This is a brief version of why some people are inevitably going to disagree with you if you write a blog or column - or create a YouTube Channel.
(I’ve written a much longer version of this specifically about columnists, but it’s not finished, and I don’t know when it will be.)
If I’ve learned anything in a very long experience of gameplaying, it’s that there’s a tremendous variety of things that people call games, and a tremendous variety of opinions about what’s good or bad in games. These are often incompatible differences of opinion, ones that no amount of reasoning is going to change. (Sounds like contemporary American politics, doesn’t it?)
Consequently, when you take a position about any aspect of games some people will disagree with you, either substantially or because of semantic confusion (quite common). This is especially true when you can’t talk it out face-to-face, as will be the case if you write a column or blog or run a video channel. It’s just easier to be reasonable and come to understanding talking face to face.
The low standards of the Internet have come to apply to all kinds of discourse, again as we see in politics. You must gird your loins and accept that there will be disagreements, that people will call you names and criticize your ancestry and your credentials (because the ad hominem logical fallacy is very common, criticizing the person rather than the logic or evidence for a view), that you might even be threatened because of something that you wrote or said. It’s like the Internet at large, even if your particular expressions are not on the Internet. (No folks, this wasn’t nearly as common 40 or 50 years ago as it is now.)
Add to this the great contemporary need for validation of preferences. So many people today don’t have the courage of their convictions, and need other people to agree with them. The extension of that is that they do not like, or may even be offended by, people who disagree with them. (And that’s dislike of you, rather than of your position, unfortunately. It’s hard for contemporaries to differentiate the two, especially when not face to face.) If you’re writing or videoing something they don’t like, no matter how well you explain or how convincing you may be, they will not like what you’re doing and probably won’t like you.
Unfortunately, there’s also a tendency to ignore modifiers (for example, “most” or “virtually all”). People no longer seem to understand what a generalization is, that it applies to most but not all of something. So pointless nitpicking is very common. “Hah, I found one example [out of hundreds] that doesn’t fit what you said, so you’re wrong.”) Yes, nitpicking is teenager-level behavior, not adult behavior, but it’s common among adults.
There’s also a strong tendency to wishful “thinking”, to believing what you’d like rather than what’s real. I wish I had a dime for every time someone told me I had no idea what I was talking about, in relation to the game industry (especially video games), because they just didn’t want to believe the reality.
Add to this those immature enough to think that one person’s opinion is just as good as another, without reference to actual evidence or logic, and you have a situation ripe for disagreement.
So in the end, the only way you can avoid disagreement, if not controversy, is to say nothing at all, and do nothing at all.
Comments
That's EXACTLY how I feel
About all those Backers who have decided to RATE on BGG TW as a 1 or 2/10. Like I said to people I know, 1 or 2 is reserved for pure garbage. And what I mean is poor rules, bad to no artwork, poor replayability, poor mechanics (too simple), etc. IMHO as I've said a 5/10 is the lowest I believe is an acceptable rating.
5/10 = Mediocre.
If you don't like the game ... That IMHO is the lowest score that TW deserves. The Art is Beautiful, the game is way more replayable than many games, the rules may be average (and require a bit of explanation or further detail) with real good mechanics...
2/10 = Go F- Yourself
1/10 = Who gives a F- about Your opinion
As @lewpuls explains, it's my right to think that THEY are WRONG!
Sincerely.
I recall someone who rated a
I recall someone who rated a game poorly before it was published, based solely on what he learned from a Kickstarter. (I wrote to ask him how he could rate an unpublished game, so he told me. And seemed to think it was reasonable.)
Ratings tend to be "meet your expectations", which is hogwash but unfortunately common. Ratings should be based on what the creator is trying to do, not on what someone "expects" should be done. Which is why I tend to ignore ratings on BGG.
I'll talk about BGG more in a video to be released this coming Monday.
They read their own mood
What I have seen so far is that people tend to read things in a mood they are having right now.
They read whatever you are writing about. And they perceive it in their own little world....
Now now, dear reader, little world is not an insult here. It simply means that everyone has their own world. And 1/8.000.000.000 th that of the real world. Thus, little world.
