NTSC-RePlay 020: "One Does Not Simply Walk Away From Borderdown"

[Neon Ignition]

We're entering the endgame now for this line of anniversary threads. We move into 2012 now, after the site rebrand and we ponder the sites mortality:


This isn't NTSC-UK... this is NTSC-RePlay


12 September 2012 and Harry was asking why the site was quieter than it used to be. For the following pages discussion and speculation ranged from the name change, to Charles sending users images of his body parts, apathy with that eras games, EvilBoris' now decade old eye twitch generating user avatar, everyone getting older, everyone being raptured, social media's impact, whether 60fps will become standard and Sean Bean.

A decade on and Bordersdown remains.

How is the site compared to a decade ago?
How long can the flame of the forum burn in the dying light of social media?

[QualityChimp]

I genuinely think there's a big group of people who would really have a good time on here.
It's pretty light-hearted, there's a real mix of topics and on the whole people are fairly like-minded in that it's a place to chat that originally focussed on import gaming.

Life definitely gets in the way, especially with kids, but when they're a bit older and need less supervision, you get a bit more time back.
Not hours and hours, but enough to dip in and interact with a couple of posts.

I find it frustrating when people say it's not as good as it was but never interact.
Imagine being at the pub with some mates and you just sit there in silence until the end of the night and say it wasn't as fun as the last time.

If anything, be it game, film, album, meme, book, football match etc. there's a thread for it, so just get involved and the site will endure.

[Mayhem]

Wow has it really been that long since the name change? Sheesh...

[prinnysquad]

I don’t post as often as I used to. It tends to be in fits and starts. I’ve got quite a bit going on and some days I can’t face being anything other than a passive viewer. Other days, I’ve got the energy and I’m in the mood to talk some bollocks on here. Life does indeed dictate a lot.

In the threads I frequent, it’s been pretty much the same people posting for 15 years. That’s good, though. It’s like a swift few with your mates before you have to re-enter life. Sometimes, old posters still have the ability to surprise.

[Cassius_Smoke]

Well it says I joined in 2018 but I know that's not right. I'm pretty sure I've been posting for longer. And I was frequenting the site long before that. An old friend of mine put me onto this place when it was NTSCuk.
Looking at old threads from then there were a lot more people posting; it was the wild west back then. A lot of personalities clashing and less P.C posts.

[prinnysquad]

FAmmYdoDd was a regular back then. A lot of people got Fammydodded by Fammydodd back then, and in his quest to out-fammydodd all others, he encouraged a lot of proto-fammydodds to act all Fammydodd.

[wakka]

It's a calmer place than it was 10 or 15 years ago, for sure. The userbase is older and more mature. But I've always enjoyed the vibe here and I continue to. I guess I feel like I've grown up with the site, to be honest, in some ways. I joined when I was about 12!

It's always been my home on the web. A couple of things I really enjoy about the site in the here and now - very little drama. I remember, years ago, like 10+ years ago minimum, getting into properly stressful arguments on here and other forums. I would never do that now but nor does anyone else on here. Everyone is really chill and if you disagree about something, you just agree to disagree or you debate back and forth in a pleasant, measured way.

Second thing. Everyone is really pleasant and supportive. I sometimes dip into other forums relevant to my interests, and I find it really shockingly hard to find anywhere where people are pleasant to one another. I post occasionally on a forum about Macs and the responses are so often point scoring takedowns of whatever you've said. Not abusive or anything mad like that, but just speaking to you (or each other) in this way that if you did it in reality in the office or the pub to someone, you'd rightly be seen as an utter dick. That is rife on other forums but we don't have that here.

Thirdly - people on here are genuinely really knowledgeable and massively know their onions. You read some right bollocks on other forums or subreddits about games, especially retro games, but on here you always know you're going to get a truly solid take from people with some of the genuinely deepest knowledge. This place, for the size of its community, punches way, way, WAY above its weight in that regard.

So yeah. I really like the forum. Long may it live. Cheers guys.

[MonkeyJuggleDX]

My only opinion is Prinny is still a knob!

Personally I think I’m about done with the internet. I find myself going online less and less. Plus I’m bored of gaming these days.

[Yakumo]

I still like coming here. Its like a home away from home. Not too many people, familiar members and no true nobheads anymore. Its a nice place to be.

[Colin]

I genuinely only read/use about five sites on the internet and this has always been one of them. Even in the periods of my life where I can't be bothered with gaming, I'll still come and have a read even though I might not log in. Not only is it full of good and knowledgable people, but pretty much everyone I've met in person from here has been an absolute gent. I probably could've done without being a mod here for years as I was in a high pressure job dealing with a lot of idiots at times, which left me with little patience for a lot of the petty crap that used to happen on here. (I'm very aware of what a grumpy arse I was) Asking to be removed from the mod team so I can just enjoy the place for what it is, which at the moment I really do, was a great choice. I think now that my work/life balance has changed dramatically with leaving my old job and I've had time to reconnect to my love of gaming, it's also brought back my love for the forum. If the place didn't exist I'd be genuinely sad it wasn't around any more.

[Neon Ignition]

[Golgo]

'Tis the most friendly and knowledgeable gaming forum ever, as has been mentioned. True it's a bit quieter compared to previous years, what with some vocal folk having moved on or been righteously cast down, but it's still the best. Every other forum is just kernts. That should be the motto:

Bordersdown...because everyplace else is just kernts.

[CMcK]

That should be the motto:

Bordersdown...because everyplace else is just kernts.

That needs to go on Bordersdown T shirts immediately!

[wakka]

10/10 motto.

[Yakumo]

I don't understand what kernts means . I'm out of touch with English slang.
I do know kermit