What GFF is to you.
 

So, I'm rapidly drawing towards my 4 year anniversary at this asylum, and I figured given the recent events, it would be a good idea to get this down.

I considered a few approaches to this. A list of my friends and how my opinions of them have changed over the years. But I realised I do that for birthdays, and just did a version of that for Christmas in my journal. I also thought that maybe it was more important to focus on what this place as a gathering point has done for me, rather than the individuals that make it up.

I also considered a wrap-up of my own changes while I've been here, but I thought that was too self-involved.

So I've settled on this.

What GFF is to Me: A Rope of Sand.
http://www.clone-high.com/images/cha..._scudworth.gif

This place has become a sort of touchstone to me. There's a level of intelligence and involvement here that I rarely see anywhere else on the internet. The word elitist gets tossed around a lot, and I think at our very best, we are, in fact, elitist, while not necessarily exclusionary. And there's nothing wrong with that. This place refuses to play to the lowest common denominator. Because of that, I can actually have a certain amount of hope that the world at large isn't made up of 4chan or GameFAQs idiocy. There can be intelligent debate about everything from Ron Paul to Nomura. Yes, a lot of times it descends into fanboyism, but often long after it would have anywhere else. There are individuals here that make that happen, to be sure, but there's also a certain spirit to this place that encourages it to take place. I know this because I've been here long enough (albeit not nearly as long a some people) to see a transition of faces and names and yet the same basic precepts continue to dictate actions in this place.

It's also a bit of a launching point. I get a lot of political perspectives here that I don't get elsewhere (what up Gold Standard, Brady?) as well as news on video games I wouldn't normally follow. Music my little 90's speedpunk addled brain would never come across, and even, from time to time, a movie I might not have given a shot had not one of the people I respect pushed it at me. Now, I'm not going to lie, I research almost every point brought up here, as I'm not going to take GFF as, you know, the ultimate force of knowledge, but it's an absolutely wonderful place to learn the foundations of a myriad of different things. There's just such a wide variety of people here, and so much bleeding goes on between the different sub-forums that you get exposed to such a wide variety of different things.

I mean, I think the large majority of us use this as e-home, that much is obvious, so I'm curious to know what this place represents to other people.

This place has meant different things to me over the years. This place, more than anyone or anywhere else, has seen me grow up and go through a lot of shit. I've made some close friends here and this place is obviously my e-home. I'm glad I have the kind of job where I get to be active here 8 hours a day.

More than anything, this forum is probably the most friendly I've ever been to. It wasn't always that way but nowadays it's definitely the most friendly out there.

Well, there isn't much more that I can say that I didn't say in my journal, so I'll post a link to that. What I wrote.

But I guess I'd just like to add that out of any forum out on the net, the people here are a heck of a lot more diverse. I browse the UnrealPlayground forums, and it's all a bunch of 14 year olds with no knowledge of anything. In fact, it's a pretty dead forum now. Point is though, they are all the same. All of them were just video game nerds, with all the same opinions and such. At least here, there are a wide variety of opinions, people know how to express themselves better and you can really get to know the person behind the keyboard alot better, as opposed to only knowing the anonymous AOL style, single line posts like on some forums. Each person here brings something different to the table.

I've been here for around 4 years as well through 3 different user names. The first name I used was lost when GFF went down for a while and the second one was just a temporary name that I used. I'm sticking with this one though.

Anyway, GFF has been a lot of different things for me. When I first started posting here, it was just "that other forum" that I visited along with Shinra Online. Shinra was my main forum back then because I was playing a good amount of videogames at the time and that forum seemed to be more focused on gaming. Also, the people at Shinra were actually nicer then. When I started to lose interest in videogames, I started to switch over. After posting at both forums for a bit, I noticed that GFF started to become a friendlier place and, like smelnick said, GFF was more diverse. I'm also not into the anime thing much and there's less of that here than at Shinra.

It's probably been 2 years since I started posting here as my main forum and it's definitely one of the best places to "hang out" on the internet. While I'm not the intellectual type, I enjoy having many people that can give highly developed point of views that they are able to articulate clearly. I go to a website called entensity.net for funny videos and when I visited their forum, their members reminded me of the youtube crowd that post the most hateful and nonsensical comments.

