Oobgarm

Oobgarm

Videogames + Cheese = Yes

Comments 3

Re: "Thanks For Destroying Your Own Legacy" - Quarter-Century Of Online Gaming History Vanishes As Digital Press Forum Goes Dark

Oobgarm

I haven't been there in a while but it is sad to see it go. I joined up there in 2002 and was very active for quite some time.

Joe is also the is the co-founder of the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, Texas - and has a games shop in Clifton, New Jersey. I won't speculate too much about him or his situation since I've not been to his store nor have we spoken online in well over a decade. He was a friend to me in those old days.

He and his business partners started the museum in the early 2010s as a replacement for the Classic Gaming Expo that they put on each year. It was at that point the forum, which had been a huge part of Digital Press's identity, began started to become an afterthought. Ultimately, I viewed the museum as the next "extension" of Digital Press - first the zines, then the Collector's Guides, then the forums. Each gave way to the other, and over time they were less and less of a "thing" as they faded into obscurity. The zines and physical books are ancient relics at this point, I suppose it was just the time for the forum to go by the wayside as well.

Most long-time users had moved on since FB Groups and new social media were usurping traditional web forums. I know there were a handful of regulars that still visited there, having your online hangout unexpectedly go dark is disappointing.

Hopefully something can be salvaged from this, as I hate to see so much knowledge vanish completely. Nz17's message does seem hopeful that it could live on as a repository of sorts, which would be nice to see.