Interview No. 53

Interview By: The-Great-One

Today's guests are members of Newgrounds who are part of the Newgrounds Forums. The following members are @Squidbit, @ZJ, Travis, and @Ryanson. They are four regulars of the Newgrounds forums.

ANSWERS WILL BE POSTED BENEATH THE _A:_ DUE TO TWO PEOPLE BEING INTERVIEWED PERSON ANSWERING WILL BE NOTED AS SO.

Q: How did you find Newgrounds and why did you join?

A:

Squidbit: When I was little, I saw a couple kids in the library playing Bowman 2, and I figured out that they were on newgrounds, so I went there too to try to find the game. Unfortunately I stumbled onto the portal, and couldn't figure it out at all, so I didn't come back to the site for a long time. I don't remember why I came back.

ZJ: This question is going to require a bit of backstory...In my youth, my father bought me an N64. After that fateful day, I was helplessly addicted to video games. The first two games that I ever really owned and played were Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64, which explains why I'm such a devoted Mario fan. With that in mind, you have to remember that just about everything I did when I was a kid was tied to Mario and Nintendo. I was obsessed with him.

Well, when I was about 11 or 12, I got into the internet a bit more, finding the ability to play games and watch cartoon movies for free to be quite appealing. After a while, I found some flash websites and was blown away by the fact that they had Mario cartoons and shit. I found it awesome that Mario was having crazy new adventures and doing things he would never do in his real games, like shoot Koopas with a shotgun.

So, while looking for Mario flash films, I stumbled upon a flash site known as VGDC. There, I found a guy by the name of Randy Solem. Randy had some of the best production values for sprite flashes on the internet and I fell in love with some of his works like "Mario Gets Lucky". I soon started watching his epic series "Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom". After watching three episodes of it, I eagerly awaited the final installment. When it came out, it wasn't hosted on VGDC, but this new website, called "Newgrounds". After watching the fourth movie, I looked around the website and was amazed by the variety of flash films. Just finding the collection of Mario flash films about had me pissing myself. Also, as I went through puberty, I found the website's dress-up games to be quite amazing. So, after lurking around the website for some time, I decided to become a member. So, on a particularly boring day in July of 2006, I made an account and have been hanging out on here since then. I guess you could say the reason why was for the video game flashes and porn. LOL.

Travis: Way back when the first Madness cartoon was a hot ticket on the internet, me and a friend were mesmerized by it. We found it on Funnyjunk.com and that just stuck with me because it was a great animation and for little kids, it was the violence that was the draw. Fast forward a few years down the road when Madness Apotheosis was released. I did a search on Madness, in Google, wanting to get some nostalgia and Newgrounds was the first link that popped up with a Madness Apotheosis. From there I was basically a lurker until the fated day last year in which I signed up.

Ryanson: When asked, I often say I found Newgrounds with my friends way back when. This is all a true story too, if not terribly boring -- we were deep into DBZ, and when we were "first" getting into girls one of us found a Dress-Up Bulma game. Giggity. I don't know when that was, but after a few visits, I finally joined in 2005.

I don't quite remember why but I assume that is was because of a music video collab called "I Hate It When..." It's a bunch of video game parodies set to the tune of a Reel Big Fish song (coincidentally, my first). I believe this because after looking back (there was some thread that had a link that allowed you to see what a webpage looked like on a previous date) this video was on the front page the same day I signed up

Q: What is it about Newgrounds that you like the most and why?

A:

Squidbit: The BBS, it's pretty fun. I hardly even watch movies or play games anymore, I just stick around the BBS.

ZJ: I love the community. Most of the people on here and crazy assholes who produce amazing pieces of art and have fun. Just look at the staff members. Those guys run a great website that showcases the talents of countless authors and do it in a fun way. Take for instance the latest staff flash project, Plimpton's Video Falconry. It's basically a spoof on classic video games from the Intellivision era. There's no real reason for them to have created the game other than that it was fun for them to do. There's countless things like this that make this website so amazing and unique. I love the NG holidays like Pico Day and Clock Crew Day and I think they make this one of the most original spots on the internet. It's just so cool the way that this place is all business when it comes to making art, but can still have fun with it. This is like that cool bar with fun-loving professionals in it.

Travis: I like the layed back feel of it the most. There are many things that make this site great once you get past the bullshit. After you comb through the spam flash, you can find some real professional works of art. When you want to listen to some great music, from covers to original works, the Audio Portal is the place to go for music when you aren't feeling itunes.

There is also a great level of maturity on these forums that people look over. If you take a close look at the people who make the jokes about themselves and you look at their serious posts, you find intelligent and mature people. I find it great that people on here can have fun, but be serious when they need to be.

Ryanson: I REALLY like, and I believe that this is the one reason why I'm still here, that there is so much to do on Newgrounds. Music to listen to, art to look at, movies to watch, games to play, things to discuss.... this is a HUGE community.

Q: What is it about Newgrounds that you dislike the most and why?

A:

Squidbit: Not much I don't like about NG... I guess waiting for the redesign.

