Why I Love VGBoxArt <3

[stevencho]

Stevencho <3 VGBoxArt

I love this site, I love the members here, I love the discussions we have and I love the art. This site caters to a pretty small niche of our population; Kids who love to play videogames and love to mess around in Photoshop. But not only that, most of us have similar ideas. We all challenge the mainstream culture, we all have some sort of belief that we hold dearly, be it Christian, Muslim, Atheist, Conservative, Liberal etc. and we aren't afraid to share it. It's absolutely wonderful and I think it makes us a truly unique and exciting community. But with all the hate threads and animosity going on towards Reed and the site, I thought we could use a little change of heart. I just wanted to give a few words of appreciation for everything I've learned and received by just being a part of this community.

When I first joined here back in January of '09, I was a sixteen-year-old sophomore who really had no idea how to be a member of an online community. I was a modest gamer, playing on occasion, and a beginner at Photoshop, all I had was a free demo back from 2000.

Well before I even joined the site, I had this original (or so I thought) idea to prank my friend by making a fake Pokemon cover and convincing him that it was a new game. So I went to Google and find some pictures and created this. To me it was amazing and looked as official as you could get. I was so proud and it fooled my friend. So a few months later I was going to do it to him again but I needed some ideas. So I googled "fake pokemon covers" and clicked on this. I was blown away. It looked so awesome and so amazing. And then I realized there was more. I spent days just going from cover to cover. It filled me with joy and happiness, like I was playing a fun game. So I decided to upload my cover in the forums aaand it got critiqued pretty hard. I had absolutely no idea how some people could make such official looking logos. It seemed impossible and almost magical. I considered some of the top artists on this site as gods. Like they had magical powers that could whip out magnificent pieces of art that would amaze everyone. I looked up to them and learned from them.

So I started participating in the forums to try to get in on some of the action. I was the perfect definition of a noob. I got flamed, I got made fun of, I was the VGBA fool for a couple weeks. I eventually leaned my netiquette and stopped my overuse of emoticons and loling. This community taught me how to converse on the internet something I'll always be grateful for.

So then I began to upload my art. My first ten or so boxes... absolute crap. I got a HoF for Humor but looking back it wasn't even that funny. I was by no means an artist nor did I spend anytime improving. Then I discovered GIMP and my graphic capabilities exploded. I poured over tutorials learning just how easy it was to produce awesome effects. This coupled with studying different artists' boxes and their techniques caused me to leap in my capabilities as a designer. I received so much help and support that I couldn't have gotten anywhere else. Had it not been for VGBoxArt and it's wonderful members I would be no where near the graphic artist I am today. I learned more here than if I had taken years of graphic design classes and it didn't cost me a dime.

This place is just amazing. We all come from a variety of backgrounds from all around the world and yet we seem to come together so easily and smoothly. I've never found a group of people that I am so much alike to anywhere else. It's like we have our own little culture here. And we expand out of just videogames and Photoshop. We talk about such fascinating things like philosophy, politics, religion and for the most part we do it so peacefully. When a newsworthy topic comes up, we all discuss about it and come to a kind of VGBA point of view. It's so cool and it's like I could dive into the forum archives of this site and see the history of the past five years from a unique point of view.

This place has so much to offer not only in means of videogames or Photoshop but even just teaching people to be critical thinkers. There truly is no other forum like ours on the internet and honestly I don't think I will ever leave this amazing site. Yes, we have run into some technical difficulties that can be a bit frustrating. But let's not forget what VGBA really is... us! We make this site what it is and I think we are one of the most fascinating groups of people in the world. Let's not overlook this and give some appreciation for all that we've been given and how we've be able to learn from each other. I truly think I am a better and more creative person thanks to this site.

Thank you Reed and thank you VGBA community. I love you.

[Ronthis the Werewolf]

You are now officially my idol.

[LaserSonic1029]

[Lestat_the_vampire]

[IMG]cool story bro[/IMG]

I understand you were trying to make a joke, but that was very dumb. I appreciate Steven's post, commenting on how VGBA changed him into the member he is today. I would like to share my story, for the newer audience of course, but I wouldn't do so without Steven's permission.

[Spiner_]

[IMG][/IMG]

You are very funny.

I feel pretty much the same as you do, and I recognize me in what you are saying...

[Ronthis the Werewolf]

I understand you were trying to make a joke, but that was very dumb. I appreciate Steven's post, commenting on how VGBA changed him into the member he is today. I would like to share my story, for the newer audience of course, but I wouldn't do so without Steven's permission.

Post in my new thread.

