TBT New Horizons - How to Respect Criticizers: PSA

[itscharles]

Here’s a little guide to not upsetting the other people on the site! In no way is this thread directed at anybody in particular, and the point is to boost the happiness levels of the people who like to post here.

1. DON’T MAKE YOUR POINT BY PUTTING DOWN THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS

If you want to compliment the game, don’t do so while dismissing or putting down the opinions of others!

For example, if you like the music you could say ‘wow! the music in this game is so good!!’. What you shouldn’t say is ‘the music in this game is amazing and the people saying it’s not are entitled’.

Why? Well, it can be hurtful to put down others to make a point. I don’t need to explain why this isn’t helpful.

2. PEOPLE AREN’T IDIOTS, THEY KNOW WHY THEY’RE COMPLAINING

Never tell people that it’s too early to be complaining as if they don’t know what they’re talking about. As it stands, there is no update yet! While you may easily feel faithful about what’s going to come, others may not!

It’s a big task to tell someone to believe in something with no concrete evidence, or any kind of detail. It’s very patronizing to be told that we don’t know what we’re talking about. We do. We know this game isn’t New Leaf and we know that updates may improve the game in the future. However, they do not currently exist.

We’re complaining about the game in it’s current state, and after spending $60 I feel as if it’s well within our right to be sad if we don’t feel like we got as much for our money as we could have. Our opinions may change after future updates, but we won’t know until then. All we know is what’s right in front of us, and that’s what we wanted more from. The base game we paid $60 for.

3. CRITICISM AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ARE NATURAL, STOP TELLING PEOPLE TO STOP BEING UPSET JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT, IT’S NOT THAT EASY

During this period of misery in regards to current events it’s only natural that our most vitriolic thoughts are amplified. However, if the hate isn’t directed at you then you should just let people be upset. It doesn’t harm you, and getting things off of our chests makes us feel a lot better. Let us vent our frustrations in healthy ways.

END STATEMENT

That’s all i really have to say for now. Don’t argue with the thread, it’s just some insight into how some of us are feeling and what to take into consideration before you reply with why they should feel otherwise.

Please feel free to add your own points, thank you!

 

[bcmii]

Thank you for saying this. It's sad that we've reached this point, but that's just how it's gotten on this forum lately. I am tired of being belittled for having a differing opinion.

 

[Xara]

thank you for making this - kinda sad that this kind of thread needs to be made in the first place but hopefully it’ll help somewhat

 

[itscharles]

Thank you for saying this. It's sad that we've reached this point, but that's just how it's gotten on this forum lately. I am tired of being belittled for having a differing opinion.

thank you for making this - kinda sad that this kind of thread needs to be made in the first place but hopefully it’ll help somewhat

no problem. it's incredibly disheartening to be constantly told your feelings are 'wrong' instead of being respected

 

[Feraligator]

Excellent thread, many good points made. There is a lot of criticism and complaints but people belittling these posts don't make it any better. People are well within their rights to criticise a game they love / once loved, otherwise we'd still have another City Folk (i.e. an Animal Crossing game that's never been improved).

The worrying about updates thing is also a good point - there will always be people worried because some people like to know and not be left in the dark. My sister for one doesn't care about spoilers and will want to know the end to a story before she even starts it - telling others they're being unreasonable for worrying about future DLC that may not make it into the game is unreasonable in itself. We don't know much yet, other than DLC is coming; what's the rate it's released? What's the content they're going to put out? We don't know and uncertainty worries some people.

 

[bcmii]

Excellent thread, many good points made. There is a lot of criticism and complaints but people belittling these posts don't make it any better. People are well within their rights to criticise a game they love / once loved, otherwise we'd still have another City Folk (i.e. an Animal Crossing game that's never been improved).

The worrying about updates thing is also a good point - there will always be people worried because some people like to know and not be left in the dark. My sister for one doesn't care about spoilers and will want to know the end to a story before she even starts it - telling others they're being unreasonable for worrying about future DLC that may not make it into the game is unreasonable in itself. We don't know much yet, other than DLC is coming; what's the rate it's released? What's the content they're going to put out? We don't know and uncertainty worries some people.

Exactly. Nintendo said something about updates (it sounded like it was mostly to just add in the holidays) but we have absolutely NO IDEA of what's in store for them. I wish people would stop acting like they KNOW feature x (insert missing feature that should've been there in the first place) is being added via some huge update, when the truth is that we don't know. So until Nintendo confirms anything, I don't think people should be saying they know one way or the other.

 

[Romaki]

I mean, that's just common etiquette and kids generally don't have that yet. I think it's more valuable to explain them how their conclusion is wrong... like for example for disliking the music is being entitled say you appreciate and understand the work that goes into every music piece and wish more people wouldn't take it for granted just because it's not to their personal liking... it's a mouthful but it's easy to be misinterpreted if you keep your statements short or vague.

But I don't think anyone means to attack anyone when they get offensive. I've seen the conversation you hint at with your OP and that was really aggression on both sides. If you find yourself in such a situation and you notice it then it's on you to defuse the situation. There's really no point in dismissing other attitudes and continue the cycle of starting an argument and then not wanting to finish it. Everybody sucks at communication, it'd help a lot if you don't suspect malice behind every statement.