Anyway, now that the insulted have been dealth with. Let's go back to the main topic of MY post.
People who have a negative mood, often perceive things negative. The positive are mostly perceiving things positive.
Either way, if you ask same sa(i)d person, they will answer in their mood as well.
So I guess I could(n't) agree more!
Regarding this topic, I agree. :)
***
Have to say, your first post on this blog sounded very neutral to me.
Maybe it is the alcohol. Maybe it is my experience. Maybe both.
But I bet that there are people out there that feel personally attacked already by reading what you just wrote.
And others that agree with you so much, they think they can befriend you (aka stalker fans)
Youtube
On this forum.... so far I know, you and I are the only ones. Are you talking about yourself? Or do you have some constructive.... comments on me?
Those them "stalker fans" ^^^
It always needs to boil down to the Author or @X3M! Ha ha.
I can't wait to watch that if you make it PUBLIC and share with us the YouTube Link and/or URL. On BGG I have found and discussed with some of the MOST self-absorbed people on any blog or forum. Maybe like @X3M suggests it's a question of MOOD or "their own little world" ... But they are always on the OFFENSIVE... Trying to ATTACK your posts or comments (to denigrate them in other terms).
At least that is my experience. I just wrote on BGG a few days ago... And got some responses... People don't know how to READ on BGG. They interpret what you write and reply as they see fit.
Like I posted on this thread (Read it and tell me if you have the same opinion as I):
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2980888/understanding-card-printing-she...
Some "guy" posts BS as if I was a newbie Designer or a kid or something which has little to nothing to do with my post. Then a more senior member starts posting and telling me that I am WRONG. Finally one guy posts the information that I am looking for (but doesn't reply to my suggestion for clarification).
And the the senior member goes back to posting telling me that I am WRONG again. My whole point to this thread is that those GIANT Sheets Magic "sells" or "auctions" for Charities, etc. Are pure BS. They are NOT UNCUT Sheets because as the other member pointed out, there should be doubles if it is a Rare/Mythic sheet and the Common pages also repeat.
So my conclusion is that MOST of the "uncut sheets" are NOT THAT. They may be proofs or color testing, etc. But they are DEFINITELY NOT "uncut sheets". Sure they may appear as part of the printing PROCESS but they are NOT!
Anyhow the senior member seems to think that I am WRONG again. And phrases it as so. Totally ignoring what I had said or written.
BGG is what it is... I don't like to post often because the crowd is "Yucky".
I did not know that this
I did not know that this problem was generalized due to the internet. I thought people have always been like that. It seems the Internet brought many benefits and drawbacks.
If you cannot convince people with something easy like the existence of the Covid virus, imagine trying to convince people that Magic the Gathering is broken when they follow this game religiously.
Damn!!
A prime example.... I think in how people would receive that word.
Negative:
You think the guy is hating your stuff and goes Damn!! on you.
Positive:
You think the guy is loving your stuff and goes Damn!! on you.
So.... what did you not perceive when the guy just said Damn!! to you?
His mood....
Or is it a her?
Maybe it is a kid.
What else could be possible?
A face? Does the person have a face, when saying this to you?
It might even be an alien? Nah, now I am going too far with this.
But one thing is sure. You can't tell what they are really meaning with a lot of words. If you can't read their mood, see their behavior.
After all, it was a sarcastic comment all along.... Damn!!
Reading what people wrote and hearing what people say are 2 COMPLETELY different ways of seeing the world.
I get it...
What you are saying is that it DEPENDS on their ATTITUDE! If they don't know you why should they help you? Right?! Over here at BGDF.com we do it differently. New members are treated like KINGS and everyone wants to know what they are up to.
The only unfortunate part ... Is that doesn't last very long, because so very few NEWBIES become "regulars" and we usually never get to the bottom of their design ideas and the things that they are working on.
Maybe we're just way too different than the usual people on BGG, IDK!?
But I think I can count on ONE (1) HAND how many times I've told someone that they were WRONG... Usually I ask for more explanation and IF I don't have anything to contribute further, I don't comment.
Not the BS of "gatekeepers" and telling you that YOUR POINT is irrelevant.
