I know it's long, but if you can read through all the drama you see in your feed everyday, you can read through this at least once.

Thankyou.

Ok, so I'd noticed that @Hero-Knight hadn't really been online much, and he usually isn't offline for this long, so I decided to check his most recent post.

Honestly, I felt kind of bad I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, he and I were pretty good friends, or at least I felt like it, and as a person who's a bit of a boomer and values an offline friendship more than an online one, he meant a lot to me.

The thing that's truly sad though, isn't that he's left, for at least a good while, maybe even indefinitely, though he said in the post he planed on coming back in a few weeks.

It's not even that I can't help but feel that I'm at least somewhat responsible.

No; what's truly sad, is that it's something he had to do for his own good.

We're not talking about someone who got involved in all kinds of controversary, or down-talked others, or did anything to deliberately hurt other people's feelings.

We're talking about someone who always did his best to be kind and understanding. @Hero-Knight was really a model user for the Game Jolt community, and the negativity and toxicity he saw was too much for even him to handle.

That's saying something.

He did the thing that we've been all too hooked on GJ to do.
The thing we all really kinda need, kinda deserve.

He took an extended, hard, cold break.

The fact that HE of all people needed that should tell you something.

And he's not the only one. A lot of people have been complaining that the community has been getting more and more toxic, and that they've been getting less and less enjoyment out of the site.

I don't want that, and I don't think you do either.

Something needs to be done.

Now, we all say we don't want toxicity. We all say we don't like it when other people are rude. We all say we want Game Jolt to be a positive place, but I want you to stop and think about it...

What do we actually do about that?

Nothing; except make things worse.

We all make mistakes, we're only human, and sometimes those mistakes hurt the people around us.

It's sad but it's true.

But we have to own up to that.

We have to admit when we're wrong.

We have to swallow our pride, and always try our best to do the right thing.

It's not always easy, and sometimes we can be pretty scared of what others will think of us afterwards, but we have to. Not because we want attention, or to look good, but simply because it's the right thing to do.

So; I'm asking you all to help me.

To encourage being respectful, even when another is not.

To encourage kindness, and understanding.

And not just to encourage it, but to treat others the way we would want to be treated.

People on Game Jolt will often point to the mods as the problem with this community, but they can't fix all our problems; and they could do a much better job if we didn't keep creating so many problems for them to have to fix.

Another thing to remember is, while you might have the right intentions at heart, the road to hell is paved with such thoughts.

Just because you didn't mean to hurt someone, doesn't mean you didn't, and you need to apologize, as well as consider how another might respond.

Don't make a joke at someone else's expense unless you know they can take it. Not everyone can take the same jokes, some people are more sensitive.

Don't call someone trash just because they have a different opinions than you, whether it's as trivial as their favorite video game, or as important and controversial as politics.

Have discussions, and even be very passionate about the topic, but do so respectfully.

Always remember that the person you're talking to is a person not all that different from yourself; and try not to pin all your thoughts and feelings towards a particular subject on the person you're talking too.

Just because you can't stand a particular company, franchise, or political candidate, doesn't mean you have the right to attack the people who support it the same way you'd attack the thing itself.

Make sure to remember that the person is most likely well meaning, just as you are; but that, as we all get from time to time, they're just a little, or even very mixed up about some things.

Yelling doesn't solve anything if the core of the issue is lack of understanding.

That being said, I can't do this alone.

I need your help.

We can all make a difference if we stand together, but that won't happen if you all say "oh, someone else will do it".

Look, I don't care if you have 1 follower, or a thousand; make a post. Say something. Share it if you can and give your thoughts.

None of us can do it by ourselves, we need to hold each other, and ourselves, responsible for our actions.

We need to always do our best to do the right thing, and apologize when we fail, then get right back up and keep trying.

It might seem out of reach, but I know it's impossible.

Someone once said that lost causes are the only ones really worth fighting for.

So I'm going to fight for it.

I'm going to fight to #SaveGamejolt; and I hope you'll stand by me.

Last, but not least, I want each and every one of you to think of the last instance you made a mistake on this platform.

Think of the last time you could have done even just a little bit better; and if you can, think of a moment where you really messed up.

After that, I want you to make a post about it.

Apologize, and use the hashtag #MyLastMistake describing what happened, what went through your head, and why it was wrong.

I know it might not be easy; in fact I'm sure it's really hard; but you gotta do it.

You need to swallow your pride, and admit that you were wrong.

This community won't get better until each and every one of us is willing to do that; so you have to try.

If you REALLY want this community to get better, you need to be willing to admit when you messed up; and publicly.

I hope you'll all help me in this.

Please, spread this around as much as you can. I don't want a trend, I want a movement.

I really want this to actually work, so if you're not sincere, please don't take any part in this. Only do this if you're really willing to make a few sacrifices for the greater good of this community.

I want this to be a sincere movement, and even if everyone on this platform decided to make a post, it would still mean nothing if they didn't follow their words with likewise actions.

Thankyou for taking the time to read all this; I know it was a hard ask, but I felt that all these things were really important to say.

God bless you, and I hope you have a wonderful day. 💗