# Proposed: Move thread games back to MPSIMS where they're a better fit. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 1, 2014, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060 "2014-10-01T05:58:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![orangeapples](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@orangeapples](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orangeapples)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/41 "2014-10-01T19:38:08Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I suggested two sub-fora for The Game Room: Games, and Sports/Game Discussions. I basically got shouted down by a mod and a couple of others. It seems like the simplest solution to me, as the game threads will clog up any forum they are moved to. I don’t understand the resistance to this idea, but perhaps somebody can enlighten me. I was left with the impression that any new forums, or sub-forums, just aren’t in the cards, regardless of whether the staff feels there is or is not a need. Until administrative rights are given to someone that actually is involved in the day-to-day function of this board, it’s just tough luck, we’ll get a duct-tape and chewing-gum fix, if there’s a fix at all. My take on this most recent proposal is ambivalence. Moving one group (whichever group that may be) of threads to another forum is better than what’s been employed thus far, and I applaud **SenorBeef** ’s continuing efforts to get some sort of resolution in all this, but the current mucked-up mess that _The Game Room_ has become is a pretty clear indication of just why this issue keeps getting raised in the first place. There **is** a problem, and that ain’t no fix. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/42 "2014-10-01T19:38:27Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Grabbing some current example threads in the game room and the top posters: > > thread games: > > trivia dominoes > chesirekat 520 > prof pepperwinkle 424 > burpo the wonder mutt 262 > annie-xmas 232 > elindeil’s heir 179 > biotop 147 > > free association > bullitt 2884 > siam sam 1741 > zeldar 1404 > prof pepperwinkle 1190 > picunurse 1130 > labtrash 1014 > elendil’s heir 988 > carnut 975 > > count to infinity in pictures > buddha\_david 940 > little nemo 409 > happy lendervedder 234 > toucanna 169 > elendil’s heir 162 > prof pepperwinkle 140 > silenus 121 > eutychus 113 > > monty python non sequitor > elendil’s heir 908 > bmalion 443 > knorf 366 > prof pepperwinkle 356 > buddha david 187 > bullitt 186 > askance 182 > burpo the wonder mutt 145 > > haiku madness > intergalactic gladiator 938 > mean mr. mustard 830 > annie-xmas 630 > elendil’s heir 600 > sternvogel 584 > bullitt 519 > the peyote coyote 411 > fear itself 326 > prof pepperwinkle 291 > chesirekat 236 > > ## bakers dozen elendil’s heir 3176 elvisl1ves 2191 realitychuck 2012 bullitt 1730 siam sam 1339 sampiro 1248 astorian 1236 northern piper 1076 sternvogel 981 annie xmas 776 > > actual game room discussion: > > wanted: city of heroes players > skywatcher 203 > master rik 140 > der trihs 133 > lok 127 > brainiac4 97 > maus magill 94 > bosstone 93 > balance 83 > > wow catacylsm > master rik 273 > gnoitall 153 > oakminster 93 > nava 67 > martu 66 > lemur866 58 > runestar 50 > infovore 47 > > digital distribution sales > senorbeef 342 > jophiel 149 > skywatcher 50 > left hand of dorkness 29 > control z 26 > kinthalis 24 > capnpitt 22 > terminus est 20 > > ray rice goe stubthumping > marley23 43 > mhendo 38 > digitalc 21 > really not all that bright 18 > iiandyiiii 17 > fotheringay-phipps 15 > aceplace 14 > > michael sam comes out > Marley23 41 > Loach 25 > Bellhorn 24 > Great Antibob 16 > Hamlet 14 > Really Not All That Bright 14 > ElvisL1ves 11 > Stink Fish Pot 11 > > tennis 2014 > Tabby\_Cat 48 > bldysabba 47 > shijinn 17 > Turble 17 > Grumman 16 > Jragon 13 > Tom Scud 13 > Hamlet 13 > > josh gordon, ultimate knucklehead > SenorBeef 28 > Airman Doors, USAF 12 > Hamlet 11 > Red Wiggler 8 > samclem 7 > MOIDALIZE 5 > Cubsfan 5 > VarlosZ 3 Please don’t tell me you counted all those manually! :eek: But I disagree completely with your assertion that game threads are stifling discussions in non-game threads. Lately I’ve been posting regularly in a non-game discussion thread, and there’s been no shortage of replies nor anyone complaining that the thread’s hard to find. People who are engaged in any particular discussion always have the option of bookmarking the thread itself, or subscribing, or whatever. The best solution would indeed be a new sub-forum; pity that option’s unavailable. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/43 "2014-10-01T19:41:03Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Please don’t tell me you counted all those manually! :eek: Protip: the “replies” count in the threads list for each forum is actually a link. You can click it to get those numbers. Super useful for Mafia games. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/44 "2014-10-01T20:05:11Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Right, because there are people who don’t like them. I don’t give two shits about sports, so those should be quashed as well, right? A nuclear option doesn’t serve anybody. I agree. You can’t hug your children with nuclear arms. I agree, but that won’t keep me from making a joke. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/45 "2014-10-01T20:08:37Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Right, because there are people who don’t like them. I don’t give two shits about sports, so those should be quashed as well, right? A nuclear option doesn’t serve anybody. Post count parties were banned, lots of people apparently liked them. There’s precedent. Some of the games are clever, the Malapropagation one started off very well, now 3800+ posts later it has lost a little bit of its zing. Clever games could still be allowed in MPSIMS. Something like “Change two letters to make a new word” should be aborted. