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From posts that specifically complain about GW employees (or the way they run their stores) or overall company policy, to general bitching about price rises or 'Dex creep,
Dakka has long become a focal point for negativity, that breeds social contempt.. even between people that SHOULD have banded together in a sane world (we nerds have enough haters).

Whilst Dakka has for all appearances either promoted or simply allowed (though for completely justifiable reasons IMHO) this agenda, I can't help but feel the entire hobby suffers from the sheer AMOUNT of negativity.
From new faces to returners the first response to most posts either leads to, or out right, nerd rages at GW/ the industry in general/ each other.. and this is the welcome they get.. either getting pressured to play other games in the industry they're often, openly disinterested in.
Or, get warned loudly and often to "enjoy the honeymoon"...

Whilst I understand this post will get a lot of flak.. not to mention the flame wars that will eventuate.. the arguments, the VERY personal character attacks.. even the occasional threat..
my point is that this is already occurring.. wholesale in most posts already..
We the customer/ gamer have far more power than any other entity to effect, direct and grow the entire industry.. and even reading a few posts later that direction seems to be the toilet..
or at the very least we're actively maintaining the stereotype of a bunch of neckbeards bitching and moaning about 1st world issues on our computer in our mothers basement..

I'm not proposing we turn around and support GeeDubs direction.. (I still pine for the good old days of 4th 40k and late 90's style White dwarfs.. and the trolls lair)
I'm just saying that maybe just maybe.. Dakka could be far more CONSTRUCTIVE to the situation...

Yeah, and I slag off GW all the time, but there is common sense slagging off, and ridiculous, incessant, unending slagging off.

Gw take the piss quite alot, the prices for some things are ridiculous, and many of their business decisions don't make any sense, but there are maybe 10-15 posters that are just ridiculous with it and I have always found it embarrassing for grown men to take the actions of a faceless multinational so personally, I've said that since I got here years ago.

Its like when you watch children's TV presenters doing embarrassing things and it makes you cringe and want to change channels, I get that same feeling when some of the posters on here type anything, and I wonder "is this fether such a girl in real life as well?"

It's a fact that people are more likely to speak up if they have something that upsets them to share. Maybe it's catharsis. ;-]

There are loads of positive hobby and strategy posts around, nobody is making you read rant topics.

There is quite a bit of GW-bashing on Dakka. Probably the same for Bolter & Chainsword, Bell of Lost Souls, etc, but either way it becomes rather tedious to see on a daily basis. If its not whining about how the rules weren't written the way a poster wants them to read, "fine"cast snarkiness, or OMGTHISISCRAPWHYISITEXPENSIVE, its a good day.

Things could be a lot worse.

This is what DakkaDakka is all about, not a constant barrage of negativity

Yes, people get mad, yes, it's the internets, yes, people go bat-gak crazy when GW raises the price, releases a new kit with an exorbitant price, etc. but DakkaDakka is so much more than negativity land.

You can always not read threads you don't like.

 Stephanius wrote:
It's a fact that people are more likely to speak up if they have something that upsets them to share. Maybe it's catharsis. ;-]

There are loads of positive hobby and strategy posts around, nobody is making you read rant topics.

...When a post talking about Eldar rumours becomes 5 pages in a row of bitching about price raising (easily 60%+).. and two pages bitching about 'size creep... somethings wrong..
And what does the moderator say? .. "totally relavent in my belief.." .. um the word eldar not their units weren't mentiond for two pages in a row...

I love reading about GW topics.. but you cant read one without coming across at least one or two poster continually bitching about irrelevant topics..
And god help you if you read a popular thread...


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
You can always not read threads you don't like.

.. as above.. even the moderators don't give a gak.. nice...

Why the hell should we go out of our way to avoid pushing people away from GW? If they don't want their customers telling everyone to GTFO before the whole mess collapses then maybe they should stop acting like the wargaming hobby is nothing more than a competition to see how unbelievably stupid you can be and somehow still run a company.

