The dark hours of Scratch [Read the instructions]

Instructions

okay, eh hem... here goes: Most of us remember 2019—a time when Scratch felt like a thriving digital nation. Thousands of passionate Scratchers came together to code, create, collaborate, and inspire one another. It was a community built on curiosity, creativity, and kindness. Scratch has always been more than a coding platform. It is a place where people learn, experiment, share ideas, and grow together. Unfortunately, many long-time users feel that the community has changed significantly since 2020. The shift began when reports of uncredited copying, deliberate reposting, and impersonation became increasingly common. Generic games spread rapidly, often overshadowing original creations despite the efforts of countless dedicated Scratchers. Before long, the Explore page seemed dominated by nearly identical platformers and repetitive animations, making it harder for innovative projects to receive the attention they deserved. As time went on, new problems emerged. Spam became widespread. "Follow for Follow" (F4F) became a common way to gain attention. Meaningful feedback was replaced with self-promotion. When I first joined Scratch, I thought that we follow each others because we are friends and we trust each others... but it's all different now. Collaborations fell apart. Many respected creators and countless promising newcomers—left the platform altogether. Original, carefully crafted projects were often overlooked, while simple games with minimal changes accumulated thousands of loves and favorites. Creativity was no longer always what determined success; visibility and popularity often mattered more. Is this really the community we want to build? I am not writing this to spread hate or criticize individuals about Scratch, I am writing because I believe Scratch can be better; inviting and welcoming more Scratchers Let's encourage originality instead of repetition. Let's value creativity over popularity. Let's replace spam with meaningful feedback. Let's celebrate learning instead of chasing fame and doing anything to get famous. Most importantly, let's return to what Scratch was always meant to be: a place where people create, learn, and inspire one another through coding. The future of Scratch depends on all of us. Every original project, every thoughtful comment, every act of kindness helps shape the community we want to see. I sincerely hope we can build a brighter future—for ourselves, for future Scratchers, and for Scratch itself. UyenNhi2016 And i'm not trynna make you guys sad so cheer up! :)