Mastodawn

Did r/retrogaming mods get demodded for supporting the blackout?

For those who don't know, retrogaming on Reddit was a labour of love, there is a multireddit, m/retrogamingnetwork that networks over 60 subreddits under one banner giving the audience, banner, and reach of a big subreddit to some very small and niche spaces.... #RedditMigration

https://kbin.social/m/RedditMigration/t/49626

Did r/retrogaming mods get demodded for supporting the blackout? - RedditMigration to the "Threadiverse" - kbin.social

For those who don't know, retrogaming on Reddit was a labour of love, there is a multireddit, m/retrogamingnetwork that networks over 60 subreddits under one banner giving the audience, banner, and reach of a big subreddit to some very small and niche spaces....

lavender Jun 18, 2023

This bodes well for the quality of many subs: I’m sure turncoat figureheads will provide quality moderation. /s

dreadedchalupacabra Jun 18, 2023

Nah, it's a democracy. Hi! I'm that mod in question. Man we protested for the users, that's why all of that happened in the first place. I'm also the mod that started the discussion with the community about blacking out, and if the option was to either get a few people mad by having my hand forced by spez or seeing the place turn into kotaku in action? I'll take the heat, I'm fine with that. I'd do it again.

My concern first and foremost is the people, I'm fucking PISSED at what spez pulled (and made that VERY clear in our return post) but he forced our hand. If they hand the place off to some of the random mods reddit has in their pocket for this kind of situation or anyone that requests it, it could fuck up the community. I'm literally a mod because I care about that not happening. And that didn't change just because spez is a dickhead.

I'd prefer to see us migrate elsewhere. Until that happens I'm gonna do my best to make the sub the best environment possible for what we do. If that makes me a turncoat, I'll own it, because this ain't about my ego dude. It's about the users. And I'm damn sure not being paid to do it.

chri5 Jun 18, 2023

Thanks for caring, I'd love to see the whole sub migrating elsewhere. Preferably kbin or lemmy.

RAK Jun 18, 2023

@pterodactyl: Hey there, I'll field this, since I was up until recently the most active mod on the subreddit. (Commenting from Mastodon, so excuse the weird formatting.)

First of all, there was no demodding involved; instead, there was an internal reshuffling by ZadocPaet, who was the previous de jure head mod and decided to leave formally at the same time I did. DreadedChalupacabra becoming head mod was a decision made between Zadoc and I.

RAK Jun 18, 2023

@pterodactyl: In practice, the subreddit was and is run pretty much democratically between the mod team, so Chalupacabra being formally head mod doesn't make much of a difference. He was a bit perplexed at the decision as well, for what it's worth.

Now, I'd have been "ride or die" about sticking to the blackout, especially given the response in both the subreddit and the Discord. But I'm stubborn and principled. Since I was already stepping down, I wasn't going to assert fiat over the decision.

RAK Jun 18, 2023

@pterodactyl: The decision to reopen was taken based on an assessment of the response by the Reddit admininstrators and deciding that we didn't want the subreddit falling into the hands of people who might use the subreddit to push malignant political positions, which are far too common in video gaming.

Notably, this was *not* a case of the mod team wanting to cling onto power at all costs like some people would cry. I want to nip that idea in the bud.

RAK Jun 18, 2023

@pterodactyl: As for myself, I decided that spez's response to the blackout was so overwhelmingly contemptuous that I felt there was no alternative but to leave Reddit. But I'd already been disillusioned with the direction of Reddit already, so it's easier to make decisions like that when you're practically on the way out as it is.

As mentioned in the post explaining the reopening, I have been conversant with and have full confidence in the moderators that have remained.

lavender Jun 18, 2023

I am glad to find you here, this is wonderful information to know. Hope you can find a new place to call home and indulge in retro gaming.

RAK Jun 18, 2023

@lavender @pterodactyl: I'm already following a few gaming accounts, retro or otherwise and retrocomputing accounts on Mastodon and I'm still moderating the RGN Discord (not the biggest fan of Discord as a platform, but it's there), so I'm not short of places to discuss retro gaming.

We have raised the possibility of setting up shop on the Fediverse or even on an Invision discussion board; I think a fair few retrogamers remember when the latter was the main way to discuss games online.

Melpomene Jun 18, 2023

Do let us know if you decide to open a federated Retro Gaming magazine or some such... would love to join.

harmonea Jun 18, 2023

If you had such a large multireddit, I hope you seriously consider setting up a whole instance for you guys to use freely! Like /r/startrek did at startrek.website.

pterodactyl Jun 18, 2023

It's cool to see you here! Thanks for giving the full story. I still don't agree with the decision to open up against the community's wishes but I am glad that you chose to step back rather than being pushed to. I know the discord is there and I see people starting to come together on kbin/lemmy too so I hope we get a positive space in line with the ethics many of us share again soon.

1chemistdown Jun 18, 2023

Thank you for sharing. It’s great to see mods from Reddit explain things to us so we know what’s going on.

DarkThoughts Jun 18, 2023

Maybe some form of malicious compliance, like some subs are doing, is the better way to continue the protest. Especially if one already got threatened to get swapped out by the admins.

RAK Jun 18, 2023

@DarkThoughts @pterodactyl: We're observing the malicious compliance strategies actively and wondering how well they'll go. I have to say that I especially like /r/history's approach.

1chemistdown Jun 18, 2023

r/history has always been a class act. Been on that sub a long time. Gonna miss that one because they were so good about keeping content super high quality.

abff08f4813c Jun 18, 2023

I haven't been following. What approach did r/history take?

RAK Jun 18, 2023

@abff08f4813c: They're creating one thread a day, discussing a historical case of protest action or an aligned topic, like the history of scabs.