Captain Planet and the Decline of the PWSE

Written by Lord Hart

I originally wrote this article a few years ago for PWSE (Professional Wrestling Simulator Enthusiast) to highlight what I thought were the reasons for the fast declining status of the site and community.

Little did I know that soon after I wrote this, the site would essentially die, as the person who bought it from the founder and long-time webmaster to the site, bailed. It then went onto Merk and some other losers that I didn't like, who did nothing with it at all.

It was a great time in my life being a member of that community and it's something I really miss. For a time I had contemplated buying the domain and possibly recreating the site, but I figure that it would be too hard unless I made it so it focuses on the whole spectrum of sims.

But anyway, here it is in it's entirety... Captain Planet and the Decline of the PWSE (or: How I Learned To Stop Being An Ass and Love The Sim)

Just under a year ago, I decided to place myself into a self imposed exile of the PWSE forums. I have occasionally returned, to let people know about my games (as lame as they are), and to tell off a few members when I have been told by friends that someone has been an ass there, had a go at the moderators (which I just don't get, seeing as they are some of the most laidback guys i've seen on the net, and if you know me, you know I don't asskiss, so think about that), or recently, to post about the return of a certain person whom I feel is the equivalent of Galactus from the Silver Surfer comics (big guy, wears fruity colours... devours all). I now only really frequent the main page of the site, reading the articles people write and the comments on the various news updates.

Before I start the bulk of this article, I want to point out that I am not a professional writer, spelling mistakes and grammar are sure to creep into the article in some places and i'm sure i'll ramble on for a short burst about some piece of useless trivia or subject not relating to the rest of the article whole, so in those moments, bare with it and it'll soon get back to it's scheduled... thingy. Now, here is the reason for this article.

Over the last year or two... okay, really three, the wrestling sim community has withered to its basic foundations which are: a group consisting of a few key people who just love sims and continue to nuture the development of them, even though there is little left (led by PWSE founder JP). Then there are is bad portion of the community, who seemingly like sims, but hate the fact that nothing is released, and bitch at the people who try to make sims and heckle them for failing (led by an assortment of nameless assheads who of course, being nameless will remain so), who in turn are making others who attempt to make a sim, less inclined to make them. This second group, growing all the time, are the majority of the voice here which i'm estimating to be roughly 70% of all PWSE visitors.

I'm writing this now, after the announcement that Wrestling Tycoon is now finished and will not be worked on anymore by Glenn. Some negative comments about the game have cropped up, and people have posted unfounded statements that it "sucks" simply because it looked bad or that it had been worked on for a long time and was buggy. A newsflash to these people is that there has been no other game like WT to compare it to in the wrestling sim genre. No other wrestling sims have a graphical interface like it (and no, MDickies games do not count, they are actual games, not sims), and simply use text so saying it looks bad compared to a bunch of text which you proclaim cool is a bad reason to dislike it. It was, and as far as I know is, the only sim that attempted anything other than the norm, and for this reason, I applaud.

And of course the game had bugs, it was made by one person, not by a team of professional programmers who have trained people to test their games for them. Being negative about this point shows that you just do not understand why the PWSE even exists, which in my opinion is to showcase the games made by the little guy, a main reason why commercial games have failed to appear on the site thus far. If you find a bug, report it to the guy who made the game, let him fix it. Don't simply bitch about the game being buggy and dismiss it. If you have an idea which you believe can improve the gameplay, then tell the guy and he may add it in the next update. The power to make the games better is not just in the amateur programmers hands, but yours as well.

The negativity in the community has always been there, but it had just been the minority. But with each successive sim that failed to be released by someone who found they had bitten off more than they can chew, the minority grew and is now being taken way too seriously by the programmers who are working on their games.

These people are also the same that say Adam Ryland sold out (which is in my opinion, when the minority became the majority). Sold out whom? He has released to us countless free sims for years, been praised by many of us, and then when he decides that he can't continue to waste his spare time on a hobby and decides to go commercial, he is castrated by a majority of his fans and sim community and said to have sold out. Sorry dear "sim lover", you sold out. You've been given free entertainment for years and now that he asks for a small bit of money in exchange for all that, and even more entertainment, you back away and proclaim his game sucks without giving it a chance. That is how it happened, and if you disagree, you are wrong.

Sure, you don't have to whip out money for the game, but then again, if you don't purchase the game, then you have no right to even comment on its gameplay or voice your opinion about it. It is that simple, and is why his previous games still remain free to you. If you want to play those games, and feel the urge to bitch just because you know there won't be any more free versions, you have the right, but you should really just not bother with posting it in a public place. Send Ryland an email or something and voice your opinion on the matter to the one man who may actually care, and in the end, you'll also save the sim community any ill effects which prospective sim makers may have been exposed to.

This goes with all sim games released, announced, etc. and so on. I don't care about your opinion because it isn't my own. I mean, I can respect that you have your own opinion, its just that if it is negative, then it doesn't need to be heard and quite simply, many just don't want your opinion to influence those that want to make games for us or to stir up a ruckus by the assheads you've partnered yourself with who will in turn, proclaim that whatever the current news item is, sucks.

