Does anyone ever read really old topics in the Headlines forum?

[sadat]

Keep it ALL, it's a resource for the future. Games are the new movies, just imagine what this will represent in a few decades' time. We have to rely on old scans of Crash and Zzap64 these days for game history, it's all online and searchable right here nowadays -- don't lose that!

[kryss]

That'd make it impossible to search for a specific thing, wouldn't it?

Yeah I guess it would actually.

[gospvg]

Yes I always go back to old threads particularly if it is for a specific game that I am late to playing.

[Golgo]

Yeah I guess it would actually.

There's no reason why old archives need to be be 100% cross-referenced and searchable. If someone wants to find something they can have a rummage. That's what I do in what I laughingly call my 'work'.

[JazzFunk]

Keep it ALL, it's a resource for the future. Games are the new movies, just imagine what this will represent in a few decades' time. We have to rely on old scans of Crash and Zzap64 these days for game history, it's all online and searchable right here nowadays -- don't lose that!

I like the idea of that, yet realise it would probably be a big hassle, but totally concur. I joined about 5.5 years ago, back when this place was heaving, chock-full of passionate gamers writing brilliantly about whatever topics were at hand. I'd hate to see all that quality text vanish, but would understand if it did go.

Somewhat selfishly, the forums one regularly uses over long periods become a pretty good way of telling where you're 'at', where you've 'been', how the You of the present is doing. A barometer of the self in text form. I'd be kind of sad to see some of my old, sad, **** posts suddenly vanish for *good* (but that's more my selfish shizzle), as I would the stuff of many others.

[abigsmurf]

Actually there are topics back to 1970. wtf. They can't be read though
Will get rid of those.....

Epoch fail!

->Open Spoiler<-

yes, I stole that from XKCD and I realise that 99% of people won't understand the joke

By anyway, Doesn't most forum software have an archive function that makes old threads static and less intensive on the server?

Failing that, if topics have to be pruned, it's probably best to keep it 4-ish years so that any conversations about current gen stuff that may become relevant again is kept.

[prinnysquad]

Had a bit of a think, and...

Just get rid of everything before 16 July 2006.

[abigsmurf]

*looks to see if Prinny did some drunken posts on 15th July 2006*

[prinnysquad]

Possibly, but not here!

[DeathAdder]

Please keep the retro threads, however old. If I get some bizarre retro game or piece of hardware, there might only be a few threads on it, some of them years old.

I would have thought that headlines is a good one to be trimmed. Surely few people care about the hype leading up to a big game after it has been released and there is a huge first play thread on it.