Basically GFF is one of the few places online that I can go to that doesn't have the typical internet population of immature people. There's really no one that I dislike here, although there are some people that I'd rather avoid. And it really is one of the nicest communities I've been to on the internet.

Gamingforce isn't just my starting page, it's my e-home.

The people here are usually very intelligent - at least most of the time. The willingness for one person to help another (from a simple hardware question to paying off a member's car) here is what really gets to me sometimes. There's an unspoken sense of generosity and kinship that I doubt you can find in too many places on the internet. We all know each other, we all ask about each other, and we're all watching. There's a certain attention paid here to community matters which doesn't seem common to me.

A lot of us revel in getting to know who we are off the internet - which is another thing I fully embrace. The people I've met from Gamingforce alone make this forum worth visiting. So diverse, so rewarding, so fantastic.

There are so many things that you can discuss, and so much stupid shit you can laugh at. (ie: Skills, Tails, airplanes... <3) Do you really need to go anywhere else?

I am grateful to be a part of such a community, though sometimes I'd be hard-pressed to admit it. You all have given me so much.

I don't fit in with the community at large. So, for me, GFF is a place to chill out, discover new music, check up on other people's opinions on absolutely anything and fill my journal with worthless shite. I know about everyone here, but I don't know the vast majority of you. ._.

It's a forum, and it's a damn good one.

Either that went over my head or it just wasn't very funny.

It's a roof over my head hot food in my belly. Places to sleep and people to meet.

Comedy

It took you guys 6 posts to descend into one-liners and 4channery. Why are you trying to prove Deni's nice view wrong? =(

You misunderstand, Kishin. GFF really is those things I listed. Members of this forum have opened their homes to me as well as shared meals. I like it here, I like (most of) the people. No joke.

GFF is basically the only aspect of my life I don't share with anyone I know irl. I mean, I practically say nothing of what I do here to my real life circle, and it actually means a lot in my case since I'm extremely close to my family and friends.

The fact it's in English and that 99,99% are foreigners to me adds a lot to the whole thing. I live in a country that's (like many ?) cursed with an almost unique line of thought, and it's refreshing to have different points of views.

All of this makes that I express myself very openly, particularly in my journal. You guys probably paradoxically have a more accurate insight on my inner feelings than most of my relatives. That place is an online home and a shelter, eventhough I hate to admit it, heh.

That is why lulz internet serious business jokes never flew with me, at least as long as this place is concerned. This is why I sometimes take things overly seriously, and this is why I defend things like what people call the myspace week. I'm here to have a blast and to interact with people whom interests go beyond lolol owned like hell jokes. Both can coexist, really. They have in the past.

Finally, the VGM and sharing community of course, although I've cut a bit on that lately.

haha very true

So many more people have been here longer than I have, but I've come to feel like this place is a 'home', just like the 'old-timers'. I wouldnt know what to do with myself if this place ever disappeared.

Its a community, first of all. Some may argue that, but I really feel like this is a community. Especially after bobo dropped the ball, when Miles and Blah picked it up, so many people got behind them because they didnt want to leave this place behind. There is a level of intelligence and kindness here, despite drama (something that happens everywhere anyways), that I've yet to find anywhere else on the internet.

Also, it feels more... real. When I showed up at the GFFNE meet, I was of course nervous and felt a bit awkward... but by the end of the first night, I felt like I was hanging out with friends who I hadnt seen in a long time. Everyone just clicked. And I think that was really one of the main reasons why I found myself comfortable here.

The only person I shared GFF with was Temari. And now here she is :)

This is without a doubt my online safe haven. I come here to get away from the bullshit that life often dishes out, and I find that I'm constantly overwhelmed with greatness, whether it's in the form of friendships I've made, fans of my movies, or just people to talk to, and vent to about shit in my journal. Even just reading discussion, as opposed to taking part in them, is something I love doing.

This place, moreso than any other forum I've ever been to, is truly an online community, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Additional Spam:
Wow nice timing Ally. Jeez :tpg:

Owned. <3

;)

Well, I have to admit, the first time I got into GFF, I was only interested in the music scores. But after a while being a silent member and only watching what people discuss, I sort of being interested to join.

And now, GFF IS becoming my e-home. Since I've never had any friends from foreign countries, so I guess in here, I can understand people from most part of the world better. I can also get input, critics, and advises in many ways that I can improve myself from day to day. Also thanks to GFF, I can slowly change my shy personality into less everytime.

