Frankly? I called all of this back in October before the game came out:
Personally - it's not like this is anything new. Pretty much any videogame that comes out, it's forum tends to go through several distinct stages.
Early on, there's a lot of speculation. The "What do you want" and "Wouldn't this be cool" threads tend to be dominate. Until new information comes out, that can only last so long before it starts to stagnate. (There's only so many new members coming into the conversation at this point, join rate is slower, and eventually everyone's already said the same things over and over.)
Between these stages, there also tends to be a lot of "how long until we see something new?" threads.
As new information does get released - of any sort - it's standard for the forum to break it down into bite-sized chunks and then pore over every minute detail with a fine-toothed comb. The more info-starved the forum is, the farther this can go (for example, I've seen threads based solely around a developer's specific wording about a feature, and even their very intonation. There's a lot of debate to be had from something as small as a five-word Tweet, I've learned.)
Part in parcel with this, this is where polarization begins to occur. For every member who thinks that one specific feature is going to make this game the most important advancement in the history of the human race and put the game beyond reproach, there's going to be another who feels that this is a sign of the downward spiral of the industry overall, a personal affront, and just generally the most awful thing ever. Those two members will have the capacity to carry the inevitable clash until long after the game actually comes out.
Closer to release, this pattern intensifies, and media hype kicks in and more new information gets released on a more rapid basis.
Where we are now, there's going to be a lot less speculation, and a lot more opinion. New members are coming in more rapidly, and there's always a kind of tension there. Members who have been following the game on the forum since it's announcement are tired of the threads that keep coming up (which, by the way, is natural and also perfectly okay,) and we see a lot of "ugh, this has been answered already," and "use the search feature" silliness.
Along with this - most things have already been discussed by this point. New info tends to cover and crystallize information already known. The forum is running out of topics to talk about, tensions are running high, and we start to see a lot of "Well, I want to start a thread but can't think of anything to talk about so I'll spam something," and "I'm so tired of seeing all these spam threads so I'll make a spam thread just to show everyone how silly it is," as well as my personal favorite - "I'm going to make an ironic spam thread just to make my point - again - about how 'stupid' I find those people who want this thing that I don't want in the game."
Then, the game comes out. Actually, a lot of activity dies down at this point. This is also where the issues sub-forums start to flood over. If every game forum I've ever followed, going back over a decade, is any indication - this will be the "worst and buggiest game ever made, why did they rush this piece of crap out, how come I have to pay for what is essentially a beta test, I'll never buy a game from this company again, I want a refund direct from you," and so on. (Worth noting that a lot of problems will actually be valid, and that this actually is a proper place for venting some frustration about it.)
In response to this, there will also be one or two members who will find every one of these threads and will post just to say that they've had no problems with the game and everyone else must be doing something wrong. Those members will be accused of being company plants, paid to lie about the game. Us Mods will also be accused of trying to hide just how many people are having problems.
Following that, the "reviews" start coming in. Everyone will have something to say (a lot of it negative - members having fun with the game are usually too busy to bother much with the forum.) Also, lots and lots of spoilers posted in general discussion. A lot of magazine will also have reviewed the game "wrongly," and given it an obviously incorrect score (one way or another.)
Eventually, things will settle down, however.
And then they'll announce Fallout 4 and the whole things starts again! :celebration:
Anyway - just saying, there's nothing happening in Skyrim General Discussion that hasn't gone down with every other forum on this site - as well as every single other game forum for every game ever made for as long as there's been a history of the forums. It's just something that happens. It's really quite predictable, and certainly nothing to get too worked-up about.
Any time a game comes out, you're going to see an influx of new forumites. It's only natural that a lot of them are going to have baggage from other forums, different expectations, etc. A lot are always going to need some time just to see how things work around here.
It'll all die down before long (we're already starting to see some improvement in the Issues forums.) And besides, new blood can be a good thing. :shrug:
» Fri Dec 09, 2011 4:03 pm 
