Asandir's interviews with Newgrounds forum users
This week's interview features the user NeonSpider.
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When did you find Newgrounds and why did you join? Why did you choose the username NeonSpider?
"I think I found Newgrounds sometime around 2000 or 2001. At that time I would play games on it occasionally but I didn't sign up for an account. I was busy with schoolwork working towards my degree at that time so it was just something I'd hop on for a quick game now and then. I have enjoyed the games and movies on Newgrounds for quite some time, but as you can see I didn't register for an account until somewhat recently (10/4/13 according to my profile). I guess it depends on the person, but while I was working towards my degree I devoted much time and energy towards that, in lieu of other things. I think sometimes people don't take their college/university degree paths seriously, and there are many people who, although they've made it that far, aren't able to finish out their degrees. So if it's something you want to complete, it's important to set aside everything else in pursuit of that goal. Nowadays I'm less time-pressured.
I always viewed Newgrounds as having quality games and movies, although it was also always a case of finding the gems. So part of the motivation to get an account was to more easily keep track of favorite games and movies. Another motivation was for being able to track game medals. So while I'd say the majority of Newgrounds content doesn't particularly interest me, it's the high-quality submissions which really make it worth the while. And I do like that it's more artist-centered rather than end-user centered, unlike most other sites. So it's a great platform for artists to showcase their work if they wish to do so. And anyone who complains about lack of content on Newgrounds has no one to blame but themselves since it's open to anyone to submit content. I actually don't like people who are too demanding and want entertainment NOW NOW NOW!!
As to why I chose the name NeonSpider -- well, it was the first name I tried which wasn't already taken. Obviously when you join a site nowadays it can be quite a pain to think up names only for them to already be taken. It's also a quite nice name and I like it and it suits me although a Google search shows there are other people who have used the name elsewhere, but I did independently conceive of it. Pretty much any two words put together and someone somewhere is already using it, am I right? Also I like electronic music, trance, glowsticks, etc... and I get along well with spiders. No arachnophobia here! When most people find a large spider in their residence, they would freak out, but I'm at peace with them and generally leave them alone. I think they're mostly beneficial anyway."
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Do you think that you changed over the time you were here, as user, or also in real life?
"Have I changed over the time I've been on Newgrounds? I would say not really. I may post a bit more than I did at first but that's not really a big change. It'd be different for someone who joined Newgrounds as a kid and then grew up since personality can change completely in that time. It can even change a lot from someone's early to late 20s or 30s. I've changed a lot in those times but I wasn't a member of Newgrounds either."
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Are there any other users that you like, and how do they affect you?
"Yes there are many users I like in fact. NGPulp, Phobotech, TheGamechanger, Amaranthus, Thor, NekoMika, Piggler, CiviLies, Radaketor, yurgenburgen, Xenomit, Feoric, Lich and tons of other people I'm sure I'm unintentionally omitting so my apologies in advance. I enjoy reading their posts. Some are insightful. Some are just plain entertaining. Some, such as Xenomit, are a bit controversial but people need that from time to time. They get too complacent in their own ways of thinking and even if someone is completely wrong, it's not a bad thing to get other perspectives. I'd say it's a good thing, especially if it gets people talking or it gets people to think in ways they're not accustomed to."
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Are there any users that you would consider enemies or that you just don't like?
"Yes there are users I don't like. In general I don't like toolish sorts who are big on pushing mindless conformity, marketing BS, pro-corporatism, and so forth. I also don't like people who have no respect for older things or just throw around words like 'hipster' at anyone who doesn't like the same over mass-marketed stuff they like. I don't like 20-somethings who make a big deal about how "mature" they are and who think it's "mature" to like exactly whatever things they like. Irony is they don't see exactly how immature they're being having that attitude. I also don't like people who can't keep their emotions in check so it's like walking on eggshells talking with them because they're emotionally unstable and prone to temper tantrums. No thanks. So yes any users who match any of the above are users I don't tend to like very much."
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What is your opinion about the forums? Is there one forum that you prefer? And is there another forum user that you want to see getting interviewed by me?
"The forums are pretty good as far as Internet forums go. Years ago there used to be lots of very active Internet forums but in recent years they're few and far between. So Newgrounds is doing pretty good comparatively speaking. Yes it's not as active as in the past, but compare that to the literal thousands of ghost town forums out there and the hundreds of less active forums, and it's actually very much alive and kicking. I don't think it's going to die out anytime soon; let's just say that.
I think you should interview Feoric because his political views are pretty spot on and he seems like a quite intelligent sort."
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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?
"Some of the moderators are better than others I think. Honestly sometimes the moderation doesn't make much sense to me and it seems like posts or topics are locked or deleted at random sometimes, while people who are clearly causing problems are allowed to continue. I would just say enforcement seems really inconsistent."