Not only that, I can learn anything new from GFF since I rarely watch the news and seldom read newspapers. So any news posted as a discussion helps me understand the world more and know more what do different people think about an issue. Then, I can learn to agree and disagree other's thoughts in good effect.

But then again, everyone's unique ere...:D

This place is history for me. Everybody's saying it's an e-home, and I suppose I need to hop on that bandwagon. I never lived any place longer than 3.5 years, except for college, which was 4. I've been here 7. This place is significant because of that.

It's like a family reunion too. I remember people from when they were kids, who are now fully productive members of society, etc and so forth. I've put down roots. I feel like I belong here. With this place, I don't feel like I'm on the outside looking in.

Goodness, what is GFF to me? I have been here so long that I have jokingly asked for GFF retirement funds (can I still get that Blah? Miles?!).

It has been one of the few constants for me over the years. No matter how I changed, where I went, or what I did, GFF was still around. GFF may have changed to, the forums may have gone up and down, and the ownership may have gone from near non-existent to a complete change of ownership, but GFF has, in all it's intent and purposes, stayed around.

GFF is like the all-in-one for me concerning news, opinions, advice, gaming, and so forth. It's not the "YOU CAN GET VIDEO GAME MUSIC FORUM" as I haven't done that for a while now and sparingly at that. Heck, while I DO check out the music forums to see if any new albums are coming out that I have missed, I am MORE likely to check out the Video Games, Media, and any of the Tech sub-forums.

It is also a place when I can make friends. Granted, I haven't really talked to any beyond the forum levels since galatea but be that as it may, it's yet another place to make friends.

It is also a place to hear of the good times in the past concerning so many things in one's life from video games to cartoons to music to events to a variety of other things. Invariably, SOMEONE on the forums will remember SOME past event/game/song/etc and a discussion can start which is pretty darn nice.

So yeah, I guess it's one's e-home. I suppose that was apparent to many (including myself) last March when it almost disappeared for good.

I've been here for some time as well, and I have a lot of memories of the place. GFF is sort of an e-home for me, I guess. Though I don't post much, the journals are usually damn entertaining and the sharing forums are great. It's a great place to lurk, and it's a great place to fight the man. The MEC and movie night with their content and all are hard to find anywhere else, so it's great to be able to use them.

That, and when other persons are involved with the surges of drama that occur regularly, they make for incredibly good reads.

GFF is like that girl you always know you can count on for a good time, without a whole lot of commitment or drama.

Yeah.

That doesn't sound like GFF at all Capo!

Wait, that was Google.

GFF is actually like that girl with the really big ass, you know the one I'm talking about. And, it's like, this ass isn't flabby at all, it's just there. Anyway, when she comes over, she's always quick to show affection, and doesn't really ask for all that much in return.

Just your love.

And, man, let me tell you, the sex is fantastic! You've never had anything better, but it's almost kinda sad, because you know this may be as good as it gets. When she leaves, she says good bye seductively, and waves that little wave you love. And then, your heart drops. Until the next time you see her. Mmm.

You've been looking at Alice's Halloween entry again, haven't you?

Initially when I joined in the summer of '03 out of a link a friend of mine (Malahk Angel but at the time it was Musashiden) so after awhile of signing up I mainly used the forums for requests of albums mostly (Dancemania and other Bemani-related soundtracks), began using FTPs on dial up which wasn't that bad for internet I didn't really pay for. Later in the year I started using the journals, a first in which I kept a (more or less) public record or shit that usually happened in my days usually long and not really worth anyone's entertainment.

And so some 4.5 years later things haven't changed other than I don't do any requests in My Stuff (as much) and as a former member here mentioned on a Myspace blog comment "I cant really plug myself into these forums" I guess I'm the same with zero impact/appeal, why do I still lurk around? I guess you can say that there are surges of things that can keep me somewhat entertained for the moment.

GFF to me is the place where I got a lot of FF albums.

GFF is, to me, a soap opera I can actually interact with!

Just kidding. I keep asking myself why I keep coming back to GFF, and I think it's because most people here are consistently more intelligent and interesting than just about anywhere else. Admittedly, I used to be much more involved in the community than I am now, but y'know, if there's a place that will make me more active online again, GFF's pretty much it.

