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Ken B.
United States
Fayetteville
Tennessee
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I've decided to no longer fly my GOTW Geekbadge. I'm not sure I want to be seen as an "exemplary" member of a community that has no sense of humor about anything, not even itself.
Where is your moral outrage for the War of the Ring raters who slap it with a 1 to "counter the high ratings"? What about those 1s from people who obviously haven't played a game and the best they can come up with is, "It's long?" What about those 1s from people dismissing entire games as Risk clones (making them look like complete idiots?)
Those aren't even part of a "prank". Those people don't plan on removing their ratings EVER, much less in 24 hours. Where is your harsh vitriol, your chastising emails, your forum grandstanding?
Thankfully for me, I don't need the approval of others to purchase a game, nor be a member of a mutual admiration society to know where to put my gaming $$$.
I've removed my joke rating of Agricola, but my comments stay. And I suppose it's fortunate that no one I know will be wanting to play a game about farming; else you'd be spared an ACTUAL rating from me that probably wouldn't be all that enthusiastic anyway.
One more note: nice work, spewers of indignity; you've created a backlash that goes beyond the original pranksters. Had the joke been allowed to go quietly into that good night, we'd have had a few laughs with no harm done. But your outrage and personal attacks over the situation have made things far, far worse.
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Jonathan
United States
Maitland
Florida
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People take this website VERY seriously. It does bug me when one group of gamers slams a game with 1s just to even things out, but really, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. Take it for what it's worth and just move on.
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brian
United States
Cedar Lake
Indiana
Mourning the end of the Manning era.
Welcome baby brother Toby James, 03/24, 8 lb. 15 oz.
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We're happy for you.
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Lajos Ishibashi-Brons
Japan
Hachiouji
Tokyo
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franklincobb wrote: I've decided to no longer fly my GOTW Geekbadge. I'm not sure I want to be seen as an "exemplary" member of a community that has no sense of humor about anything, not even itself.
Agreed. Pretty much the same reason why I banished mine to my profile after my week 'in the spotlight'.
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Ken B.
United States
Fayetteville
Tennessee
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jmw23 wrote: People take this website VERY seriously. It does bug me when one group of gamers slams a game with 1s just to even things out, but really, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. Take it for what it's worth and just move on.
Jonathan, you're a great guy. I needed to hear a little voice of reason right now, just to prove it still exists.
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Ken B.
United States
Fayetteville
Tennessee
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ColtsFan76 wrote: We're happy for you.
Ditto, my man. Let's just get married.
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John Burt
Canada
Saskatoon
Saskatchewan
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franklincobb wrote: Where is your moral outrage for the War of the Ring raters who slap it with a 1 to "counter the high ratings"? What about those 1s from people who obviously haven't played a game and the best they can come up with is, "It's long?" What about those 1s from people dismissing entire games as Risk clones (making them look like complete idiots?)
Those aren't even part of a "prank". Those people don't plan on removing their ratings EVER, much less in 24 hours. Where is your harsh vitriol, your chastising emails, your forum grandstanding?
Exactly my thoughts as well, thank you for putting it far better then I could have.
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You there, computer man. Fix my pants!
United States
Kingman
Kansas
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I like your posts, your games and your sense of humor, Ken.
But your response to people overreacting and taking things too seriously is to...overreact and take things too seriously?
I suspect that the games you enjoy are just as fun right this minute as they were before the Great 'Cola War. Relax.
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Ken B.
United States
Fayetteville
Tennessee
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mistermarino wrote: I like your posts, your games and your sense of humor, Ken.
But your response to people overreacting and taking things too seriously is to...overreact and take things too seriously?
I suspect that the games you enjoy are just as fun right this minute as they were before the Great 'Cola War. Relax.
This is no time to start making sense.
And I miss Jessica Alba.
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You there, computer man. Fix my pants!
United States
Kingman
Kansas
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I miss her too, Ken. But I made a promise to my son, and I haven't found a way to weasel out of it.
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Darryl Boone
Canada
Coquitlam
BC
Reading your recent posts has been like dipping my bottom over and over into a bath of the silkiest oils and creams.
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You know, I took part in the Monkey Auto Races prank, enjoyed it, and didn't understand how some people were upset about it and took that seriously. It was all in good fun. And yet, I do see where people are coming from.
Before the April Fool's prank, Puerto Rico was static, Monkey Auto Races was static. PR's position changed slightly for two days, that's it.
In this instance, we have a new game which has been climbing the ranks at a great pace. As more people play, it goes up and up, and there are people watching it very closely to see how far it reaches, and how fast. By adding these 1 ratings, you're messing with that ascent; now people will never know how fast it would have reached its peak had others not tampered with it.
Me, I don't really care, but I can see where they're coming from. They take the ratings and rankings more seriously than you or I, but I don't think it's worth getting upset about -- them, or you.
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Dave Kudzma
United States
Gumboro
Delaware
Muffins.
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I'll be glad when there are threads about this game that aren't jokes, or upset gamers about the jokes.
It's just getting old.....fast.
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Ken B.
United States
Fayetteville
Tennessee
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As a public service announcement for sake of being "Fair and Balanced":
If you weren't in on the joke yesterday, STOP GIVING THIS GAME A "1" RATING.
