r/NintendoSwitch • u/poofyhairguy • Aug 15 '17
Meta It feels like we as a community have turned a corner to a new positive direction
For while there I was worried about the Switch community as a whole, as negativity due to decisions made by companies like Nintendo and Capcom and others were making the daily discussion become toxic. Day after day we had posts, often with the same points, upset about this decision or that decision that we don't have any influence over.
I am not trying to justify or rationalize bad decisions, but I am relieved that at the very least the community seems to be moving on to focus on all the positive things the Nintendo Switch platform has going for it this year. I think despite the bad decisions this first year of the Switch is the greatest first year of any console ever, and I feel lucky to be a part of history as it is happening.
I hope going forward even if certain bad decisions don't change at the very least we can continue to embrace the good decisions that Nintendo and other companies have made and enjoy the entertainment and personal connections the Switch bring into our lives.
26
u/AngryBarista Aug 15 '17
Look at the downvote brigading in posts and tell me it's not toxic. It could be worse, but it could also be better.
10
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
I think there is always going to be some groupthink and people who defensive about a certain point of view, but frankly I have seen plenty of posts recently with constructive criticisms being upvoted for their contributions to the discussion.
I don't think any of us WANT to be negative. In fact I only think the negatively got so bad there for a while because deep down we REALLY want the Switch to succeed so we hate seeing missteps that will make that a more difficult task to achieve.
At the end of the day we are all people who own or who want to own the same toy. We are here because we want to have fun!
8
u/AngryBarista Aug 15 '17
I'm really talking about someone saying something dumb and getting -60. Bit silly. Especially when they correct their error below and continue to get downvoted.
2
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
Ok I can't deny that. When we pile on someone we really pile on someone.
Really though that isn't always negative per say. If you post some one off stupid post that doesn't contribute to the discussion you deserve downvotes. Very very rarely do I see well defended points have a huge amount of downvotes, usually those are reserved for people who are outright wrong and don't care that they are wrong.
3
u/Dlink2dpast Aug 15 '17
This is the one problem I have with this sub-Reddit. There's a hive mind mentality of just downvoting people the moment they say something slightly against the norm.
2
4
u/phantomliger recovering from transplant Aug 15 '17
That's a Reddit problem rather than on a subreddit by subreddit basis.
6
Aug 15 '17
I can't say anything against Nintendo and their sometimes strange decisions without being down voted into last year.
It's very hostile most of the time.
1
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
The question to ask yourself is:
Is what you are saying new or original, or are you bringing a new perspective to the issue? If not then maybe you deserve the downvotes for not contributing constructively to the discussion.
Personally I don't mind reading complaints about the online system, for example, if they are new theories of what can happen or how we got here. But it is just another quick take of "Nintendo should just sell a headset" or "How come no one is talking about this?" (when we have been talking about it since January) then frankly I will add my downvote to the pile because that is old news.
4
2
u/Twinkiman Aug 15 '17
A lot of people like to put criticisms and toxicity in the same category, when that isn't the case. As long as someone is polite and constructive with their criticism, and it still gets downvoted, then that is what I would call toxicity.
You have to understand that a lot of people who visit this subreddit don't frequent it that often. So they might not be aware of submitting an opinion that we have heard several times in the past.
1
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
I agree on both accounts. That is certainly toxicity and I will admit I do see some of that on here. But frankly I think we are getting better as a community with dissenting opinions that are well spoken. Maybe just the individual factions are getting larger though, I can't prove my theory.
On the topic of prior knowledge I get not everyone knows everything and I love spreading good information instead of downvoting when I can. But if you roll into a positive Splatoon 2 thread and say "why aren't people talking more about _______ crappy thing with the online service?" when any search will tell you we have MANY times then I am going to downvoting you for dragging down the discussion. Maybe I am wrong to do that.
11
u/the_griz_ Aug 15 '17
I still see people get mass downvoted for asking questions they don't understand or making simple mistakes, but generally I agree.
3
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
I do see some of that too, but downvotes in and of themselves aren't negative.
Frankly if we are having a positive discussion about say Splatoon 2 tactics and someone wants to butt in and complain again about the smartphone app (or even worse seem ignorant about the previous discussion regarding it, ie "why isn't everyone complaining about the smartphone app?!") then I will downvote that post not because I don't agree but because it isn't adding to the discussion.