I don't know how GFF started out, but I definitely believe it has transcended it's 'gaming' namesake to become a fully functioning community.

Go to pretty much ANY other forum dedicated to a specific line of interest, then look at the General threads where anything OTHER than that interest is discussed. You'll see that it never really thrives with activity compared to the rest of their forums.

That says a lot about GFF and it's success.

GFF introduced me to the joys of online journals, where I could express myself and my views for people to read, without any fear that those I knew in real life would react badly. Through that it became a way for me to seek advice, and if I was too blind in my emotions to think clearly, I'd get a nasty reality check.
One incident a few years woke me up to my stupidity, and I still remember it to this day.
My journal doesn't get the workout it used to, but to know that it and GFF are there when I need them is always a comfort.

GFF is a place for me to hang out really. I go here to browse mostly the media related topics with some head peaking into the Community Commons, Political Palace and the Creative forum. I know of a few people here but haven't what I would call friends.

GFF changed how I view the internet. My primary reason for going online in the past was to find sources of information that interested me. Now I find myself more captivated by observing the behavior/thoughts of others and sometimes (infrequently) interacting with others.

GFF may not be unique in the change it brought about, but I have very rarely come across any forum where individuals stand out as having personality, depth, or humanity. I suppose this has contributed to some of my efforts in writing my approximately .18 posts per day, the few journal entries per month, and the sparse lines of text that break my longs streaks in idling in #gfchat.

I'm a creature of habit, and GFF is one of those things in my life that I've been doing for so long, it's almost strange for it not to be a part of my daily routine. And when I word it like that, GFF sounds like my crack cocaine.

But while I don't really interact with the community at large but it's just enjoyable to browse around, see familiar faces, read about other people's lives and participate in discussions that interest me. And much like a drug habit, no one in my real life knows about this place and I'm actually pretty pathetic about hiding the fact I come here.

What is Gamingforce?

To me, GF is many things. Many ideas, emotions and temperaments; explanations, sense of logic and reasoning; interests, hobbies and purpose... The overall scope of GF is very broad. There are so many different kinds of people and many different perspectives to speak of here which makes interaction on the forum colorful and interesting. Whereas many forums will grow stagnant, GF only seems to grow more interesting as time goes on due to this sense of color.
All in all, it is stimulating on many levels to be a part of this community, which partially explains a reason as to why I keep returning... to put a finger on what makes this place and the people in it tick, is another reason. (Sharing multimedia is icing on the cake, really.)

I truly dunno why I keep coming back to GF, but that is an appreciable quality in my eyes. Though I probably will never know most of you as well as I'd like, I appreciate what I see here on a daily basis. It is fairly rare to find an intelligent place on the internet where there lies a sense of common interest and unity. (even if expressed for only brief moments in time, it's still a gift)

GFF is probably the most mature forum I've ever frequented. People here can actually hold intelligent discussions and debates about topics that would not fly on 99% of forums. People here are open to discussions of new things and don't try to be overly witty or cool and overuse internet slang and different trends.

There are cool people here, and it is a good place to chat and discuss things sometimes.

While I'm not a regular poster, I've been around for like 4 years or so.

GFF to me is a brain opener. It's an amazing place where I can find many intelligent and interesting people.

Many members changed my point of view in many topics like religion (NO! I'm not talking about LordsSword >_>), politics and even videogames. And that's why I love this place so much, It's educational and very fun.

To tell you the truth, I feel a little intimidated sometimes, mainly because the lenguage barrier. My English is Ok, but far from being perfect and sometimes is very difficult to express myself. That's probably why I spend more time reading posts than actually be a part of them.

That being said, I'd like to thank GFF for all this time being my reson to believe in forums again.

PS: Sass and Infernal Monkey: I love every single post of both of you. Keep 'em coming ;)

Gamingforce to me? The place that ushered me into the internet and gave me a place to run back to if the internet was too much for me. And it's made me see the internet like this.

GFF > Everything else

Although I've been here for about 4-5 years now, I didn't really start posting up until the least two years or so. Since then, this place is basically my internet home. Without it, I don't really know what I would do since there's so much bullshit out there. I barely even tell my other internet friends about this place because I worry that if I brought them to the one place that gives me a safe haven, I wouldn't think of it the same way if I did.

