What makes RFG a special place?

[Marriott_Guy]

Hello all.

I have a simple question for us all, but it may solicit a complex response.  What makes our RFG website, the forums and our community special to make you want to come back?

[Marriott_Guy]

My response:

I happened upon RFG when searching/writing an offline game collection tool a little over a year ago.  After using them for a little while, I found the DB Collection Tools offered here fit the bill perfectly, but did not have a great many systems that I had in my collection.  The staff members were supportive and got the systems into the DB (not a small chore at all) and solicited my continued feedback.  This, obviously, was a big win for RFG in my eyes.

Though I am not a big forum poster, I read through them quite a bit and all of us are quite respectful of each other's opinions.  I rarely read a post that is intentionally designed to en flame a person or subject.  Though we are a relatively small community, we still have grown vastly over the last year and I LOVE seeing the new things like the blogs and other items that enhance the site.  Do not get me wrong and think that just because I am on the staff that I am just trying to give RFG props.  From my perspective, the staff does try and continually improve every aspect of this site based primarily upon input of the community.  Also, everyone gets credit for making a contribution, no matter how small.  That is a key item for me.

It comes down to our community for me.  I enjoy the good posts, intellectual conversations about the variety of systems out there and the fact that we all do contribute in some way.  It is a pleasure being around people who share my passion for video gaming and exude class on a daily basis.

[TraderJake]

The community. I am the Site Director for you guys. I come here every day because I love the community, and I love that people find what we do useful. Without you guys, the site is nothing, absolutely nothing. Never forget that.

Oh, yeah, I also love to program when I am not being barraged by 18 credit hours, two senior projects and a 3 hour weekly review session for the FE exam. Killer Coding Ninja Monkey!

[NES_Rules]

I found RFG through several other forums. When I started collecting NES games, I went straight to the source, Nintendo's NSider forums. From there, I went to Digital Press and from there, I found this site.

I agree with everything you said Terry, that is essentially what I was going to say. My favorite part is the close knit feel of the community, it really does feel like a family sometimes. Other communities have so many members that I couldn't even possibly keep track of them all, but here I can remember at least half of the active members' names and many times where they are from.

Also, having every member being able to submit/edit info and giving them credit for even the smallest contributions makes us feel like we do have an impact on this world we live in.

[Tondog]

I like each and every member here (Except Tynstar and Phoenix )! We have the coolest community ever and the most mature game discussion forum I've ever stumbled across. Plus I also like that our database was built from the ground up by gamers for gamers.

[James]

For me, it started when I had a go at someone on DigitalPress for being harsh. I got a PM from someone (Maybe Tynstar) saying to come here for a friendlier community. I signed up but never posted until a year later when I did a deal with Speedy_NES on DP. He included a business card which reminded me of the site. I actually had a different username but I hated it and everything associated with it and probably wouldn't have stayed around if it wasn't changed.


I come back because of the community and the fantastic tools. There have been very few people I haven't liked over the year and a half I've been an active member. We generally don't get the problem of trolls and serious flaming. It's interesting how I recognise most people with more than 20 posts, even after a long time of them not posting. But maybe that's because we don't have a huge number of active members.

I like the tools and I like that I'm able to contribute. If I need to put a game in my collection that isn't in the database I can simply submit it. I don't know what the satisfaction is of seeing my name on the page, maybe it's just the feeling of helping out and giving something back for the use of the tools.

[Cobra]

While it was the database that brought me here (using Google) much like the replies already posted, it's not just the great ever expanding database, it's also the awesome community I'll keep coming back to. Plus the fun of the screenshot identity game too

[Ghost Soldier]

I enjoy the feeling of belonging here at RFgen.  It is truly a a close community that we have here.  Everyone tends to get along and the forums always have something entertaining in them.  I also love the tools to track my collection and the ability to check out other collectors collections.  With the addition of the blogs and front page submits it truly is a site that every member can participate in and be proud of.  Much love from me, too RFgen

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

Me

[welchracing33]

I stumbled here looking for a free online place to find out about games and to store my collection in the event of a disaster. What keeps me coming back is its a great place. Tons of GREAT info, good people, easy to navigate site, and the arcade makes for a nice place for some fun freindly competition. And should I ever have a question about games, I know I can get it answered here with the most truth behind it.

This topic is a great question by the way.

[Tan]

...Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name...

[Yurf]

My reasons to keep coming back:

• Great tool to keep track of your collection and share it with others. I especially love the checklist generator.
• Fast approval for contributions.
• I love contributing info about games I have in my collection that are not compeletely covered on this site.
• Friendly people.

[den68]

All of the above.... well except maybe for Leon. heh heh.

I've been here since RFG's birth and it's been an amazing thing to see. The collecton tool and database is an impressive beast and it continues to grow. The fact that this place was designed around recognition is a major draw. It truly belongs to all of us.

The community? Well that goes without saying. It's a pleasure to trade posts with so many like minded individuals. I've actually got to meet a few of you and feel as if I know many of you that I haven't. This really is a good group here.

Yeah, I plan on sticking around a long time.

[bum-man]

Like many others what got me here was the collection tools.  I had tried listing my collection on a couple of sites and was having issues getting a title added (Pico Storyware Sampler)  I found my way here and was surprised to find that my title was added within hours of my request.  From then on I has hooked.  I believe those running this site (past and present) know that these tools are there for people to use and they continue to strive to make them better and easier to use.  Other sites seem to miss that and expect you to conform to what they give you.

As for the community it has to be one of the most welcoming on the net.   When a new user posts there is always someone there to encourage them to join the community.  It doesn't matter what part of the world you are from or if you are young and old, everyone is truly welcome.  That's not to say everyone here agrees on everything, but they do allow everyone to voice their opinion freely.   Other sites seem to be controlled by a select few and any decention is squashed quickly.

What more could you ask for!!

[Beardcore84]

I wont rehash what everyone else is saying but I do want to say that when I signed up here I asked a ton of stupid questions and no one chastised me for it, everyone answered them with respect and to me that was awesome.