I used to do that until they Dvoted me

Interesting it is still happening which means one of two things

The mods still have access to the Derep function or only some people have access to it!

I somewhat agree, but I lean more towards a different take on this one.

On boards that have these counters, especially "post counts", it mostly indicates how active / often a user posts. Not the contents or how helpful the user is. And THAT gives a false early impression, based on who has high and who has low.
And please don't say that "it's only a first impression". These first interactions do have a high impact, arguably most of the time. Especially if the persons involved can't get past the old exchanges.

I'd rather not have any counters at all.

Personally, how I recognize users and their meaningful contributions (or the lack thereof), is through their 'Usernames' and 'Avatars'. However, there lies the problem too, since those could be changed. This is why I respect users who never change their Username — bonus if that also pairs with Avatar.
 
If I am to appreciate the OP of a thread, it's when that person takes the time to respond to contributors. To me that ought to be the OP's responsibility for creating the thread.
Of course, not all threads are meant for discussions.
And there are times where you have nothing or nothing else to say. This is when 'reaction' feature comes in handy — to let others know that you at least noted their reply.

An upvote system that requires several votes to have a visible indicator, just won't cut it.

SO from -546 to -550 on my account I see who it is - Guess with me people!

The Mods claim they don't know who is derepping.

So I am wondering which mod has a personal vendetta against me?

Why do you people keep dobbing yourselves in like this?

You see this is the reason you don't get money from me.

Why are you so desperate to attack your older user base?

Look, I understand why you might think that. But downrepping is actually not disabled. It's hidden from view, but the code still exists. You can do a quick edit to the typical forum page and just downvote people like that.

The downvote bots are still hard at work.

In essence I agree.

I have always favored the LIKE or THANKS systems over the REP system.

REP like you say is pretty pointless, lacking any true meaning or usability despite what a good number seem to think.

LIKE or THANKS are a personal notification of appreciation, that often saves on having to post something. A simple like or thanks is often sufficient. They also go a good way to reducing clutter in a forum thread.

With REP it is often not clear what the positive or negative REP was for.

True, a good balance of not appearing rude/unappreciative, yet not unnecessary dragging the conversation either.
 
On its intended usage, it supposed to tell us users that the general audience agrees/disagrees or likes/dislikes our post, and it should stop at that — on the post — but at times, it didn't.
Since we all know bias is a factor too, it could also mean someone likes or hates the user — now it's not about the post any longer, but the poster.
There's the 'Alt Accounts' & 'scripts' to manipulate the system too.

So indeed, it is not clear to gauge.
That said, some posts could easily qualify as either helpful or hateful — it's a dead giveaway why it was rated then.

Yes, for sure, many are.

Many here aren't though, being as you said, either due to bias or favoritism or dislike. In the end you can only go by your own judgments and interpretation, and I have never liked to just take someone else's word for something, so downvotes or upvotes can be quite meaningless.

Unfortunately due to the wide age range, personality and culture range here, some folk clicked downvote purely because of a different view or opinion, not because of any bad content or behavior. And really they very much did so as anonymous, especially if they did not also do a reply. Upvotes are not too different to that either.

A REP system is totally open to abuse, and I cannot see it has any merit because of that.

My sentiments exactly; however, I learned not to rely too much in my own judgements. Because there are flaws, and often I couldn't see it for myself.
That's why I'm glad others pointed it out for me, or because of their opinions, I've come to realize it, even it wasn't directed at me.

(pardon for going out of the Rep-vote context there)
 
Ah yes, the demographics…
To be honest, it occasionally slips my mind how much varied we all are.

That has to do with the fact that I don't view this place as toxic as others claim — with the clear exception of the 'Rep abuse' which exists to instill negativity and emotional damage.

We all have contradicting opinions, so naturally there'll be arguments. And the folks here do let those statements rest inside the thread and leave it there.
So as a whole, it doesn't end up with the bitter case of a thread catching fire from other threads.
 
On one hand we (whoever admits) — act irresponsibly on the internet precisely because of anonymity.
On the other hand, I'm fairly neutral that those people decided to cast their stance anonymously via green/red buttons, instead of a reply. You never know how people handle themselves in a heated situation.

There's a correlation here, but not a causality, no "precisely because". The most atrocious of internet things were often committed, especially in game culture, by influencers whose real name was known everywhere. The anonymous mob just rallied behind their leaders. I'd gladly name a few of these leaders, but it would be off limits on this forum.

Anonymity on the net is an absolute necessity because tossing your name around online, being a member of a minority or minoritized group, and having an actual opinion on something are three things that in combination will make your time online and offline a living hell.

Is this still restricted on how we act towards each other online? e.g, chats, forums, etc.?
Because the original context of the mentioned of anonymity is:
 
My "on the other hand" follow up clears up the context:
 
Indeed, to clarify things, I wasn't against anonymity. Quite the contrary: my profile is disabled, location set to "Other", my visibility is off "Others cannot find me via friend recommendations, email, or username" — you get the idea.

What I'm saying is, we take advantage of it online to act differently(irresponsibly) towards other people than we would have otherwise if in real life.
Because on the internet, you don't risk yourself of getting punched in the face.

Could not agree more.

Online anonymity is a cloak of invisibility. It will be used by trolls and vulnerable groups alike, of course. But rip that cloak away and you'll expose only the vulnerable, because the trolls usually don't even give a shit.

Better late than never...

Abolishing the downvotes is a Good Thing but reforming them would be Better.

For example, allowing posters to only issue 3-4 downvotes per day (with no limits on upvotes) would generally put paid to the indiscriminate downvoting of certain threads, while also allowing appropriate feedback for inflammatory or unhelpful comments.

However this does also suggest that GOG is (finally!) getting a grip on its forum software and that more significant reforms may be possible in future. That's probably the best news for posters here.

I am fine with the removal of the minus button.
This is not a beauty contest. I am the most beautiful, no contest.

The removal of the minus button is a lie!

My invisible rep was up two points after making a bunch of utterly worthless posts in order to properly celebrate the expiry of my 2 month ban, now it's back down two points. How can it go back down if minus buttons are now hidden, hmmmm? HMMMM?

Granted, maybe my posts are simply so bad it made the forum software grow sentient and decreased my rep all by itself, but the more likely scenario is that skript kiddies can still downvoot to their heart's content. Yet another half-assed band aid solution from gog. For shame!

edit: It somehow magically dropped another 2 points since I made this post 25 minutes ago... Presumably just a matter of minutes now until the red tag of shame appears - unless, of course, gog is hiding that now as well.