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20:15, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Where is everybody???

Posted by Brianna
donsr
member, 1564 posts
Wed 17 Apr 2019
at 03:30
  • msg #15

Where is everybody???

I sorta asked that in my first post?...but others  took the  reins and I rode  along!
Hunter
member, 1497 posts
Captain Oblivious!
Lurker
Wed 17 Apr 2019
at 03:41
  • msg #16

Where is everybody???

In reply to Brianna (msg # 1):

It's been a slow year.
Kessa
member, 593 posts
Dark Army:
Out to Lunch
Wed 17 Apr 2019
at 04:05
  • msg #17

Where is everybody???

In reply to Brianna (msg # 13):

The chitter-chat has subsided quite a bit since I was more active here some years ago. Just getting older, just life. I'll socialize when I'm dead, I guess? :)
Starchaser
member, 598 posts
GMT+0
http://bit.ly/2NvdzWG
Wed 17 Apr 2019
at 06:01
  • msg #18

Where is everybody???

Its not just here. I've been on another roleplaying site for a while and that's dried up. But its worse in a way because on that one Ive posted ideas, got responses, replied to them and then... ...nothing. Starting to think ive got the virtual equivalent of B.O. :->

I also joined another site a few months ago and haven't got into any games on it whatsoever :/
EmeraldDragon
member, 441 posts
Sanity is a Lie
Blessed are the Awaken.
Wed 17 Apr 2019
at 08:33
  • msg #19

Where is everybody???

My thinking is that PbP was always a substitute for face to face for most people, and better substitutes have began to form.

Compare it to the rise of Twitch and thus the decline of Youtube.

Back in the day you either ran PbP or you used IRC. But IRC was incredibly bare bones back then so you had to trust a lot of people not to fudge the dice. You also lacked maps and other tools people use a lot.

Whereas sites like RPOL made things super easy to use.

Now we have stuff like Roll20, Tabeltop simulator, and the like, that will essentially allow the GM to do whatever they need, so people who CAN post every day will tend towards those options.

The other thing is the sheer number of other sites to use, and the specialist sites that have developed. I remember this site featuring dozens of nWoD games, now their is just a hand full. This is due to both other sites that do similar things to RPOL appearing as well as websites that are just dedicated to nWoD RP.

I do think the audience has also gotten older....but I can't be sure. Given this site was big in the RP community in my Uni 10 years ago, you would think that would keep a steady stream of incoming people. But I don't know.
GreenTongue
member, 837 posts
Game Archaeologist
Fri 19 Apr 2019
at 13:56
  • msg #20

Where is everybody???

In reply to Kessa (msg # 17):

There are a LOT of ways to chat with others that didn't exist or were less know just a few years ago.

I think the true measure is the number of games being hosted. Something that is a little more unique here than random chat.
donsr
member, 1565 posts
Fri 19 Apr 2019
at 14:46
  • msg #21

Where is everybody???

well? ( I had to recheck the mark)..according to  the number Skald put up for me.. I was  # 437  Oct 2005 ( even had the time..8:00pm!)

 anyway... I didn't run a game here until 2008.. I may have had  my first one  a bit early, but it crashed  and burned,,

 took me    a nit , getting frustrated  with 'butterfly'  GMs  who start  games.. shut them down and start another one..first thing I do is check mhow many games they have  running  and/or  deleted  before I will   RTJ.

 anyway..after   all that time, I didn't start posting in the  Forum  area   until a couple years ago...so?  from that..and  from only seeing a couple  peopel who were in..or  are in , my games  post here..I'd  say 90 % of the people  here only come here to play.. the  Site   forum is normally  the 'vets' who want to   keep track of what's going on..add our  2  cents..and maybe  give advice.

 as said  above, the site  hosts a lot of good  games.. just by seeing the  active  post counts.

………………….

 as a side bar to this... I tried to bring a couple guys into  this site, there were on  a now...dead site..they had a MAssive  game, with a few  DMs ..and a world that was really interesting.. One guy came here..started    another game( which I joined)..but he had to elave..never heard from him since  July...Nor is  he on the  'new site"... the other guy..started up on the other new site...I hate that site with a passion.. I go there to  see if/when a post goes up for my thread... then leave... Its slow..hard to navigate..butthey have a lot of names on thier lists... I also notice , a lot of thier games don't last long.. right now?  I have the Link for my gae there, and that's it...

…………………

so? yeah..there are other sites..other ways   to play..but in  my many...many..years of gaming..this is the Best site I ever joined...the ebb and flow , is what it is...
Kessa
member, 594 posts
Dark Army:
Out to Lunch
Fri 19 Apr 2019
at 15:03
  • msg #22

Where is everybody???

In reply to GreenTongue (msg # 20):

That's definitely true, but I think the chat in CC is what makes it feel more like an actual community. There were a number of folks from here that made the jump over the years to off-site friends for me and we still keep in touch through various means. Some I've even traveled and visited in person. At least one I've had a relationship with. So, while I'm not discounting that there are other ways people could be chatting and interacting, I guess my point is, it's just not the same. :)
Yaztromo
supporter, 260 posts
Sun 7 Jul 2019
at 11:26
  • msg #23

Where is everybody???

