HELLSRIDER

ThisCharmingMan

You have to be a member and can only rat e "Up" or "Down' once.

Enough negative ratings and the post is Truncated.

Being able to select a "Threshold" would allow you to either see All of them or just positively rated posts.

Really it would let the Kotaku state police the comments themselves. As most of the people that post here are intelligent and well mannered, it would be easy to get rid of the bad apples.

Another suggestion would be allowing people to hide a post by hitting a "Inappropriate comment" button. If enough people hit it then the post goes away.

Patient

- prevent the knee-jerk reactions to stories and force people to consider what they want to say more.

- initial comments would be longer cuz they have more time to write them before they even get shown

- initial comments made during those 10 mins would be mob-proof and varied enough so as to prevent a mob from forming

People would only say "where's my comment?" if they got to that story in the first 10 mins of it being put up since it wouldnt be displayed right away. Otherwise there would be no difference. This is only about getting to the people who read the first 10 or so comments and then make a response.

...and when you think about it 10 minutes of silence is practically NOTHING. 1/3 of the time theres a video in the message that can take up anywhere from 1-5 minutes to watch. If it's an article, as the one N'Gai posted, then it should theoretically take even longer just to read through the post (not the article itself, but the post was pretty lengthy to begin with).

Mrmoo2002

I think the issue at hand is that people post for the sake of posting. To parallel your own fears, yes, all too often, people do not read the previous posts and believe that they've stumbled on a great revelation. The posts in hand just got completely out of hand, and for that, we can only look back and learn from at this point.

However, having tons of different potential voices is great, because with a community that large and vibrant, you can get alot of different views on the same topic. Where the problem lies is when people take advantage of the power of posting, and others who read the comments for insightful and original thought are disappointed for having wasted a small portion of their lives (I certainly feel that way sometimes).

I'll take a moment to repeat myself from some previous posts -- people should fear the words "Ban Hammer Monday" seven days a week. Knowing that you can be axed at any time for slipping up will make you think twice. If you don't care about slipping up, then perhaps you were never of the right mind to have privileges to post to begin with.

eduardjm

dowingba

What is the normal wait time after you add an icon before it shows up? I put one on about 20 minutes ago but it's neither on my user-page or recent posts.

BTW, I am heavyfuel
BTOW, Sorry for off-topic posts...just going with the flow, y'all.

LedRush

dowingba

Witzbold

Even though Youtube implemented the thumbs up/down system like Digg, doing so here although cool might turn into users giving a thumbs down just because someone likes Playstation. I'd hope there's more maturity than that but sometimes it comes to that anyway.

Right now it does seem to work. I rarely ever see any comments that are obtrusive, and that posting was just overwhelmed and couldn't be modded fast enough due to all the posts within it.

kylo4

Yeah. It is no big deal though as I'm not particularly post-happy on popular topics.

Even so, It seemed to multiply to two-fold! Wow! (That sounds better than two!)

=D

@Scazza:
@dowingba:

I've also seen an instance where an account was hacked and the account was used to spam nonsense on posts. He/she got banned but they (Kotaku, I think it was Bash) reviewed his past comments and concurred with him the inconsistency of his past comments with his recent ones and vouched for him that indeed his account was hacked. Everything was straightened out.

excaliburps

Scazza

If it makes you feel better, I've seen Kotaku editors unjustly ban people but then admit their mistake and give them their status back once they were shown to be in the wrong. It does happen. I don't think this is one of those cases though. But they aren't above admitting their mistakes (something alot of us could learn from, as well).

dowingba

Maybe I am missing something, but why isn't the comment on topic. N'Gai makes several points in the article, one of which is that clearly no black people worked on the game because of the obvious insensitivities to racial considerations. The first commentator appears to have the same thought on this view as I did: the comment was absurd. I have chosen to articulate my views more fully, with less sarcasm, but I really don't see what's wrong with calling someone out on (what you feel is) a bad argument.

LedRush

Again my point is: context.

dowingba

By the way, I've been featured on Hyper-tap for almost the exact same comment as that first post we're discussing. The difference? Mine was on topic.

dowingba

No harm, no foul.

I don't think the first commenter made a comment that was intelligent. However, it wasn't offensive, and it is the manifestation of a valid viewpoint. And it's kind of funny and contains kernels of truth. What in it makes it deserving of banning? If it is because it was not as polished, articulate, or serious as it could be, I think the banning is not warranted.