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/46 "2014-10-01T20:15:50Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I suggested two sub-fora for The Game Room: Games, and Sports/Game Discussions. I basically got shouted down by a mod and a couple of others. It seems like the simplest solution to me, as the game threads will clog up any forum they are moved to. I don’t understand the resistance to this idea, but perhaps somebody can enlighten me. The stated reason for not creating a subforum is they are more difficult to discover and people generally don’t click twice to get into them. Whether you agree with that or not, at least it is a reason based on something more than “because we said so.” As for why a new top-level forum isn’t possible, reasons have ranged from not enough traffic to sustain the new forum or whatever is left behind (demonstrably false), to “Jerry doesn’t have time.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/47 "2014-10-01T20:16:31Z")
I think the best analogy is the creation of the Elections forum. People realized that every 2 to 4 years, the flood of election posts would swamp the other topics in Great Debates. It was difficult to use the Great Debates forum for anything other than talking about politics. The Elections forum solved the problem. It’s a low-volume forum that lies fallow most of the time, but heats up when a big election rolls around. Most importantly, it allows other discussions to continue in Great Debates. Maybe the Elections forum should be eliminated? After all, it doesn’t get much traffic. Instead every election thread in Great Debates could be tagged “[Election]”. Wouldn’t that be consistent with what’s going on the The Game Room? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/48 "2014-10-01T20:18:44Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Lately I’ve been posting regularly in a non-game discussion thread, and there’s been no shortage of replies nor anyone complaining that the thread’s hard to find. How would the people who never found the thread know to complain that they didn’t find it? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/49 "2014-10-01T20:50:44Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > Post count parties were banned, lots of people apparently liked them. There’s precedent. > > Some of the games are clever, the Malapropagation one started off very well, now 3800+ posts later it has lost a little bit of its zing. Clever games could still be allowed in MPSIMS. Something like “Change two letters to make a new word” should be aborted. Now, this I can agree with. I participated in the “change two letters” and a couple other very simplistic threads for a bit, but got bored quickly with them. I’d have no problem with them not existing or being barred to begin with. Others, like the malaprop one can be entertaining, and a thread like the “Flat out wrong trivia dominoes” lets people be creative and goofy, which I enjoy. The problem, of course, is that any mod who volunteers to monitor those threads for what is acceptable and what is not is in for a shit storm of complaints from those whose games are not considered worthy. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/50 "2014-10-01T20:56:45Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > > [@August\_West](#): > > > > Those nonsensical game threads should have been quashed from the beginning. > > Right, because there are people who don’t like them. I don’t give two shits about sports, so those should be quashed as well, right? A nuclear option doesn’t serve anybody. Post padding used to be always discouraged. Now, certain flavors of posting padding are allowed. I think that was a mistake. Being a Mafia player, I can accept some of the blame. But the slope from Mafia games which needed explicit mod permission to the situation we have now was a slippery one. It’s time end the mess. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/51 "2014-10-01T22:15:40Z")
Further splitting of the forums and/or creation of a subforum isn’t going to happen – take it off your wish list. And, as an MPSIMS mod, I’m against moving them back there – as it is, all game threads go in the Game Room. If the forum denizens can’t agree on “this is a game but this isn’t” – or, worse, “this is a game worth playing but this isn’t” – the answer _isn’t_ making the distinction more confusing. I’m sorry this has proved to be so tumultuous and difficult for everyone. Believe it or not, the staff’s intentions all along has been to be responsive, _given that the creation of a new forum isn’t an option_. What happened was that Dex jumped the gun before we’d reached a consensus on the mod loop, so we’ve been acting reactively, and not proactively, ever since. In any case, though, moving some or all threads to MPSIMS (or Cafe Society) is not going to happen. The only issue is how, or whether, to label some, or all, threads in the Game Room – and it’s up to the users of that forum to decide those questions. **twickster** , MPSIMS and Cafe Society moderator ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/52 "2014-10-01T22:16:55Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > And, as an MPSIMS mod, I’m against moving them back there May I ask why? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/53 "2014-10-01T22:29:35Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > May I ask why? > [@twickster](#): > > And, as an MPSIMS mod, I’m against moving them back there – as it is, all game threads go in the Game Room. If the forum denizens can’t agree on “this is a game but this isn’t” – or, worse, “this is a game worth playing but this isn’t” – the answer _isn’t_ making the distinction more confusing. As stated. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/54 "2014-10-01T22:32:45Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > As stated. I don’t see a reason in that quoted bit. All I see is “they go in the Game Room.” That’s not a reason why they should go in the Game Room. Only a statement of fact that currently, that’s where they go. I’m asking why you personally, as an MPSIMS mod, don’t want them moved from the Game Room to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/55 "2014-10-01T22:37:24Z")