Either way, don't put yourself above others and reflect on your own actions first. Everyone should do that.

 

[pocky]

Sometimes people are just very passionate about the things that they love, so another thing to remember is that Nintendo isn't some small indie company struggling to get by. Criticism isn't going to hurt them or bankrupt them. All feedback has its value.

 

[bcmii]

Sometimes people are just very passionate about the things that they love, so another thing to remember is that Nintendo isn't some small indie company struggling to get by. Criticism isn't going to hurt them or bankrupt them. All feedback has its value.

Definitely. Criticism is a normal part of any product release. It doesn't mean that we hate the product, like some people are making it out to be. Not sure why it's looked down upon...it's completely normal.

- - - Post Merge - - -

I was checking the poll results and people out here really voting no? Sigh...

 

[itscharles]

I mean, that's just common etiquette and kids generally don't have that yet. I think it's more valuable to explain them how their conclusion is wrong... like for example for disliking the music is being entitled say you appreciate and understand the work that goes into every music piece and wish more people wouldn't take it for granted just because it's not to their personal liking... it's a mouthful but it's easy to be misinterpreted if you keep your statements short or vague.

But I don't think anyone means to attack anyone when they get offensive. I've seen the conversation you hint at with your OP and that was really aggression on both sides. If you find yourself in such a situation and you notice it then it's on you to defuse the situation. There's really no point in dismissing other attitudes and continue the cycle of starting an argument and then not wanting to finish it. Everybody sucks at communication, it'd help a lot if you don't suspect malice behind every statement.

Either way, don't put yourself above others and reflect on your own actions first. Everyone should do that.

i mean they did apologize to me personally, so i don't think i was entirely out of line for 'suspecting malice'. i said the same thing to them, that the situation was tense and offense was inevitable + that they didn't need to apologize

there's a difference between defending beliefs about the game, and attacking individuals for the beliefs they hold. 'entitled' is very pointed language, i don't think there's any way to misconstrue that word. and i'd be more than happy to provide multiple examples of the explicit provocations in question

i don't suspect malice behind every statement, i've already said what statements i have a problem with. there are times where i wish i'd conducted myself better but i believe i've given a reasonable response to what i percieve as provocation, detailed here in this thread. everyone does suck at communication, so if that's the case then maybe you're not correct percieving my words and thinking that i'm 'detecting malice all the time'. it doesn't really prove or disprove either of our points

it's also impossible to move on from arguments when we have people only wanting to dispute the qualms of the critics frequent rant threads lol

 

[John Wick]

That was an awesome post.

I was at a point where I thought about not posting anything because it gets twisted.

People say post your opinion, when they are so fragile and defensive that what they really mean is "post your opinion as long as it's what I want to hear, otherwise we will come down on you like a ton of bricks, and put it all down to you being negative".

Sometimes it's just easier/safer, to hold things inside.

A lot of people here are really wonderful, and open, and genuinely want to know your thoughts.

Others, not so much.

 

[itscharles]

That was an awesome post.

I was at a point where I thought about not posting anything because it gets twisted.

People say post your opinion, when they are so fragile and defensive that what they really mean is "post your opinion as long as it's what I want to hear, otherwise we will come down on you like a ton of bricks, and put it all down to you being negative".

Sometimes it's just easier/safer, to hold things inside.

A lot of people here are really wonderful, and open, and genuinely want to know your thoughts.

Others, not so much.

happy to try and provide a more ope-minded space for those who feel unsafe to share their opinion!!

 

[pocky]

Definitely. Criticism is a normal part of any product release. It doesn't mean that we hate the product, like some people are making it out to be. Not sure why it's looked down upon...it's completely normal.

- - - Post Merge - - -

I was checking the poll results and people out here really voting no? Sigh...

I love this game. Been playing nonstop and I'm actually waking up early to visit my shops and whatnot before going off to work each day. It's the most fun I've had with Animal Crossing in a long time and even I have a lot of critiques. I doesn't impact my enjoyment, but this is the only Animal Crossing game so far where I've had anything negative to say. Won't go into a rant since I don't want to get off topic, but yeah you can love the game and still critique it.

 

[Romaki]

i mean they did apologize to me personally, so i don't think i was entirely out of line for 'suspecting malice'. i said the same thing to them, that the situation was tense and offense was inevitable + that they didn't need to apologize

there's a difference between defending beliefs about the game, and attacking individuals for the beliefs they hold. 'entitled' is very pointed language, i don't think there's any way to misconstrue that word. and i'd be more than happy to provide multiple examples of the explicit provocations in question

i don't suspect malice behind every statement, i've already said what statements i have a problem with. there are times where i wish i'd conducted myself better but i believe i've given a reasonable response to what i percieve as provocation, detailed here in this thread. everyone does suck at communication, so if that's the case then maybe you're not correct percieving my words and thinking that i'm 'detecting malice all the time'. it doesn't really prove or disprove either of our points

it's also impossible to move on from arguments when we have people only wanting to dispute the qualms of the critics frequent rant threads lol

I just think your posts come off as debate posts, which isn't really the energy of this forum in my opinion. People usually don't want to discuss things that have no bearings to them. My post was just meant to get you to self-reflect a little bit, since this thread seems self-serving and judgmental of others. Just an observation from an outside.

