At 8/9/21 02:13 PM, Jackho wrote:At 8/9/21 01:47 PM, Fro wrote:To me it's nothing but a relic.
You're not wrong, but tech progress usually results in added convenience at the expense of meaning and connection. Not to get starry eyed over some fucking internet forum functionality but this thread is an echo back to the camaraderie and wild west nature of old NG (not least for fully embracing NG's military theming that's been lost elsewhere on the site), going through a faceless flagging system is much more dystopian than posting it here, as tiny as it sounds, these things can add up to a general feeling of disconnection.
I'm not sure what we offer besides being a place where noobs can ask questions and get a better understanding of what's flag-worthy, and the negligible advantage of users knowing when someone else has already flagged a thing, but I like that it's still around. Also probably the only place where B/P rank promotions will get acknowledged.
I'll be the first to admit that this thread has definitely aged out over the past 10 years. Years ago, we had a lot of new, younger members that used this place as a social gathering point as much a place to work out strategies to keep the portal clean, watching for spammer groups and helping others as much as we could. We told jokes, wrote stories, played the roles - we had fun, sometimes to the edge of impropriety, and yours truly pushed that envelope.
We had 25 - 30 active members; many of us knew each other IRL. Many were just graduating high school, or just starting college, and there was plenty of time to spend here to have fun.
But time and tide wait for no man, and the user base grew older, needing more time in their real lives to study or work or develop relationships and even get married. Some had other demons to battle, and went off to fight them, never to return.
It wasn't just the Barracks - the entirety of Newgrounds saw a decline as more older members left than newer members joined. Even the spammer groups (like the Clock Crew) aged out and faded away. Flash wasn't exciting, and Newgrounds just wasn't attracting the talent that it had before.
Our founding leader, EGSC EagleRock, and I had a great relationship, constantly bantering and pushing each other's limits (and buttons). In the beginning, this really was a fun place for us all. But even our illustrious leader was not immune to the perils of the real world. A series of unfortunate events changed his life (I will forgo the details in respect of his privacy), and ultimately, he moved on, handing me the keys on the way out. It was very sad to see him go. He did pop in a few years later to say "hello", but that would be it.
I've watched our younger crew grow up, finish school, get jobs, get married, and even have kids. You just can't put in 2-3 hours a day on this site when you're trying to raise a new family.
As for me, and why I'm still around - I'm an old biddy, no kids. I even wrote about that to some degree in a long, multi chapter Barracks story I wrote a long time ago, called "Through a Mirror Darkly", ( PDF here ) which was a co-story about an alternative reality Barracks as real life - and it was counterpoint to EagleRock's "Barracks Under Fire". The story touched upon the fact that due to a series of incidents in my life, I never had kids and never married, and instead, focused on technology as my career. I do have nieces and nephews and they visit me when they can, but that's different than having kids. I have the time to spend here; I've been working as an independent consultant for decades, working from the home office or on the road if needed. This place became my home away from home.
And like the old lady that I am, I'm accustomed to this place; I know its history and the fine people who graced these halls. And like children who have grown up and moved out, I wished them all well, and welcome them back with open arms when they do visit.
The EGB is older, and not as vibrant; it's not new or exciting, and with all of the changes in "political correctness" things that we said 10 years ago just wouldn't be comfortable any more. Go ahead, browse through my post history for 2009-2010 - or better yet, take a look at the EGB's thread from May 2010 (Page 1179 ) - it was a completely different vibe back then.
Everything has a life cycle, and the EGB, like it's current leader, is well into the "mature adult" stage. I do miss the joking around, good natured ribbing, the occasionally racy comments and quips, and the general camaraderie we shared. We could all dish it out and could all take it - and apologize if we went too far.
We can make this place as we wish - it doesn't always have to be just about the portal submissions and stolen work. We can fun at each other's expense, as long as it doesn't get personal or viscous.
Because, IRL, we're just folks trying to do a good deed in our little corner of the world. It doesn't have to be boring.
Now, I'm done wit mah story-tellin', so now all you kids get outta mah yard, and don't come back unless ya got somethin' that's gonna make an old fart laugh!