karavek wrote on May 21
st, 2017 at 10:03am:
To me there is little that offers better proof that the game is spiraling downward.
It has been commonly discussed that maybe 10% of the population posts on the forums. So, what? half of that number no longer posts? Some of which may still be playing, just not posting? "Proof" is a bit of a strong term considering all you have to go on is your own perception of the situation.
I'm pretty sure you can take your own anecdotal view of forum activity and spin it to support whatever opinion you already have. It's call confirmation bias.
A fanboi might say "All the trolls have been driven away by SSG's fair enforcement of the rules, yay! Great job!"
A doomboi might say "The game is spiraling downhill and SSG's draconian, heavy handed policies have driven away all the dedicated, knowledgeable players with enough balls to stand up to them."
You see what you want to see.
I think, more likely, the forums have ebbs and flows. Depending on the release cycle, the time of year, and other mitigating factors. It is well known to be exam time at most colleges from late april to late may. High schools a little later. mid may to early june. At least in this part of the U.S., for example. The NBA and NHL are in their playoffs. Baseball has started up. Some sports fans might be partaking of that. The weather in the U.S. has been extra warm in May, for the most part. People might be tending to their yards, enjoying the spring weather, etc.
I don't know how much the activity of the forums have changed or if there are just fewer interesting threads. If the activity is lowered, I don't know by how much or whether the players who are not posting are not playing the game either. Thus, I don't know if the lowered of activity on the forums is good or bad for the game.