But then again, I don't run Kotaku.

LedRush

dowingba

I'm not sure if the first comment in that article really counts as intelligent conversation. Sure it was funny but it didn't even have to do with the argument in the article.

Anyway, sorry for any misunderstanding. I hope we can just move past this whole ordeal and get back to being obsessive gamers looking for leaks and rumours.

dowingba

I find your comment condescending. I have been here for awhile and know what type of discussion is generally acceptable and which is not. Generally, things are a little tighter here than I would wish, but never so much as too stifle either intelligent conversation or fun. I think several of the bannings on the RE:5 are misguided at best, and detrimental to Kotaku at worst. They also appear to be geared to attack a view more than a style.

I am sure there are many deserving bannings from that post (I've seen a few). But substitute N'Gai for Jack Thompson and see what comments are acceptable. This post is different. Perhaps it should be, but I don't think it should be THIS different.

LedRush

Whenever a post has more than 50-80 comments on it, it is generally hard to read all of it. Especially when the people they replied to is on the next page. So most people read the first 10 maybe and then look at the latest to see what the situation is. Can't really blame anyone about that I suppose.

@dowingba:
We're on the same boat! I also got my account that way. Hmm maybe you didn't say anything insightful but I wager what you said made sense and was grammatically fit for posting. =D

I know what you mean about the posts 10 seconds after an article has been posted. Makes you wonder if people don't have work, work at home or are like me who get paid for my gorgeousness.

I refresh Kotaku throughout the day but I don't really post unless I like the topic that's posted. That means I don't post on flame-throwing topics and bitch with someone about it. I more or else post on something which only has 35-50 comments on a post. That way I know there's little to slim chance that nobody rabid is trolling there.

That's why I'm not surprised I don't have any comment followers or whatever. Hell I only have one! Thanks to Drew Crecente. Yeah buddy drinks are on me!

excaliburps

dowingba

But that's the problem...we aren't treating it as if nothing happened. We are banning people for not reacting in a sufficiently serious manner. This is a blog, not a college philosophy class.

That doesn't mean we can't have standards. We should and we do. I just think that we've swung too far in the banning people for "valid opinions that don't agree with mine" direction.

LedRush

I agree completely, but it seems we are in the minority (or just disagree with the Big Man). Many of those commenters have been banned.

LedRush

dowingba

Well, the first commentor was banned for, what looks to me, no reason at all. His comment, while pithy, isn't really racist or offensive to me. It doesn't add a lot to the conversation, but it is the manifestation of a valid point: that many people feel that the PC police react too hysterically to material that isn't remotely racist.

I now fear the banhammer for my comments, and that is why I think Crecente needs to seriously reconsider his reaction to the post. Can we really not disagree except with comprehensive and articulate essay-style writings? Are sarcasm, glibness, and humor not allowed in serious discussions?

LedRush

That said, I was rereading the comments on the original article about RE5 and the first 30 or so were, for the most part, intelligent and thought out. Yes, there were the occasional nitwits spouting profanity and little else, but most were simply opinionated comments that tended to indicate an underlying frustration with people who continue to make an issue out of racism. Whether you agree with the opinions or not is your business, but you can't take issue with genuinely held beliefs. I can't speak for the several hundred comments that followed, and if they degenerated horribly, the ban everyone involved. But if the rest of the thread was like the beginning, well, to be blunt, I can't see the issue.

ubiquitous

ceilingFANBOY

Well, I was too lazy yesterday to get beyond about 40, and I remain that lazy today. Could you give me one or two examples so that I can get a flavor for what was so bad.

Do people generally agree that the beginning of the thread wasn't bad?

LedRush

dowingba

Yes, we should have intelligent and reasoned dialog. Part of the problem on the RE:4 post was that very few people agreed with N'Gai's opinion, and therefore it was very easy to gang up on it. However, preventing people from reacting openly and honestly to all sorts of issues (assuming they are not offensive) will hurt the site and will hurt people's ability to use logic and humor in their discussions.

Brian, please, PLEASE, don't do anything rash because you held a minority view that many people find down right insulting.

