Lurkers of the world, unite!

[Dog Pants]

Well done ladies. I'm going to win that cupcake award at some point I tells you! (or did I win it last year?)

Either way, I think last year was good year. This year, instead of just going out and trawling the gutters for new people, how's about we go and poke lurkers to see if we can get them to become more active again?

What's wrong with trawling gutters? That's how we found you.

The Friday Diaries are in part meant to highlight our gaming sessions to people who might not normally join in. Show off activity outside the forum. I assume if people are lurking though it's because they like to check in on us but might not have the time to join in. Any lurkers out there have an opinion? Might be worth a thread actually. An empty lurker thread.

[Thompy]

Any lurkers out there have an opinion?

I sometimes think about posting about this to explain my own personal situation, so I will as you've brought it up but I'll keep it very brief.

I wouldn't have considered myself a lurker for the most part - I don't play but I've always been active enough on the forums. My posting has gone way down recently due to time though, so maybe now I am. I still check the forums multiple times each day.

I don't play for a few reasons - there being few games I'm interested in these days, not having privacy, and other social neuroses of mine. I know I'd of course be welcomed like anyone else but I struggle with that a lot... This affects bashes as well. It's a bit sad that I've been here a number of years, always checking the forums, but don't feel like I'm actually a proper part of the community as I'm never on TS or playing games. My plan is: get job, own place, join in. Probably

So, dunno if that was the kind of input you were after but that's my situation. I'm always here though and proud to be a part of the community in my own way so far.

Feel free to split this now if you like!

[Dog Pants]

Good idea, split has happened.

I don't think of you as a lurker, you have a Grimatar and everything! That said, lurker isn't a derogatory term so it shouldn't really matter. I'd assumed that many of the people who check the forums but don't post as much as they used to did so for pretty much the reasons you've said. I think most of us have reduced our post count over the past few years due to real life, and there's not really a lot can be done about that. Apart from maybe in fifty years when we're all retired old men (five years for Jock). Worth bearing in mind is that in my eyes, and hopefully in everyone's, there's no such thing as a lapsed 5punker. Look at Bali's re-appearance yesterday for example, everyone still remembers him and warmly welcomes him back (hi Bali!), even after several years. So don't feel bad about lurking, lurkers, but also don't feel you can't say anything because we might have forgotten who you are. Or if you lurk and have never posted, check out other peoples' introduction threads for the lovely welcomes people get. I'm not sure we have anyone who visits regularly and has never posted, but if we do and that's you, hello!

[emeraldsub]

I am determined to be a more active part of the forums this year, and possibly the gaming too.

I do worry (despite many a reassurance from Grimmie) that I'm just not very good at games. Really, I'm only any good with skyrim and l4d. Grimmie assures me that most people on 5punk are only really good at a couple of games, but that being good isn't the point. He says he likes playing games he's bad at if he's playing with 5punkers.
Its not like I think people are going to make fun of me for being bad (aside from the usual good natured ribbing) but I worry that my suckiness will bring down the fun for you guys.

I know its silly cause everyone I've spoken to has been lovely. I love listening to the team speak conversations on friday and Saturday nights but I don't join in because... I guess I don't feel like I have anything worth saying.

So basically I'm being stupid and I'm going to try harder this year.

[Dog Pants]

It's a valid point though. Regardless of how confident you might be that we're a happy, friendly bunch it's still intimidating to join a voice server full of people who know each other and are chattering constantly. I was intimidated by it when I joined. I remember my first time on TS, the things people were talking about regarding the game just didn't make sense. I worked out in the end that I was in the wrong channel and everyone else was playing CounterStrike when I was playing CoD. How embarrassing. But even if you don't have much to say you can always just listen in, and it (we) all becomes more familiar.

[fabyak]

You could do what I did to start with and join TS and mute your mic, that way you can get a feel for what it's like, laugh at pnuts drunkeness and Roman's terrible (but award winning) jokes. You don't even have to join in the games if you don't want. It's only in the last year or so that I've actively come in with my mic active

[Joose]

You could do what I did to start with and join TS and mute your mic, that way you can get a feel for what it's like, laugh at pnuts drunkeness and Roman's terrible (but award winning) jokes. You don't even have to join in the games if you don't want. It's only in the last year or so that I've actively come in with my mic active

Very this. I don't tend to have my mic muted, but I do tend to not say a great deal. Just listening in is a lot of fun in itself though.

Its not like I think people are going to make fun of me for being bad (aside from the usual good natured ribbing) but I worry that my suckiness will bring down the fun for you guys.