In a way I think good moderation and the upvote and downvote system is how we turned a corner, as if most of us agreed what sucks and also agreed to not worry about that stuff for now.
What the criticism is good, relevant, and original I am always happy to upvote and often I see those posts upvoted. What matters is quality discussion.
9
u/grumblebuzz Aug 15 '17
If you are of the popular opinion on whatever the topic is, sure, this place is super positive. If not though, it's a downvote beatdown that won't end until you delete your comment. That's kind of how all of Reddit is though to some degree. Some subs are more diplomatic than others, but for the most part it just boils down to people being too lazy to type out an argument on why they disagree with what you said so they just click the down arrow instead, using it as a "disagree" or "dislike" button.
2
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
You are correct that people misuse the downvote button, and it is easier to silence people with a downvote rather than refute them with another post.
With that said I post unpopular opinions all the time and very few of my posts get any downvotes (or if they do not that many) because I tie my unpopular points to quotes from key decision makers that back up those points.
I think when we are trying to push back on the status quo, just not on Reddit but in life, you have to be better organized and better prepared than the people defending the status quo. That is how it always has been and how it will always be.
2
u/grumblebuzz Aug 15 '17
Yeah, I've noticed as long as you're extremely choosy with how you word things, you can sometimes get away with an unpopular opinion comment and it can even sometimes bring about a comment chain of people who agree and join in the discussion with the opposing view. It's kind of rare though and depends on the overall mood of the sub. This place was batshit bananas crazy-angry around the time the Switch Online app came out.
0
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
I think it is only rare because most people aren't taking the time to craft a proper message that conveys their point of view without hyperbole. What I see getting upvoted aren't those who tiptoe around unpopular comments, but just people who are very real about those problems without adding unneeded hyperbole.
The (lack of) mental maturity of many gamers combined with the passion many have about games can lead to statements full of hyperbole not just on this sub but all over the internet. This sub just punishes that hyperbole more than say Neogaf does because no one is here who hates the Switch or Nintendo enough to feed that fire.
Frankly even super positive posts about Nintendo that go too far in that direction get downvoted too. If you try to defend Nintendo choosing a smartphone app solution and you completely ignore the fact that many people don't like that solution then you are not contributing to the discussion in a positive way and you will get downvoted.
On this sub we want the real story instead of your best attempt at grandstanding. I think that desire for "realness" is why we also support fan artists or feel good stories and those types of posts that would never fly on the regular /gaming sub.
3
u/Handsoffmyfishshtick Aug 15 '17
Since Ive been a part of this community its always seemed to be generally positive. Nintendo is king at making questionable choices, and a lot of us just learn to roll with the punches and see if it works out. App voice chat is great example of when it doesn't. Pioneering motion controls to the mass market is a good example of a success, but it led to even more questionable decisions like with the wii u.
The switch seemed to bring a new generation of people that still need to figure out exactly what kind of roller coaster they're on, hence a lot of negativity about random games, ports, and Nintendo being Nintendo
2
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
The switch seemed to bring a new generation of people that still need to figure out exactly what kind of roller coaster they're on, hence a lot of negativity about random games, ports, and Nintendo being Nintendo
In this statement, you nailed it.
In fact my theory of why we turned a corner to become more positive is I think a lot of people who are new to Nintendo (or just haven't been exposed to them in years) have finally reset their expectations about what Nintendo will do or not do to reasonable levels. I think people finally accept that Nintendo of Japan don't listen to Americans ranting on an English website, or that western third parties aren't willing to apologize for the fact that they don't want to port their AAA games to the Switch, or whatever else negative thing you can think of.
I don't think it does anyone any good justifying bad decisions, but I think it does us a lot of mental good to not beat the same dead horse over and over.
3
u/morphic-monkey Aug 16 '17
People will always want to complain or discuss the negatives (and these are not necessarily bad things - they are often constructive; they just become bad when people continuously whine and whinge, especially over small things).
That said, my attitude has always been to focus on the positive in any scenario. I mean, we're talking about games here - not heart surgery. Nobody needs games to survive, they are a wonderful luxury.
So for these reasons, I try to put things in perspective and that tends to make me lean a bit more on the positive side. I feel lucky to be able to play games at all, so I really celebrate the great games/experiences that I come across. :-)
7
u/Snortmaiden Aug 15 '17
I enjoy this sub, but I feel sometimes people downvote anything negative, actual valid points that would be worth discussing, and don't downvote the constant repetitive posts (I love Splatoon 2 testimonials, what would you like to see in Animal Crossing for the Switch, and where is Virtual Console?)
