IC Forum Archive

nothingxs · Posts: 148

The "Guidelines" of Insert Credit's Forums
by Psiga

(We're only jerks on the outside. Once you get to know us, we're just kindly unnerving.)

I think that writing a legitimate list of rules might be against our grain. Still, I'll kind-of humor you. The big things I can say for new posters are:

Curb your fucking enthusiasm.
Don't post too much right away, or ask of us the things we don't want to be asked. If you don't know how much is too much, or what we don't want to be asked, then either lurk quietly, or leave.

We're easily perturbed, and rarely hesitate to notify the offending bitches.
Being a thick-skinned and forth-right lot, we'll quickly let people know when they're crossing a line. If those people make a conscious effort to not cross the line again, and we can tell that, then we'll back off.

Most of us are proficient communicators, you vapid plebeian.
Writing like you're in highschool, even if you are in highschool, will piss us off. Coming off like a pushy or idiotic person will generally result in the whole forum gunning against you in very short order. If your authorial voice portrays you as an earnest and agreeable person, we'll probably like you. It's okay to play devil's advocate too, but be smart about it, don't troll us, and chances are that you'll be okay.

We don't shit where we sleep.
Keep Not-Safe-For-Work images the hell out of here. Or at least warn us it's NSFW. Grr.

If we so much as think that you're the kind of person who might start a flame war, intentionally or otherwise, we will probably oppress you.
Probably. We have a really comfortable forum, here, and we want to keep it that way. Just short of closing off the registration of new members, we prefer this party to be the kind where everyone knows everyone, and is never crashed by annoying bastards.

We call them Moderhaters for a reason, damn it.
If your shit is edited or made to disappear, just know that most of the rest of us don't care either way. Have a nice day, though.

We harbor unhealthy love for Konami, Treasure, and SNK.
But if you think that we're all a bunch of snooty art-house drones who can't accept anything that isn't Metal Gear Solid, Ikaruga, and King of Fighters, just bear in mind that I've never played any of them, and get by entirely on my spiteful-yet-eloquent personality.

So. That's about it. If you're new, learn about us by lurking for a bit, then give us a chance to get to know you before you start tripping over yourself to "contribute" something.

Above all else: Stay the hell off my lawn.

-Psiga

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Rud13 adds:

If you joined the forum and start linking your own stuff, it will go to The Axe.
We know that insert credit is perceived as the home for "NGJ," but that doesn't mean that anyone can come here and act like a rockstar. People who are not on the staff page and do have an article on the site were well known members of the community before they got on the front page. If you come to post a link to your website, you are nothing more than a spam bot to us.

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Brandon appends:
You should note that there is a negative amount of tolerance for homophobia, and that the only racism we permit is from Tim.

Also, we look down upon using the forum to whore yourself, your goods or your website without good reason -- which is to be determined by those who have the power of determination.

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Lurking on the IC forums: A Guide
by ApM

1. Why lurk?
The Insert Credit forums are not like most other forums you may have found on the internet. They are made up of people who share a similar vision of what videogame criticism and discussion should be. As such, they foster a lot of intelligent discussion, and there are a lot of internal checks and balances to ensure that they continue on this course. These forums have something to teach you, and you should probably refrain from contributing until you have learned from them. If you just begin posting the first thing that enters your mind, you will either meet with heavy resistance or become a novelty to be played with.

2. What should I be looking for?
When you are lurking, try to get a feel for how people are describing what videogames do to them. We love videogames, and we are eternally trying to figure out why. This requires something more complex than posting a mere gut opinion. You need to figure out what formed that opinion. Despite what your mom says, not all opinions are equal. They need to be backed up with something substantial before we're going to take them seriously. The thread library is an excellent place to start, as it was intended to be a resource of the discussions that the IC forums have fostered that we're proud of.

3. When will I be ready to post?
When you start unconsciously using ellipses and one-sentence paragraphs in all of your writing.

But seriously. Post when you can really add to a discussion, not just be another shouting voice in a crowd. Post when you have something meaningful to say that fits with the tone of the boards. Otherwise, don't. The more you lurk, the more you'll learn, the more you'll think about videogames, and the more you'll have to say.

4. But all these other people just post inane in-jokes and get away with it!
Honestly, for whatever reason, "teh zany" seems to keep the creative flow going and add to the flavour of the boards. It keeps the good ideas that get thrown around here from being totally dry and unpalatable, and generally it's related to the topic at hand and helps you relate to it.

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Addendum: Avatar and Signature Sizes

So as to not make the forums overly difficult to read (or slow to load, for those on modem connections), signature and avatar images should be kept within reasonable dimensions, and blatantly annoying animated images should be avoided. Please try to keep your avatar's width under 170-200 pixels and the height under 225 pixels or so. Signatures should not be taller than the equivalent of 110 pixels or so, nor more than around 500 pixels wide. If your avatar or signature is larger than these guidelines, expect to see it ~~moderhated~~ resized and rehosted.

Addendum: Lolicon and/or Graphic Violence

While we've rarely had to ban anyone, two of the more recent bans have been due to the posting of hentai images of underaged girls. This is not a good place to revel in one's little-girl fetish. Nor do we have a great tolerance for gut-wrenching things such as dead babies and knife wounds. There are plenty of places on the internet which tolerate or even celebrate those kinds of perversion, but this ain't one of them.

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All these before-unwritten rules are discussed... well, nowhere at the moment, really. If someone wants to make a thread about that because they feel there is more that they think is worth noting, then by all means go ahead and discuss it. Who am I to stop you?

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insert credit
JESUS FUCK PEOPLE IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE ANALYZED THIS DEEPLY!! WHAT IS THIS A PHILOSOPHY CLASS!?!? ;_;