Recently, a user named Camoraz made a post (with a lot of poorly designed ASCII) complaining about why he liked ArmorGames and Kongregate better than Newgrounds, proceeding to cite that, in general, NG was a filthy, abhorrent cesspool that was absolutely not appropriate for children, compared to the "mature", "sensitive", and "friendly" sites he so loves.
Naturally, I had to make a very upstandish and eloquent reply, attempting to dissuade the poor lad from his erroneous ways (prove him wrong). This was my reply.
"You see, that's what makes Newgrounds a unique community; people can say what they want (within very broad reason), do what they want (again, SOME limits), and in general just be happy.
Or, in some cases on the forum, be miserable douchebags.
Now, you don't seem to understand things about how Newgrounds works in comparison to the other two sites you listed. ArmorGames and Kongregate, while both feature user-created content, are selective and exclusive about their features, which is usually moderated by a staff.
On NG, the user-created content is not only completely free of rules, but is moderated my the users themselves. The staff really only puts things on the front page that they find interesting and think others might or are general "Hey, look what we did as an online Flash community." type deal. That is also a double-edged sword. Yeah, some people make screamers and porn, but for the most part, people make movies here for fun and to express artistic talent. Even if you don't LIKE the fact that something just popped up and scared the shit out of you, you really don't have anyone to be mad at but yourself for being gullible. Read comments and read author's notes if you want to screen what you watch more carefully.
On that note, with the amount of users that we have, everyone is different. Some people are the internet toughguys, like me. We get put out foot down when it comes to it, and if things need to be said, it's going to be blunt and straight to the point. You also have your whiny 13 year olds (which you remind me of), who complain incessantly about nudity, swearing, and violence. Those things are shown in ratings on every page, and now with the new layout, there's no chance that you don't know there is "ADULT CONTENT" in movies like the Street Fighter Collab.
As far as who views what, that's strictly up to the user. Think about how many people have lied about their age on this site. I have met people aging from 10-12 on this site, when it clearly says that you need to be 13 to register an account. Oops. And by clicking on the mature content items, depending on what they are, you are agreeing that you are of an age that it is agreeable, if not legal, for you to view/participate in things like that. I guess you lied when you watched the SF Collab. Oops.
And everything you've said for the other sites is true here. ArmorGames was founded by members of Newgrounds, and they continue to have a lasting relationship with artists and programmers on this site. Kongregate may be a bit less crude and brash than NG, but that doesn't mean that EVERY PERSON ON THIS SITE IS FOULMOUTHED AND DOES NOT CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER >:c
I've made a lot of friends here, and if you don't act like an idiot, people won't usually treat you like one. In fact, the Flash forum is relatively civil, if not helpful. Granted that the general forum is full of hooligans and that the art forum's threads always seem to end up as cock jokes, it's a mixed bag of characters, but everyone blends together to make a unique community that cannot be compared.
You say that the mods need to do their jobs? Okay, lets see about 50 people, who have regular lives and jobs outside of the internet, try and maintain a board with a flow of at least a few thousand users. I mean, it's not like the don't get paid to do this and they're just volunteers, right? They try their best, and in general, they do a decent job with what they can.
It's unfortunate that you're so closed-minded to things that make this such a great site. If Newgrounds hadn't existed, neither would either of your "favorite" sites.
Ultimately, if you don't like it here, leave. If not, accept the people and things for how they are, and move the hell on. This is the way it is, the way it has been, and the way it will be.
P.S. Newgrounds is NOT a site for children. Clearly."
It's really a shame that people don't understand that Newgrounds is Newgrounds, and that it's unique. Nothing will ever be like it, and it will never be like anything else.
Except for that one time...
Credit to PsychoGoldfish for making the picture and archiving this shit back in '06. Good times.
