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QQ and you - why does it constitiute 80% of threads on the forum?


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Hi guys&girls,I love to comb over forums, see some interesting ideas, get reminder(s) on some meta events i did not ran, etc.Lately i can't help but notice that forums are flooded with negative threads - nerf this/this is too OP/my class in underpoweredDo we have any idea why this is happening? As far as i know, Anet does not use that kind of posts as metric for game changes - unless of course post also contains logical arguments and/or data.

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Many threads are negative for two reasons. 1) People who are unhappy about something want it changed so they post with their complaints and suggestions. Happy people have no suggestions to make. 2) Complaint posts get additional posts from people who also have complaints or suggestions. Happy posts don’t, which means they fall off the front page of the forum quickly while complaint threads get pushed to the top repeatedly and stay on the front page longer.

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It's the internet, it's always like that. Broadly speaking the majority of people visit internet forums for 3 reasons:

1) They have a problem or have found something they dislike enough that it's driven them to seek out solutions or request changes. Unsurprisingly a lot of these people will be feeling quite negative at the time and if they reply to other topics in addition to posting about their problem that may come through, even if the posts are unrelated.

2) They have nothing better to do. This is quite common on video game forums - people who would really like to be playing the game but can't for whatever reason may choose to visit the forum as a substitute. This group could go either way, they might be quite happy about the topic of the forum because they're using the forum as a substitute source of enjoyment. Or they might be quite negative because they're stuck in a situation they're not enjoying and looking for an escape. Either way they're easily drawn into talking about things they don't like or get frustrated by trying to defend things they do which other people are complaining about.

3) Those weirdos who just really enjoy forums and chatting online and choose to do it even when they could be doing other things. This is probably the smallest group and also the least likely to be negative (and therefore most likely to be labelled 'white knights') but it really varies. Some people like forums because they like debating, or just out-right conflict and drama. Or they may be hoping the forum would cheer them up and because they're already negative it goes the opposite way. Or they're just tired and stressed and know they should get off the internet and go to bed but just can't resist posting that snarky reply. (Not that I've ever done that...or woken up to an infraction as a result.)

There's also the fact that disagreement makes for a more interesting conversation. "I really like X" "Yes, I like X too" "What I like about X is Y" "Yes Y is good, Z is good too" is exactly as dull as it sounds and after a bit people find they have nothing to add. "Well I don't like Z because of ABC" "Ah but A is good because..." "I thought B was more like D..." inspires much more conversation, everyone can weigh in with an opinion.

And on top of all that there's the underlying assumption that because you're visiting a fan forum it goes without saying that of course you like the thing it's about. Literally. Very few people bother to say "I really like GW2 because of these 50 things it does and all my experiences and great memories but I don't like this one thing and would like it changed" (and if they do relatively few people bother to read it because they're not here for an essay about why the game they already play is good or another posters life story). They skip straight to "I don't like this one thing and want it changed" and if you don't factor in the underlying assumption that everything else is good it can seen very negative.

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@Arioch.4810 said:Hi guys&girls,I love to comb over forums, see some interesting ideas, get reminder(s) on some meta events i did not ran, etc.Lately i can't help but notice that forums are flooded with negative threads - nerf this/this is too OP/my class in underpoweredDo we have any idea why this is happening? As far as i know, Anet does not use that kind of posts as metric for game changes - unless of course post also contains logical arguments and/or data.

This is nothing new. Was always the case, just like on other forums/subreddits/social media. Theres always a group of forum regulars who complain because of complaining. As you can see its always the same names. It almost always begins with the classic stating a personal opinion as a fact for everyone. Have another opinion? Be prepared for getting flamed. This sort of people doesnt want to share opinions, they only want to trigger drama, and the accompanid emotional reaction of other people.Only one thing helps, just ignore them. Attention is their fastfood.

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@Arioch.4810 said:Hi guys&girls,I love to comb over forums, see some interesting ideas, get reminder(s) on some meta events i did not ran, etc.Lately i can't help but notice that forums are flooded with negative threads - nerf this/this is too OP/my class in underpoweredDo we have any idea why this is happening? As far as i know, Anet does not use that kind of posts as metric for game changes - unless of course post also contains logical arguments and/or data.

The game doesn't do a very good job of tutorializing itself. The Solo story and Open World content is, by design, faceroll easy.This gives a large number of players a very inflated view of their own level of skill.Then whenever they get shut down be it by an average skilled player or an unexpected mechanic or challenge in PvE they figure they can't possibly be at fault and nerdrage on the forums.Instead of facing the reality (they need to improve) they jump on this message board and QQ.It's easier for them to scream bloody murder at the devs than it is to learn to dodge.

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