Part of being a good comedian is knowing when the punchline is done.
The only joke allowed to "run long" is "The Aristocrats". Now I'm all about a good telling of that one. The longer you can keep it going, the better.
But our joke? It's over. Now you're just proving people right. Don't give them that satisfaction.
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John Earles
Canada
Toronto
Ontario
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Once I actually have the game in my hands, you and anyone else who wants to can rate it -100 for all I care.
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I think it misses out on the big picture here.
Pranks often have unwanted side effects.
Leaping out and saying "BOO" to uncle frank can be the last tick...literally. Sure it was funny when you thought about it, but in execution and seeing you're uncle dying on the floor....it suddenly isn't funny anymore.
In this case, you get the "me toos" and "wannabes" who are just following the crowd. You get sheep raters who don't want to miss out on the rating boat and rate what the majority is rating because they want to look like the "in crowd".
Pranks like these are a stupid idea, especially on a site as public as boardgamegeek. "Public?" you say? Search for just about any boardgame on google, and I'd be very surprised if BGG wasn't the first destination.
The worst part is, pranks like this make it look like games hobbyists are buffoons and don't really care about their hobby. As my brother says, "bored games indeed".
I've been a champion of boardgaming since about 1991, I coined the term "Designer Game", I created my own game website way back in 1995 which lead to a very interesting conversation with Alan Moon. I do demonstrations at every convention I can afford to go to and I try to bring boardgaming to the public whenever I can.
The reason some of *us* take things like this so seriously is because it is what we do. For some it is our career, for some our hobby, and for those like me, our passion.
I personally don't give a crap about the prank that was played (nor the monkey races prank or others), but it does affect my opinion of the people who contribute to and those that run this site.
$.03 (adjusted for inflation)
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Ken B.
United States
Fayetteville
Tennessee
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Bagherra wrote: The worst part is, pranks like this make it look like games hobbyists are buffoons and don't really care about their hobby. As my brother says, "bored games indeed".
"What are you guys doing over there? Having fun?"
"NO! We're playing boardgames!"
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JessA
United States
Southwestern
Michigan
Fox by Miss Turtle Artist, now the Mockingjay and furthermore, I think tipping in GeekQuestions should be fixed.
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I said it on the geeklist and I'm going to say it here too.
If this incident can get you so upset (either way) then life really must be treating you well. So, in the midst of your being offended, be thankful, too.
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Philip Thomas
United Kingdom
London
London
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Jatoha, I'm not sure that is altogether true. Are not people who are going through distressing and difficult personal circumstances often all the more prone to get upset over seemingly trivial and unimportant matters?
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Adam Knight
New Zealand
Titirangi
Auckland
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Bagherra wrote: Leaping out and saying "BOO" to uncle frank can be the last tick...literally. Sure it was funny when you thought about it, but in execution and seeing you're uncle dying on the floor....it suddenly isn't funny anymore.
I'm not sure we can compare adjusting game ratings with manslaughter. I know, analogy and all but you might have gone for "seeing your uncle pee himself". Or even, "seeing your uncle get upset" because really, that's all that's happening. Noone is killing anyone here!
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Jeff Brown
United States
Colorado Springs
Colorado
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franklincobb wrote: Bagherra wrote: The worst part is, pranks like this make it look like games hobbyists are buffoons and don't really care about their hobby. As my brother says, "bored games indeed". "What are you guys doing over there? Having fun?" "NO! We're playing boardgames!"
I for one wouldn't want people to think that we don't take board games seriously. That would be absolutely horrible. I am a SERIOUS gamer.
/sarcasm
It's not like people wouldn't see that as loopy and more buffoonish so to speak.
I just don't understand how anybody can take any hobby so seriously. That's why its a hobby.
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Dave Wilson
United States
Pleasanton
California
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Wow. outrage? indignity? How'd I miss all that?
I didn't participate in the Monkey Auto Races prank (even though I was asked, and I do appreciate being asked  ) primarily because I didn't find it funny. But you know, I can just let it go. When I saw the geeklist Possible Reasons for Agricola's Rash of Negative Ratings go up I figured some folks were having more fun, and posted on that list to that effect. But that list seemed more bemused than outraged or indignant.
I suppose if I cared more about the relative rankings of games it'd be a different story. But I don't.
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JessA
United States
Southwestern
Michigan
Fox by Miss Turtle Artist, now the Mockingjay and furthermore, I think tipping in GeekQuestions should be fixed.
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Philip Thomas wrote: Jatoha, I'm not sure that is altogether true. Are not people who are going through distressing and difficult personal circumstances often all the more prone to get upset over seemingly trivial and unimportant matters?
Not for me personally, but, I do see your point.
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J.L. Robert
United States
Sherman Oaks
California
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Where's the shoe-pounding on the rostrum?
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Zuperfliegen
United States
Round Rock
Texas
Ride the Snake
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ken, you're a sellout for even accepting the GotW.
Live from the Con, it's marvelous mike!
//keeping it real in 2007
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vincit omnia amentia
United States
Howard County
Maryland
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Ken, the Agricola thing was just a puppet show to distract from the coup that has overthrown the mods.
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