NE 20th Anniversary / 20th Anniversary - Table of Contents

It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating NE's 10th anniversary, back in 2012. You do the math, and sure enough the history of New Element is now spanning some unbelievable twenty years. The site has been a constant in our lives for a period surely none of us ever expected. We are taking this moment to initiate celebrations on our 20th anniversary, of which part will naturally be to connect with the past - our past. Even if confronting it may mean to come across awkward posts you made as a teenager back in the day, it is special that we still get to roam the same environment, and still enjoy it. Considering how far back New Element goes for so many of us, it's fair to say that this community not only offers a creative outlet for both simple fun and highly sophisticated art, but also a sense of kindred and shared history. For that, we are grateful.

With this Anniversary event, we want to emphasize the love we carry for this community, and honor that shared past. In the coming weeks, we will celebrate NE's 20th Anniversary with multiple events and happenings, with one update a week. Like in 2012, we have written yearly recaps chronicling the past decade, to transport you back in time, relive the good old times, or perhaps to catch up with years that you may have not been around for.

Use this topic to leave your general thoughts regarding history of NE and this Anniversary, as well as to quickly navigate to Anniversary related content. The events related to the 10 Year Anniversary can also be found in the table of contents below.

Take note of the last couple of recaps from the previous Anniversary - there are much more historically interesting in 2022 than they were back in 2012!

I was thinking in bed last night about NE and my place in it, and my future in it. There was a time, back in high school maybe, where I assumed I would age out of this place, or that it would slowly lose members and shutter its windows eventually. Somewhere in the transition from kumba-panelist days it all felt a bit thin and ageing.

And now we're here, a bunch of adults with jobs and families and still playing and hanging out. Pretty special. Its increasingly hard to imagine a scenario where technology makes this game obsolete, unless maybe the entire open dev team abandons the project. Which could happen eventually, I guess, but it feels solid for the time being. Overall, what an incredible state this game and its community is in. Even the drama seems to wash over more smoothly than it used to. Maybe we're all just old, I'm not sure.

I still got the itch to build theme parks, and I'm not sure that will ever go away. cheers to everyone.

Echoing with Cocoa said, definitely felt at one point that I'd age out of rct, the game would thin out and this would all be a thing we remembered fondly. Particularly because I've experienced that happen with other gaming communities I've been a part of. But the past few years (especially being able to turn to rct and NE as a source of creativity during the pandemic and 10 months of unemployment) has drastically changed how I see NE moving forward. I definitely don't see a point where I'll be done with either unless they're done with me, and I feel a lot less pressure to speed thru projects because I don't feel the lingering threat that I'll lose interest or rct will suddenly become inaccessible to me. In essence, we all have time to hopefully accomplish what we want.

More than anything, I think NE has and is continuing to shift from an ultra-competitive environment to one that is supportive and understanding of the time and energy our projects often require. Contests are fun, but looking back at H2H9, I find myself focusing less on the wins/losses and more on the sheer mass of incredible, high quality work this community was able to put forth in such a concentrated time. That is what I want to take into NE's next decade, a focus not just on improving but on being a resource for anyone else who wants to do the same.

Cheers NE!

when we hit retirement age, there is going to be the biggest influx of amazing rct the world has ever seen. h2h2072 better watch out

btw, that is an interesting point. I used to feel like I had to complete my 'big' rct project in the next few years or there would be no one to see it. now, I've kind of said what I wanted to say in LL with disneysea, but I don't feel that pressure for rct2. I know I can spend a decade and there will be someone still interested then... kind of comforting to know

Sweet to read this, and I echo the sentiment. I didn't expect to still be here, and NE feels more chill than maybe ever now. I just love the fact that we keep entertaining each other with whatever our contribution to the community is.

I do notice that I feel much less connected to this anniversary than the first one if I'm honest. The LL age was "my time" with the site, when I knew all the parks by heart, when I wanted to be good as a player. A very very different time, and seeing old parks sometimes makes me remember. I am very comfortable in my current role though.

If there's anything in the past 10 years I would single out as the main thing, it would be OpenRCT2. Recode projects like that have enabled a new relationship to gaming, one that I find immensely positive and enjoyable, and that keeps our old stuff interesting. Here's hoping for more such technical improvements. I think they are key to longevity.

I basically missed the last 10 years, so it's going to be nice to catch up!