This site always had the attrition effect, but recently things seem to have visibly slowed down... maybe there are just less active users than there used to be, unfortunately.
Isida KepTukari
member, 281 posts
Elegant! Arrogant! Smart!
Sun 7 Jul 2019
at 12:02
  • msg #24

Where is everybody???

It's also summer - those who were in school are now out and may have different schedules or access, there may be more vacations and traveling going on in summer, people just might be outdoors more during summer and have less time to post.
SunRuanEr
subscriber, 92 posts
Sun 7 Jul 2019
at 12:53
  • msg #25

Where is everybody???

Summer seems to have always had that effect. Over the years I've seen plenty of games go from multiple posts a day during the Not-Summer months go to barely a post a week during the summer - or more specifically, during any time that school is out. I'm sure the community forums are no different in that regard.

It's frustrating, if you're not one of the people that slows down during the season, but it will pass. :)
azzuri
member, 430 posts
Sun 7 Jul 2019
at 15:26
  • msg #26

Re: Where is everybody???

There is the big picture, and then there is the RPoL picture.
DarkLightHitomi:
I find real life has gotten more and more intense.

Yes it has, for the better and for the worse.

In my college years, tuition at our flagship state school was $270 per year. Room and board in a double dorm room was $412 per semester. But, then, I earned between $1.50 and $2.70 an hour.

Beginning salary for an engineer with a BS was $800 per month. There were places to rent for $100 per month. Computers used punched cards.

There were geeky Avalon Hill board games, but mainstream games were few- other than card games. Role playing hardly existed. People got together to talk and to do things in their downtime.

Now, with inflation, people earn more. But, the difference between real cost, and the cost of convenience, has multiplied. Starbuck lattes? Houses and cars? Gadgets and vacations? What you now get can cost a lot more.

Media is now everywhere, but it all consumes our time. People are more apart now, with their phones, social media, and electronic games. All of this costs a lot more too.

RPoL, and the like, costs time. However, many young players have short attention spans and viewpoints. The next game will be better, so why stick out the existing one? Composing at a keyboard, or even dictating it, takes too much time. It's even too much trouble to send a PM to the GM that you will be away, or have lost interest.

Much of our society has changed for the better in the last fifty years. But, in many ways, its demands, and choices, are now more difficult, whether in the big picture or in the small.
donsr
member, 1647 posts
Sun 7 Jul 2019
at 16:19
  • msg #27

Re: Where is everybody???

I like Avalon Him Games.. I still have   a lot of them..I sorta  lean towards thier  idea  of  game  mechanics, only making it  a bit simple



 as  far as the Topic. My very active game  slows  a bit in the summer, as I have folks  who have jobs that are more active  in the summer...there is an ebb and flow , but  Vid Games  talk most of the younger  folks  and they never get into Real  RP.
Azyur3
member, 3 posts
Tue 16 Jul 2019
at 16:04
  • msg #28

Re: Where is everybody???

I think a lot of people of the younger variety started to move over to a more mid-to-fast paced Discord RPGs, with all of the bots and support for chat based games, it's becoming *slightly* easier, especially if someone isn't used to the slower PbP nature of a forum game.

Finding games these days is just as easy as it's always been, it's just a matter of looking and finding the right community. The great thing about a place like this is that you have this excellent wrapper around the games for everyone to come together through. Regardless of time or what's going on, it's nice knowing that there are people around to talk to, completely unrelated to the game you're in.
Der Rot Konig
member, 215 posts
Educated Pirate
Tue 16 Jul 2019
at 17:17
  • msg #29

Re: Where is everybody???

I think you definitely have a point about other platforms.  To me, having the ability to play  games like this, without an actual group, is already so amazing that I'm happy with the way things run here (might be an age thing).  Younger individuals are a bit more accustomed to speed and connectivity.  Having an app that's basically a slightly modified text messenger can be pretty handy.  You could run through a whole section of a scenario, complete with combat, in the middle of math class.
icosahedron152
member, 969 posts
Wed 17 Jul 2019
at 03:54
  • msg #30

Re: Where is everybody???

Der Rot Konig:
You could run through a whole section of a scenario, complete with combat, in the middle of math class.

And then we wonder about falling education standards... <roll eyes>.
Yaztromo
supporter, 330 posts
Fri 20 Mar 2020
at 13:21
  • msg #31

Re: Where is everybody???

Now, with Coronavirus issues a bit all over the world, there should be more self quarantined people with time to (role)play, but... maybe the situation doesn't make people very (role)playful...
witchdoctor
member, 174 posts
ᏣᏔᎩ
Fri 20 Mar 2020
at 13:33
  • msg #32

Re: Where is everybody???

