It is getting to that time of year where we have a look back on all the golden material of the past year.
http://gbatemp.net/threads/gbatemps-golden-threads-thread.334504/page-57 for last year's proceedings.
Usual sources of good material
Pokemon vs the World (
http://gbatemp.net/threads/pokémon-the-battle-between-legitimacy-and-legality.359793/ for one that is technically a 2013 thread but happened after last year's roundup).
Megaman vs the world
Michael Pachter's usually pretty good business level analysis is an affront to all apparently.
Honest guv, I would never consider pirating a ROM, all those that do are scum and also my friends on this site.
Does it involve intellectual property (trademarks, copyright, patents)? Expect hilarity and complete misunderstandings of the concept.
Related to megaman, Michael Pachter and IP would be anything to do with business/accounting concepts. Goes double if a company quite legitimately says "poke this wii u and 3ds shit, I am going where the action is", for example
https://gbatemp.net/threads/watch-dogs-pushed-back-again-for-wii-u.361906/ and also
https://gbatemp.net/threads/ubisoft-announce-wiiu-watch_dogs-release-date.371313/ for the follow up on that.
The above goes quadruple for anything involving gamestop it seems (
https://gbatemp.net/threads/gamestop-overhauling-its-trade-in-system-offering-more-money.369682/ might be an example).
Despite the internet being for porn we have no small number of prudish types around here it would seem. Not really sure we had anything this year compared to the orgy, DOMA smackdown and polygamy threads from last year but there might be something, we had
https://gbatemp.net/threads/ryukouki-discusses-the-censorship-problem.362708/ I guess.
Back to pokemon (usually) where I can usually expect the business, tech and IP savvy set to hold their own in those sorts of threads there is next to no chance if a debate involves fairness, some of the more subtle aspects of game theory or competition design (though this is more smash brothers) then the knowing types tend to get buried under an avalanche of not logic. Not quite a qualifier as it happened in 2013 and before the cutoff for last time but the Pokemon X and Y Battle Analyzer stuff was glorious -- I was manning the filetrip reports section at the time and the sheer amount of vitriol that was being spewed (apparently it was illegal according to the lot of people) keeps me warm on dark nights to this day, and that was before I went and found all the (seriously seriously numerous) pokemon forums around the internet that were discussing it.
For some it seems the mere act of having an opinion means it can not be challenged, and some even go so far as to call the one doing the challenging a bad person. No real unifying theme beyond that so we will have to go hunting for the examples but such things are not so uncommon as to make it hard.
Special mention probably has to be made for Ryukouki's portal discussions/threads, though they avoid being flamebait in the opening post they are seemingly geared (sometimes with a bit of advance warning to help things along) such that various members can set it off. A few of them will make it into this but pretty much all of them could do it,
https://gbatemp.net/threads/do-simple-and-complex-games-coexist.363709/ and
https://gbatemp.net/threads/real-money-trading-and-virtual-economics.364264/ because I did not have anywhere else to link them up.
I always seem to miss the flame threads, not sure why but it is the case.
I am not entirely sure what to make of the walking dead thread (
http://gbatemp.net/threads/the-walking-dead-tv-show.374363/ ) but I do not wish to ignore it as part of this. Likewise Korra threads got interesting at points
https://gbatemp.net/threads/the-legend-of-korra-book-2-discussion-thread.354682/
Some more threads
"How can anyone be okay with Gateway's behavior?"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-can-anyone-be-okay-with-gateways-behavior.360627/
The then and present leader in 3ds flash carts released an update that bricked (to a just about recoverable state with a bit of soldering) users of clone carts, loaders derived from their stuff and scored a few friendlies along the way -- deliberate and malicious bricking of consoles. Apparently some questioned whether it was a dick move or not.
"Why make a console that is backwards compatible?"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/why-make-a-console-that-is-backwards-compatible.359922/
Nothing really golden but got a bit of N64 debate in there which is frequently amusing.
"Nintendo Confirms Wii U Has Flopped, Slashes Sales Forecast By ~70%"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/nintendo-confirms-wii-u-has-flopped-slashes-sales-forecast-by-70.360729/
The gift that just kept giving and giving and giving.
"Nintendo considering mergers and buying new game development studios!"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/nintend...d-buying-new-game-development-studios.361489/
Again nothing really golden but worth a look.
"Russia gives the Sims 4 an "Adults Only" rating"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/russia-gives-the-sims-4-an-adults-only-rating.365855/
Might be reaching a bit to get some laugh at the prudes material but it is still good in the later pages. I had almost forgotten about this one as well.