On top of that, I honestly don't think they're smart enough to post here. This place has such a standard of maturity, I think that this place has actually helped me develop a certain sense of it on the Internet and offline. It's a good thing though. Unlike all the other bullshit forums I've visited, people here could actually hold their own arguments, support it with facts, and sound smart about it.

There's also a very good amount of diverse members here. I've never seen so many members from so many different parts of the world. And even if they don't speak English as their first language, I'm surprised that a lot of ESL people here speak it better than some people I know who only know English.

Although it's a little weird, I think this place has helped me grow over the years. This was basically my first message board when I was 13, and I don't ever regret coming here for the music in the first place. Honestly, without this place, I don't know where the hell I would be on the Internet. I would be... lost.

I honestly thank all the people I've met here throughout the years and making this place as great as it could be.

To be honest with you, I'm not always sure why I come back here. I don't participate in the discussions very often, but I peek in every half a year or so to say something insignificant and see if anyone responds. I think I visit the forum almost every day, but I don't always delve into the topics like some of you do. I like to read about different things whether they be personal, political, or simply playful. Though GFF isn't always as thriving and constantly active as other forums I've visited, GFF certainly has more depth and clarity. Sometimes I come here and I'm disappointed that there aren't more topics and posts, but then I discover that I can get interested in something here even if it's something I normally wouldn't delve into, simply because of how passionate and well-spoken people are. Quality is certainly the standard here, and it's not so bad that quantity isn't always there. It's quite remarkable, and I often find myself daunted and intimidated by the level of intelligence displayed. All of us are busy with our lives, doing interesting and diverse things, and this place is a nice breather for our thoughts and reflections.

GFF is special. I know I'm new, and I wasn't here for the Golden Ages or the Good ol' Days or whatever, and I can't replace people like Talbain or Alucard or OctoberOmicron or any of the other guys I read about on Wiki, but I'd like to think that the best times are still to come. We have My Stuff, we all use it, but where else on the Net can you request as many albums or ROMs or warez as you want not worry about mods giving you the "copyright infringement" spiel. Where else has its own fully-functional journal system built right into the code? Where else does a forum preserve its history and keep track of its members, jokes, and events with a wiki? How many other forums have events? It's pretty obvious that the mods and members here I put a lot of effort into making these boards a bonafide community and not just a place to hang out between Counter Strike matches or whatever. Best of all, I feel like I'm legitimately learning some things from a lot of these posts. Some of you guys are so smart and knowledgeable about the stuff you post about. Megalith and audio/visual stuff, trackjacket and games, bishop and soundtracks, LeHah and music; it's great. Everyone's input is valuable, too, whether it gets agreed up or dashed upon the rocks, the conversations all benefit the more people post in them. Most people seem to have at least some interest in games or game music, so that common ground is there at any rate.

Keep on being' cool, GFF!

My opinion of GFF has never been a positive one and will never be one. All the friends I made in the past have long long gone. What keeps me here is the time I already invested.

Well please, don't let us keep you from getting the fuck out. I mean, as much as your presence is a boon. I'm sure we'll all weep for the loss.

Serious shit Winter Storm, wtf?

Why do you still bother to post?

No shit. A level 26 who hates this place? Are you kidding me? Don't let the internet hit your ass on the way out.

GFF is a bunch of smart, funny people I like to creep around and observe. It's like a giant communal journal about everything in life, and I admit to living vicariously through the community a lot of times. GFF basically lets me feel connected to other people in a way that's comfortable and rewarding for me. Some of you guys have been better role models for me than anyone I know in real life, because I admire your wit and intelligence, and other good ass-kissable qualities that I want to someday possess. Maybe that's weird and kind of anti-social of me, but it works so I keep coming back.

And I <3 Infernal who will be a famous writer/cartoonist one day whom I will say I knew (of) online.

Gamingforce represents to me a community that I can't find anywhere in real life. A VGM loving community, a gaming community, or even a classical music community. All very rare in real life... To say the least, in the company where I work, noone plays an instrument. And if they would play an instrument, they wouldn't like to play games, or listening to game music.

Ooh, totally missed this thread.

I love it here. Its more than my e-home. Its really about learning about yourself and everything around you. Never stop learning guys. Never. Roll with the punches and learn how to be yourself without having to strip. Stand out for yourself and for no one. Reaching out to people as well as being critical to them is all part of growing spiritually or just a part of learning.

