It's been a while since I've made a thoughtful post on a message board. Well, to be honest, it's been a while since I've posted on any message board at all. Not since I left here. This place was my last true residency on a virtual community. Which is a funny way to describe something that has no physical space. This community has held several internet spaces over the years and some have even met up in physical spaces, who should be applauded for the continued sense of community. How is it possible that some random people from a corporate message board (I speak of those that flocked here originally from IGN) could end up, a decade and more later, still communicating with each other? I think that speaks volumes to the type of people that inhabited and continue to inhabit this forum. The people here were always what made this community feel special. It's what kept me around for seven years and brought me back after another seven years of absence.
Though this community has no specific physical location outside of these internet constructs, there are strikingly vivid memories I retain associated with the people and community here. Just seeing certain screen names again had me recalling a very vivid memory at the age of 16 or 17 of riding to a gas station in TN to get a Cheerwine and a snack after talking at length with Savarian_Syan (now sirean_syan) about a video game called Rez on the IGN message boards. Though there have been shocking revelations, minor feuds, and a fair share of drama and argument -- the real reason this place felt different than other message boards about games, movies, etc. was the thoughtfulness and sincerity in most discussions. That is something that is hard to find, whether online or off.
That's why I was surprised to find that this forum was still going, but in the back of my mind I wasn't surprised at all. I was glad. Glad that somehow, people kept it going -- because it did mean something. That is all too rare in a format that is constantly changing, so many websites and message boards forgotten, even near-impossible to view through the internet archives. Here we are, inching into a third decade where a large majority of people have had access to chatting, messaging, e-mailing and sharing with people all over the world that they may meet, or never meet in a physical space. It's something commendable and worth taking note of.