ZJ: Like most people on here, I detest the fact that the chat is not working and has been like that for the past few years. I know it probably takes a bit of time to get a full-functioning chat to come to fruition, but goddamn. If this website is serious about competing against the big boys of Youtube as a media outlet, you'd think they'd stop joking around about the fact that they don't have a working chat. Seriously, it's 2011. They can make a chat work and in my honest opinion, they should have already gotten it done. Hopefully it'll be around after the newest redesign. Then I'll have nothing real to bitch about.

Travis: There are several things which annoy me the most on Newgrounds and I have good reason to dislike each of them. One of the things I can't stand are people who treat the forums like a text message and don't understand the difference between a semicolon and an apostrophe. I am a grammar-nazi, but after taking AP English this year in school, I have realized that you can sound quite professional on your writing alone, so I take pride in making no errors and making typos very rare on my part.

Another one of the things I can't stand are the Elitists on Newgrounds. There is no reason to bring something completely unrelated into a topic just because they think their opinion of what's better is a fact. Nobody honestly cares about anything like this because it's all preference. I can't stress enough how annoying it is when you see it day in and day out.

Ryanson: I really hate how seriously some people take Newgrounds.

But that's not really JUST Newgrounds, that's the Internet in general. So how about this: I strongly dislike how so much crap people submit actually makes it through the Portal. Luckily, the exceptionally good stuff is showcased for us on the front page. But still, so have so much crap stuffed in the back of the closet... it'll eventually all come out in one big burst.

Maybe not. Idk what I'm talking about.

Q: What is your stance on the Forum Moderators?

A:

Squidbit: They do their jobs, I've got nothing against them. Although sometimes Malachy goes a little overboard with backseat modding bans. Helping people isn't always backseat modding.

ZJ: They're just like any other group of people. Some of them are amazing people who are kind, professional, and all-around awesome and deserve to be placed in charge of others on the Forums. Others are complete assholes who go on power-trips with their roles or just take things too goddamn serious. Honestly, when a moderator is taking a weird stance on an obscure rule to ban you, there's some problem.

But for the most part, I don't have a problem with the mods and I think they're alright. I've seen worse mods on some websites and I've seen better, too, but for the most part I think they're alright. I think they're doing a fine job and if things stay as they are, I'd probably be okay with that. Heck, maybe someday I'll be one of them (Oh fuck, I'm not supposed to request it, right?) and then I'll say that mods are the best people ever. Hahahaha.

Travis: For the most part the forum moderators are doing a hell of a job. They have treated me mature in all of my run ins and many of them have had very intellectual and honest conversations with myself. They seem to like me and every one of them that I have had conversations with, both parties have left satisfied.

I want to take a quick moment to say that Bahamut and Avie are both great friends and moderators and they have treated me as an equal and have listened which is what I like best in any moderator.

Ryanson: They're there for a reason, to protect the forums.

Q: Would you like to be a Newgrounds Forum Moderator? Whatever your answer could you explain?

A:

Squidbit: Not at all, too much shit in the forums, I wouldn't want any kind of responsibility in a place I come to for fun. Plus I would probably ban people just cause I don't like them.

ZJ: Okay, so, the unwritten rule is that you're not supposed to ask to be a mod, but I think I can break from that on here...

I would like to be a mod on the Forums. I think it looks like a fun job and I think that the moderators on here have a tight-knit community. I know that a lot of them even make an effort to go to meet-ups and hang out with bigtime NG regulars and staff members. SO, based on that social aspect alone, I think I'd like to be a mod. I guess I could also give you a nice altruistic reason for being a mod like to "serve the greater good" or "Clean up the spam and shit on the boards", but the truth is that I'm not a Nazi about that kind of stuff. If I were a mod, I'd lurk around and make sure that things were okay and that porn and spam weren't getting posted, but I probably would not be an ass and make sure that every single user follows every single bbs rule, both official and unofficial, to the letter. I'd basically take the mod job just to hang out with the group of dudes and make sure that this place is a better posting spot for everyone. Isn't that what every mod should be like?

Also, I'd like to say that I might not be mod on account of my ban record. LOL. I haven't been banned for that many things, but I have tried to mimic Stamper a few times with risqué photos and I've paid dearly for it. SO, ban record aside, if I could mod my own way with my own principals, I'd definitely like to do it.

Travis: Although it brings an impressive work load and the need for constant monitoring, I would definitely be proud to be a forum moderator. The main reason I would want to be a forum moderator would be to help out Newgrounds and to help the other mods. I would want to be the guy that people look up to as well as the guy that will be fair and unbiased with anyone. Sure, I have gotten in petty arguments with certain people on the forums, but I would treat them the same as anyone else.

Either way, to be a moderator would be a great honor and I would just plain love it. Basically serving the site that brings me joy on a daily basis would be like a dreamjob internet wise. I can't imagine anywhere else on the internet where I would want to help, other than here.

Ryanson: I kind of want it, but I'm scared of having power -- even if that power is virtual. I fear that I may abuse it, or at the very least think of myself as better than most. I might post "Oh, you can't do that... but I can because I'm a mod LOLOLOL"

I don't like that idea.

And then again, I don't want it because being a Forum Mod... it's almost like you can't post on the same level as everyone else. You have to sacrifice your own time and put in effort to make sure others are following the rules. I think I explained that right.

