toxicTom: Seconded. My "rite of passage" into here was stumbling into a discussion that would probably have ended in bloodshed in most places on the net (and in real life). As you may guess it was about religion (and atheism). People from all over the world took part and although there were a few heated comments or snarky remarks, the tone keep unbelievably civil and no shitstorm or flame war erupted.
Totally awesome!
And then I took a look around in the forums and met people like TinyE, IAmSinistar (who gifted me Bad Mojo when I was OOM), ddickinson, trentonlf (still playing Divinity 2, thanks man!) and countless others. I've never felt more at home with an internet community.
And people here are from different countries, cultures, religions, world views, social classes, tastes and political views. There is so much to learn, to discover - so many occasions to reflect upon my own points of view. For an internet
gaming community this is an impressive thing to accomplish..
Maxvorstadt: I guess it`s because here are mostly older people. Gamers who were socialized in the eighties or even the seventies. Many younger people seem to have a rather disturbed view on social abilities. In most gaming forums you can see those people with absolutely no sense for good behavior and kindness. The attitude of this people is best described as "I´m right and if you don`t believe it I`m gonna shit on your head!".
If such people come here, they see that they have no chance with such an attitude. The younger people that stay here are those, who understood that kindness is a better way than shouting cursewords on each other. It seems for me, as if this forum attracts more of the intelligent people, than the average dumbasses. Most people here are more into helping each other, because they understand that then others are more willing to help themselves.
It's a good theory.