[LaserSonic1029]

I understand you were trying to make a joke, but that was very dumb. I appreciate Steven's post, commenting on how VGBA changed him into the member he is today. I would like to share my story, for the newer audience of course, but I wouldn't do so without Steven's permission.

I'm not really trying to make a joke
If I didn't post that image, I would just type that out myself
I actually meant COOL STORY

[sd1833]

Lovely post, it really nicely wraps up in a nutshell what's so appealing about the site.

[LaserSonic1029]

Your obviously new to the internet.

.....

[felipe]

S2, I love this post, I love you now VGBA!

[KoopaDasher]

Well this is a feel-good moment.

[Flexx]

Awwww

[slimd1995]

I love you.

I never really had the balls to say this to you guys, but I feel the same way.

Awesome post, Steven.

[Ronthis the Werewolf]

Awwwww, come on everyone, group hug. :P

[Venom1]

VGBoxArt<3
You guys<3

[Mariolee]

Wait, but I thought VGboxart was shit?

[tmrd]

Wait, but I thought VGboxart was shit?

hahahahaha, repped :P
EDIT: Apparently not.

Great post stevencho, and I agree with everything youve said.

[Element]

You love a site? Ugh that's disgusting.
Go get a woman bro.

































Seriously now, I would say the same thing as sd.

[TrevOwnz]

I feel the same way. I started on this site from the same reason. I wanted to print out a cover of a Pokemon game that hadn't come out yet and show my brother so he thought I got some copy before everyone else and he said is there more, so I went threw vgba looking for Pokemon covers and then I found out about the whole style of this site. I thought it was cool to mix video games and art so I made my first box in paint. http://i29.tinypic.com/29lh5ro.jpg. My feedback was normal and people told me to get out of paint and use photoshop. So I got a copy and fell in love with Photoshop. I love how much we learn of each other and how we grow so much as designers.

I feel like a lot of people here started with normal talents and are now amazing artist and I know they will make a career out of it. That is why I'm so sick of how people are treating this site lately. It's completely fine if you want to joke around from time to time but when all your post are just jokes and that's it, it gets old fast. Stevencho made this serious thread and LaserSonic comes in with a stupid image, cool joke bro... It's annoying because this site has become a "pay attention to me" website. I don't care how you spell your name or if you are made and leaving the site, lets talk video games and art. The threads that are useful or interesting like the PSP2 thread or Nintendo 3DS become flame wars pretty quick. I think everyone on this site could calm down with the childish crap. The thing about E_G that I loved was he kept this site in check. We joked around but if threads got off topic and become flame wars he would close the thread to shut people up. This site isn't 4chan and people need to stop treating it like such. It's cool if you like the forums but I hate people that are on here not making boxarts, talking videos or being constructive and acting like idiots. Lets all take this thread and remember the goods times, and try to make it like that all over again. Even though Reed might not fix this site at least we can better our selves and act more mature =]

[The90sKid]

I feel the same way. I started on this site from the same reason. I wanted to print out a cover of a Pokemon game that hadn't come out yet and show my brother so he thought I got some copy before everyone else and he said is there more, so I went threw vgba looking for Pokemon covers and then I found out about the whole style of this site. I thought it was cool to mix video games and art so I made my first box in paint. http://i29.tinypic.com/29lh5ro.jpg. My feedback was normal and people told me to get out of paint and use photoshop. So I got a copy and fell in love with Photoshop. I love how much we learn of each other and how we grow so much as designers.

I feel like a lot of people here started with normal talents and are now amazing artist and I know they will make a career out of it. That is why I'm so sick of how people are treating this site lately. It's completely fine if you want to joke around from time to time but when all your post are just jokes and that's it, it gets old fast. Stevencho made this serious thread and LaserSonic comes in with a stupid image, cool joke bro... It's annoying because this site has become a "pay attention to me" website. I don't care how you spell your name or if you are made and leaving the site, lets talk video games and art. The threads that are useful or interesting like the PSP2 thread or Nintendo 3DS become flame wars pretty quick. I think everyone on this site could calm down with the childish crap. The thing about E_G that I loved was he kept this site in check. We joked around but if threads got off topic and become flame wars he would close the thread to shut people up. This site isn't 4chan and people need to stop treating it like such. It's cool if you like the forums but I hate people that are on here not making boxarts, talking videos or being constructive and acting like idiots. Lets all take this thread and remember the goods times, and try to make it like that all over again. Even though Reed might not fix this site at least we can better our selves and act more mature =]

This.
In the short time I've been on VGBA, I've learned so much as well.