 

[itscharles]

I just think your posts come off as debate posts, which isn't really the energy of this forum in my opinion. People usually don't want to discuss things that have no bearings to them. My post was just meant to get you to self-reflect a little bit, since this thread seems self-serving and judgmental of others. Just an observation from an outside.

oh my god i thought you were posting in good faith but jesus i didn't expect such a snarky and passive aggressive response lmao. thanks for proving my point bro

if you dont want a debate, dont debate me

 

[Emi]

ok i keep being indirectly mentioned here and while i did apologize, i feel like some of what i said was taken out of context or misunderstood which i won’t lie, is a little frustrating. absolutely nothing i ever said was said in malice or with any ill intent outside of a passive aggressive smiley emoji, which was only after i felt i was being talked down to because a response to what i said at some point was “but go off, i guess” which i felt was unnecessary and ultimately set the tone for the rest of the interaction, imo.

people complaining in general aren’t entitled at all. what i said about entitlement was either glossed over or completely misunderstood in the initial conversation. in reference to the music thread, i truly did see someone say something like “we need to write to Nintendo about the music” and my idea of this being entitled was that the community here is Very Small compared to the entire player base and one person here taking it upon themselves to complain to Nintendo (this is the part that I want to stress, I truly do not mind people complaining on this forum) about something like the games music, and expecting a massive change when chances are, the majority of the entire player base outside of this dedicated forum, most likely don’t take an issue with it came off as entitled to me. I never said that disliking the music or disliking anything about the game at all was entitled which is what people seem to be taking away from the conversation. perhaps entitled was not the best word to choose but i can’t think of a better one at the moment.

i have my own disappointments and frustrations with the game, believe me. i don’t voice them myself but I understand people who do. i just feel as though it is easier for me to remain hopeful about the future of the game and to enjoy it for what it is at the moment, than it is for me to be pessimistic about it. i understand that everyone is not the same. everyone is free to express how they feel about the game, it was never my intention to imply that they couldn’t.

 

[itscharles]

ok i keep being indirectly mentioned here and while i did apologize, i feel like some of what i said was taken out of context or misunderstood which i won’t lie, is a little frustrating. absolutely nothing i ever said was said in malice or with any ill intent outside of a passive aggressive smiley emoji, which was only after i felt i was being talked down to because a response to what i said at some point was “but go off, i guess” which i felt was unnecessary and ultimately set the tone for the rest of the interaction, imo.

people complaining in general aren’t entitled at all. what i said about entitlement was either glossed over or completely misunderstood in the initial conversation. in reference to the music thread, i truly did see someone say something like “we need to write to Nintendo about the music” and my idea of this being entitled was that the community here is Very Small compared to the entire player base and one person here taking it upon themselves to complain to Nintendo (this is the part that I want to stress, I truly do not mind people complaining on this forum) about something like the games music, and expecting a massive change when chances are, the majority of the entire player base outside of this dedicated forum, most likely don’t take an issue with it came off as entitled to me. I never said that disliking the music or disliking anything about the game at all was entitled which is what people seem to be taking away from the conversation. perhaps entitled was not the best word to choose but i can’t think of a better one at the moment.

i have my own disappointments and frustrations with the game, believe me. i don’t voice them myself but I understand people who do. i just feel as though it is easier for me to remain hopeful about the future of the game and to enjoy it for what it is at the moment, than it is for me to be pessimistic about it. i understand that everyone is not the same. everyone is free to express how they feel about the game, it was never my intention to imply that they couldn’t.

i'm sorry to keep vagueposting about you. saying 'but go off' was what i meant when i said i had conducted myself poorly. i thought it was funny but i can definitely understand how it could have been viewed as in bad faith. i felt provoked as i believed 'people writing to nintendo' was hyperbole meant to mock people who didn't like the music. like i said in the thread that is dumb, i don't condone that behaviour and it's not the attitude of the majority of us

no hard feelings, i hope we can continue to be on good terms

 

[Morningowl]

One thing I haven't seen in any of these threads yet, This is the internet, written words do not translate or come off the same way as spoken words. That is often forgotten. I think the points that highlighted here are important to keep in mind but I don't believe one "side" is more guilty then the other. We should able to express how we are feeling the amazing, the good the bad and the ugly and there might be times that doesn't off as intended but just please be cordial either way.

 

[itscharles]

One thing I haven't seen in any of these threads yet, This is the internet, written words do not translate or come off the same way as spoken words. That is often forgotten. I think the points that highlighted here are important to keep in mind but I don't believe one "side" is more guilty then the other. We should able to express how we are feeling the amazing, the good the bad and the ugly and there might be times that doesn't off as intended but just please be cordial either way.

good take, i like it!

 

[Jared:3]

Absolutely 100% agree with this post, sad that we have to continue to remind those that criticism is allowed on a 60$ game that I expected more content from...