i didnt know this thread existed, i have been wanting to dedicate a my own thread to this because i feel like i have a few pretty good ideas. there are a couple things that i think could be done to increase activity and bring vgc back to its glory days. and no, this has nothing to do with ps5, this has been trending this way a long time before the current gen started.

i think for starters, the rules need to loosen up a bit. people can get banned for mild trolling or for being silly and posting dumb threads, but i think if we allowed a little more of this, we can attract and retain some very talented users and keep them in our ecosystem. the kind of users who are creative and have ideas, keep the entertainment value high for the site. i know once the site started gaining popularity there had to be crackdowns and you couldnt let it be like the wild west, but i think new rules and a new way of thought are appropriate for a new age.

to kind of go along with this idea, id say users who got banned, maybe consider unbanning them and send them a message to their registered email letting them know that they are welcome back and see how that goes. vgchartz has a great history with a wonderful cast of characters over the years and i think some have got lost because some of the users had too many infractions, or maybe they had a blow up and said some things they regretted and got perma banned (understandably so). I think we can be reasonable and say well that happened a long time ago and lets give them another chance. i think a lot of these people would be more than happy to jump back on board and start participating again.

those are just a few ideas, and yes i know it may seem a little radical, but i think they are worth considering. rules and regulations are necessary, but what is going to make this site thrive are the characters. consider rolstoppable. rol is a valued member of the community, and there could be other users out there who were bringing a lot to the table like he has and is. now i know, rol is a special talent and he trolls in a very expert and well crafted way that keeps him out of trouble, but most people are not that clever. again, i think we have to lower the bar a little bit to get more big fun characters like that active and participating on this site more. i really think its important to get some fun members active, and i think we can see things change around here if we reimagine this a little bit

I was just looking up the people who hadn't sent their lists for the Greatest Games Event and noticed one user was missing entirely, just found them here...

I don't even know whose alt this was, neither do I know what they did in the past, but this post was really heartfelt and I agree with some of what it has to say, it's really sad that they were just shut down like that, I wonder if the mod team had a conversation with them at the very least. I do think there are some things that should be permaban-worthy, but for most things, does it really need to be permanent? I say this because I've had my struggles in an online community this past year, and I said some things and did some things that I regret, I was in a dark place and it hurts a lot to not be able to take things back. The internet is too ruthless and unforgiving... this place was ahead of its time in that sense.

I don't know, just felt really sad reading this and seeing no response from anyone.

I was just looking up the people who hadn't sent their lists for the Greatest Games Event and noticed one user was missing entirely, just found them here...

I don't even know whose alt this was, neither do I know what they did in the past, but this post was really heartfelt and I agree with some of what it has to say, it's really sad that they were just shut down like that, I wonder if the mod team had a conversation with them at the very least. I do think there are some things that should be permaban-worthy, but for most things, does it really need to be permanent? I say this because I've had my struggles in an online community this past year, and I said some things and did some things that I regret, I was in a dark place and it hurts a lot to not be able to take things back. The internet is too ruthless and unforgiving... this place was ahead of its time in that sense.

I don't know, just felt really sad reading this and seeing no response from anyone.

The thing is, if someone is really determined to be a part of the community in a positive way, nobody is stopping them.

Lets suppose someone is permabanned. They create a new account, start posting, and don't do the things that got them banned in the first place and generally follow the rules. What would happen? From my experience, probably nothing. Nobody's going to bother looking into whether they're an alt if they're not causing any problems. I would wager there have been or are some users who had been permabanned and returned under another name and just flew under the radar. 

The thing is, if someone is really determined to be a part of the community in a positive way, nobody is stopping them.

Lets suppose someone is permabanned. They create a new account, start posting, and don't do the things that got them banned in the first place and generally follow the rules. What would happen? From my experience, probably nothing. Nobody's going to bother looking into whether they're an alt if they're not causing any problems. I would wager there have been or are some users who had been permabanned and returned under another name and just flew under the radar. 

I don't know, I don't think I'd feel right with myself knowingly coming back into a community with a different name, pretending to be someone else. I'd want people to know. But that's just me.

*Remembers to do his monthly search and nuke on potential alts*