Seems like the happy, jokey people don't show up in the game threads much anymore. 

 

I am not going to call the current regular posters negative. In fact I enjoy the potshots and dark, jaded humor as much as anyone so it's no skin off my back. I am also confident 99% of them want to see the Twins be a winner.  

 

Just seems like we're seeing another instance of the principle "the bad drives out the good" happening. Thought I'd point it out.

 

Thoughts? 

 

I'll start:

 

Maybe there should be three game threads: the grumpy one, the happy one, and the one where people want to talk about the game?

I think the late games have a lot to do with it. I also think it's just 'that point' in the season where steam is running low. And possibly some are just defeated because, yeah, well, it is what it is.

 

And we tried dual (as opposed to duel) game threads once ... one that was strictly game oriented and another that was everything else. It didn't really work well.

 

This is why I object when some insist that game threads are 'off topic' when posters talk about the game as if game talk is forbidden. It's definitely a looser atmosphere where lots of other things get talked about during the game, but game talk should never get lost, imo. Unless we are trying to drown our sorrows and want to forget about the game at hand. However, game threads are there to have fun. Excessive crabbing about everything may get an 'Enough already! We get it!' because that is not fun for most.

We have tried to protect the sanctity of game threads by keeping them upbeat and fun. There are some who don't follow that basic core rule "Have Fun... No Bad Moods" or understand the reason behind it... and unless they are watching the numbers... how could they understand. 

 

However... one thing has been proven to be true over many years of game threads. The more fun... the wider variety of topics... the bigger the numbers. 

 

When the game thread gets overly negative and the sense of humor or fun goes away...  the numbers go down. 

 

As moderators... we need to do a better job of enforcing the basic rule... "Have Fun... No Bad Moods". and I take full responsibility for not doing a better job at this. 

I don't care one way or the other about perceived Negative/Pessimistic or Positive/Optimistic points of view. What I don't enjoy or have much patience for in game threads is a rehash of topics that have gotten plenty of play already in regular threads, particularly broad sweeping conclusions.

 

During games the trafic in the regular forums tends to diminish. I feel as though some posters zero in on the game threads solely because they feel it gives them a larger audience for them to orate to. In extreme cases, they don't seem to care about either the day's game itself or the camaraderie among the community that's been developed - we're just a natural resource to be strip mined for eyeballs^*, and then discarded if it becomes less rich of a target.

 

The analogy as usual is to fans watching a game in the cheap seats. Who wants to sit next to That Guy, who invariably turns the pitcher failing to cover first into a critique of the front office?

 

Talk about the game as it progresses, or engage in small talk with friends and acquaintances - but take the big-picture discussion back to the normal threads except as a very brief aside.

 

^{* _{Admittedly one of my worse metaphors of the year.}}

Sometimes it's just best to move on to other things.

I tend to agree that we don't need to re-hash the board in game threads. My participation is almost 100% about humor and fun. If it isn't there early (if I'm not doing something else), I don't stay.

 

We have tried to protect the sanctity of game threads by keeping them upbeat and fun. There are some who don't follow that basic core rule "Have Fun... No Bad Moods" or understand the reason behind it... and unless they are watching the numbers... how could they understand. 

 

However... one thing has been proven to be true over many years of game threads. The more fun... the wider variety of topics... the bigger the numbers. 

 

When the game thread gets overly negative and the sense of humor or fun goes away...  the numbers go down. 

 

As moderators... we need to do a better job of enforcing the basic rule... "Have Fun... No Bad Moods". and I take full responsibility for not doing a better job at this. 

 

You're the gold standard for introducing a wide variety of topics that are goofy and fun, RB.