Asandir's interviews with Newgrounds forum users

This week's interview features the user Bit.

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When did you find Newgrounds and why did you join? Why did you choose the username Stevenscar?

Bit:

"In the year 2006 I discovered the Internet phenomena known as Numa Numa Dance. I thought that it was absolutely hilarious and began looking for remixes and parodies as well. This led me to a flash animation called American Idle which featured Gary Brolsma performing on American Idol. There must have been some sort of button or link in the comments because it led me to Newgrounds where I found the original. I had no idea that I was late to the party until I noticed the date it was uploaded and the millions of views it had accumulated since then.

I visited the site from time to time and eventually signed up. I chose my username because it is one I had used a few times previously."

Changed his name to Bit

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Do you think that you changed over the time you were here, as user, or also in real life?

Bit:

"When I joined Newgrounds I was a very different person. In the beginning I didn't post on the BBS or write any reviews. It was all about the flash games. I would spend hours playing them. It was a good way to burn some spare time. Then I discovered the BBS. I began lurking and eventually posting. In the beginning, I had a rather unrefined emoticon-filled posting style. Every time I look back on my oldest posts I can't help but think "What an idiot. Did I ever proofread or think twice about anything?" or "I didn't need to put that smilie there. It was implied!" and yet... I don't think I would change any of it given the chance. These failures are what changed me. I started thinking more about what I was typing and somehow worried less about what everyone would think of me as a result.

All the while I also changed in real life. I became more serious. More articulate. Perhaps a bit cynical. Not that I mind being a bit cynical. The changes can definitely be seen when comparing my posts made over the years."

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Are there any other users that you like, and how do they affect you?

Bit:

"Users that I like? That's a tough one. I don't know any users very well.

I have respect for users that put a bit of effort into what they post. The users whose entire posting history is not simply a collection of one-line, cookie-cutter responses. Especially the users who aren't afraid to take the gloves off and become involved in a debate in a controversial topic. Even the users who craft the (now mostly extinct, it seems) bait-and-switch story threads have my respect for the way they manage to paint a beautiful mental picture one moment and replace it with sodomy the next.

Of the users I've seen posting recently, I suppose I would choose: SneakyGameBoy, Sense-Offender, Magical-Zorse. They all seem fairly level-headed. Of the users I remember from a while ago, Gagsy (insightful, often offering an opposing viewpoint), NuScarab (the old Scarab made a lot of good posts), Comrade (ComradeMolotov - always had good stories, with pics), and I can't remember any other users I particularly liked."

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Are there any users that you would consider enemies or that you just don't like?

Bit:

"There are a few. I won't name any names for the simple reason that it will only give them more attention. Attention is all they want. It's what they feed on. There are users whose sole purpose of posting is to get as much attention as possible at any cost. Many of them are BBS regulars or users with thousands of posts. Others are gimmick accounts made by BBS regulars with thousands of posts. All of them purposefully try to post as many uninspired, themed, or controversial-without-merit posts as possible.

I choose to ignore them. It's for the best."

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What is your opinion about the forums? Is there one forum that you prefer?

Bit:

"There are forums other than General? Seriously, though, I rarely post anywhere but General. It's nice to have a place to discuss things that don't fall into any other category. This makes General a place which can be a dysfunctional forum where all of the threads lack creativity and originality or it can just as easily be the place where a user posts something interesting or thought-provoking. Sometimes both at the same time."

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I guess that you have an opinion about the moderators of Newgrounds. Do you think that they do a great job or not?

Bit:

"They vary. There aren't any current moderators that I don't like (and the mod who I didn't like was stripped of his title due to gross abuse of power), and the current moderators seem to be doing a decent job.

One thing I would like to see changed is how moderators deal with blatant gimmick accounts and users guilty of mass +1 posting. Neither of them really contribute anything of value to the BBS and they should be given a few warning bans and then banned permanently. The sad part is that they would all disappear if they were no longer acknowledged by users, but that will not happen.

I also wouldn't mind the return of a few of the stricter mods from Newgrounds' past, but some of them also had the tendency to be overly ban-happy, which doesn't seem to happen with any of the new guys. Moderation was never perfect. It never will be. You can't make everyone happy and all of the mods are only human."

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Would you like to become a moderator on Newgrounds? If so, what kind of moderator?

Bit:

"Yes. I wouldn't mind doing my part for Newgrounds. I would either be a comment or BBS moderator.

I would be a comment mod because reviews are the lifeblood of The Portal. They've helped thousands of authors realize that their work needs improvement. Constructive reviews are what separate Newgrounds from Youtube.

I would be a BBS Mod because I like the BBS. It's fun to read all of the threads and see (often very strong) opinions from people all over the world. But I would like the ability to clean up a bit of the spam that is posted, as well lock the threads which have gone from civil discussions to nothing but angry personal attacks.

I was also a forum mod on a different website. It felt good to be doing something to help improve the community. It definitely didn't feel like work."

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The redesign happened last year. Tell me what you think about it. What do you like and what is not so good?

