These are sad times for Gaia. I remember coming here years ago and just being overblown by the promise and anticipated fun; avatars to dress, mangas to read, plots to participate in, and RP everywhere that didn't need to be overly censored if one didn't wish it. I was lured here from Neopets by a user who said it was so much better here, and for the longest time, this became my home away from reality. Hell I've spent so much time on here that it actually started a fight or two in my house.
Now just look at it.
Nearly all of the staffers who breathed life into this place are gone, the upgrades requiring their expertise all but abandoned. The manga has ground to a halt (how long has Edmund been up there in that airship heading for the Isle of Gambino; about a year now? And I'm sure the Don has pretty much bled out in his summoning circle if he didn't get any help by now), and the storekeepers are more symbolic now than anything remotely interactive; remember when people used to go apeshit when an NPC posted in their boards or sent them a friend request? I remember being so excited I lost a little breath when one of the aliens asked to be my friend. Now they're all tending shops that are mostly ignored and probably much less frequented except by frantic newbies looking to make a decent avatar on a budget. Maybe it's a good thing that Edmund is still stuck up in that airship; he would be appalled by the way this virtual world has become.
And of course now, it's all about the money. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool. We're constantly badgered with reminders of the next big, super-duper awesome sale, which usually consists of items with a mediocre amount of poses and prices that seem more fitting for filling up my car. And of course, those of us unable to forego a bill or the monthly rent in favor of a nice pair of wings are still reminded via pop-up ads (and now PMs!) of the wonderful sales that we cannot participate in; a cheap shot considering they stand as proof that those who had paid to keep ads away would still be bombarded with them. But of course, what's a little sleazy underhandedness when the business can make a few extra dollars?
Yes, somehow Gaia went from being a top-notch interactive hangout to a business (the term used as loosely as possible here), where the goal is to treat loyal players (now ironically dubbed 'users') like they poop money and demand that they fork over insane amounts because they are a business and they need to make lots of money because that's what a business does, and if the loyal little users fuss, well they'll just have to deal with it, because they obviously don't know the concept of the valuable and important business that Gaia obviously is.
But at what cost is this business apparently thriving? So many users have left, more are on their way out, and it's just a matter of time before the ones pumping money into the site will run dry, and with veteran users out there warning potential newbies to stay away, before too long there won't be anything left. I see people lament on the boards, post their heartfelt stories of their wonderful years here; the friends they've made and the countless happy hours staring at the computer screen and yakking with their buddies halfway across the continent. They plead, they beg, and they offer solutions to the worst of the problems, talking to what was once a thriving think tank of brilliant minds, and is now nothing but a row of zombies with dollar coins implanted in their eye sockets. I sometimes find it hard to believe that this place is being run by a legitimate CEO when I see rookie mistake after rookie mistake being made with the 'merchandise' and the customer service. Some of us as kids were taught by an obscure Looney Tunes cartoon involving a little German mouse visiting America about the concept of competitive pricing (By Word of Mouse); it makes no sense to choose a few people buying a pricey item over a buttload of people buying a more reasonably priced item. That coupled with the other worst blow; taking down Ask the Admin. Gone is the way for staffers to interact and formally address the issues their loyal players (sorry, USERS) are having; replaced by robotic mass PMs and announcements that have all the sincerity and feeling of a cheese sandwich. To make a business thrive, you must keep your customer base and ensure that they consistently feel as though they matter, and that they are appreciated. This is the most basic of business sense, and something that I've seen practiced in something as small as a lemonade stand; charge cheaper than the kid down the block, and thank your buyers with a smile. Odd that a big, important business (that word again!) like Gaia can't seem to pick up on that.
Or it could be because they just don't want to. I reached the conclusion a long time ago that the reason users are getting ignored, the reason this place is being likened to a bullet train heading out to the ocean on an unfinished track, is that the new people in charge of this site just don't care. They don't care that this place was doing well with thousands of boards to post on, and people more than happy to spend a few dollars here and there on special items, or even donating to a cause when the admins asked nicely. Now all that they see are hordes of users, many of them no longer teens and preteens, but adults with incomes, that with the right amount of nudging, can be frivolously spent on their fabulously awesome 'insert cool name for item here' products. But of course they conclude that adults would no longer want to spend their time (and money) on a site full of kiddie things to do and childish topics of discussions. They must make a new place, an adult place, where those who have already been happy to spend so much could now spend even more, with the benefits of being included in a site meant only for grown-ups, where people can cheerfully gawk at a woman's figure and snidely remark about how much like a whale she looks, while throwing more money away in a black hole of gambling that sucks away both money and soul. They wouldn't give a ghost of a thought to the site that they left in ruins, that they used as a foundation to create their new, glorious place. Why should they? There's good money to be made in gambling and sex. They're just using this place as a launchpad for getting there.
All this awful goings on has caused me to look back, not at the good old times of Gaia as everyone else is, but even further back, to my roots as an Internet junkie. I still wanted a place to spend money, believe it or not; my husband has a subscription to another place, and I always felt the pull of having something good waiting for you during each paycheck; some little reward for bringing home the bacon. Of course I make a modest sum, but nowhere near enough to afford a $1000 pair of silly wings or a $50 set of clothes with less than 5 poses. It didn't take me long to realize just where to spend it.
Two days ago, I returned to Neopets and signed up for premium; for around $7 a month ($5 a month if you pay for a year's worth), I can have a fifth pet (doesn't compare here, but hey, pets are cool), free gold and items, (as opposed to Club Verge and their 'privileged' buying), REAL ad-free access to the site (no pop-ups here!), and best of all, I know I'm supporting a site that cares about it's userbase and knows that were it not for them, they would still be a tiny little site for bored college students instead of the gigantic family-friendly site it is now. It's still a business, but somehow it manages to stay well in the black by offering their cash items for cheap (anywhere from 25 cents for a hair bow to $18 for a 25 pack of special parcels that grant an item each; still less than $2 an item!) and not making it absolutely vital to have these items in order to enjoy the world, yet everyone just keeps on buying them! Somehow I have more faith in that site's staying power than this one. AND they still have the weekly editorial every Friday for those burning questions and scathing complaints. No site is perfect, and that place has no shortage of problems, but it managed to keep my interest for 12 years and counting, with more to do than just buy cash items and deck out your pets (or avatars!). They know how to make their prices reasonable and ALL of their players (owners) feel as though they can get somewhere on the site. Instead of going around deleting posts that talk mean about the powers behind the site, they actually have a GAME where you can have a go at the various popular staff members whack-a-mole style, with no hard feelings all around. They have more heart than this place now has, and that's why I choose to spend my money there instead; they may brag about having a bowl of jelly beans in every office room, but that's still a whole lot better than bragging about how much money you can bleed from your users and how fast it can be used to smash hundreds of nostalgic players' dreams and hopes and building something trashy from the bones of a great site.
So you can keep your 18+ site with your gambling and your smut; when it happens, THIS adult will be taking her money and heading to greener, albeit G-rated pastures. emotion_yatta
Community Member
I may or may not have searched for your account from fanfiction.net and commented on something you wrote months ago ninja maybe.