Hey everyone! Kenan Nerad, or Lucien Lachance online, here with something very different from what I usually do, and what I ever thought I'd do personally. The past few months we've had a lot of stuff happen within in the Pokemon community that I think it's long over due we analyze ourselves and the community. I don't see many people actively wanting to change things or offering solutions to problems, so with this blog I hope to encourage some change within our community. To me, there are potentially dangerous mentalities that are going unchecked within our social circle. Some more so than others, but of course we're aiming to grow our game, and I like to think I have ways to foster a healthier community. One that will encourage players to stick around longer than a year or two, one that isn't so hierarchical, one that isn't so hivemind. These are some high aspirations, but I believe in our community to overcome these things.
But what do I know? Well, while I don't have a crazy good forum presence (who does these days?), I don't do well at events (last relevant finish was Fall 2013 Regionals [2012 format]), and I only just recently started taking an active role in the community by writing articles. I have other qualifications that I think make me able to speak up. What I do have is years of experience in the Pokemon community, and in my seven years I've been everyone. I was a random in 2009 and 2010 who was trying to learn the game, I was an arrogant prick in 2011 after a Regional victory, I was a vigilante of sorts to cancer Seniors in 2012, I was absolutely AWOL in 2013 and 2014, and now I'm back. I write articles, I do an occasional podcast to go along with it, I do things. Tangible things. I like to think I have an effect on the community, but I'm just getting started. But in all my years I've seen a lot. I saw the rise of Smogon VGC community, I saw the collapse and splinter to NuggetBridge, I saw the golden years of quality content, and now looking at what we're all seeing now. Occasional articles about Top 16 Regionals, with little substance and insight from well established players who truly think about the game. Whether this is a problem is up to your opinion, and I'll discuss that more at length later.
So why am I writing these? Honestly I just want to give my thoughts about the community and its mental state out there. I'm not a very confrontational person, (although given some recent edgy Tweets of mine you may think otherwise) and this is a new experience for me. I hope people disagree with me, but I hope it fosters healthy discussion. I hope people will see what I see and potentially want to act on things. There are definitely problems in our community, as I see them, and I think we've been ignoring them for too long. It's my intention to stop them, and maybe get something done.
These are going to be 100% unedited. I am going to write what I feel, grammar / spell check, and then publish these as I write them. I think wholesome, pure, individual thought is important and is missing in our community, so I hope this resounds well. I want people to disagree with me, but I want people to be levelheaded in discussion. I want a lot out of this, but I'm not expecting much. Just any progress is alright in my book.
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