Let's Play Sub-Forum? (for future searches: lets play subforum)

[Johnny Blade]

Well, this has been suggested before (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121592&highlight=subforum) - three months ago, that is, when the wave of Let's Plays could still be called a fad.
Now it seems to me that it won't stop any time soon, as the number of Let's Plays on the first page has not exactly decreased since then.
Seeing how doing a Let's Play takes considerable time and effort, I think it would be a good idea to give them their own Sub-Forum.

Especially since many of their threads, while getting quite a lot of views, generate only few replies and struggle to keep up with some of the other threads in the Gaming (Other) Forum, which spawns a lot of threads anyway.

So, a Let's Play subforum could help some Let's Plays that don't get a lot of replies, draw more readers in by giving them a definite place to look in the first place, and also prevent that threads in the Gaming Forum fall to page 2 as quickly as they do now.

I could also imagine that some people are, at the moment, reluctant to start a Let's Play because having to post it in the fast moving Gaming Forum means a higher chance of failure, but that may as well be wrong.

[Bayar]

The response would probably be that it is fine as it is, subforums increase bandwidth considerably or that it is low priority.

[Whoracle]

The response would probably be that it is fine as it is, subforums increase bandwidth considerably or that it is low priority.

(Emphasis mine)
No, they don't. Actually, depending on the table structure of this boards SQL backend, they might even decrease it, but that depends on the people who built the DB.

[Nerd-o-rama]

They would take up more drive space on the server, though.

Speaking as a man who welll...used to have a Let's Play, I don't think it's really necessary. It'd be like having a subforum for Vs. threads - just because there's a lot of them at any given time doesn't mean making a whole subforum for them is justified.

[Haruki-kun]

They would take up more drive space on the server, though.

Speaking as a man who welll...used to have a Let's Play, I don't think it's really necessary. It'd be like having a subforum for Vs. threads - just because there's a lot of them at any given time doesn't mean making a whole subforum for them is justified.

This. the only reason why a subforum would be necessary is when the ________ threads are really cluttering the other forum and making any real discussion impossible. I don't think that's the case here.

EDIT: In fact, you could just make a thread and tell people "All LPs here."

[Zherog]

They would take up more drive space on the server, though.

This isn't true, either. Well, OK. It would add one row to the database, in order to define the subforum. How much space? I dunno - 1000 bytes, maybe?

For an analogy, go look at how much free space you have on your hard drive. Then create a folder and check again. Then move an existing file into that folder. Your see a very slight decrease in space between steps A and B, and no change between steps B and C. It would be the same with adding a subforum to the db structure.

[Dallas-Dakota]

Oh Zherog, you big pint of dark brew, I haven't seen you for too long. Where have you been?
*lurks a lot around these parts*

[Johnny Blade]

Speaking as a man who welll...used to have a Let's Play, I don't think it's really necessary. It'd be like having a subforum for Vs. threads - just because there's a lot of them at any given time doesn't mean making a whole subforum for them is justified.
I don't visit the Media Discussions Forum at all, so I don't know anything besides what one quick look tells me.
However, it seems to move significantly slower than the Gaming (Other) Forum. There are also only very few Vs. threads, although that may be different at other times.

Also, Let's Plays aren't much like Vs. threads. If a Vs. thread is a success, there will obviously be replies. This is not true for a Let's Play.



No comment on the strain this would put on the servers since I don't know anything about that. However, I don't see how it could be a big deal.

[Mordokai]

I wouldn't mind seeing one, to be honest. Even paying attention to ones that are already under way seems hard at times, since the other topics in Gaming move much faster. I mean, I've tried doing this, it's not easy to take 30 or so screenshots, have them uploaded and come up with witty comentary for all of them. That has been a big reason why I didn't start one myself, the main one being, me being a lazy bastard, buuuut... yeah, I wouldn't mind seeing another forum for that kind of topics. Who knows, perhaps then I'd have a little more incentive to finish that project of mine.

[Mr. Mud]

This is likely to get a "No", I think, just because if the Let's Play's get a sub forum, other groups are going to beginning ask for them.

[Selrahc]

I don't visit the Media Discussions Forum at all, so I don't know anything besides what one quick look tells me.
However, it seems to move significantly slower than the Gaming (Other) Forum. There are also only very few Vs. threads, although that may be different at other times.

Also, Let's Plays aren't much like Vs. threads. If a Vs. thread is a success, there will obviously be replies. This is not true for a Let's Play.

Vs. threads used to be very very active, with new ones being posted a lot and the Media Discussion forum being dominated by them. There was a crackdown and it is still hard to get any new thread up without a swift lock. I think the plans that were discussed to give them a proper home never developed but I may be wrong. It was a pretty different situation.

Lets Plays have not reached anything like that magnitude so they definitely won't get their own subforum. What might happen is that the Unofficial Let's Play Index gets stickied.

[The Dark Fiddler]

EDIT: In fact, you could just make a thread and tell people "All LPs here."