Strayan wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
You can always not read threads you don't like.

.. as above.. even the moderators don't give a gak.. nice...

They care enough to donate their time free of charge to keep this place in order, and do so to an exceptional level compared to other forums.

On another note, prepare to be baned

I went option A.

There is rightly complaining about things that have affected you and there's the OTT stuff that has become quite common.

Far too many post start with.

"I stopped buying GW years ago but...............................".

i.e. it seems to be a badge of honour to be the most outraged by GWs latest minutia while simultaneously saying you jumped years ago.

True some of their models/policies are silly and prices unfathomable but if I'm not getting them I don't need to complain about GW and certainly not in barely related topics. There are other manufacturers that so similar things and charge the same prices but its not given the same scrutiny but I guess that could come down to scale, GW are monumentally bigger than almost anything else.

Conversely I have heard many positive things come from other game companies that welcome their presence as a sort of backbone to the industry that enables so many other companies to exist (though maybe not to many retailers say this so much anymore...). Like anything it's swings and roundabout s really.

Strayan wrote:
...When a post talking about Eldar rumours becomes 5 pages in a row of bitching about price raising (easily 60%+).. and two pages bitching about 'size creep... somethings wrong..

Blame the idiots at GW who haven't yet figured out that releasing information about upcoming releases inspires discussion. When they have this absurd idea that absolute secrecy is the best way to sell a product there isn't really much to talk about besides the price increases.

And yes, size creep and price increases are entirely relevant because the Eldar release did those two things very badly.

Isn't this just an issue over where to put these threads? If there really are so many threads about gw's marketing / corporate strategy, then why don't we make a forum for them in the GW section.

Call it GW Business / Marketing or something. At least it would move these threads (which are highly specific to GW) out of the more general Dakka Discussions forum....

It has become a badge of honor for certain people to say they dropped GW, but they still keep up with GW scuttlebutt. They're like hipsters, drinking crappy beer ironically to maintain their image. I don't care what you play, just play. If we share a game, then we could play together.

 notprop wrote:
i.e. it seems to be a badge of honour to be the most outraged by GWs latest minutia while simultaneously saying you jumped years ago.

Or there is a large group of people who enjoyed GW games in the past but have been pushed out by GW's recent actions. Those people may still be interested in the game they used to play and potentially willing to start again if GW stopped doing the things that drove them away, or might even keep playing without buying anything new.

*Sits back.... rubs groove in chair with arse*
*Grabs popcorn*
*munch*
*munch*
*munch*

Strayan wrote:
*Sits back.... rubs groove in chair with arse*
*Grabs popcorn*
*munch*
*munch*
*munch*

Are you attempting a troll or are you going to contribute to your own discussion?

Strayan wrote:
*Sits back.... rubs groove in chair with arse*
*Grabs popcorn*
*munch*
*munch*
*munch*

Well, that answers that... I think this thread just begs to be locked...

 ArbitorIan wrote:
Isn't this just an issue over where to put these threads? If there really are so many threads about gw's marketing / corporate strategy, then why don't we make a forum for them in the GW section.

Call it GW Business / Marketing or something. At least it would move these threads (which are highly specific to GW) out of the more general Dakka Discussions forum....

I would suggest that the bug bear that most would have is that the OTT complaining is quite pervasive at times and pollutes other threads that are not necessarily about business practices.

For example, and not to diminish the problem, but the subject of Austrian prices/Embargo will come up in almost any GW product thread. Is its relevant to have every price discussion go;

"man £10 is allot for that!"

" Yeah well its £10x 3 in $AUS cobber!"

Is that a discussion of the product, economics or policy? The later two topics would belong in the subforum you suggest but I imagine would not stay there.

Lets be clear I think these are good topics for discussion but the do detract from talking about toys which is what we are here for, most of the time anyway.

Strayan wrote:
*Sits back.... rubs groove in chair with arse*
*Grabs popcorn*
*munch*
*munch*
*munch*

Doesn't seem much point in this continuing then.