It reminds me of a comment I remember reading a while ago. Someone hadn't even played the game in question, since it hasn't even been released, and he was saying that it sucks. How can someone even proclaim this without playing it? Are you from the immediate future where the game is released? If not, then shut the hell up with the negative comments and at least wait until the game is even out to say something about it. Not just because the programmer may take what you say to heart and be affected whilst programming, but because you look like a fucking retard as well and me being the humanitarian that I am, don't want you to be perceived as one unless you absolutely positively deserve to.

Here's a quick four step guide on how not to be an ass when it comes to the sim community:

1. When a game is announced, don't post anything negative. What the fuck is the point anyway in doing this? The game isn't made yet, so you have no basis for any negative comments. In essence, this can be summed up with this ---> STFU.
2. If the game doesn't meet your standards of what you think a sim should be, don't complain. Send the programmer a message, and tell him what you'd like to see. Amateur game creators crave input from the people they are making the game for. If you keep badmouthing the guy and the game to the community, he is actively going to ignore your comments and in the end, you've only screwed yourself out of something better. In essence, this can be summed up with this ---> Offer support, or STFU.
3. When the game is released, and its all done and everything. Comment on it constructively. "This game sucks" is not a valid reason, nor is your constant bitching that it didn't include what you wanted in the game. That's no ones fault except yours. In essence, this can be summed up with this ---> Offer support, give criticism that makes sense, offer your views on it without being an uptight know it all asshole, otherwise STFU.
4. If you're still negative about games being released, announced, everything, etc. and so on, and the STFU steps have gone right over your head and you still don't get the point of the community. If you've made it this far and you still are an ass, then leave, simple as that. If you don't understand what I mean, then here it is in capitals:

YOU ARE NOT A SIM FAN, AND IN ALL LIKELYHOOD, YOU NEVER WILL BE. WE DO NOT NEED YOU HERE TO BE AN ASS. THE SIM COMMUNITY NEEDS PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO OFFER THEIR UNBIASED AND MEANINGFUL OPINION SO THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN GROW... NOT WITHER AND DIE.

If your arguments consist of nothing more than "that sucks" or "the graphics are lame" or even the tried and true "its buggy", then you need to sit down with the game for at least an hour without any preconceptions about it, or who it was made by. Bare through all the "lame graphics", write down where and how you encountered any bugs and take note of what you think is good or bad. If you still hate it afterwards, then you have the right to hate it. If you still hate it afterwards, and don't have any other arguments than the ones stated above, you need to sit your ass down for another TWO hours. I mean it, sit your ass down, and stop being such a pussy with nothing but lame excuses.

I'll stop there with the 'be positive or be an asshead' comments bit, and now go onto the second reason the PWSE is in a decline. The WEE sucks (yes, that isn't a typing mistake, the WEE does indeed suck).

Since 2000, the wrestling industry as a whole has been in a major decline, but mainly the public face of it, the WEE has been failing to hold onto its ratings and any semblance of sanity it held during the late 90's. It's biggest star, The Rock is now an actor and doesn't even have a contract with the WEE at the moment, and the WEE don't even own the copyright to the very wealthy trademark that Dwayne Johnson goes by anymore. The biggest up and coming star that the WEE had had for many years (since the Rock, no less), Brock Lesnar, turned his back on them after they pushed him to past the moon all the way to Planet X, and attempted to wrestle his way into the NFL. Since his departure, he has failed at the NFL thing, and to add insult to injury, been labelled a homophobe in the news. Clearly not the kind of news that wrestling needs.

Of course, the state of wrestling has always been a factor when it comes to the sim community, but not the demeanour of it. The amount of visitors will always be on the decline with the wrestling industry in such a bad shape, and really, I don't need to go on with why it is so as it's been repeated to death. This is the reason now that the PWSE seems to be reaching out to not just wrestling sims, but sims of all genres (and oddly enough, a Star Wars game). It has the exposure throughout the internet to do to the whole sim industry to what it originally did for wrestling sims, and that is to provide a central hub for all those games out there that are being developed and to provide a place where up and coming bedroom coders can showcase their games.

The sooner that the site embraces every sort of sim, and leave its wrestling past behind it, the quicker the community will grow and prosper. The sooner it leaves the conventional sim genre we have grown accustomed to, the better it is for the programmers here who may have wanted to show off their talents for other areas of interest apart from wrestling. We need to encourage the music sims, the sports sims, the film industry sims, the restaurant sims, the downloading sims (which I never could get to run), the life sims, the dating sims, the horror sims, the "i'm a crazed stalker" sims... the site needs to encourage it all, or there wont be a site left if the wrestling industry continues to falter like it has.

Basically, the community needs to shut up with all its negativity, whilst expanding itself to include new genres that will help the site stay alive for years to come. It sounds like a plan, doesn't it. Remember, with your powers combined... yadda yadda yadda.

So, in conclusion, I'm awesome. THE END.