Where is everybody at? I remember this place used to be HOPPING, now it seems like there is only a new thread every month or so, and only a new comment maybe every few weeks? Heck, I don't even see Lady N around here anymore, and this is kinda her place. Is it just dead because it has been so long since the last TES game? Maybe it will pick up again when 6 comes out.
Or is there somewhere else that most of the Lore discussion happens now? Facebook groups are noticeably more active, are forums just dying? Or are people somewhere else, like the official forums or UESP?
Just curious what your guys' thoughts are. I'll come back and check this thread in March, lol.
Well...
I find myself hanging out on the TIL Discord a lot more often these days. As I understand there are communities on Reddit and Facebook as well.
A big reason stuff is dead here has just been, as you say, the great gulf following Skyrim. Its been about 8 years since we got new material, and the next one is still a good 3-4 years away. Outside of TES:O, the various spinoffs haven't introduced much in the way of new lore worth discussing. TES:O would be the sole exception, but it has also brought a lot of new fans to the series and they simply discuss TES Lore elsewhere a lot of the time.
Another reason is that the internet has shifted since Skyrim. Forums are out of vogue, so to speak. Social media dominates.
Another reason is that the community has fractured somewhat. Divisions over how to treat the lore of TES:O have divided the community, and in the eight years since Skyrim's release a lot of us have left college or high school and now have our free time taken up by other pursuits. The absolute decimation of the old official forum that resulted with it's closing also probably hurt, since that and this one were fairly closely tied. Not to mention that the larger lore community (again, not TIL specifically) have experienced the occasional drama which has resulted in the permanent departure of some of our most acclaimed members.
But yeah, its mostly that we haven't gotten a new main series game in forever. If you have Discord you can check out our channel there. You should be able to find it with the search function, but if you can't just PM me and I'll send you an invite. We still have fairly regular chats about lore and the games there.
I don't think I'd describe TIL's forum as hoppin' any time in the last 10 years :P
I think Fiore is right in that forums just aren't the thing anymore. Things were dying down anyway, and then the official forums were sunset and that corner of the community never reformed. Personally, I'm less active here and elsewhere because I just don't see as much I want to discuss or contribute to.
If you're looking for more active discussion, r/teslore is a popular place, though its content and reddit in general isn't to everyone's liking. Both TIL and UESP also have discord servers with lore sections, and there is a rather popular facebook group.
(If you're looking for me personally, I tweet on Twitter and post my work on Patreon)
Sad times
Unfortunately, there's nothing left to talk about.