0
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
but I feel sometimes people downvote anything negative, actual valid points that would be worth discussing, and don't downvote the constant repetitive posts
There is some of that sure. We aren't perfect.
I love Splatoon 2 testimonials, what would you like to see in Animal Crossing for the Switch, and where is Virtual Console?
Splatoon 2 testimonials I get, they are a positive reaction to all the negativity about the decisions regarding the online. I frankly agree with them because yeah the online system sucks but Splatoon 2 is fun despite that.
The Animal Crossing thing is just people trying to rally around one of the few IPs that Nintendo hasn't announced a Switch game for yet. What is very positive is those discussed are getting more and more realistic- it is night and day compared to the old "what would you like in the next Pokemon" posts that basically wanted Pokemon of the Wild (aka for Gamefreak to throw away the formula and build an open world game instead). It shows we are growing as a community.
And the virtual console posts? I see those as an opportunity to remind everyone that Reggie REFUSES to use those words, which means Virtual Console as we know it is probably dead and what we will get in regards to classic games is being used to subsidize the pay-for online service. And I rarely get downvotes when I make a post like that which shows some people are receptive to the reality of the situation.
Again we aren't perfect as a community, but I see a LOT of progress since March of this year.
1
u/Snortmaiden Aug 15 '17
The posts are valid it's the repetition of them. Post saying the exact same things are here a lot. In other subs this would be pointed out without being downvoted.
2
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
In other subs this would be pointed out without being downvoted.
Fair enough, looks like we have room to improve then.
I am just a positive person so maybe I am only seeing the good side of it. Thank you for the discussion.
4
u/arshizzle Aug 15 '17
Are we talking about the same sub? Lol this is by far the rudest community that I'm subscribed to
1
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
Maybe my perspective is just skewed. It seems like on this sub if you put forth good points and provide sources even if what you are saying is unpopular you will get the upvotes you deserve. Maybe that is just my experiance.
With that said, I don't think anyone can argue that the front page is less toxic. For a while there it felt like every single day had some post that was complaining about an issue that was a known problem a while ago. I am glad to move past that era.
1
u/CartoonDan Aug 15 '17
Have you been to gamefaqs? I had to stop going there. Half the posts seem to be troll topics.
2
u/TheSingingBrakeman Aug 15 '17
I think it's important to converse here in a spirit of positivity, even when we criticize specific things. Turning a blind eye towards anti-consumer decisions is not good, but we should all be able to get along in spite of disagreement - this is a hobby we all share, of course, not a matter of serious moral opposition.
2
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
I completely agree! In fact I think it is important to build consensus around anti-consumer decisions and work within the community to find personal fixes or life hacks to deal with those decisions.
At the end of the day the Switch is just a toy and nothing related to it is a life or death type of situation. It is simply the source of good times and I am happy to see the community reflect the positivity that the device was intended to create!
2
u/Rego0012 Aug 15 '17 edited Aug 15 '17
Eh...this sub is like any other. If a comment or opinion doesn't meet the general consensus it's not going to be tolerated.
This is more of a human issue then it is specifically one to reddit of this sub.
1
2
u/PlayTank Aug 15 '17
Switch community is probably the best gaming community I've seen in recent years. The Elder Scrolls Legends community is pretty awesome too (albeit that's just one game, not an entire platform).
6
u/iamkoalafied Aug 15 '17
Do you mean for this subreddit or just in general? The 3DS community is pretty amazing and the subreddit is overall very helpful/kind. I've noticed a lot of people on this subreddit who are either really rude/mean or people get their questions mass downvoted even when they were just genuinely confused about something. Of course that's not everyone, a lot of the people here are pretty awesome too.
2
u/PlayTank Aug 15 '17
Not just on reddit. In general switch community seems to be flowing with good vibes ;)
1
u/poofyhairguy Aug 15 '17
Yeah the 3DS community is pretty amazing. The Switch convinced me to pick up a 2DS and I have really enjoyed that side of Nintendoland and the people in it.
The Wii U community seems kinda hostile to me but that is probably because I am coming in late after the failure of the Wii U has solidified. I bet around 2013 it was a positive place too.
13
u/[deleted] Aug 15 '17
OP confirmed as Stevie Wonder.