I was sort of wondering the same thing...  But it does seem that with all the quarantining going on, people might have other priorities that take precedence.  At least for the first bit.  I do think things will pick up as things drag on.
evileeyore
member, 302 posts
GURPS GM and Player
Fri 20 Mar 2020
at 14:04
  • msg #33

Re: Where is everybody???

witchdoctor:
I was sort of wondering the same thing...  But it does seem that with all the quarantining going on...

And don't forget, some are working double and triple time to pick up the slack with other workers call out to self quarantine.
GreenTongue
member, 919 posts
Game Archaeologist
Fri 20 Mar 2020
at 15:22
  • msg #34

Where is everybody???

In reply to Kessa (msg # 22):

Yes, not the same.

When you don't get a quick response back, it is easy to get distracted.
Many apps are designed to be addictive and cut into time that might have been used for other things.

Here there is an implied lack of urgency. You are not being "shunned" if someone doesn't respond in minutes.
donsr
member, 1877 posts
Fri 20 Mar 2020
at 15:34
  • msg #35

Where is everybody???

  for my games, the flow   has  only slowed   a bit... I have some folks in england who have to work from home now, so finding time to hit the boards thinned out..a couple folks here in the US, have had  hours changed   or  are 'all hands on deck"

 for me?.. i have all the time in the world, just about, so i check in  very often.
praguepride
member, 1569 posts
"Hugs for the Hugs God!"
- Warhammer Fluffy-K
Fri 20 Mar 2020
at 17:00
  • msg #36

Where is everybody???

Here are my thoughts


1) Medical personnel - I have a couple players who warned me that they are in medical fields and are working 60+ hours a week

2) Parents - schools are shut down and with kids seemingly finding new and novel ways to fight with one another I know my posting has been severely constrained by parenthood.

3) Stress & RL Priorities - People at risk, people who might not be able to afford a month or two of isolation, people with sick relatives, people without adequate supplies etc. have a LOT to worry about right now and it is very easy to let the stress take away from other parts of your life.

I thought I had a fever last night and was in a panic most of the night. Turns out the temperature outside just spiked and the house was just warm but the stress and anxiety meant I ended up with < 3 hours of sleep and now I am dragging like crazy trying to keep my games updated.
facemaker329
member, 7188 posts
Gaming for over 30
years, and counting!
Fri 20 Mar 2020
at 17:09
  • msg #37

Where is everybody???

One game I'm in has slowed considerably...our GM is trying to handle a rather ambitious game (8-10 PCs, some with extensive supporting casts of NPCs, in 6-7 disparate plotlines that will, presumably, start to spin together into a single, unified storyline, if her past games are an example).  She had been doing a pretty consistent job of updating everyone's threads every day or two...

Now, she's got kids at home all day.  She has to either home-school them or coordinate their remote-learning activities.  She has restricted hours to run errands to keep the household together.  So, while she was doing a great job before the crisis, she's had a huge pile of stuff heaped on her plate.  She'll be back...but she's gotta have some time to settle into the new routine.

I'm at the opposite extreme.  Aside from having had one of my favorite hobbies (thrift-store shopping) severely curtailed, this hasn't much affected my life.  I work at an amusement park that is still in pre-season preparation mode, so my hours there haven't changed at all (actually had my busiest week I  months there, this week).  The movie theater where I work my second job hasn't had to shut down, as the clientele has helpfully cut their numbers to the point where we aren't creating much of a risk. I think we had 8 people come to our busiest movie last night, maybe less...and that was our busy night for the week).  So that hasn't changed any.  And I'm single, so no kids to worry about taking care of.  My availability for gaming hasn't really changed at all.

So, as is true with so many things in gaming, mileage varies from person to person.  Some have more time.  Some have less.  Some don't see any significant changes.  But, yes...with so many real-world concerns to juggle, if something has to be sacrificed, this is a likely place to start.  Nothing here is really urgent, and face-to-face relationships generally take priority (if you're going to keep them healthy, at least).  It would be a mistake to assume everybody's got extra time because the world's shuttering stores early and closing bars and telling people to stay home as much as possible.
JRScott
member, 39 posts
Fri 20 Mar 2020
at 19:51
  • msg #38

Where is everybody???

This covid19 thing has folks scrambling, and while you might think they have more time, most have less, or they lost their internet connections they depended on with schools closing down along with businesses in many places. Once things begin to return to normal should pick up I hope.
Kessa
member, 610 posts
Dark Army:
Out to Lunch
Sun 22 Mar 2020
at 04:50
  • msg #39

Where is everybody???

In reply to GreenTongue (msg # 34):

True, but at the same time, I don't think that aside from the ghosting GM or Player, anyone in CC really minds waiting so much for a reply. ^_^ Quite a few of us have been around long enough to know folks drift off, get distracted... but often come back! Or, alternatively, threads are suddenly resurrected! ^_^

Additionally, I have to say, it's been very rare that I've seen any disrespectful or intentionally hurtful behavior around CC. Though, I do realize our mods are wonderful and nip a lot of things in the bud. By and large, folks are just very nice here and that does make for a comforting and supportive atmosphere that might very well be hard to find elsewhere.
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