It seems to me that the intermittent topics within some Thread Game OPs as well as the rai·son d’ê·tre of one entire OP have become a place where posters are asked and answered more or less truthfully (if the spirit of the players is in tune with the game) regarding the in-real-life facts and opinions behind the usernames.
I’m thinking (Feb 2018) of many intra-OPs (occasional group questions) in the last year or so [??] of Baker’s Dozen and, in particular, the brand new Have You Ever…?, which is only like that in premise, and is an even better example of what I suspect is something new as a way of interaction in the forum.
FTR, I participate as intra-thread participant often and I think it a very endearing and pleasant aspect of getting to know some of the people in SD who view it as a community of real people who don’t fight.
I’m not clear what you’re asking (and I’m probably not your target audience, anyway, since I haven’t been around the boards much in about eight years).
Are you asking if questions and answers in thread games are revealing more personal information than they used to? Are you concerned, intrigued, or delighted by this change?
I have learned a thing or 2 about folks playing the thread games. I like to pretend they are true. I want to believe. Take it as you will, I am kinda gullible, though.
I guess it depends on the reasons why any given poster is here. Some of these people are veterans of many years and, during those years, have met a number of other members IRL and have forged “real” relationships/friendships. So, for them, prudence may play as big a part in how they answer questions and opine in general as it would if they were in the work place.
Others, like myself, who have no IRL connections with any of the other posters, may actually find it easier to express what they really think and feel because we don’t have to interact with them at work or in family, so politics and prudence play no part as deterrents to an honest response.
As the old saying goes, “Sometimes, it’s easier to talk to a stranger than a friend.”