So really... I guess I don't want to. Dammit.

Q: Which forums do you mainly visit and which forums do you seldom visit?

A:

Squidbit: I usually only go to general, but lately I've been going to the VG forum for the Minecraft thread. I never really go to any of the other forums.

ZJ: I mainly visit General, Clubs & Crews, and Video Games. These are the spots where the most people are and where I can talk about what interests me the most. Really, these are the spots where I can have a good time and hang out with pals. I've also drifted in and out of the politics board, based on whims.

I seldom visit the Network News Forum. Really, that place sucks and hasn't been used for quite some time. LOL.

Everywhere else I try to visit from time to time and post in them when I can. The problem is that I can't post in places like the Audio, Art, Programming, Flash, etc. boards because I don't have the skills necessary to have real discussions in them. Hopefully one day I will, but for now, I'll just stick around and bullshit with the other untalented bums on this website. Hahaha.

Travis: I visit all of the forums other than politics because that's just an argument waiting to happen. Although I visit all of the forums I mainly post in General and Video Games. I would say that I lurk very heavily in the Collaboration Forum. Although I frequent the Where Is/How To? Forum, I would love to get more involved there and help people find stuff.

Mainly, though, my forums are General and Video Games.

Ryanson: I visit the General Forum almost 100% of the time. I've really only ever posted in Clubs and Crews, the Review Request Club and the Sig Maker's Club. Almost no where else.

Q: Each forum has a way of describing what you can find in it. However this is the definition of the General Forum...

"Talk about the stuff on Newgrounds, chit-chat with other fans, or whatever!"

Would you agree that over time that description still fits to the General Forum?

A:

Squidbit: Yeah pretty much, but I would take the "or whatever!" out, because most of the time posting something that would go under the "whatever" category gets you banned. At least when posting threads.

ZJ: Sure. General has always been the place to chit-chat. I'd say that the place to talk about Newgrounds shit has sorta shifted to Tom's posts on the NG News Board, but not enough to where General has been made obsolete. The fact that the definition of General includes "Whatever" is fitting because anything and everything had popped up on there. The number of memes and inside-jokes that that place has generated is amazing. So, yeah, time has not changed what that description means to the General Forum.

Travis: Oh definitely. General is the "Main Tower" in the "City" that is the BBS for good reason. Anything and everything is talked about there. From dick jokes to popular and weird news stories. The place is great to get a good spectrum view of the internet.

Ryanson: "General" is a wide umbrella term, so I think mostly the "whatever" part is still accurate. The crazy stuff we talk about, haha. It's not necessarily with other fans, or even about other stuff on Newgrounds. It's just... whatever.

I suppose the description still fits to an extent, but maybe not even that. Most of the time I see anyone starting a thread about something about Newgrounds someone will come in the thread and say, Hey, this belongs in such and such forum.

Q: If you could change anything on Newgrounds, what would it be and why?

A:

Squidbit: "Some account type thingy here"

I'd actually put some account type thingy there, right now it just seems out of place. But maybe that'll change whenever the redesign comes.

ZJ: To rehash what I said before, I'd put the damn NG Chat on here. Why?

Here's Why:

1. We're not some indie shit website. Newgrounds is well-known website that is run by a professional staff and makes a decent amount of money. The fact that we don't have a basic personal chat function that ties into our user accounts is embarrassing. Let's put that shit on here.

2. So that people can stop bitching about it. Won't it be great when the NG staff can finally just deliver on it and allow the users on this website to bitch about something else...like Pico 2? It'll just be one less thing to fix with this website.

Travis: If I could change something in the entire world of Newgrounds, I would probably make a more extreme flash filter. Seriously, some of the shit that gets through on a daily basis is ridiculous. I am happy to see that the staff and friends are purging the spam flash and anything with stolen pictures and stuff.

Ryanson: Mmm. If I could change anything... Idk.

Q: What can we expect from the forum regulars in the future?

A:

Squidbit: I don't know? I can't really speak for everyone else on the forum, and I'm not sure how to answer this even if I could...

ZJ: You can expect nothing. The beautiful thing about these forums is that you never know what crazy shit is going to pop up on here until you're staring it right in the face. That's what makes this place so much fun. Every day is a new adventure and always a surprise. The only thing you can really expect is that you'll see something cool and new...and that there will probably be some dick jokes. You can probably expect some dick jokes in there.

Travis: All of the regs have their own individuality so you don't know what we will come up with next. You will just have to wait to find out, but I definitely got an unlimited array of tricks waiting and ready to be unleashed on the unsuspecting Newgrounds crowd.

Ryanson: We can expect that there will undoubtedly be noobs or attempted trolls. We can expect that there will be people that current or past regulars will hate the new bunch. But most importantly, we can expect that they will be what Newgrounds needs to continue living on.

So there you have it. These are four members of Newgrounds who have voiced their opinions on the Newgrounds Forums as well as Newgrounds as a whole. It is sad to see how some members are only here for the BBS and nothing else seeing as how this site has so much to offer. Well we've heard from these four now it is time for the Moderators.