WHY PEOPLE ARE QUITTING CS- A Discussion

[Lex.]

This may be a wild take and probably won't make sense, but as an oldish soul on this website, having been here since 2012, this is something I was thinking about.

CS, over the years, took MANY stances to 'remove negativity' from it's forums. It killed the trade rant thread. It killed the 'things that annoy you' thread. It constantly has killed off places where the users could expressive negative opinions about things. Even if those opinions were following all CS rules by not naming names. Mods really locked down on 'bullying and harassment' and while I fully support that decision, it has exasperated the issue I have with the mods.

Mods have the ability to come off as blunt or rude. They are in the position of power to do so.

But that ability has over time been removed from the users.

Which is why I think the mods sounding 'rude or blunt' is more of an issue, or something users notice more, because the mods sometimes speak in a way that users frankly aren't allowed to.

I didn't notice the mod bluntness NEARLY as much when I first joined, but in that 2015-2017 era where all those threads started getting deleted and CS cracked down harder on its rules and what was allowed? BOY did I notice it then.

Again, wild take and probably nonsensical but I miss being able to be unhappy or angry about things as long as I was following the rules.

This.
I said before to someone somewhere that hating on something [that obviously doesn't have to do with race/religion/politics and other similar topics] is fine. It's just an opinion. I am allowed to hate whatever I want, and I can't even rant about it on CS if I wanted to because of the rules?
I can say I hate Genshin Impact all I want [which I don't OFC, it's pretty cool] but as soon as I have a sparkly gif that says "i hate chickensmoothie" [that was at least 90% satire] it's not okay and is considered hate speech???
Like I can say I hate both without ranting. [No hate speech + No ranting = rules followed]

@Ravens Folklore | it's not people just not knowing how to act when they do something wrong. Just because you [ + I and many others] were yelled at as kids, doesn't make it right. Continually yelling at a child [opposed to speaking to them 1:1 as human] to try and teach a lesson is child abuse. Which isn't a great thing to associate with staff.

+ its not staffs job to parent other people kids.

[mourning dove]

This may be a wild take and probably won't make sense, but as an oldish soul on this website, having been here since 2012, this is something I was thinking about.

CS, over the years, took MANY stances to 'remove negativity' from it's forums. It killed the trade rant thread. It killed the 'things that annoy you' thread. It constantly has killed off places where the users could expressive negative opinions about things. Even if those opinions were following all CS rules by not naming names. Mods really locked down on 'bullying and harassment' and while I fully support that decision, it has exasperated the issue I have with the mods.

Mods have the ability to come off as blunt or rude. They are in the position of power to do so.

But that ability has over time been removed from the users.

Which is why I think the mods sounding 'rude or blunt' is more of an issue, or something users notice more, because the mods sometimes speak in a way that users frankly aren't allowed to.

I didn't notice the mod bluntness NEARLY as much when I first joined, but in that 2015-2017 era where all those threads started getting deleted and CS cracked down harder on its rules and what was allowed? BOY did I notice it then.

Again, wild take and probably nonsensical but I miss being able to be unhappy or angry about things as long as I was following the rules.

^^ ABSOLUTELY !! although i wasn’t here for those earlier years, i always did my best to be nice to everyone here because i felt like id be banned if i was even slightly rude 😭😭 but once i got all these warnings where people dug through my stuff or were blunt i felt. like. idk. threatened?? so i started giving off the same energy Because of that. and it just feels like its impossible to feel negative on here! which is why i usually avoid chatting on here too much because i dont know when my words are ‘too much’/‘too harsh’ for the rules…

[Oddity-Lad]

On a separate note I want to suggest maybe Staff takeovers of the Official Instagram, solely because I myself would LOVE to make reels and stories to introduce myself, answer questions, do giveaways, make dress ups, do a "get ready for "work" (It's me making tea and getting comfy to play on CS for the day and ) with me", and other stuff, and then have it added to a highlight on the page so people can get to know everyone behind CS on a more personal level.

Obviously CS rules would be followed to no face reveals but like I think it'd be a lot of fun

Honestly I love that the official Instagram has been posting and engaging with the community! I think creative posts like the ones you've mentioned would benefit CS by finding new players and possibly making more engaging content!

Honestly! Like I follow the CS instagram and I know it's only run by one person but like "featuring an artist as they design and reveal an outcome from next month" and things that let people in more would have such a big impact on people.

[Infailia]

About coders, if coders are to expensive, maybe it's possible to hire some for small jobs here or there? And maybe some type of event where you get a special pet for 'donating' money until we reached the goal to pay the coder? I don't know how much CS makes but Coders are expensive. But yeah, everything stays normal, there's some page at the top where lets say you pay a dollar to get x pet, or get c$ and pay c$ to get it and x amount of the original usd payment for c$ goes into a pool for a coder.

