What if we had forums in the 1990s?

[kevin1gamer]

Okay, now just imagine if they had modern 21st century forums in the 1990s, like IPB, phpBB, vBulletin, myBB, and others. I do realize that they had message boards back in the 1990s, and that they are the successors to bulletin boards, but in the 1990s they primarily consisted of one long list of topics with replies shown below those topics, and no accounts, just unregistered nicknames.

Now then, this is where it gets interesting, imagine if they had gaming forums back then that are like gaming forums now. Most gaming forums now have forums for all five major gaming companies/platforms: computer gaming, Nintendo/GameCube/Wii, Sony/PlayStation, the late Sega/Dreamcast, and Microsoft/Xbox. However, back in the 5th generation, there were several mainstream consoles, and companies that made them.

So just picture forums that are technologically advanced like the ones we use now, back then, with forums for each. That would be awesome. Sure, we would obviously still have forums for computer gaming, Sega/Saturn, Nintendo/N64, and Sony/PlayStation. But most, if not all, gaming message board would also have forums for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Atari Jaguar, Amiga CD32, and Neo Geo. Who knows, we may have even seen forums on message boards for the failed consoles: Apple Bandai Pippin, Casio Loopy, PC-FX, and Bandai Playdia.

That would just be awesome. Instead of having the four console companies and PC to discuss, we would have all kinds of consoles to discuss. Oh the nostalgia, what do you girls/guys think?

[Smith6612]

Newsgroups? Basically they had something like this. You had a newsgroup server or a cluster of servers, where you gathered a list of groups and in there were topics. Back then, all they had were dial-up modems for the most part. Attachments could be used and such, but it was really all text. But yes, if I had used systems such as what you are describing, that would be pretty awesome.

[kevin1gamer]

Left 4 Dead in ur sig, cool

[mattblog]

If we have forums back then, most of the presidents would not be elected. Wink, Wink. JK

[stardom]

you mean most gaming forums don't have the basic coin-op? why was this not mentioned!!! lol Sad thing is you still find message boards. I hate trying to look for info on a board like that.

[dhruv227]

if we had those things in the 1990's, we would have something much much much advance right now.

[callumacrae]

Haha it'd be even worse than http://web.archive.org/web/200102081...p://phpbb.com/ XD

~Callum

[conzone]

Okay, now just imagine if they had modern 21st century forums in the 1990s, like IPB, phpBB, vBulletin, myBB, and others. I do realize that they had message boards back in the 1990s, and that they are the successors to bulletin boards, but in the 1990s they primarily consisted of one long list of topics with replies shown below those topics, and no accounts, just unregistered nicknames.

I used accounts back then and in the late 90's web based boards 80's maybe but not the 90's dude
-edit-
just looked about and found some relay messaging BBS were still running until 2007
http://www.relaynet.org/

-edit-
i just found stuff that has brought back so, so many memory's
life was fun, night shift and time to spend on BBS all over the world.
where did all the girls and money go ?
if I knew then what I know now I would be an happy rich man.

[sbacchas]

No Wikipedia

[KryptosV2]

I imagine they'd look something like this:



Which they did.