TL; DR: Click to remove the troll forever. Click again when (s)he returns with a new user name. Bliss.

Simple: the ability to block people. If only GOG made it happen. Once you block them, you do not have to read their posts, ever. They also do not get to see yours.

Meaning, the ability to remove usernames that, in the personal opinion of each user, consistently add content that is of no interest whatsoever.

In other words: empowering GOG forum users to remove whole swaths of noise, trolling, spam, people that go for the negatives, etcetera. As long as it takes more work making a whole new fake identity in GOG than the work it would take removing it from your reading list forever, it is a win.

Useful for making the forum more readable, enjoyable and possibly useful. Because, more often than not, the general discussion forum is not what it used to be.

Great if you do not have so much time to scan the forum and want to remove all the trash to proceed quicker to whatever is worth reading.

Now, people who would be affected by this measure are welcome to complain ^_^

EDIT: Added in the community feature wishlist.

Thanks to everyone participating in this thread for your help in highlighting how the lack of this feature is an issue to be addressed by GOG. Luv you all! :3

There is a user made script,

https://github.com/Alaricus/JerkMuter

^There are links for installation on Firefox and Chrome

I think the main issue with it would be that you would most likely end up blocking most of it, and hence missing some interesting discussions or information.
Also, how would it work within a discussion? If:
A - how do I run game xyz
B - <removed by you>
A - thank you for solving this issue, really helpful and is great for everyone else to know about

Just one example, another could be:
A - quick download all your games from shiny loot as the server is going off.
But you blocked A and so you don’t get to see that post...

Yep, Jerkmuter works a treat. You would be surprised at the high level rep trolls that I have blocked, that assume to be God's in their own ego:)

I'm not tech-savvy enough to know if this would even be doable in the way you suggest.

For example: what about comments made by users, that I haven't blocked?
If these quote the trolls in their comments - won't I be able to still read the troll comments that way?

- Your "once you block them, you do not have to read their posts, ever" - argument would be countered that way.

And what if I can't read them (let's say the trolls' quotes inside the non-blocked comments are made invisible for me) - won't this make these comments (that react to something invisible for me) more or less nonsensical and superfluous (for me)?

- Imho, that wouldn't "make the forum more readable/enjoyable/useful". Possibly quite the exact opposite from it.

Apart from the above, two reasons why I have my doubts:

A) I don't see GOG to be willing to implement such a feature into their forum software (the forum is just an appendage to the shop, after all - the forum is not GOG's main reason to exist).

plus

B) Considering the state of several already existing "construction sites" here on GOG...do you actually believe "GOG's best people" (I believe you're around for long enough to understand that quote) are actually capable of implementing this feature into the forums - in a way that it's working as intended?

Don't get me wrong: I wouldn't mind having a "block" feature (in the chatrooms of old, that I frequented 15 years ago, I learned to value such a feature)...I just don't see it working exactly the way you have envisioned it in your post.

Definitely not without putting a lot of time and work into it.

Time and work that has to be paid for by GOG, but without bringing a real benefit to the store.

Again: GOG is a store featuring a tacked on forum - GOG is not a forum featuring a tacked on store.

Real forums have block features; they work fine and don't create any problems. Regarding the fake "but what about missing critical posts" scenarios...the people you block don't make helpful or useful posts, that's why you block them. This isn't some scary weird new idea, it's been common for decades.

It's a risk you run. Not something I'd use, but I can understand why some would.

Exactly. That is the way Twitter works, to name one. It is common in forums. Simple. Helpful if you just want to skip the crap. Thank you for pointing this out. Only seven users registered? Have you tried it out?

It might be a last resort, although it does not cover all the requested functionality, and a tool native to the forum would be way simpler, cleaner and user-friendly.

Just zhuzh up teh forum software. zhuzhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Go live in a bubble somewhere else.

I just don't see the need for a "block" button.

The General Discussion section isn't a particularly high traffic board and there aren't many real trolls.

^^^ "youve got what it takes to make it"

Except make some forums a bunch of "walled gardens" and "safe spaces" where users talk mostly only to some others and the rest of the forum areas are ghost towns, due to people more readily clicking that block button over the slightest thing.

(If you think i'm being a bit overdramatic, look at how the rep system here is treated...people mostly just downrate/uprate and move on with many posts instead of adding anything to the threads)This is hyperbolic....not every poster is either ALL/mostly good or bad posts and nothing else....most people(and their posts) are shades of grey with regards to what they post, and we all know if it was an easy option here people would be more likely to use it at the slightest drop of a hat.

=================================

A bit crude and uncalled for, but I agree people(in general) these days are a bit too averse to things compared to many decades back...the following South Park Clips say it best, I think: (Youtube clips with sound, and possible some course language and visuals)

Summary of vids: Essentially life has problems and people should try to face them and not shut themselves away from reality for even minor problems and annoyances if at all possible.

Also nobody's forced to block users. If you're scared of the .000000001% chance that a troll might post something you want to read someday, then don't use it. Seems to me people who constantly whine about rep would be happy to have a block feature...if you block someone, you can't downvote posts you don't see.

I agree they should have that option(and they have it with Jerkmuter and other things)....but let's be honest: In today's ultra sensitive and easily outraged world, many would just use it as a first response go-to choice instead of a last resort....just(as I said before) as with those who up-down rate instead of show what they liked or disliked via a reply now.

That likely wouldn't work for the ones who low rate others and me near constantly.....they could easily just use jerkmuter on us now and they don't....having an "official" option here wouldn't mean they would use it.