I think one of the reasons ERA is increasingly hostile is because it's the last of a dying breed. Video game forums are a dead end. "Game journalism" is a dead end. Video games, as an industry, is healthy and growing. But it's transformed, with a growing focus on mobile and co-op online play. The loudmouth die hards on ERA are the last dinosaurs making various screeching and roaring sounds as they sink a few inches deeper into the tar pit each day.