edit: Speak of the devil

[dsheinem]

While it is fair to say that some of my personal life stuff is to blame for me not posting much of late, I think that seeing a general retreat (if not departure) of a lot of other forum regulars this year has contributed greatly to my lack of engagement. I still check in to read a few threads almost daily, but most of them just aren't doing it for me anymore. (Personal life stuff is generally going fantastic, by the way )

Out of curiosity I just checked - my lifetime posts per day are around 7.5, but I have only posted 30-40 times since the beginning of September (so like .5 posts a day or less) and most of them have been non-substantive posts that don't add much to the conversation ("Hey! Just like all the ones from before!" - noise).

I told a few folks that my reasons for disengagement were tied in large part to seeing so many others leaving...and I think those departures may derive from some of the same places:

There's just nothing very interesting going on here lately, at least from my perspective. I think a big part of that is due to the loss or near loss in just the past few months or so of:

Key-Glyph
Hobie-Wan
JT
AppleQueso
Opa Opa
707

and I am sure there are others that I am not really remembering at this point, but all of these folks have really pulled away from the site if not left it completely around the same time frame that I have.

Outside of those folks there are a lot of others who have just started posting a lot less than they used to, even if they still do so somewhat regularly.

[Xeogred]

I needed a break from the place myself this year, but I did lurk and check in every month or so and it always seemed like I'd see a thread or two in Off-Topic about X and Y members disappearing or quitting. Whatever happened, happened. I don't know what it was, but it undeniably happened.

As a pure outsider I can confirm that it was frequently hard to get in the mix here. There was definitely a big circle or two that wasn't budging. Maybe I didn't try hard enough though. Still have made a few great friends here though and yesterday added a few more on Steam. But it feels like my short era from a few years ago is already gone. I only recognize a few people thesedays. On the flip side I won't forget and highly appreciate some of the life stuff some members like Luke, dsh, etc have told me over the years as I've used this place as an outlet sometimes, and I'm not trying to shrug off or shy away from anyone, I'm sure the people I like know who they are.