Like many if not most Escapists I first came to this site because someone I knew had drawn my attention to Zero Punctuation. After watching ZP here for years (lurking) I started paying attention to the rest of the site and joined up late last July.
But here's the thing: Yahtzee's stuff is still entertaining but it hasn't had the zing it did years ago. Fair enough. Yahtzee's run has been more creative and funnier and it has gone on much longer than most TV series.
Now they're having write ins:. That's never a good sign. Hopefully it's just a New Year thing but I've seen this sort of "audience participation" invitation pop up usually when a show has Jumped the Shark.
With the massive draw that ZP has been for the Escapist it's a reflex to wonder if ZP's slowly going downhill could take the site with it.
On the other hand the site has had time to develop and mature. It has been quoted in media everywhere from Cracked.com to WoW's Panderia trailer to Scientific American (which I have a subscription to--I grinned when I saw the Escapist mentioned there). It's got a large body of loyal members. Heck, I even jumped the broomstick and spent $20.00 to join the PubClub recently.
What do you think about ZP's slow decline and the Escapist's development/survival?