Wow. Just wow. This was incredibly well written and factual. Props to you sir, props to you.
In response, I agree with the larger percentage of what was stated in this post, and I don't really disagree with anything, but I'd still like to respond to this. The following isn't 100% related to your discussion, so when I bring up negatives, remember they aren't aimed at you
MCSG will forever and always be a large part of the minecraft community, heck, minecraft in general. There was a statistic somewhere, that said 1/3 of every minecraft account had visited these servers at least once (at least that's what I think, correct me if I'm wrong). That is 1/3 of 10,000,000+ accounts. That is, if you couldn't already tell, a ginormous proportion of players. I do not believe MCSG is going anywhere anytime soon, how could it? With this many players, we are going on strong gaining more everyday. Bad things could happen sure, but at this point of MCSG's monumentus success, it will only chip a small hole in a wall of Obsidian forged by the community, and every player who truly believes in MCSG.
On the topic of this wall, this bond we've created with one another, it can most certainly be chipped, sometimes enough to do significant damage, but I truly believe this community will always be able to re-build it, and rise to the occasion. Hackers, spammers, people set out to ruin others experiences are the pick axes, slowly chipping away at the foundations of MCSG. While you might think "Gee, there are a lot of hackers, how is this 'wall' not destroyed?' One word that will be mentioned an incredulous amount of times throughout this post, community. Those honest, tried and true members of our community, the players who take time to report the rule- breakers, the players who play by the rules, and care about MCSG, and keeping its image and prosperity. On the topic of amazing community members, we will always have staff members, players who dedicate their MCSG career to making the community a better place for everyone, and repairing that wall. Without the staff, that wall would crumble faster than we could react, and leave MCSG like a strayed animal, unknowing of which way to turn, what to do next. As I'm on the topic, I want to sincerely thank any staff member that might come across this post. Without you, we'd be a particle of a server, wallowing in the rule-breakers who aim to ruin the game. While it is not entirely staff members, the community is just as much a part in it, the staff members are to be held mainly responsible for the class of servers, and following that, to be held responsible for the outcomes, in this case, incredible.
While we have possibly had an increase of hackers, lag, and/or server glitches lately, we have not exactly come off our 'high'. We've unfortunately watched many of our older community members lose interest, and fade away from their once loved MCSG. While this is saddening, we mustn't lose hope. There is a chance, a good chance we can go back to these 'Glory Days' of 1.2.5. This situation is almost perfect for the cliche, "Anything is possible", because it really is. We welcome new members almost every day, and can once again form these bonds. We can hope for the lag to die, as I believe it mostly has, and we can regain our 'High.' The glory days are not gone, they are simply slinking in the wallows of our doubts, waiting for the time we can truly believe that they're in fact there.
I will again reiterate that I'm not saying we aren't currently having our glory days, because to me, every time I log into the forums or the servers it's a glory day. This community means a lot to me and always will, even if someday, for some reason, it dies. The games I've played here, the threads I've made here, the replies I've posted here, everything means so much to me, that I could never possibly forget it. I'm starting to sound cheesy, and fake, but I honestly have to say, whether you believe me or not, this is what I think.
In the end, I think we can get back on that 'High'. Sure, we'll definitely need to work towards it, but it is possible.
I'll be your dealer. Lets get back on that 'high'.