PS: I don't really know what you are attacking in the RE:4 post, so I may have your views wrong. My point is that many people, myself included, found N'Gai to have an insulting, ignorant, and perhaps childish view on the subject. Don't hurt Kotaku just because you may have agreed with him, and not the masses.

PPS: If I missed something racist or insulting, I retract most of this post.

LedRush

Bobby McPresscott

Balance_In_Life

HootieMac: Section 9 Reject

That's when you know there's a problem...

gils0n

hrabbit

VixDiesel

@Brian Ashcraft: I knew that was coming. I saw the obvious flaw immediately- You'd end up with the stars being meaningless, people nominating crap comments like crazy, and undeserving people getting the stars.

Polywhirl

Anyway those were good times. Back before every single article automatically had 200 comments 10 seconds after it was posted.

dowingba

ceilingFANBOY

@excaliburps: I don't know that I can particularly agree with what you say about 150+ comments. Usually, if an article gets to that point, genuine debates break out. I remember it happening in a thread about Halo being played in churches. While the comments started off immature, they eventually reached a level of intelligence and a lot of people realized that they were arguing the same point just with different words and really felt silly for arguing. I can understand the comment approval being more relaxed now, though. The editors want to try to include as many people as possible, but as the popularity of the site grows, it is becoming harder and harder to filter through all the comments.

ceilingFANBOY

Possible SolutionL

Let people write comments but dont post any of them until 10 mins after the story has gone up. In the 10 minutes after the story goes up, it will likely have recieved 15-20 or more comments that have not been influenced by the first two or three. Sure, the first commenter will still be at the top, but the 19 or whatever after theirs will be totally independent of what they said

Mrmoo2002

"Nice article on banning. I imagine it's been brewing for quite a while.

I remember before when you'd have to submit a comment and it has to be insightful in a way that you have to be approved first. That worked, I think.

Now you have people posting "first" or whatever bile they have on a particular game/system/genre/etc. Sure you can just ignore them but it is annoying. Like flies when you're eating.

That's why I don't post on anything that I know is controversial. Somebody will surely try and piss you off.

Note to the kids: Don't comment on posts which has more than 150+ comments. That's where most of the shit happens."

excaliburps

dowingba

ceilingFANBOY

Hand_O_Death

Brian Ashcraft

@Kid_Kitten: They could have backups so that it can't be abused. The temporary ban could be something that only certain people have the ability to enact, or maybe everyone will have a limit to how many comments they can nominate for temporary ban so people don't waste them on comments not really worthy.

ceilingFANBOY

@Jamez: I see more racist, sexist, and generally ugly commentary in a day than most people see in months.

Damn, where were you on that RE5 post when everybody was trying to say Racism was dead/dying/unimportant? :P

I obviously posted numerous times in that thread (it gobbled most of two pages of my activity screen!), trying to counter the flood of anti-N'Gai hate and general statements that "racism will just vanish if we all hold hands and wish it to".

Nobody said that precisely, but its what their arguments mostly amount to. I agree it would be awesome if we could eliminate racial problems (in all nations, USA is hardly unique in our problems, we just have a more diverse group than most) as easily as Chris shoots Zombies in the face, but it just isn't like that, and that post combined with the constant, never-ENDING drumbeat of how hate-filled Xbox Live and Halo 3 voice chat is in general...I just don't understand how people think silence is the solution.

Its like saying if we just stop talking about Iraq it will stop being a problem.

Are all charges of racism justified? Of course not, and even the MTV article in question doesn't suppose that RE5 is being produced with racist intent, merely that it has the potential to unintentionally offend people who don't understand the context of the RE series and killing zombies in games in general. The constant bleat of "well if thats racist then what about THIS!" in that thread, while occasionally amusing, was pointless because yes, we virtually ALL AGREE that nobody at capcom is making RE5 with the intent of feeding into some type of racist gamer market in any region.

I just wonder if, without the proper level of managed PR and the right tweaks to the translation/writing of the story, this game may be caught up in a damaging whirlwind as images and video taken out of context come out just before and after release.

Ok BSG is starting, love Kotaku but I got priorities! ;)

DaiMacculate

Spiderbait

z357x

Kid_Kitten

I've seen it in less significant forms such as the repetitive posting of RRoD jokes or other senseless humor. A change is needed; I don't think there's any solution that will make everybody happy nor will there be anything that will solve all these problems.