Not even a little bit. If you are worried that this might be a barrier for entry, watch drunk Pnut playing DOTA2 for a bit. If having someone playing who is bad at the game being played brought down the fun we would all have topped ourselves years ago. Just to give you a frame of reference: Look at the people we put forward as nominations for the recent Haxxor award (given to the 5punker who has shown the most in game skill this year). We claim anyone who shows any consistent level of competence in a game is some sort of God. We are all, to some level, bad at games. Thats why we are 5punk, and not some ultra-competitive gaming clan with entry requirements and regular training schedules. As long as you are having fun, then everyone else will be having fun too.

[Mr. Johnson]

It's a valid point though. Regardless of how confident you might be that we're a happy, friendly bunch it's still intimidating to join a voice server full of people who know each other and are chattering constantly. I was intimidated by it when I joined.

All of this.

When I first joined I had only ever played with randoms and I was afraid everything was going to be serious business. Having come from b3ta I was somewhat familiar with the atmosphere but talking to people on the interwebs was still a scary concept for me and it took a few sessions just listening in muted for me to figure out that these wonderful people were the group I had always looked for but never found in my own environment. So don't be afraid, you'll learn to love the bumming!

And as for having nothing to say; we're hardly academics here and we usually have a few drinks so the level of conversation is pretty much pub-talk. I made that last part up, but you know what I mean.

[mrbobbins]

I think the most fun I've had playing 5punky games is when I'm pretty shit at a game.
Especially when playing with Deject

I'd assumed that many of the people who check the forums but don't post as much as they used to did so for pretty much the reasons you've said. I think most of us have reduced our post count over the past few years due to real life, and there's not really a lot can be done about that

This

[Chickenz]

I've barely played the pc since leaving the RAF. I no longer have access to the amount of cash I had to upgrade my ageing pc. That and moving in with friends and no longer having a lock on the door meant I didn't like wearing the headphones should I not hear people coming in. Then meeting the missus and having a kid of our own as well as becoming stepdad to 2 brilliant wee girls seriously impacted my time.

Those are the main reasons for my becoming more of a consoletard and lurker. I did try to get back into the pc side of gaming after reading the whole Ps2 forum only to discover that even at lowest of low settings my machine can't run it I never bothered again.

It worked out more cost effective to spend 430 quid on a new console to play my games that spend 2 or 3 times that to build an acceptable to me machine to play on.

I check the forums daily and go to post on almost every topic but 9 times out of ten I delete my reply and don't bother posting it as I no longer feel I have the right too now I'm not active anymore.

[Grimmie]

I check the forums daily and go to post on almost every topic but 9 times out of ten I delete my reply and don't bother posting it as I no longer feel I have the right too now I'm not active anymore.

What what what? Nonsense. Post away, dude.

[Mr. Johnson]

Chickenz, surely you've been with us long enough to know there are no privileges here.

[fabyak]

Its not like I think people are going to make fun of me for being bad (aside from the usual good natured ribbing) but I worry that my suckiness will bring down the fun for you guys.

Join us for a few rounds of SWAT4. I think we may have finished one round ever. More often than not we don't even get out of the starting area due to tazers and kneecapping. It honestly doesn't matter if you're not much good, we tend to move as a group so often if one person gets fed up everyone will come along and play something else (or at worst follow shortly after). You can be rest assured that we won't pick on you or call you out (although you may raise a chuckle if you die spectacularly)

[Dog Pants]

I check the forums daily and go to post on almost every topic but 9 times out of ten I delete my reply and don't bother posting it as I no longer feel I have the right too now I'm not active anymore.

What what what? Nonsense. Post away, dude.

You've even got your own meme! "Doing a Chickenz: To eat noisily over Teamspeak."

[fabyak]

And if you don't post more, how will you be more active?

Oh mr circle, why you so vicious?

[Dog Pants]

And if you don't post more, how will you be more active?

Oh mr circle, why you so vicious?

I thought that said "How will you be more attractive?" Which is also valid.

[buzzmong]

I check the forums daily and go to post on almost every topic but 9 times out of ten I delete my reply and don't bother posting it as I no longer feel I have the right too now I'm not active anymore.

Chickenz, stop being a dafty. Post away.

[Dr. kitteny berk]

I hereby nominate chicken our roving reporter from the frontlines of the console wars.

In response to em (Wales ate my post) no-one here has anything worth saying, we all talk bollocks.

I do think that we can be quite imposing to new people, due to the nature of the group, but on the plus side, everyone's treated as equal, 9 year old member or newcomer. You're always gonna be called a cupcake for killing me.

[Dog Pants]

Do we have any 9-year-old members?

[Dr. kitteny berk]

Mentally? Yes.