Gosh, I was all over the place writing that but hopefully it makes sense.

reposting my thoughts on this from earlier:

Quickly adding my thoughts here about the inability to pay additional coders: hire interns. As someone heavily involved in the computer science realm, the amount of people (particularly college students) looking for internship even a little related to coding is ridiculous. Off the top of my head, I could name a couple dozen people who would jump at the chance to intern for a site like this for free.

The problem for computer science students is that (for most) in order to graduate you have to have completed an internship or co-op, and there are not enough positions to go around. Would it be wonderful to intern for Google or Microsoft? Sure, but they don't hire more than a handful of computer science interns a year, and that leaves students setting their sights on something more obtainable. Most computer science internships end up happening through companies barely anybody has heard of, but since there are so many candidates, everyone is highly competitive, and to abuse your internship is a surefire way to be barred from graduating and blacklisted in the industry.

On top of all of this, a good portion of computer science students are going into game design (and that's, somehow, even harder to get a vaguely related internship in), so a site like Chicken Smoothie offering an internship? That's a dream position right there because not only do you get to work on a 'game', but you also get real-world experience with coding a site, and that's very valuable.

--------------------------------------------------

On a separate note I want to suggest maybe Staff takeovers of the Official Instagram, solely because I myself would LOVE to make reels and stories to introduce myself, answer questions, do giveaways, make dress ups, do a "get ready for "work" (It's me making tea and getting comfy to play on CS for the day and ) with me", and other stuff, and then have it added to a highlight on the page so people can get to know everyone behind CS on a more personal level.

Obviously CS rules would be followed to no face reveals but like I think it'd be a lot of fun

I'd love to see something like this! I think it could go a long way towards helping bridge the gap between staff and players :D

[ShadowKatto]

as a new player, it does suck that I won’t get to experience the older events. maybe event re-runs ? that would be so cool,,

OH MY GOD, YES.
We totally need to re-run the Slumber Party/Dreams vs. Nightmares event, especially because we never knew who won

[cats135]

This may be a wild take and probably won't make sense, but as an oldish soul on this website, having been here since 2012, this is something I was thinking about.

CS, over the years, took MANY stances to 'remove negativity' from it's forums. It killed the trade rant thread. It killed the 'things that annoy you' thread. It constantly has killed off places where the users could expressive negative opinions about things. Even if those opinions were following all CS rules by not naming names. Mods really locked down on 'bullying and harassment' and while I fully support that decision, it has exasperated the issue I have with the mods.

Mods have the ability to come off as blunt or rude. They are in the position of power to do so.

But that ability has over time been removed from the users.

Which is why I think the mods sounding 'rude or blunt' is more of an issue, or something users notice more, because the mods sometimes speak in a way that users frankly aren't allowed to.

I didn't notice the mod bluntness NEARLY as much when I first joined, but in that 2015-2017 era where all those threads started getting deleted and CS cracked down harder on its rules and what was allowed? BOY did I notice it then.

Again, wild take and probably nonsensical but I miss being able to be unhappy or angry about things as long as I was following the rules.

Your take kindof sums up the reason why this thread got so popular so fast. Because the options to discuss unhappiness wasn't there much.

That's def my opinion on why these threads blow up. This site is *so* desensitized, and child proofed, ANY chance users can get to express any complex emotion is taken like a man finding water in the Sahara.

Negativity is bad! But negative *feelings* are human, and this site has a lot of adults in it, who (like myself) maybe feel...patronized by the child-proofing? Its why many people probably "grow out" of it, since the site isn't growing up with them, or at LEAST, not letting them *be* an adult on it.

I am not saying let anarchy reign, but maybe some updates to *allow* adults to...show complex emotions, and let them vent or talk some adult things in a healthy, controlled forum, would bring more people in and not make this site seem like its only for pre-teens. People can critique the site and still praise and love it, like this thread. People can talk negative about things without being mean or condescending. I just feel making the site more...neutral, would appeal to the long-term adults who live here.

That DEF is a change that would make this site more user-friendly to me.

Edit: ALSO YES More instagram usage pls its so...stagnant! You can do polls there too, and post art and dressups and all kinda stuffs to break out of CS and get more outside people involved. A popular Insta could bring people in way more!

[Simon]

This may be a wild take and probably won't make sense, but as an oldish soul on this website, having been here since 2012, this is something I was thinking about.

CS, over the years, took MANY stances to 'remove negativity' from it's forums. It killed the trade rant thread. It killed the 'things that annoy you' thread. It constantly has killed off places where the users could expressive negative opinions about things. Even if those opinions were following all CS rules by not naming names. Mods really locked down on 'bullying and harassment' and while I fully support that decision, it has exasperated the issue I have with the mods.