Snuffbox

I think we should have levels and ranks and HP. People that post well will be rewarded with magical powers and people who post dumb shit will be banned or have reduced privileges... But that's almost like becoming some kinda crazy forum rather than a blog.

Although, I feel like Kotaku is more of a community than a blog anyway.

z357x

i didnt even go into or read that post, because i knew the general direction it would go in. by the time i read it had been a flashpoint, there were over 1200 comments.

if any editors on this site recognise me - its possible i dont post enough to be noticed - they know my feelings on the subject.

of course this little 'star' love-in youve all invented, and the friends and web 2.9000 shit, will probably wind up the basis of whatever the editors do next, which was obvious from the beginning. a popularity contest. so those voicing the unpopular or not pasting smileys everywhere dont get voted prom queen.

i already post little enough - largely due to the state of the site now - that it doesnt matter to me anymore. i wouldnt have posted this if you hadnt posted specifically about it and provided a space to speak.

red

Maybe we could have a temporary banhammer system as well. If too many people label a post to be inappropriate, the commenter is put on a temporary ban until an editor reviews the comment in question.

If we do reinstate the RTP button, it could also be updated to ask why you are reporting the post so that the editors can, if they choose, only look at posts being deemed inappropriate for reasons such as being derogatory, threatening, etc. rather than always having to look at comments that are reported for being trolling because, while annoying, the trolling comments aren't as important to eliminate as the hateful comments.

ceilingFANBOY

I would like to say one thing on the matter. People that game, just like any other group with common interest, is full of genius and idiocy in equal parts and for the most part Kotaku manages to weed out the stupid. Keep it up and here's hoping we don't have to GameFAQs it up with censors and other such nonsense.

KraZe

KM91

Looking forward to seeing what comes of this! Good luck with it!

jayntampa

So here it is. Kotaku was a place I came to read great articles and great comments. You couldn't post without gaining entry, but people still visited because the news was current and the comments were funny and/or insightful.

I don't see that so much anymore. People tend not to respond to other people's comments as much, mostly because the comments now expand so quickly. The "what are you playing this weekend" was always fun not just because of the game,s, but because of the quick updates as to what people were doing outside of gaming.

In short, more voices does not equal increased relevance. If you did cull a large percentage of commenters, I sincerely believe those people would still be here, reading the articles and loving every minute of it. So Chop Chop!

Islandkiwi

William Killer Shatner

Vecha

rupinderpaul

I don't think Crecente is directly refering to the people who voiced their opinion, but the people who attacked other commenters, used namecalling or even obviously racist comments in and of themselves, of which there were quite a few.

Hell, if you read my comment on page two, I was pretty damn rude about it aswell, but I don't think I attacked anyone but the topic at hand.

It sucks, as I don't think there is a satisfactory ending to this, as like I said, kotaku don't seem to want to censor anyone, so policing after the fact is much harder to keep the place clean.

Scazza

Point 1] I think the problem stems from people who jump at the headlines to enter the discussion. [Warning: mass generalization] Blogs have essentially become a discussion pool based of a Twitter-like feed. Sites like Digg frequently get discussions whipped into a frenzy by readers to make a judgement on the story after only reading the headline. I'll admit, I've done it too, but after recently being called out on it, I've made an effort to actually read the story I'm commenting on before doing so.

Point 2] I enjoyed when Kotaku was a small, tighter community before anyone and everyone could get a commenting pass. While I do think everyone has a right to voice their opinion, the amount of opinions has watered this concept down. I enjoy the times on Kotaku where there are a few back-and-forths in the comments section where people discuss something in a level-headed fashion. Unfortunately, this becomes a huge mess as the number of comments grows and tracking one conversation becomes EXTRAORDINARILY difficult.

Right now I see there are 66 comments on this post (500+ and 1000+ on the related posts). I a) feel like my comment is a small drop in a large ocean and feel like no one will ever read it and b) I feel that most people skip over comments as the number of them grow. And why wouldn't they? While there could be an interesting discussion going on, 1000+ comments turns a 1 page article into a 20 page op-ed. This leads to a problem: multiple people probably had these ideas and posted about them already. I went through and read all the comments on the RE5 story, and 90% of them discussed racism in regards to white zombies and/or spanish zombies. It was essentially the same post repeated over and over and over again.

