MTG Cardsmith Community Forums
The Boggey Effect - A New Crisis
6 months ago, in July, I had some of the most fun I've ever had. That was when I first found this site. Yet, now days, the fun seems to have been left by a lot.
I named this effect the Boggey effect... Just cause I published it first.
All information here is speculated here. I may be wrong.
The Boggey Effect
The Boggey Effect is in many ways like an economic crisis. A lack of one thing leads to a shortage of everything.
The start of the effect, was a loss of contests. And by contests, I shall be referring to the good contests, ones that were punctuated and ones that actually get judged. Back in July, the list went through 5 - 6 whole pages. Now days, barely over 1 page. Because of that, with even fewer contests that interest us, we have less contests to join. And that creates part 2.
The next part, is like this - Due to a lack of contests, any time a simple contest pops up, old members like me (but not me) spam the thread with old entries. As this clearly shows an overpowerness over newer members, the likelihood for them to come back has decreased, also contributing to a lack of newer contests. Which can lead to part 3.
And then, with the remaining newer members, because of a lower interest level, they spend less time on comments, on discussion making. For those contests they do make, because of a lack of proper contest writing, since they do not believe it is necessary as we don't treat them well enough, we don't join them, therefore letting them leave. In fact, I haven't seen a new member use HTML in discussions until I met @modnation675.
And due to a even lower level of contests, players tend to all squeeze into one contest, therefore causing a greater dispute, and more hostility through competition. Though it seems okay right now, it might get worse.
Solution
Old People: Create more unique contests. Be nicer to newer people. Don't post old cards in easy contests.
Newer People: Create better written contests. Post more cards in contests. Join more contests. Come back every once in a while. Listen to advice.
I named this effect the Boggey effect... Just cause I published it first.
All information here is speculated here. I may be wrong.
The Boggey Effect
The Boggey Effect is in many ways like an economic crisis. A lack of one thing leads to a shortage of everything.
The start of the effect, was a loss of contests. And by contests, I shall be referring to the good contests, ones that were punctuated and ones that actually get judged. Back in July, the list went through 5 - 6 whole pages. Now days, barely over 1 page. Because of that, with even fewer contests that interest us, we have less contests to join. And that creates part 2.
The next part, is like this - Due to a lack of contests, any time a simple contest pops up, old members like me (but not me) spam the thread with old entries. As this clearly shows an overpowerness over newer members, the likelihood for them to come back has decreased, also contributing to a lack of newer contests. Which can lead to part 3.
And then, with the remaining newer members, because of a lower interest level, they spend less time on comments, on discussion making. For those contests they do make, because of a lack of proper contest writing, since they do not believe it is necessary as we don't treat them well enough, we don't join them, therefore letting them leave. In fact, I haven't seen a new member use HTML in discussions until I met @modnation675.
And due to a even lower level of contests, players tend to all squeeze into one contest, therefore causing a greater dispute, and more hostility through competition. Though it seems okay right now, it might get worse.
Solution
Old People: Create more unique contests. Be nicer to newer people. Don't post old cards in easy contests.
Newer People: Create better written contests. Post more cards in contests. Join more contests. Come back every once in a while. Listen to advice.
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Since you compared this to economics, I'm going to be Professor KJMartin, senior boggeyomonist.
I actually disagree with most of this. I don't think the issue is how many contest there are - it's how many good contests there are. By this I mean innovative ideas with good grammar and detailed explanations. Saying you want 6+ pages of contests is ridiculous - not only are many of them going to be rubbish, either with bad grammar or unoriginal ideas, especially since you won't be able to enter them all.
Looking at open contests, I see at least 14 cool ones. That's enough for me.
I also disagree when you said: "Due to a lack of contests, any time a simple contest pops up, old members like me (but not me) spam the thread with old entries."
At the very most, old members post about three old cards in the thread. I don't call that spamming and, if the contest host doesn't want old entries, he can just say.
Overall: While I do agree that members should make more contests, I think you're making a bit of a big deal over nothing.
New people come, old people go. Some stick around, some return and some don't come back at all.
The age of our members is typically 7th graders and up, with not as many over the age of 18. Life is a whirlwind of activity and change for people in this age group, and they can't always dictate to their parents how much time will be spent on MTGCS.
For the older folks, life gets in the way. Work has certain demands, kids and significant others have needs beyond the interwebs, and none of those things can be ignored.
In essence, people can't put aside their daily lives to entertain us just because we want them too.
XD
@TrippleBoggey3
People aren't squeezed in any contest. They make cards for contests that they want to enter. If one contest becomes big, it doesn't mean other contests are bad.
Also you say as thought simple contests are annoying, but they are very important imo.
-When I am busy, I like simple, small and short contests rather than super big set/project help contest, or long-running team contest.
-Simple contest is easier to enter for new people. Big ones like Pro-Team Contest, Dragon's Maze might be kinda scary..
I totally agree with your solution. But you sounds too serious!
MtGCS is all about fun!
XD
If you want to bump your thread up, do it!
Community activity tends to surge when major contests are going on, the ones with prizes above favorites/follows etc. That is largely the point of them. People who stay around afterward are the people that want to make and share their ideas for new and interesting MTG cards. That is why the site exists.
Normal contests and challenges are made for fun and made to inspire. There will always be a fluctuating number of them and they will always vary in quality but that doesn't mean that simply seeing a contest in the list can't give you a great idea for a card. That is mostly what I do, since I rarely participate in contests.
Currently, I've been taking a leave due to family and personal concerns. As such I have an excess of time. This has been my way of coping with the lack of course material as I'm an avid academic. Personally this has also been a great way to get into social media without having the nuisances of Facebook and similar sites. As such I thank everyone for making social media fun for this old dog, as I need to learn new tricks.
In short this site has been one of the best things recently as it is providing a limitless amount of engagement and community feedback for personal hobbies!
More than 1 to me is spamming. At least that's how many posts it takes for me to get banned on other forums
@Corwinnn
Good, that's what I hoped
@Tomigon
Yeah I kinda made too big of a deal with it. I still consider it a problem, but not a crisis.
@strongbelieves
Actually, I disagree. You say we need the people that will stay, because only they will make good cards, but many people will still make cards, just probably using MTG Set Editor.
@modnation675
I'm with you on this.
This discussion is now closed.