Lanzer's back!

[Vishkah]

Exactly. I've seen multiple groups link to off-site chats and games, which means there is a need that even established, long term Gaians want that isn't being met here. As we've said, it's also too insular, and we need more Newbies who show up, get into the spirit and stay, so having established ties shouldn't be a requirement for this type of interaction. There needs to be multiple ways where they can meet other users and be introduced to people who share their interests - ideally, even Towns should be well integrated into the site.

I know for a fact that our Guild is itching for some grand new users who will come in, be active, get to love what we initially loved about the site and stick around. I've seen multiple oldbies talk about what they can do personally to help new users stay. Gaia has been stagnating, and it's not something we can fix without the entire site shifting. It's actually something of a drag that we don't get to show new users what we saw in this to begin with. Seasonal events on here used to be insane.

I've been writing in a draft of a future post that the content on user-run events is often a micro-version of what they do for site-wide events, but the site itself needs to change to give us a healthier, livelier user base, and that's one of the major contributors to the fact that the things we create here aren't working as well, no matter what we put into them. If things aren't as exciting or inclusive site-wide, how are they supposed to get into Guilds or user run events (I'm mostly bringing this up because one of my concerns is the NSTG, and whenever you all ask us for feedback, something in me screams "SITE WIDE CHANGE!" )? I'm well aware after all this time that spirit on this site is something that builds on itself. Actually, we all know this; I'm preaching to the choir, here.

I could go on all day (And... I will, because I'm Vishkah) about the fact that your mention of a "class war" on Gaia is actually barely deserving of... being put into quotation marks. It absolutely is a problem. You've described exactly the type of Newbie who stays - they're either wealthy enough to invest in GCash, have a marketable skill like doing art commissions, or they're grinding like crazy to keep up, which was a large part of the backlash against a Lake Kindred spawn cap, which I'll likely end up talking about here at some point.

Well, even if a Newbie fits this criteria and has time and money to burn, the fact remains that they won't be as integrated into our community as they would have had a chance to be previously. Grinding, doing art commissions and spending money are all pretty isolated in their way, at least in the absence of viable, more social alternatives.

Ebania

As someone who used to---we need to bring this back---play Cards Against Humanity online with NSTG Crewmembers rather than, say, Fishing or Slots or Pinball, I could not agree more. Lake Kindred is profitable, but lonely and tedious, and because the other games on Gaia offer very little monetary incentive for somewhat lackluster game-play, it becomes a better use of one's time to play communal games off of Gaia that are more enjoyable. I also completely agree that this way of thinking, unfortunately, doesn't allow us to make new friends or try new games; we get stuck in what's comfortable and with what makes sense.

You hit the nail on the head about keeping newbies here. If there are many ways to achieve wealth, make friends, and build community as opposed to a few---not everyone has money, or tons of time to grind, or a marketable skill---then newbies will be a lot more likely to find the magic on Gaia that us oldbies came and stayed for.

 

[Ebania]

I absolutely share your interest in Towns 2 in this regard. Now that Codemonkey has returned---I think that he's working remotely, but he's employed by the company again---we might see Towns grow to offer more to the broader Gaian community. (Being able to reserve a server for a fee and enjoy the entire Gambino area alone with friends? Voice-chatting capabilities? Seasonal events and an expansion of available bugs, trash, and flowers---and things to do with them? All of these things would breathe new life into Towns 2.)

You could not be more correct; I completely agree with your assessment. It breaks my heart that there are more oldbies willing to help than there are newbies who are willing to stick around. A couple of years ago, someone made a statement that, unbeknownst to them, kind of stung: they said that this guild has become more of a community-building initiative rather than a newbie-assisting one. It didn't hurt because they were wrong---it hurt because funding and hosting programs and events that are explicitly meant to be newbie-friendly (without being infantilizing) isn't always enough to make newbies want to stay. Very, very few people get on Gaia for a single community or guild---I consider myself among them, and among that populace, only a fraction are willing to undergo neglect and exploitation from Gaia Headquarters for prolonged periods of time. I think that this is why the majority of those who have stuck with the NSTG through thick and thin are those who remember better times.

(I do think that better times are ahead.)

The person who coined the "class war" statement was actually JoyRose, but at the time, she was a moderator, so I put those words into my mouth instead of hers to protect her standing. You're right: it's barely an exaggeration. Don't get me wrong: I'm not anti-Cash Shop nor am I against having people of exorbitant wealth on this website; many of those people have, in the past, donated massive sums to the guild to keep it afloat---sums that would have taken dozens of normal donations to accumulate, and I understand (and celebrate!) that Gaia, as a business, is expanding.

What hurts is seeing such a blatant and massive divide between those who can afford to purchase Cash and devoted users who cannot; what hurts is that the Cash Shop is the only part of the site that receives frequent attention; what hurts is that, like with the example you brought up with the Sycamortes being nerf'd, Gaia is quicker to address inflation when its roots do not directly trace to the Cash Shop. It's infuriating. If I were a newbie, or even a returning oldbie with few friends, I'd probably leave, too. Who can blame them?

What I look like when I talk about this stuff:

Vishkah

Exactly. I've seen multiple groups link to off-site chats and games, which means there is a need that even established, long term Gaians want that isn't being met here. As we've said, it's also too insular, and we need more Newbies who show up, get into the spirit and stay, so having established ties shouldn't be a requirement for this type of interaction. There needs to be multiple ways where they can meet other users and be introduced to people who share their interests - ideally, even Towns should be well integrated into the site.

I know for a fact that our Guild is itching for some grand new users who will come in, be active, get to love what we initially loved about the site and stick around. I've seen multiple oldbies talk about what they can do personally to help new users stay. Gaia has been stagnating, and it's not something we can fix without the entire site shifting. It's actually something of a drag that we don't get to show new users what we saw in this to begin with. Seasonal events on here used to be insane.

I've been writing in a draft of a future post that the content on user-run events is often a micro-version of what they do for site-wide events, but the site itself needs to change to give us a healthier, livelier user base, and that's one of the major contributors to the fact that the things we create here aren't working as well, no matter what we put into them. If things aren't as exciting or inclusive site-wide, how are they supposed to get into Guilds or user run events (I'm mostly bringing this up because one of my concerns is the NSTG, and whenever you all ask us for feedback, something in me screams "SITE WIDE CHANGE!" )? I'm well aware after all this time that spirit on this site is something that builds on itself. Actually, we all know this; I'm preaching to the choir, here.

I could go on all day (And... I will, because I'm Vishkah) about the fact that your mention of a "class war" on Gaia is actually barely deserving of... being put into quotation marks. It absolutely is a problem. You've described exactly the type of Newbie who stays - they're either wealthy enough to invest in GCash, have a marketable skill like doing art commissions, or they're grinding like crazy to keep up, which was a large part of the backlash against a Lake Kindred spawn cap, which I'll likely end up talking about here at some point.

Well, even if a Newbie fits this criteria and has time and money to burn, the fact remains that they won't be as integrated into our community as they would have had a chance to be previously. Grinding, doing art commissions and spending money are all pretty isolated in their way, at least in the absence of viable, more social alternatives.

 

[Vishkah]

I am absolutely going to give this a proper reply because this is something I care about that's relevant to my interests and you've brought up points I want to discuss further, but I had to have a chuckle - that is probably how I look and sound to people when I talk about these things, too.

Ah, quoting your sources. You're my favorite, Captain E. That's the writer in you talking.

Ebania

What I look like when I talk about this stuff: