2016 altogether was an...interesting year to say the least. We've gone through the typical console wars, bans, and other shenanigans. We also survived the bombardment of NX rumours, so there's a plus there.

Anyways, I thought it would be great to reflect upon VGChartz for both the short term and long term success. I myself am far from a perfect user and seriously wish to change that(i.e don't be a dumbass). While I still have some things left to correct my flaws, there isn't enough time to do so in 2016. Hopefully 2017 will see the corrections I wanted to implement.

As for the website however, there hasn't been any sort of meaningful discussion concerning its status for quite some time. We see the occassional "UGHH I HATE THESE POP-UP ADS" and "update the charts", but overall we've had no sort of general idea as to what's in store for VGChartz. Whether if that means new features or a change in overall nature, I think it'd be beneficial to make a thread such as this. 

Sure, I'm far from the best user ever(doesn't take a genius to realize that), but I would like to see VGChartz succeed. Without a further ado, here's a general evaluation of VGChartz I'd like to give...

1) Pros of VGChartz

There's a lot of good things about this website. Immediately upon entering, one realizes they won't be able to run around like a maniac without consequences. That is only possible due to a few things:

a) Older audience- an older audience means we don't need to constantly deal with childish fights(although they can still occur). We also see threads which can have a level of sophistication everyone can appreciate.

b) Much more than games- People on VGChartz aren't nerds who only play games. Even if they are obsessed with games, a lot of people have something great about them which helps make the place better. An example is CGI_Quality's ability to...well, showcase his/her skill with CGI. These types of abilities always improves VGChartz's overall splendid community.

c) Charts and sales discussions- Far from perfect(I'll discuss this later), although good enough to still have dozens of threads discussing sales, sales predictions, and much more. The analysis of games on VGChartz is much better than what you'll see on places like IGN or Neogaf. On here, you won't see 99% of the posts simply bash or blindly praise something. Many people like to hate on a game just because the sales weren't as great as people hoped. Luckily, games which fail financially are still reviewed fairly by people on VGChartz. There's also less bias, which makes it easier for us to hear personal experiences of someone playing a game one may desire to purchase.

d) Moderation- Even though we all may disagree with the actions of moderators, they(thankfully) aren't nonexistent. Trolls are typically given the boot, and most people won't deal with anyone who violates the rules or thrashes around VGChartz.

As you see, VGChartz has a lot to boast about. Great environment, forums, showcase of sales, and decent moderators. What's the problem then?

Cons:

a) Bad users- I used to be one of the worst users. I'd purposely go around trying to agitate people with threads which clearly are made to get a reaction out of people. While the amount of horrible users is outnumbered 1:30ish, the amount begins to pile up quite quickly. It's good enough that I stopped being a troll, but what about the other users who are still providing issues on the website? It only provides a bad image for new users.

b) Sales not updated- Yes, this has been discussed to death, but nonetheless it's an issue that pops up more than a snoozed alarm. It can't be ignored forever. Either we ignore it until people leave the website from annoyance or address the problem at hand. 

c) Non-gaming threads appearing on hot topic- I said above that non-gaming threads can be amazing on VGChartz, but most people usually will prefer to see games on the main page for obvious reasons. If one wishes, they can always visit forums to see what else they're missing out on. 

d) Advertisements- Again, another topic discussed to death. However, I seriously wish this issue was fixed right away. I'd happily take off adblock to support the website.

So, what do we do now?

a) Stronger community- Do you guys know Arlo? He's a gamer who does a wide variety of things as a puppet. He joined VGChartz as a small youtuber, and has managed to explode to 80k subs. Why can't we see more people like that? Even if no one gains the success he achieves, it will be great to see members of VGChartz start to grow. From writing game reviews to joining a coding class and making a game/website, the possibilities are endless.

b) Reviews of website- Every year, I think we should make a thread like this. A big, huge thread where everyone's opinions, advice, criticism, and ideas can be thrown onto here. Will the the result be pretty? Maybe, maybe not. it will however let everyone see what the general status of VGChartz is, which is something that's kind of hard to tell right now. 

c) User feedback- Perhaps every user can have a section where people can place their thoughts on them? While this can be abused, so can the threads. Reporting trolls/flame-baiters is always the easiest and smartest solution.

d) Restructured home page- A filter should choose whether non-gaming forums pop up at the home page. The page in general can always benefit from minor tweaks. Remember, there is no such thing as perfect.

Hopefully we can see this thread take off and gain attention. It'll allow people to address their thoughts and see responses as to what can be done, and what currently is being done. I have overall optimism for VGChartz. besides the problems with the charts, most problems can easily be solved.

To get an idea of how we can get an overall of what members are currently thinking, I made a short poll which covers the general topic I discussed. It's up to you as to whether you'd like to submit a response or not- I won't force anyone or shove it into your face.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfiHmZbhxcRvcAJh6tkgJOrhrQ-6tMkEuhGdVDpvg67gzK_Pw/viewform

I hope we are finally going to get to experience the mobile site as soon as possible in 2017. Still can't believe this is going to be the first redesign since I've joined!

        EDIT: Also, the poll doesn't seem to be working?

I deleted it because no one responded in 3 hours lol

I'll get it back up tho. Don't worry. 

Edit: I'm an idiot- forgot I made the thread at 12 in the morning lol. The thread is much better and provides much more meaningful questions than the original survey.

I think you were spot on. Not sure what to type though...... but in expecting in 2017:

- Scorpio! Will it be a game changer?
- Switch! Fail or success?
- VR! Will it really get popular?
- Nintendo! Can they blow up the smartphone market again?
- Is there going to be another OW or RL?

I've sent my answers!

If ioi could get some of his sources to allow him to disclose who they are and what figures come out of them directly, that would be nice. Then VGChartz could turn into a giant COMG-like tracker, so the users can also chime in on what the numbers should look like, instead of users trying to convince ioi with cherrypicked numbers acting as their artillery.

The only thing I care about for next year is how successful the Switch is. It's actually rather fun to see a strategy, that relies so much on tactical victories, pan out. It's like I'm no longer seeing Luigi Cadorna at the helm, but rather Edwin Rommel. That said, their strategy does require them to pull a Hannibal rather than a Paulus come 12 January...

you were the only one lol

this thread failed, but whatever. I thought it'd be nice to see feedback from multiple members

The switch launch is a chance for the website to rise again, hope it happens since I enjoy my time here a lot

"I'd happily take off adblock to support the website."

Lmao, you know you can, right?

VGC is pretty phenomenal about being open to user feedback.