A review: Gaia's user experience- lrn2Gaia, Staff. (v1)

[I have a tissue]

Up, please.

[White-Tiger-God]

ninja Bumping.

[Honey of the South]

I've only been on this particular account (forgot the passwords and associated e-mails of previous accounts) since I think Halloween 2012, and even I have noticed the neglect that Gaia seems to have for any part of the site that isn't related to GCash. Many of the games have not been updated in ages, and ones like Jigsaw and Pinball definitely need them. More gold generators are being advertised everyday, and with how they advertise the cash sales and cash shop items every day through the announcements it's pretty much spam as you said. They have put no effort into the supposed gold sinks at all recently, especially the ones that precede events. I didn't even contribute to the whole "Save our Louie" thing because I have never liked H&R Wesley and don't care if it closes or not, because I'm sure that even the Gaia staff would realize that they probably could just find another store they could stick him in. I'm glad I didn't since the items we got out of it look terrible. Heck, I was even one of the Gaians who wanted to rename the store. We don't have any information on when zOMG! is supposed to be back up. The Halloween event has been nothing but filled with glitches that people have exploited (though they have dealt with the leaderboards and those who had been at the top of it before, they still did not return the player kills that many people had lost when the counter had reset last Friday) and people who want to do anything to win.

That's not even mentioning that stores such as Phin Phang and Sam's Body and Parts have not had any updates whatsoever since I joined. Some of the fish I have had in my tank I got from the Daily Chance because for some odd reason they aren't available in the store.

Somebody in charge needs to actually take a look through the various threads in the Site Feedback and take these things we're saying to heart, because they should at least be smart enough to realize that it is not wise to alienate the apparent majority of users for the minority of those that lack any form of impulse control and/or happen to be loaded.

Cash sales should only be once a month, preferably at the beginning or end, at the least or every two weeks at the most because that's usually when people get paid. They don't need to be everyday. Gold generators have got to go entirely, stop making and selling them. It's making the site economy worse. Keep the promises you make to us about the various features you use. You said last year during the Halloween event that things like stats and levels would carry over from that event, but we all know at this point that it is not the case. The cash shop does not need new "limited" items introduced every day, and the announcements for them certainly shouldn't come out throughout the day. either do one big announcement for them, or stop releasing so much into the cash shop. Your marketing department obviously can't do math anyways as the OP stated. At the very least create a separate subforum for cash shop and cash sale announcements away from the community announcements, along with an option to opt out of getting those announcements in the first place. Surely it couldn't be too much trouble to do that, right? rolleyes (this paragraph was directed at Gaia staff, not the OP, btw)

...Somehow, I feel a little better now. Almost like a weight has been lifted.

[Sylbee]

my <3 just put this post at 666 likes.... oops.

I wholeheartedly agree. I am an '04 user. I used to come here mostly for games. The games were fantastic back then and people actually chatted in them. I could spend hours playing slots and Jigsaw. These features I loved have been neglegted and have become obsolete. The only part of this site that seems to hold my intrest anymore is the forums and even that is fading.
This site has become boring as all the fun free features dissapear in the shadow of lame cash grabs. Promises to update outdated features remain unfufilled after years of waiting, events become half-assed cash grabs instead of the exciting and special feeling events of the past.
I'm afraid to figure out how much money I've invested into this site over the course of 10 years and I know it's been more than $300. Possibly more than $1000. Money I had believed was going towards improving my favorite internet hangout. It hurts to think about as I've watched the site all but fall apart over the last few years.

I love this site-- No. I LOVED this site. I don't love what it has become.

Most of my friends have abandoned this place and I ask myself why I'm still here every time I log in. The answer is just "hope". I hope things will improve and I keep on trying to find entertainment value here by dressing up, playing the (broken) MP and chatting here and there in forums.
But am I having fun? No. Not really. I'd be having much more fun playing a video game or even Facebooking.

Bring back the fun, Gaia. Start treating your community with respect again at the very least.

[Bookworm Tea]

I'm on an account without my items and I have found myself wondering what the hell. I mean I have noticed I've been logging in less and less each day. It's not like I don't want to but Gaia's become so not fun and people have become so toxic on here. I've met less and less kind people. I'm not pointing fingers on anything but shoot, I just can't handle being here anymore. I don't think I want to be. I really hope the site I want to move on to pens for Beta testing on the 5th otherwise I'll just have to stick to other places. :/

It's a sad day when you just can't go on anymore with a site you once loved.

[purplexeyed]

Well-written, respectful and on-point.
I salute you, good sir.

[Phovos]

I swear I have seen and posted in this thread before. Oh well. I'll post again because it's all rather true.

[NothingGold]

I completely agree with everything that has been said.
This site has become the most untrustworthy place I've ever seen, and they keep handing out disappointment after disappointment.
I used to invest in Monthly Collectibles every now and then until they showed that they weren't limited to the month they were released.
And I used to do art and play booty grab to get gold. There's no point to it now though, because as soon as you slightly catch up you fall back behind due to Gold Generators.

Gaia. The most glorious and beautifully pixelated sack of s**t I have and ever will see.

[mill glitch]

All the points you make are true I just hope some staff that actually cares or can make a difference sees this thread. Thank you for taking all the time and dedication to do all of this.

[I have a tissue]

Well. This is also still relevant, even if it is outdated.

[Sylbee]

Bumping this post as it's probably the best I've seen in SF.

Also. I'm posting this from the mobile app, which is utter garbage.

[I have a tissue]

Up, please.

[White-Tiger-God]

ninja Bumping