I do like some of the ideas tossed around, such as applying for commenting privileges, but all in all I love the fact that Kotaku is taking steps to make Kotaku better instead of merely sticking the norm. Bravo!

Klaymen

You can't fix what people post. Either eliminate the ability to post or hire some moderators. And don't get personally offended by what people say, for this, as you may recall, is internet. Read the previous post for a more in-depth analysis.

Jamez

FP_slomo788

Obviously, the system used is different here, but it's basically a perpetual forum where every 12 hours the forums cycle through completely. Nobody posts on anything on page 2 unless it's for a contest. And there are enough people posting to make the typical post flutter away in the wind.

So when I read this post, [kotaku.com] , I had to laugh. I just had to. I mean, why wouldn't I? I have friends who frequent Neogaf and other sites that don't need mentioning. I see more racist, sexist, and generally ugly commentary in a day than most people see in months.

If you don't want it here, you can't just say "well we'll ban you." That doesn't work. Everyone screws up, everyone posts stuff that shouldn't be posted, and that's just the way it is. You can't change that.

There are technological things that can be done, like banning some websites, banning people from linking at all, but none of it really helps in the long run. And you can't pick your community either, so you're screwed every which way.

I hate to say it, but you did bring it upon yourselves somewhat. Internet forums thrive off drama; news requires people to make pitiful comments that someone will be offended at, laugh at and offend the original poster, etc. That's the way of the internet and you undoubtedly know that. It doesn't matter if everyone at Kotaku is willing to give $5 each to help a gamer who had his entire gaming collection over 20 years stolen. It doesn't matter how much kindness is in their hearts.

Unless you plan on making the site available for only people over 25 (because honestly, most people between 18-25 are not mature enough for typical internet discussion), nothing will change. That's why you have someone moderating the forums. A staff of moderators would be much more consistent, since that's about the only thing you can do to combat these comments.

Look at bungie.net. I used to frequent their forums, one of the most popular gaming forums online, and they had a staff of at least 10 moderators at all times. They don't even get paid, they just do it out of the kindness of their hearts, and free reign (technically) over the bungie store, as payment.

So unless you want to moderate it yourself or shut down the posting altogether, nothing will change, guaranteed. Kotaku's audience won't simply grow up. This isn't lifehacker where the typical age is higher and discussion at hand actually to help other people. Invest some time and money into finding a full time moderating staff, for both day and night shifts. It's that simple.

Oh, and one more thing. We're not embarrasing you Brian. Get over yourself. Whoever posts his say embarrases himself. Anyone who reads that and says "well, looks like that Crecente feller can't run his website good" is someone you shouldn't even care about what they say. There's no need to be embarrased at what one person says when the internet is filled with so much hatred and filth that make those little posts on your website seem like cherry blossoms.

-Jamez
Over and out.

Jamez

Scazza

PlayerX

Whatever you decide, O Fearless Leader, I'm on board!

PlayerX

I respect that Kotaku is a blog that has users of varied opinion. That is why when there is a post I try to stay on subject as much as possible. I do not post "Banhammer" or "troll". These things are a part of Kotaku but they are the worst part.

This blog is best in the small posts that there are a few comments that are witty and on subject.

jackal888

Antiterra

The good old days. Really. Especially when you see some of the junk being so haplessly tossed about.

Kotaku is -the- news source on the net. I've read a dozen others, and as a blog, there are none better. This attraction brings people. Good, some amazing commenters, and bad. The "Do jou liek muddkipz" folks.

When the commenters start to outshine the posts. That's very bad. It makes the veterans not want to put their words into the soup of comments, and makes the new people not even bother.

I like some of the flagging ideas. The veterans flagging idea if done rivately works (a public elitist class is bad PR)

Personally I like former Kotaku sponsor and Digg alternative Reddit's method of post evaluation. an Up vote down Vote system with embedded threads to see replies. The cream floats to the top and the shit sinks to the bottom.

huginn

That post Crecente linked to has 1200 comments. TWELVE HUNDRED. What's the point of commenting in any post that has over even a hundred comments? I don't even bother. I scoff at the idea of commenting in that post. It would lost in a sea of words.

Close the gates now. Re-enable the invite or comment approval system before someone can post.

Either that, or simply ban everybody that doesn't bother to give their account an avatar.

