53 replies to this topic

[Koh]

A question I'm sure many of us long timers have been asked, but it can be posed to the general public.

 

So in my particular case...

 

"The People" doesn't logically cut it anymore in today's age, since if that was the only thing tying you to a place, you could easily just get the contact info of the members you're staying for, to stay in touch with them through other mediums like Skype, and then leave the place that doesn't have any further interest.  So if we take that reason away...it's a question I cannot logically answer for myself.

 

I pretty much haven't touched ZC in years, and have no incentive to considering I can make my own game engines and such, so it's definitely not anything ZC related keeping me here.

 

Could it be nostalgia then?  Perhaps...10+ years is a long time to be on any one site.  You get to see its evolution over time, and many old faces leave and replaced with new faces, as well as many policy changes over time.  This is one of the first sites I've joined, so that could be part of it.  I guess it's about the forum equivalent of Pokemon.  You know it's not going anywhere and stagnating, and yet, you stay because you grew up with it.  Why?  You want to pull out all the logical reasons, but you just...can't seem to find them.

 

Maybe the discussions?  But no, that's not it either, since the community got continually softer over the years, if the discussions aren't just everyone parroting each other, it flows like "About this thing here, what do you think?  Yeah I agree, me too.  Oh me too.  I think it looks terrible, and here's my reasoning.  Everyone else is triggered.  Locked!"  

 

So would that be the final Jeopardy answer then?  I'm here, because I don't know why?  I'll have Confusion for $500!

Edited by Koh, 22 May 2016 - 09:33 AM.

[Matthew]

Because I like Zelda Classic, lol... I'm pretty sure that's why a majority of people are here.

 

Also, referring to the post below, why should people have to logically defend their reason for wanting to be a member of the site? Maybe it's just their habit, maybe they like to check out the latest quests... either way, someone doesn't have to come up with a "logical" defense as for why they stay on this site.

"The People" doesn't logically cut it anymore in today's age, since if that was the only thing tying you to a place, you could easily just get the contact info of the members you're staying for, to stay in touch with them through other mediums like Skype, and then leave the place that doesn't have any further interest.  So if we take that reason away...it's a question I cannot logically answer for myself.

 

Edited by FlameCursed, 22 May 2016 - 09:43 AM.

[Jenny]

For posts like these.

[Shane]

Because it's PureZC™.

 

(Mainly due to my status as a contest host nowadays.)

[Joelmacool]

I stick around because something new happens every day here. You have no idea whats going to pop up... so it's fun to see what new ideas people are coming up with!
Also... Zelda Classic is fun to use.

Edited by Joelmacool, 22 May 2016 - 09:41 AM.

[Koh]

Because I like Zelda Classic, lol... I'm pretty sure that's why a majority of people are here.

 

Also, referring to the post below, why should people have to logically defend their reason for wanting to be a member of the site? Maybe it's just their habit, maybe they like to check out the latest quests... either way, someone doesn't have to come up with a "logical" defense as for why they stay on this site.

Well, all of those are logical reasons though, lol.  ZC/Habitual Routine...that's all sound reasoning why someone would stay.  Habitual Routine might be able to explain some of my sticking around...If you came here just about daily continuously for over 10 years, and I guess you would have a habit wouldn't you?  Maybe throw some popcorn in there to go along with reading.

Edited by Koh, 22 May 2016 - 09:49 AM.

[Matthew]

I was saying that one shouldn't have to come up with an argument to validate why they come here.

 

But honestly, with the increasing frequency of posts like these, I am starting to wonder why I come here so often.

Edited by FlameCursed, 22 May 2016 - 09:50 AM.

[Koh]

Yeah, they got me wondering too, which is why I made it.  Why DOES an aspiring indie game dev stick around here?

