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Decline Where did all the gatekeepers go?

S.torch

Arbiter
Joined
Jan 4, 2019
Messages
938
There has been a lot of talking about "gatekeeping" lately. Specially in things like videogames and RPGs.

Which got me thinking, so much talking about gatekeeping, but, where are all the gatekeepers? Or better said, where did all the gatekeepers go?

We have observed how countless things we knew, both communities and works, have descended to a point of being unrecognizable. In the context of RPGs I think there are plenty of examples so I won't give any specific ones.

But how did this happen? Gatekeepers are supposed to be there precisely to avoid this kind of thing. To keep new people on the right path, while preventing the community from losing what makes it itself.

I'm kind of young (at least compared to the rest of the average age on the forum). So maybe some of you know something that I don't.
 

Norfleet

Moderator
Joined
Jun 3, 2005
Messages
12,250
I'm still kinda fuzzy what exactly this "gatekeeping" actually is. Is this where somebody goes "HALT! WHO GOES THERE?" or something, like some kind of greeter? More importantly, why is it supposed to be bad? Aren't people supposed to keep gates?
 
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
4,189
RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In
There were never any gatekeepers. You can't effectively gatekeep people out of engaging in a hobby, especially one supported by a company that wants to make profit, which means selling more product. They are a boogieman created to invalidate all criticism of long time fans when the product is changed. You don't want the sequel to your favorite game to by extremely dumbed down? You're a gatekeeper who don't want to let younger people engage in your hobby.
 

Ghulgothas

Arcane
Joined
Feb 22, 2020
Messages
1,598
Location
So Below
They got old, bitter, and moved on to greener pastures where they could kvetch and play with all their grognard friends. Like the one this thread is in.

Now everything is for everyone, and most public hobbies have been gentrified and filled with wierdos who treat them like accessories or collectibles to display in their twitter bios.
 

Roguey

Codex Staff
Staff Member
Sawyerite
Joined
May 29, 2010
Messages
35,656
No one can gatekeep someone from playing a single player computer role playing game. What can happen is that companies can target ~broader~ markets and those groups will discuss these games in their own spaces.
 

Zed Duke of Banville

Dungeon Master
Patron
Joined
Oct 3, 2015
Messages
11,760
1573225202-20191108.png


https://www.smbc-comics.com/comics/1573225202-20191108.png
 

KeighnMcDeath

RPG Codex Boomer
Joined
Nov 23, 2016
Messages
12,873
They're keeping the fucking homeless out of my yard.


I feed him cookies.... fucking monster!
 

Tyranicon

A Memory of Eternity
Developer
Joined
Oct 7, 2019
Messages
5,874
They gave up once there was nothing worth gatekeeping anymore.

Everything is so shit these days, there's little point in stopping people from wallowing in more shit. I'll spend my time doing something else, people can waste their life on underwater basket weaving or whatever.
 

Sacibengala

Prophet
Joined
Aug 16, 2014
Messages
1,098
Some people need an invisible madeup enemy to blame for everything wrong in the world because if they don't have it, they need to look back to their sad, pathetic and dumb life once again.
 

PorkaMorka

Arcane
Joined
Feb 19, 2008
Messages
5,090
Gatekeeping should have happened but it didn't.

My impression is that the people who seemed like they might have had the potential to be gatekeepers were really just live and let live liberal hippies who might have been slightly unenthusiastic about certain forms of degeneracy, but weren't really willing to wholeheartedly oppose it.

It's like in Crusader Kings when a dynasty reaches a high enough level of decadence and a tribe comes out of the desert to replace them.

The people who are currently in charge are much more ruthless and they will likely be quite successful in gatekeeping, if only because they will make games so ugly and evil their opponents won't want to play them.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2010
Messages
3,524
There has been a lot of talking about "gatekeeping" lately. Specially in things like videogames and RPGs.

Which got me thinking, so much talking about gatekeeping, but, where are all the gatekeepers? Or better said, where did all the gatekeepers go?

We have observed how countless things we knew, both communities and works, have descended to a point of being unrecognizable. In the context of RPGs I think there are plenty of examples so I won't give any specific ones.

But how did this happen? Gatekeepers are supposed to be there precisely to avoid this kind of thing. To keep new people on the right path, while preventing the community from losing what makes it itself.

I'm kind of young (at least compared to the rest of the average age on the forum). So maybe some of you know something that I don't.

I'm still here.

As for the lack of RPG gatekeeping, well, people get very emotional about the things they enjoy. When you tell someone the thing they like doesn't register in the vision of man they will rather reject your ideals than question the merits of their own.
 

jebsmoker

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 17, 2019
Messages
2,578
Insert Title Here Strap Yourselves In I helped put crap in Monomyth
literally nothing is stopping someone from buying (or pirating) a copy of some 90s/80s crpg and getting super autistic into it lol
 

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