It's like a dying puppy. You see it there on the side of the road taking its last breaths. And then you kick it.
That's what Gaia's new management is doing. Since i last logged on towards the end of last year til now, prices of items have increased hundredfold. The market has inflated impossibly due to gold generators bought using real money that dole out billions to trillions of gold.
Yet, starter funds for new players? Still pretty much the same. Unless you buy in-game cash, it's impossible to buy items you want to create an avi you want; keep in mind Gaia is heavily focused on avatars and stuff. Advertisements for in-game cash abound; you're hounded by it wherever you go on the site. Until recently they've even been sending private messages advertising in-game cash. Users are treated like money pigs.
People are leaving. Old forums being abandoned. It's a ghost of what it once was. Folks, do not come to this site. Mark my words sooner or later it'll be closed.