Why so Serious?

[no00dylan]

Excuse the terrible and old title. This is just a thread to take peoples opinions on the "serious discussion" topic. I've always felt things like religion, abortion, gay marriage and drugs feel a little out of place here, and sometimes they seem to hurt the community. For example if I were to go to this site as a newbie, and then get asked "Pro-choice or Pro-Life" I would say "What does that have to do with Half-Life 2 News & Tutorials?"

Do you think serious discussion is needed here? Do you feel it's out of place? Do you think it could be possibly hurting the community?

Discuss.

[ad_hominem]

I feel it's perfectly acceptable to have the serious discussion section, and it's a sign of the maturity of the forum that we can have such discussions without the threads needing heavy moderating and even locking.

[city14]

I feel it's perfectly acceptable to have the serious discussion section, and it's a sign of the maturity of the forum that we can have such discussions without the threads needing heavy moderating and even locking.

I agree whole heartedly! Being able to eloquently express ourselves is incredibly important...

[Megadude]

What goes a general discussion about pratically anything section have to do with Half-Life 2 News & Tutorials?

What does a website section have to do with Half-Life 2 News & Tutorials?

What does a section about films and music have to do with Half-Life 2 News & Tutorials?

What does a random thread have to do with Half-Life 2 News & Tutorials?

You could ask the same question about any of these sections that you have asked about the Serious Discussion thread. To keep the forums limited to just stuff about Half-Life 2 News & Tutorials would lead to a boring and stagnant forum, occasionally interupted by someone spamming the forums with something completly unreleated to Half-Life 2 News & Tutorials. If you look at any forum these days that was built around a particular subject, the amount of the forum taken up by that subject is never 100%. Having several different unreleated topics in the forum produces variety and keeps the forum fresh. Besides, most "newbies" will take no notice of the serious discussion thread and will go straight to the mapping or gaming topics.

Also, if you wanted to be pedantic about it, a lot of the gaming stuff wouldn't be here if talk was restricted to Half-Life 2. There would be no talk of: Portal, L4D, L4D2, TF2, CS:S; all the different talk about mods; etc, etc, etc.

[no00dylan]

You're right.

[Hollow]

What Ad and Mega said.

The fact that I can start a topic on people's thoughts on mature subjects about this or that, without worrying about forum moderation or flaming, shows the sites respectability and the people who are members here.
If new members are thrown off by these discussions, they can simply choose not to post in them.

[Dionysos]

I love it, and I respect everyone who posts in the difficult topics we have in serious discussion immensely. If we can't discuss our problems, we will never solve them. And I certainly don't see it degrading other parts of the site as long as we all stay mature.

[Chopium]

Because we are more than a mapping community. We are a small social community as well.

[RefaelBA]

What started out as a tutorials project turned into a large community of some very creative & sophisticated people and I think that their opinions in many subjects are quite the treasure - I enjoy reading what people here think and I get a lot of new ways to look at subjects. Frankly this is the only place on the net that offers me this wonderful perk. Plus, I've also seen some very serious threads treated with maturity (like the Religion and Reason thread I started) and I've read some amazing posts here that I'll probably remember for years to come.

So, while this forum isn't really needed to make better maps, it's still one of the best on the net, and if Blink ever thinks about closing it down, I'll go to the UK and steal his drumsticks.



Cheers!

[Hollow]

I just wanted you to know that the Serious Discussions forum is the only place on the internet where I can get some real answers and develope a fruitful discussion with intelligent people, about various subjects. And they have many different opinions which are a bliss to read.

What started out as a tutorials project turned into a large community of some very talented & rather sophisticated people and I think that their opinions in many subjects are quite the treasure - I enjoy reading what people here think and I get a lot of new ways to look at subjects. Frankly this is the only place on the net that offers me this wonderful perk. Plus, I've also seen some very serious threads treated with maturity (like the Religion and Reason thread I started) and I've read some amazing posts here that I'll probably remember for years to come.

So, while this forum isn't really needed to make better maps, it's still one of the best on the net, and if Blink ever thinks about closing it down, I'll go to the UK and steal his drumsticks.



Cheers!

HERE! HERE!
Can only agree with you.

[MayheM]

My personal opinion, and I was actually talking about this today, is...

If people can not talk civilly about their opinions and ideas with people who have different opinions and ideas we as a world are doomed. We all have our own opinions but we also need to respect the opinions and ideas of others. So by talking things out in the attempt to educate others of your point of view is a good thing. I have long conversations with people at work about politics and social issues. I listen closely to what people are saying and try to see from their point of view as best I can. I enjoy it greatly! Not only because I learn new things, but because I like the debate process. Sometimes I am wrong, sometimes I am right and other times it is not a matter of right and wrong but rather differing opinions.

So, though I take those things seriously, it never gets personal. I may not agree with people all the time but I show them respect and most of the people on here do the same. Many of you on here have totally different views from the ones I have. It does not cause me to judge people on here any differently. I think it is awesome we are able to go back and forth about pretty heavy issues then turn around the next minute and post some funny stuff we can all agree on. This is a great community and even with the debates in the serious discussions section we all still get along...

[YokaI]

To be honest, I find it ridiculous that we HAVE to have a serious discussion section in order for any discussions to be taken seriously, kinda shows what's wrong with the internet culture as a whole.

I wish the way people acted in this section of the forum would spread to the gaming forum, portfolios section or the mod section or the under construction / complete maps section. I don't really mind general discussion being kind of general, but I think you all know how I feel about the internet so I don't need to repeat myself.

[Surfa]

Because in this section our gentlemanly ways shine through but unfortunately generally we are just a bunch of chavs.

[Major Banter]

We're all fucking clever. Ergo, we can handle discussion; and why not? Don't like it, stay out the topic really.

On top of that some of the discussions are about games. Er, yeah. God I'm tired.

[Hollow]

Yokai- Now officially known as Mr. Buzz Killington