I'm not telling anyone they are WRONG. ALL I was saying in that THREAD was that some of those sheets (actually most of them) are pure garbage in that they are NOT "uncut sheets" they are merely large sheets with a bunch of cards on them. That's what a LOT of them are ... So buyer beware, you need to understand the card distribution first to ensure that IF they DO SELL an "uncut sheet" you get a REAL ONE not some fake for color-checking or verifying the matte finish, etc.
If you want to BUY an "uncut sheet" ... You need to be aware of what is BS and what is a REAL sheet. My guess 90% of all sheets are BS. There are maybe 10% that are REAL... But people don't want to buy that: "It's full of doubles!!!"
So either you BUY SH!T because it looks pretty or you BUY THE REAL DEAL because of what it really is (and doesn't look so pretty...)
You have been surprising me a LOT lately @X3M... So much wisdom! But I get it... (about BGG)
Furthermore...
Even if there are doubles on a sheet... You need to KNOW MAGIC and ensure that the CONTENT of that SHEET (with doubles) is INDEED a REAL UNCUT SHEET. And probably they don't even sell those TBH. IDK... I'm just saying... MAYBE they don't RESELL the REAL SHEETS! Oooohhh... Wouldn't that be like some Genius Marketing: "We ONLY sell them sh!t! Mockups and such... No real plate proofs."
Like I said, I'm not talking bad about WotC... On the contrary ... They have a lot of "clever" people working for them. And just because someone on the Team found an "untapped" source of revenue and auction ... Doesn't mean that it is REAL. People BUY thinking it IS! But in many cases, perhaps even 100% (if this is purely a marketing play), you are getting a MOCK-UP. Not an "uncut sheet".
There is a difference between an "uncut sheet" which is what the production sheet really looks like (and is probably 100% secret ... unless some stealth dude tells you the distribution on BGG... Thanks "Bez") ... then all those that are merely MOCK-UPs of Magic the Gathering GIANT sheets (fake). This, like I said above, sounds like a MARKETING PLOY.
In any event, even if it is, it serves its purpose/function. I just don't believe that WotC would PUBLISH ACTUAL Sheets revealing their formulation (which "Bez" explained already — He even explained how they get the 10 commons) vs. something that just looks pleasing to the eye of the buyer.
Anyhow I don't want to debate the cr@p out of this BGG thread. I got what I needed and they told me to "Fuck-Off"and so I did...
Note #1: The Genius of this Marketing Ploy (I say it is...) is that even if a SHEET is a MOCK-UP to LOOK REAL, there can be like 1 card or 1 detail (word in a card or a value of a stat) that is DIFFERENT from REALITY and THEN AGAIN... Wait for it... You are buying cr@p! Because it's NOT a real "uncut sheet"... Just a CLEVER MOCK-UP with a tiny error or what could be a mis-print (assumed) but usually done on purpose.
Maybe the LAYOUT is completely DIFFERENT. IDK. There are SO MANY ways that those GIANT sheets can be BOGUS (with either a GLARRING difference or something so minute as a "number").
Double Damn !!
I generally rate only a game once I played it. But can leave comments for impressions, or after a video review without leaving a rating. And Yes, I rated games 1 and 2, look at my profile on BGG.I have a normal distribution (maybe more a bimodal distribution) between 1 and 10.
https://boardgamegeek.com/user/larienna
I looked at your thread. I liked this comment:
It reminds me a similar quote I said to you in another post here on BGDF.
As for the internet changing behavior, I am wondering if it's the exposure to a larget public that increases the possibility of confrontation.
Confrontation of ideas existed almost since ancient greece. I think Socrate opposed the sophist, Darwin opposed the creationist, Karl Mark opposed Adam Smith. So the presence of conflict of opinion existed since the beginning of mankind. Before the arrival of the internet, there were columns in newspaper. Critiques in scientific publications, etc.
Now did internet changed how people react?
Or did the internet instead increase the probability to have a reaction (due to the larger audience)?
If I say that MTG is broken to my group of 5 friends, and in general 1 person out of 10 will oppose my position, it's possible that none of my friends is in part of the opposition group. And if one is actually part of the opposition group, he might go soft on me when criticizing since he is my friend.
