One thing I've been noticing since joining these forums is just how dogmatic and aggressive some of its fans can be.

Many here outright attack any criticism or suggestions, and the people making them. Many here actively tell people to go somewhere else. Many here seem to be of the belief that this game is perfect in every way and will absolutely succeed no matter what.

It's the type of fandom that is toxic to the success of this game. One that promotes exclusivity and crushes any form of perceived dissent. One that ultimately pushes more people away from the game than welcomes them in.

I only ask that the people of this community take time to consider this; is your fanaticism helping or hindering the success of this game? Are your comments and responses going to leave others with a positive outlook on the community that plays this game, even if they don't have a positive outlook on the game itself? Do you really want this game to succeed, or are you willing to let your actions contribute to its failure?

Consider the influence you as a fan have, and please make use of it responsibly, keeping the success of the very thing you're a fan of in mind.

It's standard on forums.

Not people come here to go "meh"

I personally don't care. It has fail potential and successful potential based on their future plans.

Edited for autocorrect =( that one was embarrassing

Most forums about really any particular subject are filled with dogmatic persons eager to shove their own points of view down your throat at all costs.

It's not like forums are any different than say . . . Facebook. It seems to be the nature of the internet.

I've found that when people present their criticisms respectfully, the responses were likewise. I've seen some posters confuse mass dissent against their (sometimes uninformed) concerns as hostile - as if many people disagreeing with them is somehow hostile.

Ancient forums required face-to-face interaction, so while toxic interaction existed even then, it was somewhat tempered. The anonymity of the interweb allows for considerably more toxicity.

Maybe that's because most people come to a forum when they are upset or want to complain. Happy people seldom bother posting. So after being here a few months and seeing the endless tirade of complaints, it is easy to become defensive and jaded.

I don't come here to complain or praise. I come here for updates and to discuss game content. But every other thread, day after day, is about how ESO svcks. For every legit concern, there are two trolls.

It gets old.

Fast.

I've noticed there are times here that even if you're right, all that happens is a fistful of insults heading your way. It's a little depressing.

This. Most game forums are considerably worse than this one. Its the internet. Text is and always will be misunderstood. There are no facial expressions, tone of voice, or body language. And there are no ramifications for being rude. Like getting punched in the face.

That is anywhere on the internet. Anytime. Any place.

Oh what I would give to reach into computers and deck some people right in the jaw =(

It is sometimes really hard to read a thread because of all of the rabid really devoted fan responses to legitimate concerns. Mostly it is the same lame responses by multiple people that are not constructive at all. That gets old real quick. I hope the in game community is friendlier.

My own desire to launch withering verbage toward others on the interweb is tempered by years of written correspodence over the years of my career. During those years, I often had to remind myself that anything I submitted could come back and bite me.

So I've carried that on even in relatively anonymous places like interweb forums.

Making a negative topic here is like going onto a sports team's forum and stating the team svcks. Even if your points might be civil and valid are you really expecting to find friendly/receptive responses in such an enviroment? You're on the home turf of that which you criticize.

Ouch, that hurts!

Being a forum warrior in one of the darkest places ever for almost 10 years, I can tell you: You get what you are asking for.

Some people just like to complain and be vocal about it without any clue of what is really happening, others have a genuine worry and ask, politely, for some answers. This happens in real life as much as in the web, no matter "how much" anonymous you are. I wouldn't dare enter a Police Station and demand some action from the folks over there but I can, politely, say that they are not doing the right thing and I won't be arrested.

Rabid fans who either howl down or speciously hand wave away concerns and criticisms are this game's worst enemies. It is waving a big red Something To Hide flag in the face of potential customers.

The amount of hate eso is getting makes me want to gagamagotonaguttruck

OP must be new to the Internet

It's not just this forum, and it's not just ESO, and it's not just games, it's "fandom" in general. And it's not just the pro people, it's the anti people too; basically, people get polarized.

Basic online human nature. If you're bugged by it, best stay away :/

Actually, even if you were to say something utterly rude to a person in real life they wouldn't deck you and certainly if they would ... well, it's a really stupid idea since assault charges are really not worth uglifying a nobody's face. Well, unless we live in the third world but I suspect the majority of posters here, myself included, live in the first world therefore the internet and reality are not that far away from each other as far as etiquette is concerned ( we do have mods as well ).

But to respond to the op let me put this out there: they are utterly neutral; they are neither doing a service nor a disservice - they simply exist. People who browse the forums are either for the game or against, those on the fence will rarely care for what the [censored] say anyways because they're looking for different answers. Also, it seems to me that with every MMO release there will be [censored] and that's simply the accepted outcome and most gamers recognize this as just part of the life cycle.

Gaming culture is no different from any other kind of culture; we have things we blindly accept regardless if they're bad and when kids say otherwise most of us reply, "Grow thicker skin / that's just how it is". You can also think about this... if you say that [censored] are aiming to be exclusive then perhaps you should ponder whether or not there will be enough [censored] to keep the game alive -- I think there is in the short term (there is always free to play in the long run ) . So, if that's the case then the [censored] aren't destroying but rather creating in which case you don't have much of an argument.

You are completely right.The other side of the coin is history has taught us Devs can make a drastic change to a game based on a small but extremely vocal group.So if people who are happy don't respond in kind prepare to get hit with the nerf bat,feature alteration or removal.Now obviously it needs to be done as profesional as possible but some people can really rub ya the wrong way with personal insults and what not.

Start shaking and lose control of Geralt.

Valid point. I look at the main purpose of this forum as a way for fans to discuss the potential of the game, to provide feedback and insight to the developers, to create a network and find like-minded people to potentially game with.

It is certainly disheartening when someone goes out of their way to bash ESO and rage about how awful of a game it will be instead of providing a more tempered and helpful criticism approach. The way I see it the folks who complain about the subscription really want to play the game and cant afford it or . . . they are pushing an MMO agenda to make the game go free to play in order to open it up to all the terrible aspects that plague MMOs like gold botting, pay to win, etc... ESO devs seem to have the good of the gamer in mind. All those who complain that Zenimax is making a money grab are not really grounded in the reality of what it takesnto put out a high quality gaming experience.

You want to see downright acid hostility?

Visit political or sports forums.

Singling out one group (fans) over the other (people who had issues) and stating one group is toxic whilst making it look that the other is reasonable is . . . toxic.

Sweetie, please take the time to read what I re-wrote for you in your comment, and ask yourself why you're trying to remove toxicity by toxicity.

..... Sorry. I do not subscribe to that notion. In fact I could not disagree more. I'm not sure what world you live in, but I'm glad I am not there.

There was a WoW raider who presented his concerns in a polite post.

Three guesses on what the response was.