"Philips wants to ban Wii and Wii U in America"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/philips-wants-to-ban-wii-and-wii-u-in-america.366062/
Ah, a patent discussion. Good times.
"Kickstarter: Lifelogger"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/kickstarter-lifelogger.366042/
Wait, you people can record things some covertly in 2014. This was entirely unprecedented and would and could never have happened before 2014.
"The Wii U version of Smash Bros. will be playable with GameCube controllers"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/the-wii...be-playable-with-gamecube-controllers.366703/
also related threads on the concept.
Nintendo choosing to reuse controller designs was apparently a good thing, that they tasked one of their electrical engineers to make something over lunch was sheer commitment to the cause.
"Free ROM loader means death of the 3ds scene"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/free-rom-loader-means-the-death-of-the-3ds-scene.366586/
I think asking people about their personal pirating ways is somewhat akin to asking whether a male has a wank -- the results of your poll will not be accurate (and probably feature very similar percentages in the real world) and the answers will feature several prominent overreactions to the tune of "What? I would rather cut my hand/thumbs off". See also the continuing adventures of the anti piracy measures of devolution (
https://gbatemp.net/threads/why-add-anti-piracy-measures-to-devolution.330634/ ).
Nintendo vs youtube, the after years.
To set the scene Nintendo went after people doing gameplay videos, longplays, let's plays and the like, good times were had in the threads covering it and they were a prime example of "don't let the laws get in the way" logic. Nintendo then back-pedalled a tiny bit to give us
https://gbatemp.net/threads/nintendo-to-begin-youtube-affiliate-program.366597/
"Nintendo Can't Advance If They Won't Improve their Marketing"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/nintendo-cant-advance-if-they-wont-improve-their-marketing.366503/
Just have a skim of it.
"The hacking scene was better back in 2008"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/honestly-the-hacking-scene-was-at-its-prime-back-in-2008.367768/
More the premise than the thread itself.
Business/accounting, we really do not get it around here
https://gbatemp.net/threads/nintendo-is-actually-worth-more-than-all-of-sony.360357/
https://gbatemp.net/threads/capcom-for-sale.367574/
Tech as well
https://gbatemp.net/threads/microsoft-takes-down-no-ip-sub-domains.368131/
Mighty no 9, the misplaced enthusiasm for megaman kind of followed its creator in the bound to be game of the century game known as Mighty No 9. I reckon I could fill an entire site on the stupidity that followed every aspect of this move.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/mighty-no-9-the-animated-series-and-new-funding-campaign.368375/
Square Enix vs fan translation. Could have been interesting had people had a grasp of the concepts involved (or shut up if they did not), instead we got drama.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/square-...action-against-type-0-fan-translation.368936/
Fortunately we did get the interesting conversation in another thread
https://gbatemp.net/threads/legal-actions-and-future-steps.369157/
"Do you need to wiggle your d-pad to get a boost in Mario Kart 7 like you needed to do in MK DS?"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/do-you-...kart-7-like-you-needed-to-do-in-mk-ds.368968/
An example of the game theory vs cheats vs "it is cheating if I can not do it".
https://gbatemp.net/threads/operationplatinum-bayonetta2.370355/
Not really the thread but the opening video.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/xbox-on...luding-mkv-dlna-streaming-coming-soon.370182/
Some people did not like media support being a focus, wonder if they would be the same people to bore us back in the "PS2 has a DVD player" days.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/new-faster-lighter-3ds-console-announced.370710/
Some people did not like the idea of a new 3ds model that actually improved things. Normally I would wonder if these people are the same that think the 3ds library is good compared to what came before or think it is still new (we are nearly 4 years in at this point) and deserves a pass/a chance.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/why-do-people-on-forums-hate-jrpgs-so-much.371399/
Just read.
"How to sell an 6.2 exploit to Gateway?"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-sell-an-6-2-exploit-to-gateway.372965/
I do not know what it is with the 3ds section and the few times someone with technical skill appears, it was not as bad as the poor guy that wandered along with a video decoder for the 3ds but it was not a shining example of the forum at its best.
A lot of stuff that would usually make this sort of material got funnelled into the games journalism vs the world thread and the strong womyn threads, flamebait news that isn't posted kind of languished this year.
http://gbatemp.net/threads/corruption-in-games-journalism-or-five-guys-burgers-and-fries.370289/ and
http://gbatemp.net/threads/for-strong-womyn-everywhere-internet-plus-equality.361231/
Again though I missed out on loads of flame threads and most of those I just linked were culled from my likes list which is not the most representative of things.