I must confess, I have no friends outside of work here in VA other than SD's buddies. That's why I love the journals here, it allows me to connect in a lot of ways that I couldn't in real life. I get to hear/read about other people's selfish/less perceptives of their world and better yet, I get their opinions on my own world as well. I just learn/grow this way. I think I couldn't possibly be a better person if it wasn't for GFF.

To me being a member of the site for almost two years have taught me a lot of things. This forum is definetely one of the few places that I actually enjoy what people have to say about various topics. This forum is practically the only I visit on a constant basis because the other forum I'm involved with is just a bunch of people acting stupid and chlidish for no apparent reason.

I'll be completely honest, I am absolutely intimidated by some of the people on this site and the amount of knowledge they show toward certain things. I've been here for almost two years and I'm only a level 11.

Its just I don't feel comfortable with sharing my opinions toward certain things because I've seen people on this site share the same opinions that I have and as a result get torn down and belittled so bad by some of the other senior members of the site. I guess in a way I'm a coward when it comes to posting how I truly feel about certain perspectives and toward certain people.

I act on this site honestly in a way I act in my own life. Always observing and never really partaking in anything out of life. Its only been recently that I've tried to get involved with a few more forum activites. I'm not really much of a computer expert and I've had the same avatar I've had since I first joined the site. Besides my fiance I only really got one good friend out of this site.

I would really like to become a better or more noticeable member but I don't have the sharp sarcastic humor that many of the members have. I personally think i got a few enemies on this site that got a big target on my back. I don't really know what I can do to become a better member. I'll always try to be a better member and I don't really see myself leaving this forum anytime. I just enjoy the forum because it gives me a constant form of entertainment and its one of the few things I look forward to when I move away to work in Alberta for three months at a time. Being a part of this community really has helped me make my time working up here that much easier.

To me that I've always looked at this forum realizing that as much as I may disagree with some people deep down I'm not going to hold it against anybody. We're all our own individual human beings and no matter how you might act I'll always respect you nonetheless. Its probably the reason why I try not to flame or troll anybody in this community at least to the best of my knowledge.

Above anything else, a lot of people are just very enjoyable to listen to and with all the intelligent discussions I have definetely learned quite a lot and hopefully one of those days My fiance and I will be able to get involved with one of the GFF meets in 2009.

I honestly can't remember when exactly I started to hang around this forum. I know I originally came to gamingforce when they had a mp3 dumping ground outside of the forum and after awhile I just decided to check out the forum. Mainly because I wanted a forum involving gaming that wasn't full of the drama that you'd see on Gamefaqs or any number of other overly popular sites. You can only take so many topics with people arguing which characters are stronger in a game or an anime...

I admit, when I first came here, I acted abit stupid in one particular instance. Getting into a really stupid argument with Bradylama. I'm probably lucky I didn't get myself banned early on, but that was a few years ago and I think I was having an emo moment when that happened.

But this place always has some interesting topics, even if I just read threads far more often then I ever actually post. Honestly I can say I've been visiting this forum longer then any other. Most other forums that I tried to get involved in, their activity just seemed to die out. It's like this is the only forum that doesn't put up with complete idiots that manages to keep going.

So Cheers GFF, to keeping a forum running that doesn't rely on letting the idiots in!

I've not been here for a long time, but there's certainly a reason why I've been posting regularly since I got here. I just loved this place from the moment I came here! There are lots of great/fun/interesting (sometimes disgusting :gonk:) discussions to read and partake in, and there's lots of intelligent people and striking personalities here that is rarely seen other places on the net, at least in the kind of forum this really is "supposed to be". It's kind of become an e-home for me at the moment, being the place where I end up after a long day at school. It's also the source of the rare music you just can't find anywhere else than here, I've found lots of great music here I wouldn't have found otherwise and I thank you guys for that. I think my English has gotten tad better since I got here too, even though it's just been a couple of months, because of all the skilled writers around on this forum.

So I deeply appreciate that this forum exists and I hope I'll get to know everyone much better than I do right now :)

I've only been posting here for a little while and I don't participate in big debates or post in a ton of forums. I'm just another casual user. Even so, when there's something that does interest me I have fun posting here. It's one of the only forums I've found that is worth posting on regularly.