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Would you like to become a moderator on Newgrounds? If so, what kind of moderator?
"I guess if they wanted me to be a moderator I'd consider it. Otherwise it's not really something I'd go out of my way for. If I was a moderator I'd be a bit tougher on flamers and troublemakers and ignore the harmless stuff. There are some users who seem to only cause problems."
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The first console you owned was the Commodore VIC-20. What kind of games did you have for it? If you compare games from this console/time to games from this generation, what has in general improved and gotten worse in your opinion?
"Well it wasn't mine but was my dad's but I played it. There were programmed games you could play as it had a keyboard and also a joystick and you could actually make games for it yourself if you were so inclined. There were also cartridge games for it, which tended to be higher quality than the other games. Probably my favorite game was Demon Attack, which was kind of like Space Invaders but with more interesting kinds of aliens which had different abilities.
As you know, I generally prefer older games. I would say gaming went downhill sometime in the 2000s. My favorite systems are NES, SNES, GameBoy, and DOS. I think more modern games just appeal to a completely different kind of person from what the older games did, which is why there's such a divide between oldschool and newschool gamers. Older games focused mostly on personal skill and in many cases were intentionally difficult, but nowadays games focus more on teamwork, chance, time/money investment, and so forth but not as much on individual skill. They're nowadays made so that just about anyone can beat them and concentration is on graphics and storyline moreso than gameplay. Obviously there are exceptions to this, and obviously a site like Newgrounds does have people who make games that still have an oldschool feel and difficulty to them. In short, most newer games are far too easy for someone who has mastery of oldschool games, if they even have a skill component at all."
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The Simpsons is one of your most favourite animated sitcoms. When did you start watching? What are your 3 favourite episodes and characters from the show?
"I started watching the Simpsons right from the very beginning when it was just a short on the Tracey Ullman Show, although I only saw some of those shorts. For a long time from the first regular season onwards, I'd seen every single episode but I haven't kept up with it for a few years now so I'm unfamiliar with perhaps newer season episodes.
Three favorite episodes? Well my absolute favorite episode is the one where Homer goes to New York and has to keep running between the twin towers for various reasons and has a bad time with it. Unfortunately it's also a banned-from-TV episode due to it featuring the twin towers, even though it has absolutely nothing to do with the disaster that happened later. I think that's a real shame since it was the best episode, in my opinion. Second favorite I guess would be one of the Halloween episodes where Snowball II and Santa's Little Helper go into a fusion machine and come out with a two-headed catdog that Bart claims as his pet, and a two-assed catdog butt thing hybrid which he says can be Lisa's. Third favorite, I'm not sure. I guess I'll go with their trip to Japan. I liked the part with the Chinese dragon and they thought it was a costume but it was actually a real dragon tearing up everything and the locals had to fight it and somehow it was a Chinese dragon even though they were in Japan, among other things. Also the Hello Kitty factory that fed on real live cats to operate.
Three favorite Simpsons characters is going to be a toughie because there are so many good characters. The characters are what made that show so good! I'm going to pick Groundskeeper Willie, Snake, and Moe. Although you also have great characters like Barney, Apu, Seymore Skinner, Ralph, Professor Frink, Comic Book Store Guy, Otto, Mr. Burns, and so on and so forth. It's just a really great fictional world with lots of great characters really."
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You mentioned that you like Daft Punk. What do you like about their music and which of their songs do you like the most?
"I like a wide variety of music from a wide variety of genres. You can probably find something from just about any genre that I like although some genres I like moreso than others. I tend to like music which experiments a bit or which has a different sound from other stuff that's already out there. And I think Daft Punk fits. I'm not sure I really like any one of their songs moreso than others. I definitely like variety and if I had to hear the same song all the time I'd grow to hate it and, in fact, it has happened before with good songs that other people overplayed. I never just listen to the same song over and over and variety is definitely good. I would say I don't like Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger as much as any of their other songs simply because it's been way overplayed.
It's probably better to pick a random song from a great band/group/artist and give it a listen, rather than just keep listening to the same song over and over."
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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?
"Everyone has secrets, yes. There's definitely stuff I'm not going to tell. I would say no one person truly knows me as they each know some about me but no one has the full picture although some people might think they do but they couldn't be more wrong. I've had stuff happen you likely wouldn't believe. I'm also very good at keeping my mouth shut on certain issues. I'll opt to tell something people likely didn't know rather than a secret. I once stayed up three whole days and nights with literally zero sleep."
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What can we expect from you in the future, NeonSpider?
"Don't expect anything. Expectations lead to disappointment. But there's a possibility I might contribute content at some point if I feel like it. So there's a possiblity you might see some games or movies at some point, but don't hold your breath on it."
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Now you are filled with more knowledge about NeonSpider, 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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Lich
I enjoy reading NeonSpider's posts, he's a good guy haha
Asandir
Glad to hear :)