blackhat or whitehat, either way, they are nothing more than methods of use to gain the upper hand in marketing over your competitors.
a site dieing just because of the fact that its blackhat? the only reason that happens is if it delves too far into "illegal territory" and creates a fuss with the internet police, wihch is doubtful with internet marketers.
Ive been online for years, and im a gamer, and ive dug around in the "Hacker" area (though ive never touched base with anything -really- considered hacking) and i can tell you right now, that the nature of a site will not determine the life factor of it, the owners willingness to keep it maintained, and the audience (us) keeping it alive and fresh are what makes a difference, its just like any other website.
imo on first impressions: i just discovered this site, and the warrior forum recently (very recently) and just from sheer looks and quality, i would expect this forum to outlive the warrior forum.