Games media is changing. We’ve always tried to keep with current trends and give you, the community, what we think you’ve wanted to see over the years, but with the move towards video content becoming prevalent thanks to our always-recording devices and easy streaming, we’re constantly challenged and torn about what we should focus on, be it written text or moving pictures.
We want to do more. We’ve spent several years bringing you the best (or so we think) gaming news, reviews, opinion pieces, and community content around, and we’ve done this voluntarily around our day jobs, commitments, and spare time. But that means that competitions and contests aren’t as prevalent as they could be, video content is limited by what we can do, and while we think we’re doing enough, we’d like to give you more, or at least more of what you want.
So, we need to prioritise and since we’ve always been very community focused, we’d like you to tell us where to go from here, and where our main focuses should lie. So, we’ve put together a survey which we’d really like you to take the time to fill in, whether you’ve been here for five minutes or five years (although you’ll need to be signed up!). Thank you.
[gravityform id=”21″ name=”TSA poll”]
RudeAwakening
I say bring back the like button for comments and maybe even a dislike button. Whatever happened to the like button, it just dissappeared in to the internet black hole!
JR.
I would have liked this comment if there was a like button.
stueeeee
Like
Forrest_01
*Forrest likes this*
Steelhead
I find the site excellent as it is, you guys do a great job. In terms of video content I watch trailers and that’s about it. With two young kids podcasts and live streams are something I have no time for. Given the chance I would rather spend my spare time gaming than watching someone else gaming.
Also, Ginger Nuts rule. That is all. The biscuit kind that is.
The Lone Steven
I would like to see the forums get some much overdue tender loving care. When i joined back in 2010(I think), it was full of life and was easy on the eyes. Sure, there was a period where activity was low but it did go back to normal. Now, it’s dead. Before I disappeared, the decline was obvious and i think the design of it was a factor of it. When i used to do the odd round up, i remember having to sacrifice a goat to pick the thread to advertise due to the amount of choice. Now,I would just glance at it and see one or two new threads.
It needs a new design, more support from the community team and just needs something to draw people to it. Gaming banter is barely active, general chat is most likely dead and the meets. Ok, i’ll be honest, i don’t really check the forums nowadays because i feel that it’s not worth it. I practically lived in the forums when i was active and now, it’s a ghost town. I don’t know if it would work but prehaps adding some fan fiction, fan art etc.. forums could help revive it.
Regarding live streams and videos, i’m not too sure on the idea. If TSA doesn’t sacrifice articles to ensure vidoes and live streams are viable, it would be worth testing. If TSA decides that we will have a ratio of 1 article to every 20 vidoes, it would be a bit naff. Those with low data caps would be unable to view the news and may feel that they are no longer welcome.
This is very unlikely to happen due to the potential for PR backlash from publishers but a feature where a god awful game is torn to pieces. For it to be god awful, i would say a critera of an average review score of 1. Again, it’s probably too risky to implement.
There is something i feel TSA should avoid doing at all costs. Guides and wikis. It’s bloated and most of the time, they are a bit crap. IGN did it, Eurogamer did it and it’s just short as hell.
Top Ten lists. We need more. I am deadly serious. See this face? It is super serious. I mean, really serious. I am not 100% taking the pie with this. No sir, not even one percent.
MrJimmy
Gotta say I always feel bad not spending time on the forums, like I’m commenting on the blogs as a fairweather friend… So better forums sounds like a good call.
badger3078
How about votes on certain things? Game of the month?, I don’t know,but something where peoples opinions would be interesting to see. I’m a mature gamer, 36 (mature sounds better than old) but this whole argument about 1080p/900p and 60fps/30fps bores the crap out of me, I couldn’t care less, it’s all about the gameplay to me. Maybe that’s just me! Would be interesting to see people’s opinions on things
bunimomike
I like this idea a lot. So we can all weigh in with our thoughts about a certain hot button, as it were. Count me in. :-)
Avenger
I agree on the resolution side of things, couldn’t give a toss.
There is something similar to your idea done in the community chronicle, where the ‘hot topics’ of the week are covered and certain comments are weighed up. However, a dedicated post with a poll, a sort of WeView style article about controversial gaming topics would be fantastic.
Lyts1985
I share the sentiments of the majority it seems.
I like the site as it is and would be pretty disappointed to see it become more video-centric. I don’t really have the time or freedom to be watching videos to get a story or review and would MUCH prefer to read at my own leisure. The odd video is just fine, much the way it is now, but frequent videos would be a real turn-off for me.
The forums need some major TLC. Something is clearly putting people off as, for the most part, they’re dead. Maybe it’s due to how popular the comments section of the articles is? Perhaps people don’t feel the need to discuss things in the forums when the comments section works so well? I appreciate the site isn’t run for profit and people give up their free time to maintain it but the forums definitely need more involvement/commitment from community managers and admin in order to thrive. It’s the only part of the site id say does need a redesign.
I quite like the idea of a weekly newsletter via email. Sometimes I find I’ve missed articles from weeks ago so that kind of thing would be beneficial to me.
Someone else mentioned reviving ‘Meet The Reader’. I second that call!
Lyts1985
Oh, and chocolate bourbons… Always chocolate bourbons.
Michael
Too right. Back in the day TSA had a weekly newsletter and it was absolutely amazing. And written by a Siberian Husky. Deffo my favourite bit of TSA ever.
indigo19
I used to really like TSA TV, but as the medium is saturated with video content and live streams I feel it’s all got a bit, well crap.
I have stayed at TSA for the articles, the writers that are here are probably the best unpaid writers I have come across.
So as many others before me have said, I don’t feel the need for more video.
However, whatever the team need to do stay alive I will happily support, I night at work without TSA to read is a night I can’t get with.
Oh, and Jaffa Cakes :)
paxpacis
Ah, sorry I forgot to use the comment field to say thank you for Running this site all these years.. (sorry the chat function did not make it ;-))
So: Thank you for these fine years..
Michael
A NEWSLETTER! Best idea ever.
Ever!
:-)
psychobudgie
Don’t go changin’ to try and pl……Chocolate Hob Nob Creams baby!!!!!
hazelam
this one just came to me, after i filled in the questionnaire.
one thing i’d like to see stay the same is that you don’t spread an article over multiple pages when just one will do.
too many sites these days do that to get more hits, there was one site, mentioning no names, that usually does 10 and 20 page articles that consist of one picture and one sentence/paragraph of text per page.
but a week or so ago, they did one with a 52 item list.
i only checked a few pages, but yeah, they were all one picture, screencaps from a teaser trailer, i forget what for now, and a short sentence of text.
now i don’t know if there were 52 pages like that, but knowing that site, i expect there was.
they may get more hits once or twice per person, but they’re just gonna drive people away.
anyway, thank you, you guys for for not lowering yourselves to that tactic, you’re better than that.