Atheist Jew

If that's what it takes, I'd rather lose my commenting privileges to a new, more exclusive system, than see Kotaku become something that its founders and editors don't recognise anymore. I have to admit that I stopped myself from reading the comments on the N'Gai Croal article, because I knew I'd get upset, and/or angry, and/or more dispirited than I already am at my fellow humans and at myself for not being able to concentrate on the "good", for being so easily affected by the "bad" (notice the quotation marks), and for being unable to present arguments that I don't
a) consider useless myself, or
b) regret 5 minutes after I've posted them.
It was the first that happened to me on Kotaku, and I hated it.

Over the years, I left many forums when I felt they turned into arenas where insults was the norm, because I'd get worked up over stupid shit that really wasn't worth it.
I would absolutely hate it if I suddenly became "afraid" to read the comments on Kotaku for that same reason.

So, yeah, do whatever ya have to.

Antiterra

I'm glad these changes are coming.

Anywho, discussion should always be welcome. In fact a debate is good. But some people hide behind the anonymity of the internet and they bring down this healthy debate for the rest of us.

Btw - as a side note. Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. Life has gotten kind of busy and hard. I will make sure to become a more active member of the comments again ;-). Glad to see Witz , Papa, and DV8 are all still raising hell.

Rabidsquirrel

Hopefully this doesn't turn Kotaku into a clean room where dissension is frowned upon and the comments section is stale but it's obvious that some of the members on this site must be reminded of the fact that they don't have the right to verbally vomit whenever they feel like it.

jihadjoe343

Crecente, I think it would be more fair to everybody if there was a link to a sort of Code that every commenter needs to follow in the front page, at an obvious spot. That way people will know how to "behave" and maybe the chaos that we experienced before will be avoided, while everyone still has a chance to express themselves.

FP_slomo788

Too bad you can't fix 'stupid'. Ass-kissing needs to become against the Terms Of Service too. Though the absence of both would make Kotaku that much better.

Custom Reality

It is unfortunate that some people have managed to forget to respect their fellow Kotakuites. I wholeheartedly back up any decisions that the Kotaku team decides on.

I just hope that posts like these and the examples set by those that think and reason and show consideration in their comments will be enough to guide those that may stray from respecting fellow Kotakuites.

TheTragonDragon

MisterSleep

I always said that I used to love it back when Kotaku posts never reached more then 50 commenters, and it was literally only a few people talking, as it NEVER devolved into rabid screaming and name-calling. Those were good ole days, but then again, Kotaku has grown MUCH since then. It would not be wise to cut off all commenter's now that your fanbase is so large, as it would just alienate people and force them to take their eyes elsewhere.

I can think of a few ways to weed out the crowd.

-Maybe a strike out system, where people can say a certain comment is crap, and if enough people flag it, the commenter gets a strike, and after a certain number, is tossed out, or silenced for X number of hours/days.

-a "team" of commenter's who have the ability to vote people out (like, maybe have a bunch of veterans who don't have the ability to ban, ala Witz, but can do the flagging of a commenter, and if enough veterans flag it, its a ban/temp ban. Or the commenter is alerted to Witz for review.

-An XBL stance, where commenter's get a rating and if it drops below X%, and stays there for awhile, the commenter will finally be banned.

I dunno what you guys can do, its a really hard decision and you would have to strike a real balance in order to satisfy everyone AND keep your image. Like others have said, Kotaku is still eons above the rest of the gaming universe of sites, but still might be better to nip it in the bud before it gets worse.

Good luck guys, and keep up the good work.

Scazza

I like to think that occasionally we do have intelligent, civil conversations. Today there were a good number of them. But sometimes there's just something in the air... :/

MisterSleep

Either way, Brian, I am grateful for service you and Kotaku provide for all of us.

rupinderpaul

Ahem...

If I had a banhammer,
I'd banhammer in the morning,
I'd banhammer in the evening,
All over this land.
I'd banhammer out danger,
I'd banhammer out a warning,
I'd banhammer out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.

(With apologies to Pete Seeger)

kelptocratic

HawaiianActor

kw4k

Grimmjow Jeagerjaques

aka Bitter

TOCATL

"If you disagree with someone then disagree, but don't resort to calling names, don't use caps, don't generalize. Dissent with smart, thoughtful comments, create a dialog or go somewhere else, because frankly, you're embarrassing me."

I that made me feel something too.