Because they don’t want the weeds to overgrow their forum either. No one wants these threads clogging up their forum. On some level they have to know it’s poisonous to the discussion of whatever forum they allow them in. So what forum has the least clout? The newest forum that most of the mods don’t really seem to like? Let’s let that forum get overrun. They’re relieved to have foisted it on us. “We’re looking for a solution, other than the totally obvious one that would benefit the boards, the thread game players, AND those who want to have a forum for the discussion of games, because that’s off the table” is not a satisfying answer, and doesn’t convince anyone that you have the board’s best interest at heart. If the problem really is “we’ve lost the ability to administrate our boards”, that seems like it should be the #1 priority here. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/56 "2014-10-01T22:44:10Z")
Well, speaking as someone who never ever opens the Game Room forum, but does read MPSIMS regularly, I would be personally opposed to moving them back there purely out of personal inconvenience. I like being able to ignore all of these threads I’m not interested in in one easy wad. On a slightly less purely selfish note, I think it would be awfully confusing for a new member to discover that we have a “Game Room” forum, but that threads for playing games go in the “stuff I must share” forum. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/57 "2014-10-01T22:48:10Z")
Well, that’s exactly it. No one, except the handful of players who post 500+ times each to those threads, is interested them. They’re toxic to discussion wherever they go. You’re saying “game room is a good fit because I don’t like the game room so let’s make that place a garbage dump” which is not a solution, it’s just dumping your garbage on your neighbor’s lawn. As far as why they’d be a better fit for MPSIMs - well, that forum more than any other matches the rapid-fire low content sort of posts that thread games bring. I’m not saying they’re equivalent - MPSIMS often has real discussions - but it’s more similar than any other forum for having flippant silly little post count parties. If there was no game room to dump them off there, they’d certainly go in there. And I suspect they would then be banned, because MPSIMS mods seem to have more clout, and they’ve banned exactly the same sort of posting parties that these threads are. “Fuck the game room” seems to be the attitude of everyone who doesn’t participate in the actual discussions in the game room, and that attitude is killing those discussions. That’s why it’s so frustrating that we have a solution that benefits everyone as far as creating a new forum. The game players have a place they can see all the games in one spot so they can participate, maybe even changing the rules on posting frequency and such for that one forum, AND the people who actually want to have discussions in the game room aren’t massively inconvenienced and seeing it die off. There’s no downside to that solution. But we’ve been told by the mods that that solution is simply off the table, over and over. So my proposal to move it to MPSIMS is an attempt at a compromise solution that’s less elegant than that solution but better than the status quo. MPSIMS is better equipped to handle threads like that because the natural rhythm of the discussion in that forum puts it more on par with thread games than game room discussions do. It would clearly be the natural place for game threads to go, if you couldn’t put them in their own forum. Literally the only reason they’re in the game room is because it has “game” in the title, and because some of the administration seems to have some leftover resentment over the creation of the game room which they opposed, so they’re happy to see it killed and buried. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/58 "2014-10-01T22:56:30Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > I don’t see a reason in that quoted bit. All I see is “they go in the Game Room.” That’s not a reason why they should go in the Game Room. Only a statement of fact that currently, that’s where they go. > > I’m asking why you personally, as an MPSIMS mod, don’t want them moved from the Game Room to MPSIMS. Because it’s not clear which are “real” or “good” games, which thus do (don’t?) belong in MPSIMS, and which aren’t. It’s too confusing for not only casual readers, but the mods. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/59 "2014-10-01T23:21:50Z")
One possibility: If the tagging practice catches on, it would probably be possible to write a browser script (Greasemonkey or whatever the other browsers use) which would automatically hide any thread that started with the string “[GAME]” (or case-insensitive variants of that). That way, the people who absolutely hate those threads would never need to see them again, and so be happy, while the people who don’t mind them could continue seeing them same as always, and also be happy. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060/60 "2014-10-01T23:37:18Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Because it’s not clear which are “real” or “good” games, which thus do (don’t?) belong in MPSIMS, and which aren’t. It’s too confusing for not only casual readers, but the mods. **twickster** , I think you’re misunderstanding. Nobody, as far as I can tell, thinks there’s a distinction to be made between “real” games and fake(?) games, or between “good” games and bad(?) games. All threadgames, whether good or bad, real or fake (whatever that would mean), would go in MPSIMS instead of Game Room, according to this proposal; the current position is that all threadgames, whether good or bad, real or fake, go in Game Room. The distinction isn’t based on judging the authenticity or goodness of a threadgame’s game. The distinction is based on whether it’s a game at all, versus being a discussion of a game. And that an extremely easy distinction to be made in virtually all cases. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-move-thread-games-back-to-mpsims-where-theyre-a-better-fit/700060.md?page=4)