Yes, this thread was probably inevitable, but nevertheless quite important and revealing.
About 14 years ago I joined, realized quickly it was a genuine forum populated by real people, several of whom helped me personally when becoming an affiliate and before that too with advice.
As said above by others, I have had the pleasure of meeting tens of the members here, some of whom no longer contribute or sadly passed away.
I attended my first Meistermeet back in 2013 and went to every one since until their demise in 2024, aside from the 2020 one (or was it 2021?) when due to the Wuhan Wheeze it was cancelled and we had an unofficial one in Waxy's, which incidentally Mr. Robinson attended and I showed him my T-shirt of that infamous 83x 32-spin feature on Bonanza by you-know-who in the thread.
Judging by the forum archives, it would seem the heyday was 2005-19 so I arrived here about 6 years before the end of that period. After that, the rep count began to decline, UKGC and other jurisdictional changes started to bite, bonuses went downhill in many cases and scam unlicensed crap started to become more prevalent, increasing cynicism among the members.
I have a kind of top 25 list stored in my head of favourite, mainly long-time members which I would always look forward to reading and chatting with on here. I loved doing those slot review videos, I didn't realize the effect they had after I posted the first in September 2014, and only now have I understood I was 18-24 months ahead of those channels like BigWhingeBoard who took up the mantle too. I had some pretty interesting chats with devs at conferences, and apparently Yggdrasil watched my Easter Island YT preview in their conference room, where I referred to those two suspiciously phallic looking wobbling statues by the reels as 'spit and swallow' *ahem*. Moments like that are unforgettable, like being summoned to meet Gnatent in 2016 to chat about slots.
So, the forum entertainment, meeting real people, the Meistermeets, debates, humour and trips to London, Berlin and Amsterdam etc. where I met others like incrediblestuff etc. the casino visits with Kasinoking and help and work received from Simmo and conker, meeting maxd and Bryan too on numerous occasions, even coming downstairs for breakfast in my hotel in Amsterdam once to find Bryan tucking into his, not even knowing he was even attending AAC let alone in the same hotel!
I could make this eulogy very long and mention 20 more names who I have met or helped, or have helped me, but those people know who they are.
To conclude, many years ago Bryan chucked me in the deep end as a voluntary mod which was slightly scary and in turn I was taken on by Gentoo as paid staff which sadly only lasted 19 months. The affiliate industry is highly profit orientated and if there's any way to cut costs, it is done. To be fair, the forum manages perfectly well without me and conker and I wouldn't want it any other way. Another good thing is that it hasn't been turned into a satellite of AskGrumblers in fairness to Gentoo, which IMO would ruin it. So all good I say!
There is the issue of some people stopping posting around the time of the sackings and some even beforehand when Bryan sold up. In my case, I have to admit that historically being one of the most prolific posters in CM's history before and during the period I was on staff (forgive me here!), I lost my enthusiasm and will after leaving the the position and now only log in a few times a week and post even less. The main joy now is revelling in the personal abuse I get in the you-know-what thread and reading the accusations. It always gives me a giggle and temporarily helps me forget who I live with.
In summation, the forum is still used by plenty but nothing like its peak alas. The most-recent threads list is often populated by negative topics around scamming, complaints and general dissatisfaction, split by Bonanza and any live comps. Hardly inspiring but sadly reflective of how things are now. Gone is the humour of goatie and others although McGameboy still does his bit. Gone are Playford's suggestions about how to sink cross-channel dinghies and vivid descriptions of which orifices certain casinos can insert their bonuses/CS/RTP. We did have a brief cheer-up involving a heavy-breasted buxom American nudist bird but those magnificent mammaries were quickly consigned to CM 101.
So, I will sign-off my Vinylweatherman style post by saying I hope the forum sees off the challenges and the down curve isn't permanent. I thank all the members, old and new, who unlike me still have the motivation to keep posting and the place alive. I finish with a link to my all-time favourite thread which almost gave personal credence to the expression 'wetting oneself laughing'....take a read, the zenith of CM humour:
Come on everybody!
♫ hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare ♫
) with like minded people.