Bit:

"I enjoy the new design. It's an improvement over the 2007 redesign which was already a massive revamp of what we had before. I appreciate that the general theme has always remained the same: a post-apocalyptic orange and black. The background art is a nice touch.

Userpages are also much more organized now. One of the best features of the redesign is the often-overlooked userpage customization. I like being able to move things around on my page so I can proudly display my list of top movies or perhaps my medals. It really lives up to the "Everything by Everyone" motto now that you really do have creative control over it.

One thing I'm not sure about is the level icons. I know this is still a hotly debated issue. I'm not a fan of them. It feels like they don't really fit in with the style. Not to mention, some of them are completely awful. Look at my level 43 icon. Is that supposed to be Slimer from Ghost Busters? I can't really tell, but it doesn't fit with the weapon theme."

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Besides being a supporter, you also got a Mystery Box from the store. What was the item you liked the most from this box? What do you think about the upcoming closure of the NG store?

Bit:

"It would be the Tankmen figure. He stands proudly at the top of my shelf next to the rest of the oddities I have collected over the years. I was actually going to buy one anyway until I had the idea to wait until a mystery box went on sale. It was worth the constant refreshing because I also got a few other great things like Alien Hominid for the Playstation 2 and a classic-style Newgrounds Tank Shirt.

I'm sad to see the store go. I never really appreciated it until I knew it would be closed. I regret not buying more over the years. Now that I want to buy things, most of the things I had wanted are sold out. Ah well. I suppose I'll wait for another mystery box. Who knows what I'll find in this one?"

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You jokingly referred to yourself as hardcore retro gamer in one of your posts. What other older consoles besides the GameCube do you posses? Which was the first game you ever played and which old/retro games do you still play nowadays?

Bit:

"I've been playing games for years. It all goes back to the NES. The first game I played was Super Mario Bros. At that point I realized how fun videogames can be and from there I went to other titles like Kirby's Adventure, Super Mario Bros. 3, and The Legend of Zelda. As the years went on, I eventually had a Gameboy, Nintendo 64, Playstation, Gamecube, Playstation 2, and Nintendo DS. Most of the games I played were fairly easy and calm. After that, I began playing an MMORPG which consumed most of my time. At the time that I quit, I had become a fairly high-leveled and successful player, but the appeal of grinding without needing any real skill no longer appealed to me. I signed up for Steam and started playing PC games. It was a much needed change of pace.

Today I sometimes plug in the NES and play a game of Super Mario Bros. 3. It has actually aged very well. I also play more modern games that carry on the "classic game" tradition of thrusting the player out into the world with no hand-holding involved. Super Meat Boy and VVVVVV are the best examples of this. They do not baby you. Especially after the first few levels."

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It seems like you are a Pokémon fan. When were you firstly introduced to the Pokémon series and what do you like about it? Also talk about some of your most and least favourite Pokémon.

Bit:

"I started playing Pokémon with Pokémon Yellow. In Yellow, your starter is Pikachu. Pikachu followed me all around Kanto slaying innocent gym leaders and thuggish gangs alike. Pikachu was really the only Pokémon I used. He was finally so completely overleveled that I had no problem sweeping entire teams without switching him out. Not long after one of the gyms, I got stuck somewhere (In the Cinnabar Mansion maybe?) and never really played again. Booting up the game recently revealed that Pikachu's level was in the mid 70s. It was no surprise that he instantly killed everything. More recently, I picked up Pokémon Platinum. That same magic had returned and since then I've played and 'completed' Platinum, Emerald, LeafGreen, HeartGold, and White. I have yet to purchase Black/White 2 and I, unfortunately, do not own a 3DS for X and Y."

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Mirror's Edge is one of the most fascinating platformers of the last few years. What did you like especially about this game and are you looking forward to Mirror's Edge 2?

Bit:

"Mirror's edge has a very unique art style. Very simplistic and modern. Modern and somewhat sterile at the same time. It brings you into this near-dystopian sterile and modern environment and casts you as a rebel. The dystopian rebel theme isn't exactly new, but it's nice to see it in a videogame with such a unique style. Even the cutscenes are animated in a unique way. Parkour is also very fun, but only in the first playthrough. It becomes stale the second time around. Hopefully the sequel finds a way to build on this, but I admit that I haven't been following its creation very closely. I'm not sure playing more of the same sort of game would be fun anymore. It seems like the sort of thing that's only fun once."

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Every person has secrets. Can you tell one of yours or something else that we didn't know about you yet?

Bit:

"I watched the first season of My Little Pony. Nobody can tell me that I didn't give it a chance."

Still not a fan.

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What can we expect from you in the future, Bit?

Bit:

"More of the same: BBS posts. Overly-analytic reviews. Occasionally wandering into the chat (when did we finally get a chat?).

I have no plans of leaving."

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Now you are filled with more knowledge about Bit, dear reader.Feel free to leave a comment here, saying what you think about the interview, requesting users to get interviews is also appreciated. Tune in next week :3

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