Off Topic > Off Topic
blockland: the community that killed the game
Camel:
Hey, I have tons of positive memories of the forums. I used to climb into bed and post long into the night on my busted ass psp 3000. Made friends, shared art, acted like a dumbass, good times. I personally never got groomed, I did get sent nsfw stuff when I was too young tho, but it was from fellow kids.
My frustration stems more from coming back and viewing the entire forums history as an adult. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth, when viewed as a whole. Look, we're not filing a class action lawsuit against Badspot, we're just calling out some of his stuff. The man is not beyond critique, no one is.
Personally, when I go to the "blocklanders you remember" threads that have popped up as of the mass exodus, I feel a palpable sense of regret, because I see that at the end of the day, the people who are really remembered are the ones who spread fun, hosted servers, made builds and add-ons. I feel like I wasted so much of my young life posting inane stuff when what really would've made me happier was y'know... playing blockland. And as time has gone on, and friendships I made through blockland have seemed more tenuous than ever, I personally don't know why I come back.
Unova2:
--- Quote from: DrenDran on January 16, 2023, 04:33:42 AM ---If you're still here, years after new account creation has been disabled, if you have thousands or even tens of thousands of posts here you choose to make...
I really do believe there had to be something fundamentally decent about this place to keep you coming back.
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not really, it's just comfortable. i can't really name a single explicitly good memory i've had through these forums, just neutral and bad ones, and i continue to talk here because i know the people here; i've encountered far better people, potentially lifelong friends and some of the most charismatic people i think i'll ever meet in other spaces, but i don't know them inside and out like i do these forums and some of the people on it. obviously i am an outlier here with an almost exclusively negative experience, though.
i wouldn't really be talking here if i was on my lonesome, though, as nearly all of the remaining users here have had plenty of negative experiences with it and, like me, only realized a lot of what happened to them as an adult. even for the users who left, there's plenty of evidence of people leaving and never coming back or just having bad times here in the drama board.
Khaz:
Also I don’t think anybody brought up clans. Clan culture was probably the best thing to happen to this game in terms of community, IMO. Im sure there is probably a rabbit hole we could also go down about how some people were victimized through clans, but for the most part, there was so much fun in making things with your clan mates or just being there for the competitive nature between clans.
Ladios:
I was not intending to say the entire experience was stuff either. I had lots of fun at the time and have some fun memories. All the shenanigans with fish posting (spam). The Anagaia RP in community projects. The time I talked exclusively in third person thereby causing Badspot to filter "Ladios" to "me" causing endless confusion and people accusing me of hacking their posts. I again will point out there's quite a few blocklanders i still talk to not just counting the ones to move to brickadia. And as Khaz mentioned the clan scene was quite fun if chaotic.
And that's just the forums.
In game all the way back to v0002 and rtb1.045 I had so much fun playing and building. The eventual retail version that I bemoaned for it's strict on-grid building (no more editor wand D: ) eventually won me over for it's modability and I loved creating content for other users to enjoy. Some of my slate edits even became default maps before the shaders update. I have people asking me if I'm going to remake the volcano speed cart map for brickadia when vehicles are released. The community remembers things you've done and it really feels like you've made an impact. While I could maybe have been studying more or whatever, I don't really regret all the time spent making those fond memories.
All that is true. It can be true even at the same time that I say I left the forum when I was suicidal and having people literally telling me with sincere hostility that no one likes me and I should kill myself Absolutely had an impact on my mental health. (I am not calling these individuals out directly since they have since apologized to me personally, but it doesn't negate the damage done at the time.)
It can be true even at the same time that A Moderator Of This Forum sent me pms asking for pictures when I Was Still In Highschool.
It can be true even at the same time that the pre-alt-right tribals and family men had conditioned me into hating gay and trans folk and people of color and a self-declared "anti-feminist" before I even understood anything about politics or race or loveuality or gender identity. (And hating myself for being bi.)
These things can exist simultaneously. They didn't necessarily have to. They didn't necessarily have to be ignored or even Encouraged By The Owner Of The Forums. But they were.
That is the point I'm trying to get across.
I am glad some of you had such a perfect experience.
I can only hope you have enough empathy to accept that your experience was not monolithic.
Goth77:
--- Quote from: Ladios on January 16, 2023, 12:45:56 AM ---Yeah I apologize for getting sucked into arguing with such ignorance.
Interestingly relevant to the OP however, is that his and goth's mindsets are exactly why when I decided to resume brickbuilding I switched over to brickadia. There is much less tolerance by the community for family values and common sense.
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i'm not homophobic or sensible jeez dude. as a matter of fact, there are homo & trans that I am friends with whom I talk to semi-regularly and have even bought games for - not going to mention any names out of respect but im sry u feel that way
--- Quote from: Khaz on January 16, 2023, 09:03:12 AM ---Also I don’t think anybody brought up clans. Clan culture was probably the best thing to happen to this game in terms of community, IMO. Im sure there is probably a rabbit hole we could also go down about how some people were victimized through clans, but for the most part, there was so much fun in making things with your clan mates or just being there for the competitive nature between clans.
--- End quote ---
clans were awesome especially the ones doing a lot of building/eventing for big events - fond memories doing group builds
--- Quote from: DrenDran on January 16, 2023, 02:17:06 AM ---
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what the heck happened on that day that spiked the player count so drastically??