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And how! Or, In Which I Speak of Gaia's Recent Sponsorships Like Anyone Actually Cares. xd

I feel the need to note, before I say anything, that this is not in any way, shape or form an official opinion or statement, and nothing I say should be taken as fact or foreshadowing. This is just me as a user whose name has gone seasick all of a sudden. So I repeat: This is not an official statement of any kind. Kicking around Site Feedback has made me a little cautious abut what I say because people tend to take information and run with it. And by "run," I mean, "amok."

Gaia is a business. A big one, by now; gone are the days of the sushi database and artists working three freelance jobs to pay the bills and support the servers. Businesses need money, and need to make money. One way to do this is to get someone else to give you money in exchange for something. In this case, advertising to a whole hell of a lot of people who probably, given they have internet access and therefore money/free time, can buy things they don't actually need. I'm fine with that. I'm not such a purist (or such a flaming idiot) to feel that this place has to still be a profitless labor of love despite having grown exponentially. Granted, I'm about 10 years too old to care about any of the films advertised so far, and much too poor to invest in a Scion (Plus I think they are ugly and their ground clearance is too low to be practical in a land with snow but mysteriously without snowplows), but I still see the point in advertising such things using our features. Ultimately we all benefit from Gaia prospering as a company, so I won't be churlish about not liking the stuff they gave us-- especially if it pays for the art that will become tattoos and piercings on my avatar.

However, I wonder why the emphasis is on sponsorships and not features that have been long-promised and -sought after. Why not, for example, the tattoos that premiered at AX2k5? Or an improved search function for the Marketplace? Or maybe even the monster known as the battle system? Okay, so what's probably holding those back are a bevy of technological problems with layering, animation, whatever. SF's first angsting point over and done with. But I was under the impression Gaia was not exactly strapped for cash. Between the banner ad revenue, Gaia Store, monthly collectibles and gift credits, that's an okay amount. Add on the Tsubasa, Gracie and Nancy Drew quests and that's a pretty penny. Right now, the constant barrage of sponsorship is getting a really negative reaction and I understand it. I'm having quest fatigue, and I hate that every new feature is made to sell me something, not to let me have fun with other users. I mean, there was no profit from Gaia Jigsaw or Fishing, just the possibility for enjoyment and items. Right or wrong, it feels a little too businesslike, a little heartless. There's profit and then there's whoring, and sometimes it feels like we're looking at that line, trying to decide if jumping would be a good thing. All I ask for is a more moderate approach. I'm sick of being sold kids' movies in announcement after announcement after announcement, then being told to go drive a Scion because the other cars have nothing going for them. The focus on profit is a little alarming, and I really do wish I knew the business end of this in terms of the numbers. Fat chance, but I'd like to believe there's a good reason for this beyond "profit, which will go to the site at some point." I don't think it's corruption but I do worry it's excessive and unnecessary. Perhaps a little slower on the pitches, guys? It's starting to make a lot of people feel irritated or unimportant or used, and I doubt that will go away. It'd be a shame to do that to people who came here for the fun and the friendship and the honest-to-God games. I'm not pissed off but I am a little disheartened, curious and worried. I come to Gaia to get away from the real world, not to be sold more.