Why hello, I seem to have ninja'd you by several months. :smalltongue:

Granted, my index doesn't have "all" LP's, since I only put those in that are submitted by the author, I'm too lazy to go digging for old ones, and if I did I'd likely miss a lot.

Anyway... even as the champion of LP's and a legitimate entertainment source and art form* on par with web comics, I'd have to say I don't agree with a sub-forum in the Gaming (Other) section just for them. There really aren't enough to justify one, in my opinion. The index getting stickied would do just as good, I think. Not to toot my own horn or anything, though.

Although, I could also see it being a bit like the fan-comic sub-section. I'm sure at some point, fancomics were about as popular as Let's Plays are now, and they eventually got their own sub-forum. So maybe it's something we can look at for the future. Maybe. Especially big maybe since it all depends on what the mods think.

*Maybe we should have a sub-forum in the Arts and Crafts forum instead. :smalltongue:

Also, am I the only one getting deja-vu from this thread? Aside from the thread linked in the OP. I'm talking like an actual, drawn out discussion on the subject. Hmmm.... I get too much deja-vu. :smalltongue:

[Dallas-Dakota]

art form* on par with web comics,
I'm not trying to say one is worse or better then a nother, but no.


Although, I could also see it being a bit like the fan-comic sub-section. I'm sure at some point, fancomics were about as popular as Let's Plays are now, and they eventually got their own sub-forum.
Heck, fancomics dominated the first page for 1 or more months, I think. With only threads such as the non-oots fanservice being able to stay on page 1 because of active artists drawing sexy girls.(And come on, do I need to say the obvious? Yes, this is the internet, it will always draw attention)

I see only say around 8 Let play's on the first page. The majority of them not in the 10-last-posted threads.


So maybe it's something we can look at for the future. Maybe. Especially big maybe since it all depends on what the mods think.
Yup, it's up to the mods.


*Maybe we should have a sub-forum in the Arts and Crafts forum instead. :smalltongue:
I'm really happy you put that smalltongue there, I wouldn't have seen the sarcasm otherwise. Though by the content of your post.....I really hope that was sarcasm.



Also, am I the only one getting deja-vu from this thread? Aside from the thread linked in the OP. I'm talking like an actual, drawn out discussion on the subject. Hmmm.... I get too much deja-vu. :smalltongue:
Maybe back with the Vs. threads(which were also much bigger then they are now)

I hope I didn't say anything to offend you or anybody, if I did, I am sorry.

[The Dark Fiddler]

I'm really happy you put that smalltongue there, I wouldn't have seen the sarcasm otherwise. Though by the content of your post.....I really hope that was sarcasm.

Yes, it was sarcasm. As was the part about being equal to comics. For the most part, at least, since you'll be able to find excellent Let's Plays better than the majority of webcomics, and a few especially good ones on par with some of the better comics.

They're a bit rarer than good comics though. (Partially because Let's Plays aren't as popular. Yet.)

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Heck, fancomics dominated the first page for 1 or more months, I think. With only threads such as the non-oots fanservice being able to stay on page 1 because of active artists drawing sexy girls.(And come on, do I need to say the obvious? Yes, this is the internet, it will always draw attention)

I see only say around 8 Let play's on the first page. The majority of them not in the 10-last-posted threads.That's the problem the OP was talking about. Lots of Let's Plays, but since they're a thread type that doesn't encourage responses, they vanish quickly, and then they die.

[Raroy]

I created a general let's play thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126438) that failed. I say, let's wait a year. And if people can finally realize how hard making a let's play is then the only people making them are the ones who made them before. Most of the Lp threads stop updating or never even begin. It's sad really.

[Bayar]

Although, I could also see it being a bit like the fan-comic sub-section. I'm sure at some point, fancomics were about as popular as Let's Plays are now, and they eventually got their own sub-forum. So maybe it's something we can look at for the future. Maybe. Especially big maybe since it all depends on what the mods think.

Do note that fancomics started cropping out in late 2007, and the Fan Comic sub-section got created around April 2009. Between that time, there were so many fancomic threads in Arts & Crafts that it was hard to find anything NOT a comic.

If the Gaming (Other) forum gets flooded by Lets Play threads making the process of finding anything other than Lets Play threads difficult (and tending to impossible) for about 16 months, then the mods might consider making a Lets play Subforum.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Do note that fancomics started cropping out in late 2007, and the Fan Comic sub-section got created around April 2009. Between that time, there were so many fancomic threads in Arts & Crafts that it was hard to find anything NOT a comic.

If the Gaming (Other) forum gets flooded by Lets Play threads making the process of finding anything other than Lets Play threads difficult (and tending to impossible) for about 16 months, then the mods might consider making a Lets play Subforum.

Ok, thanks for that. I wasn't here when that happened, so I wasn't exactly sure about why it happened.

I doubt Let's Plays will get that popular though.

[Roland St. Jude]

Sheriff of Moddingham: We're unlikely to create any new subforums at this time. First, as noted, we'd want to make sure it was justified over the long term. Second, as I understand it, additional subforums do cause additional resource strain (my recollection is that it is related to the backups).