So about the state of the site

[Artan Zuill]

Honestly, all the dev stuff is just life support hooked up to a vegetable. But it's our vegetable. I've been here in some shape or form since 2004 and I came here for the rp forum and that's basically why I'm still around today. I've done my share of doom posting or replying but while I don't see a second renaissance of this website, she hasn't sunk yet. Maybe one day, the people behind the scenes will chuck it all in and give up and this place will finally shut down. But it hasn't happened yet. I've been in some iteration of a particular RP on here since 2020, longer than any other I've been in here on Gaia, including when it was at it's prime. This site was supposedly "dead" long before 2020 rolled around. Sure, it's not what it was and will never be again. Yes, even I have given into the doom mentality before but the site's still up so we make the most of what we still have rather than focus on what's gone.

[RavenDelume]

I don't think so, Gaia's done pretty well imo and they seem to be one of the very few last standing og avatar games left. Everytime I get weary of them shutting down nothing happens

[Nemariel]

bizu

haha ******** no

even if the forums are dead, I don't care because I'm here for the digital doll dress-up.
Simply put, no other site has ever competed on the level gaia has. What else does it
need to even offer me? Nothing. I can dress up my little dollie and have fun doing that.
Don't need forums to do that, and even if the marketplace died, I could use the avatar
creator all the same.

No other medium has hit it like gaia has yet. Skyrim modding, ff modding, vrchat dont
even come close to fathoming the layer complexity gaia made.

Pretty much this for me as well. I'm here (and have been here) for the digital dress up dolls. It would be nice to see the forums as active as they once were, but I doubt that will ever happen again. There are so many more options out there now than there were when this site was originally created.

Psst Bizu I love your XIV mods!

[Witchymew]

Some perspective from someone who played years ago and is now back for only 2 days -

I am enjoying this Gaia more than the old Gaia. The grind isn't as bad and for someone who had very bad luck in making gold on game websites, it's nice to feel like I belong. I remember feeling like I was just constantly running around in a potato sack. Sure, there are some very high priced items that I'd love to get back, but that can happen in time. For now I am just slowly easing back in, enjoying what new there is, and sipping up that big ol' glass of nostalgia.

[Hamartomania]

“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”

well shii. my inventory has been mess for last 10 years. no great adventures for me

[Yumii_xoxo]

Shiningamisgirl

If Gaia is the shell, let us be the ghosts that haunt it! And they’ll pry my pixel dress up game from my cold arthritic, carpal tunnel riddled hands!

But I get ur feel~ Feel u greatly. Left Gaia for a stint of hiatus and came back for the memberberries. When the site goes it’ll go, as all things do in eventuality, and I honestly wouldn’t worry about worrying yourself with when or if it happens too much!

The internet is for fun~

Chances are there are still some chats or discords or breedable/bc’s going either here or that have sprung off of here and now exist elsewhere! And knowing that this was the place that spawned them? Isn’t that the best!

But what has kept me coming back is the dressup (and rp) and the community that spawned around keeping that alive.

no comment for the actual post but i just love the word 'memberberries' here lol

[0 Zeref 0]

I do think some people take these kind of things too seriously and need to live off the social media or internet for a while and live in the real world. arguing and getting offended because of a post is pathetic--whether you claim it's by logic or self expression. not like Gaia is paying these people to get on here and read other people's posts and get angry when they don't agree with someone's opinion or thread. please get a life.

as for me, I only return for the nostalgia unfortunately and change my avi's outfit. used to be in a big guild years ago but even that part deteriorated, and with having a family and busy work life I just don't have time to play around with these childish games like when I was in high school or even in my young college years. what some people need to realize is that not everyone wants to live in a virtual world and reality will catch up to you eventually. I supposed I will keep returning as long as this site is up, but honestly it's not something I care much about....

[Shark Coochie]

Vro

These doomer posts have been standard fare for the last 10 years, but I'm really not sure what kind of call to action this is supposed to be. Are you saying Gaia should shut down because it's not as fun or big as it used to be? Like, if you're not having fun anymore, you can just take your toys and go home. Whole site doesn't need to go, too. confused

Doomer posts is a good way to put it.
We're still here and we're still going.
Quit bitching, doomer posters.

[Blood Red Skies]

If it dies, it dies.

[Nymph of Spring]

Honestly.. I'm shocked its still breathing. sweatdrop

I've been around for a long time.. erm.. 2004.. ( gonk jesus ********.. can we curse here now? ) and left about 6 years ago when I had my daughter. Life got crazy and hectic.. as it does with kids and work and life and covid.. but I've kept in touch with a few people I met here over the years since then. Never really thought much about coming back as I figured the site had gone belly-up.. But decided to log in tonight only to see not much has changed.. other than the inflation of just about everything being 100x worse than it was when I left?

My account worth has entered orbit.. I'm shook.. but not? But I'm a little glad to see this important part of my teenage-years is still here.

[xHello Batty]

cresceres

Gaia Staff: We are actively working with a company that made an Adobe emulation plugin to bring back popular features many of our users like. Profits from user tickets, flairs, and items are allowing us more freedom for projects we know our users like.
People: THE SKY IS FALLING

Every damn time -eyeroll-


★☆★

[iShizuma]

gaia_star
There's something to be said of slower-paced sites and fandom spaces, I think. They mightn't be as profitable as contemporary social media sites - people get bored clicking through pages so won't see as many adverts as, perhaps, someone will see if they can scroll forever, and having to load a separate page to post a reply to anything (quick replies exist, of course, but that's not the default - it's hidden in a drop down next to a much larger button) takes more dedication than shooting off a thoughtless or incendiary reply in just a few seconds.

It's sites like this that are a welcome reprieve, a port in the storm of bad news, doomscrolling and ragebaiting. I might be terribly optimistic in saying that I think such sites will gradually become somewhat popular again, enough to cover the costs of running them at least, ahaha.

[spookywitch]

Artan Zuill

Honestly, all the dev stuff is just life support hooked up to a vegetable. But it's our vegetable. I've been here in some shape or form since 2004 and I came here for the rp forum and that's basically why I'm still around today. I've done my share of doom posting or replying but while I don't see a second renaissance of this website, she hasn't sunk yet. Maybe one day, the people behind the scenes will chuck it all in and give up and this place will finally shut down. But it hasn't happened yet. I've been in some iteration of a particular RP on here since 2020, longer than any other I've been in here on Gaia, including when it was at it's prime. This site was supposedly "dead" long before 2020 rolled around. Sure, it's not what it was and will never be again. Yes, even I have given into the doom mentality before but the site's still up so we make the most of what we still have rather than focus on what's gone.

I've only been back for a month (since 2008 ) I have scrolled through Lanzer's Journal and checked out a few things here & there. I can agree with your view lol it does kind of seem like that. For nostalgia purposes I think a good chunk of Gaians would like to NOT see the site changed too much, but personally I would like to see more "modern" updates. For one my eyes are really bad (yes I wear glasses) and I would like if the avatars in general were bigger. Numerous things on the site that are just too tiny for my old eyes. Stilll need to figure out how to make the text on all forums bigger when I read it lol