I don't know about the rest of you but Kotaku has become something like a religion to me. I AM an obsessive gamer, and I check this site like it's my job. I literally have not missed a single post in over a year. Reading the Brian(s) night notes back and forth and the general feel of this site,... for someone like me it just doesnt get any better than Kotaku. If I was running Kotaku, you'd best believe I would be proud as shit of what it has become and is. And I just have to say I feel for Crecente when he says "you're embarrassing me." Kotaku is the best of what it is, and it got that way through hard work, dedication, and integrity. To have it morph into something akin to IGN or joystiq or youtube would be a goddamned shame. I say cull the masses, do whatever needs to be done, ban me if need be, but above anything else make sure you get the site to where it makes you comfortable enough to get back to doing what you do best: Making Kotaku fucking awesome.

WhaleMenace

As someone said previously, there will be an issue anyway you slice it. Comments are one of the best parts of Kotaku. However, like most things involving people, comments are also the worst. There is no solution to this Catch-22. The LUE course of action spawns little good either.

Grahf

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

By the way, that's a shitty way to start your morning Crecente, here's hoping you come to a solution.

ForwardInReverse

Rika Aiuchi is SeXXXy

This site is very dinamic, and Is always adding features and fixing problems.
This is something special of this site. On other sites the code is from ages ago.
Of course, sometimes we hit a bug, because code is new, but his is very rare, and is a very small fee.

Is another reason to love Kotaku.

So.. tech guys. Nice work, and thanks!.

--Tei

Tei

Fyren

Candlejack

No comments will get you zero reader interaction.
Comments for all with get you what happened in that article. Expecting anything less is naive.
Comments for some will get you labelled an elitist site.

Have fun dealing with one of those three 3 problems.

JohnRabbit

Vincent060

Just because there is a disagreement doesn't mean it's a mob. It means it's a heated subject with high running tensions. This means that this subject is obviously a sore spot, and needs to be discussed in order to get by it.

Now, the medium of which to discuss it can be discounted. I suppose the heavy and loaded subject like racism is probably best not discussed on a gaming forum. But Brian, to be fair, you guys posted the story and opened the subject to discussion. It's only natural it was going to be discussed.

Obviously, the trolls and the flame baiters should be dealt with. But leaving them out of the equation for a moment, when you open a discussion, you can't be upset when people post on it.

PapaBear434

Mrmoo2002

Communist_Gamer

That made me feel something. I wish the internet could be civil. Maybe Kotaku can set a precedence for the internet... but only time can tell. Improving the process will improve the product and by products. Go Kotaku!

Rika Aiuchi is SeXXXy

N'Gai attempted to do a quick and dirty post-colonial critique of the trailer, even highlighting his own apprehension regarding BOTH sides of the argument, and people respond with shouts of "racism only exists because people point it out" or similar.

Sure enough, it is a valid opinion and should be heard (even if I think it is frankly one of the most naive opinions I've ever heard), but not heard 100 times before I can hear a different one, and certainly one that shouldn't be heard if the voice of said opinion is
a - angry (especially while only reading the article excerpt)
b - judgmental (especially with little grasp on the facts)
and
c - a prick

Categorisation of reactions to articles/news could help this problem a bit, perhaps?

Spoiler Duck

HawaiianActor

This is Kotaku
Haikus have no place on here.
Ban ALL who post them!

( sorry for the double. not sure why it posted that way)

Mr.SithNinja

Candlejack

FP_slomo788

blackadvent

blackadvent

Mr.SithNinja

kw4k

That said I was pretty shocked to see it reach such a high number of comments (I quit reading it earlier when there were only about 200) so I can't speak on the majority of posts that came later in the day. I do enjoy the comment system here and find that there's quit a good ratio of smart:dumb commenters on this site. The same cannot be said for some other gaming blogs... *coughjoystiqcough*

Clamchop

Grey Gecko

bangbangblah

Darthearl

Cloral

Grey Gecko

i love kotaku for its comments, so i also raged when i saw all that crap

but i really didn't want to be like everybody else so i decided no to answer back -.-

how them the ban hammer brian!

Grey Gecko

kw4k

tme2nsb

Dorphat the Insomniac

Highlander Wolf

Mrmoo2002

NitrousO

ShaggE

FP Shindokie

(=

Islandkiwi

jesp3r