 

While I may not have used ZC itself in years, I do sometimes peruse the project forums to see what people are up to with their own creativity, but, honestly, for me, it's about the equivalent of finding a good artist on dA who does nothing but fanart; you want to like their endeavors and their style, but...the nagging in the back of your head is reminding you that it won't really go anywhere, since it's all based around copyrighted content.  I know it's just for funsies for most people, and that's fair.  But once you grow out of that phase and start aspiring to make it your career to make games, you look back on something like this and see a lot of creativity and talent being held hostage so to speak.  dA artists who only do fanwork, for example,often have really amazing quality artwork and technique.  But it won't go anywhere, because they're limiting theirself to JUST Sonic fan art or whatever, and it's a shame, since they could really take that sort of talent to the next level with their own original works, but won't.

[Nathaniel]

My answer is in the form of a question...

 

Why not?

 

I don't have any good reasons not to stick around.  I find myself sometimes here more and sometimes here less, but never not at all.  While there certainly exists stuff in this community that I don't necessarily approve of, it is outweighed by all the good stuff that has built up over the years.  It's a hard place to depart.  I couldn't even find myself ever making a leaving topic that isn't a joke, and I have seen some people make more than one of those, although not recently.

 

PureZC was the first message board I ever took any real interest in, and to this day, it remains the only one I spend any regular time at.

[Matthew]

I think it's important to understand that not everyone here wants to be an indie dev. For example, I do this as a hobby. Zquest is just something fun I like to mess around in in order to express my creativity. I don't want to be an actual game developer though, who makes things for money. I want to be a dentist, as a matter of fact. Just because I like using Zquest doesn't mean I should outgrow it and move on to actual games development. I'm sure this applies to others on the site too. That's why I stick around. I don't view PureZC or Zquest as a stepping stone, and rather, just as a fun hobby.

Edited by FlameCursed, 22 May 2016 - 10:13 AM.

[Koh]

That's fair, I've already made a note of that.  I'm just speaking from the perspective of someone who has taken the next leap...all the creativity and potential here just sort of being bottled up and put in cold storage, lol.  It's disheartening to say the least, when you're aware that such talent can easily be appreciated on a larger scale.  Because of that, for the ZC side of things here, I've become a sort of crying appreciator if that makes sense.  I appreciate all the creativity and work that goes into designing worlds and setting up puzzles and stuff.  But the fact that it's bottled up in a fan game that won't get much traction makes me cry on the inside.  The same sentiment extends to dA artists who only do fan art too.  They have the potential to really bring out some awesome original creations, with their unique and polished artstyle, but instead it's just being used to draw Sonic and his friends for the 100th time.  Cue the single teardrop with a smile seen in movies.

Edited by Koh, 22 May 2016 - 10:23 AM.

[Cukeman]

Well, in terms of ZC's gameplay and engine there are limits, but there's no end to the variety of stories you can tell, or the selection of music, or the look of the visuals. If you write, you're limiting yourself to just text and words, no motion, audio, or visual elements, but there's still no limit to what you can write about. An orchestra may be limited to X number of instruments, but there's no limit to compositions. You may be limited to X number of pixels, but you can still use them in an endless variety of ways. Making fangames and fan art doesn't prevent anyone from taking it to the next level, the only thing that does that is the (active or passive) choice not to take it to the next level.

 

I'm here because I like Zelda, I like the idea of making my own quest (I just had no idea how many years it takes to learn ZC), and using ZC is a semi-productive way to relax and make something when I'm stressed out. Sometimes I enjoy conversations here, but most of the time it's pretty slow and quiet.

Edited by Cukeman, 22 May 2016 - 10:33 AM.

[Tree]

Because I'm still a huge Zelda nerd, so I like to see anything relating to Zelda, even if it's fan made stuff. Also, things that I've missed are usually posted here. That's how I usually stay in the loop.

 

It's also just hard to say goodbye to your old stomping grounds.

Edited by Tree, 22 May 2016 - 10:55 AM.

[Mani Kanina]

I don't know, HELP, I CAN'T FIND THE EXIT!

[Koh]

I don't know, HELP, I CAN'T FIND THE EXIT!

Consult Nintendo Power~