Mods have the ability to come off as blunt or rude. They are in the position of power to do so.

But that ability has over time been removed from the users.

Which is why I think the mods sounding 'rude or blunt' is more of an issue, or something users notice more, because the mods sometimes speak in a way that users frankly aren't allowed to.

I didn't notice the mod bluntness NEARLY as much when I first joined, but in that 2015-2017 era where all those threads started getting deleted and CS cracked down harder on its rules and what was allowed? BOY did I notice it then.

Again, wild take and probably nonsensical but I miss being able to be unhappy or angry about things as long as I was following the rules.

Your take kindof sums up the reason why this thread got so popular so fast. Because the options to discuss unhappiness wasn't there much.

I don't really get this take though (and please feel free to correct me if I'm missing something here). You're saying we don't allow people to express unhappiness but this thread is still up/active and we are engaging with you guys on it so how can both be true at once?

The TRT had to be removed because it became a major source of straight up bullying. We of course allow negativity, just not at the expense of other users.

[Oddity-Lad]

On a separate note I want to suggest maybe Staff takeovers of the Official Instagram, solely because I myself would LOVE to make reels and stories to introduce myself, answer questions, do giveaways, make dress ups, do a "get ready for "work" (It's me making tea and getting comfy to play on CS for the day and ) with me", and other stuff, and then have it added to a highlight on the page so people can get to know everyone behind CS on a more personal level.

Obviously CS rules would be followed to no face reveals but like I think it'd be a lot of fun

Glad to see u post, ive been seeing u lurking in here lol, I would love to see the instagram get used again! And seeing certain staff who are up to help run it would be a great way to get the ball rolling!

I posted Yesterday too! I always get involved with these conversations and throw in ideas I'd like to see and get involved in or build off of other's ideas.

I can't really get involved on the staff side of it as GHs don't give official warnings but I have such a hard time putting on a "business face". I just want to be friends with everyone lol

[Lex.]

This may be a wild take and probably won't make sense, but as an oldish soul on this website, having been here since 2012, this is something I was thinking about.

CS, over the years, took MANY stances to 'remove negativity' from it's forums. It killed the trade rant thread. It killed the 'things that annoy you' thread. It constantly has killed off places where the users could expressive negative opinions about things. Even if those opinions were following all CS rules by not naming names. Mods really locked down on 'bullying and harassment' and while I fully support that decision, it has exasperated the issue I have with the mods.

Mods have the ability to come off as blunt or rude. They are in the position of power to do so.

But that ability has over time been removed from the users.

Which is why I think the mods sounding 'rude or blunt' is more of an issue, or something users notice more, because the mods sometimes speak in a way that users frankly aren't allowed to.

I didn't notice the mod bluntness NEARLY as much when I first joined, but in that 2015-2017 era where all those threads started getting deleted and CS cracked down harder on its rules and what was allowed? BOY did I notice it then.

Again, wild take and probably nonsensical but I miss being able to be unhappy or angry about things as long as I was following the rules.

Your take kindof sums up the reason why this thread got so popular so fast. Because the options to discuss unhappiness wasn't there much.

I don't really get this take though (and please feel free to correct me if I'm missing something here). You're saying we don't allow people to express unhappiness but this thread is still up/active and we are engaging with you guys on it so how can both be true at once?

The TRT had to be removed because it became a major source of straight up bullying. We of course allow negativity, just not at the expense of other users.

Both are still very true. I was asked to remove an "i hate chickensmoothie" gif from my profile. If it had said literally ANY other game side from CS it would've been fine.
So in that case, how can both be true at once?

[Shadowclaw34]

On a separate note I want to suggest maybe Staff takeovers of the Official Instagram, solely because I myself would LOVE to make reels and stories to introduce myself, answer questions, do giveaways, make dress ups, do a "get ready for "work" (It's me making tea and getting comfy to play on CS for the day and ) with me", and other stuff, and then have it added to a highlight on the page so people can get to know everyone behind CS on a more personal level.

Obviously CS rules would be followed to no face reveals but like I think it'd be a lot of fun

Glad to see u post, ive been seeing u lurking in here lol, I would love to see the instagram get used again! And seeing certain staff who are up to help run it would be a great way to get the ball rolling!

I posted Yesterday too! I always get involved with these conversations and throw in ideas I'd like to see and get involved in or build off of other's ideas.

I can't really get involved on the staff side of it as GHs don't give warnings but I have such a hard time putting on a "business face". I just want to be friends with everyone lol

oh shoot mustve missed it. I do really love ur idea about staff taking reign of the instagram and the reels will be very helpful to get the site seen and get more players joining in. including with what u said "how staff get ready to CS" within no face reveal, itll be cool to see some of the back end work going on!