[i]As we’ve said many times before, we do appreciate feedback and constructive discussions, and we try our best to cultivate an environment where players feel comfortable discussing all things Diablo III. We realize the forums aren’t always going to be overflowing with rainbow unicorns and fluffy teddy bears, but that’s to be expected, and we truly do appreciate the continued passion of the Diablo III community.[/i]
This I have to say is just so poor on so many levels. Years ago I used to be a moderator on the IGN message Boards and Blizzard's forums compared to the IGN's forums in terms of moderation and how it was run is absolutely horrendous. They are not cultivating any good environment for people to feel comfortable about discussing things about Diablo III. Forum trolls be they supporters or haters of the game run wild, the moderation team keeps themselves hidden behind an iron wall of secrecy, and community managers do a terrible job at their job. I know their jobs aren't easy, especially since I've been there as a moderator, but often times they come off as 'Blizzard Drones' to the community, though whether that is truly all their fault or the rules they have to abide by...it's still flaws all the way down. As a previous moderator that used to mod the Pokemon General Community Board, which was one of the higher traffic boards, I talked in topics with posters there, helped them with advice, etc, etc...I WAS PART OF THE COMMUNITY and in return I gained a lot of respect from the community. That and I wasn't a complete 'rule with an iron fist mod', but I kept people in line and because of that and other mods on the board, the board was very well behaved and the members ENJOYED our moderating presence because we were 'part of the crew'...just crew members with banhammers. With that said...
There is a severe lack of transparency between Blizzard and its fanbase, and when compared to other places like the Path of Exile forums where the designers are posting in threads, answering questions, and even taking time out of their schedules to answer questions on streams. Heck, Chris Williams and others were talking LIVE with Kripparian while he streamed and answered questions for around 2 hours or so from the livestream chat and from Kripp directly and they even talked about some of the up and coming changes for open beta and Act III. Grinding Gear Games may be an indie company with far less a budget than Blizzard, but they're doing it right...they ARE being transparent, they are COMMUNICATING with their player base as much as their time schedule sallow them, and they are forming good bridges between them and their fans. THIS is something that Blizzard has failed quite hard on, and over the years it's repeatedly returned to bit them in the butt over and over again and part of the reason why the Diablo III community forums are seen as such a wretched hive of scum and villainy, if you'll pardon the movie quote reference.
There is also a lot of frustration from the community due to the above mentioned things as well as so much good constructive criticism seemingly falling on deaf ears and outright ignored. Again, it begs the question that if smaller indie companies like GGG can have their all-important lead devs coming onto the boards and talking and answering questions, then why can't Blizzard devs do that? I mean, they certainly have plenty of time to tweet and facebook post "**** that loser!" with the amount of free time they seem to show that they have through their actions. I can sorta understand them NOT wanting to given how hostile the community is, but they are partially to blame here...the whole Blizzard team is as for what is stated above. So when the community feels ignored, when suggestions made by people who ARE frustrated with the state of Diablo III and WANT to see it become a better game that lives up to its predecessors' legacy, and when Blizzard just doesn't seem to care or acknowledge its player base that IS trying to help...what happens to that community?
It becomes hostile, full of vitriol, and in this case is a very good reflection of how poorly this game has been handled. Perhaps old but the saying "You reap what you sow" fits well here. Blizzard made a poor product, made poor decisions, is now being rather arrogant as a company, isn't listening as well as it should to its player base that IS trying to help, etc, etc...they are certainly reaping every bit of what they sowed.
Edited by Tanakeah, 03 January 2013 - 08:01 PM.
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