On the other hand, if I post the same position on the internet and 1000 people read my post, then 100 people will oppose my position and I'll have the illusion of having a lot of backlash even if it's only 1/10th of the people.
larienna wrote: On the other
On the other hand, if I post the same position on the internet and 1000 people read my post, then 100 people will oppose my position and I'll have the illusion of having a lot of backlash even if it's only 1/10th of the people.
You are right.
Also, those who think you are right. Often more remain silent.
There is one more group of people on the internet. And even I got a problem with them.
It is the group that twists and turns your words every, single, time. And also calls you names. It happens a lot in a comment section on YT.
And so far, 3 times to me in the past decade.
You need to become really savage towards those people, and simply snap in such a way that they get shocked. But only do so if you know how. Or else, it is better to tell them "they aren't listening and thus not worth your time".
Learn to ignore, is what I am trying to say.
I agree with you 100%
That is also so very true: those that agree don't comment. Which makes you look like a person stranded on an island with savages. (You get the idea...)
Maybe there are less of these "people", I've never been called a NAME. Just been told to F- Off a few times (and that's reading in-between the lines). One time I was talking about ART: OMG never talk about ART on BGG!!! NEVER! There is too much difference of opinion and people are very defensive when it comes to rates and commissions. Again in that thread I was told I was WRONG! I hate that because it's as if they are speaking to a CHILD. When I'm also nearly 50.
True but it's a bit easier with YT because people are commenting AFTER the FACT where as on BGG, I'm usually trying to get down to some kind of conclusion or a certain type of FACT or information. So I don't want to disappear before someone shows up who actually knows something a bit about what the TOPIC is all about. Know-what-I-mean???
Ignoring can work and like I was taught when I was young: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." That's great advice and lends well to what you said ("Learn to ignore").
Best!
Let me clarify a bit...
It reminds me a similar quote I said to you in another post here on BGDF.
I'm just hunting for FACTS and information. And to better UNDERSTAND the way WotC go about in randomizing their Booster Packs. Why? Because I want to know more about ODDS and better randomizing a set of "chase" cards. Like 1:4 or 1:6 or 1:25, etc.
So far that has been very complicated and I have NOT been able to work out a 100 Pack distribution.
It's different than MtG because the "core" cards only come in two (2) flavors and the "chase" card is ODDS-based. It's very computational and has a bit of difficulty when you TRY to put this kind of SET together.
That's why I wanted to know more about MtG's distribution... Anyhow I know now how WotC distribute their cards (generally not precisely).
Name-calling
My brief bit about ignoring BBG is at https://youtu.be/XVyFSuFrzAw
Name-calling has become a public tactic, even though it is a logical fallacy (ad hominem). In politics, there's a large group that cannot think worth a damn, so their typical response is name-calling and other insults. The anonymity of the Internet likely contributes to this. Remember the Great Internet Fuckwad Theory: anonymity + online + audience - Fuckwad.
Dismissive people
I got the impression that people on BGG try to "Tell you that you are WRONG."
And that's usually annoying because they don't even ANSWER your question(s), instead they banter to prove that your way of thinking is WRONG. I hate that because some of the "morons" don't know the experience that I may have in printing, I mean I did print a 100,000 card Collectible Card Game (CCG) and the printer I was dealing with was a friend of the Family (so he gave me a tour of the printing facilities, showed me the die-cutting machinery, etc.)
Bottom line, that BGG crowd is a bit "hostile" to people who may have even MORE experience than they have. They seem to treat everyone like a KID and are very dismissive.
I don't want to PROVE myself to strangers about how much knowledge I have or my personal experience in designing games. I just want LOGICAL and INFORMATIVE answers to some of my questions and NOT "You're wrong".
Cheers Dr. Lew (@lewpuls).
Note #1: BTW Great Video! I agree... You're looking good! Glad to see you are still a member of BGDF.com. We always welcome your nuggets of wisdom as you have more experience than most of us.
But I could not AGREE MORE... That people want to tell you: "You are WRONG" on BGG... So very true. Proof look at this comment:
So imagine my surprise that someone actually told me "I am WRONG".