How can we fix this mess we made?
Closed Species Overview
What are closed species?
Closed species are a type of character that the artist who created them decided to make more in different varieties and distribute them to others. The "Closed" part of closed species comes from the rules applied to this character set that state that one cannot be made without the creator's specific permission. These characters can have different traits and themes depends mostly on the species. for example, Cinnadogs are always food based and can have varieties of different ear, tail, and accessory styles.
If you're new to closed species, here's a few words you might need to know when reading this.
CS: Closed species
ARPG: art roleplay group
Flatsale: Specified amount
Auction: price increase with each bid
Thoughts from community members
Skully - Author
An overview of how I see the problem
Problems I've seen in closed species over the years include things such as admin problems, hoarding, etc. It's been a rather severe problem in some communities and no one seems to really care about fixing it, or even know it's happening. In my opinion, the biggest problem is our ignorance to the issue itself. We need to be more aware of what's going on in our closed species communities, if we aren't, issues tend to happen and cause more serious problems. If we become more aware, maybe we could prevent the problem altogether.
Serendipities - Community member
"When it comes down to communities, I think it really varies. Though I've only been really involved in a single community, I've had plenty of run-ins with other CS communities through Furaffinity and Deviantart. While of course, all communities have their bad eggs and sour apples, I found that one of the bigger issues, particularly in large communities with expensive memberships, is an almost pompous attitude. Meaning that members often think highly of themselves because they were able to afford an adopt. On the note of purchasing your way in, I find it to be a stressful thing to talk about when it comes down to closed species. I am in absolutely no way shaming creators from wanting to make money! It's also a slippery slope I might be getting into here, but by keeping communities elite is what breeds the high and mighty attitudes that's seen a LOT in the bigger ones. I've seen a number of users be attacked for breaking rules they didn't know about.
Redlasunshowers029 - Community member
"My personal experience with the communities is that creators are either idolized or clobbered. There is very little in between. I had some experience with species, and it seems some species adopts are, I don't mean to be mean to creators, but... A little much? I've seen Sushi cats get snapped up for hundreds to nearly a thousand dollars, and as cute as the art / species is that seems surprising to me. I suppose it's up to people if they want to buy for that much though so that's not a huge hit to production I'd hope."
Vos - Community member
"I'm relatively neutral on the subject. If something costs money, the creator has that right. It's not a big deal. Things like closed characters are luxuries, not necessities or even a basic right.
Some people may be young and not realize there are rules for the species, they just see something they like and reference it to some extent. Some folks can be harsh about it, there are people like that and much worse in every community really, but I at least try to be polite and helpful. There are definitely worse issues than 'oh no, the person who created this species wants me to remove/change this ONE marking.' I don't get offended if I have to be corrected on something I was ignorant about. I take things as learning opportunities and grow from them. I've seen other species communities that are pretty nice, and people who are really unsavory. There are all sorts of people no matter where you look. It's just how the world is; especially the internet where you can so easily dehumanize anybody else. I don't think about it too much, really."
Cute - Community member
"There are a few communities that just really stand out because of the combination of lore, community, and designs that just make it really fun to be a part of, and contribute back into. On the other hand, there are definitely some closed species that either the community didn't interest me or the creator burnt out so fast that the "group" aspect never really formed. The community aspect is certainly more fun and motivating, but at the end of the day I don't care either way, because an artist created something that inspired me and I was happy to be able to support them and buy one of their designs! CS and their communities certainly have their fair share of problems, and the success of many groups has definitely made it look like a lucrative venture for others to try to break into. I know I've certainly considered it, but then I'd get overwhelmed because there truly is a lot of work put into the most successful communities I've been a part of, and I know I simply don't have that time and effort to give."
Arts-waifu - Community member
"I'm in several closed species communities, but I'm really only active in a couple of them. And for the ones I AM active in, the communities are good. The mods are nice, the community is positive and supportive. However, other species have more elitist communities and there's a lot of favoritism and they feel very unwelcoming to newcomers. And in cases where it's not the community itself that drives people away, sometimes it's the sheer price to own one and how unavailable the species is to anyone who isn't already a talented artist who can make mad bank on art commissions. There's also the issue that some closed species don't really have a lot of lore or a world surrounding them, they're just high-priced adopts for pure aesthetic value meant to act as a cash grab, which isn't all that exciting. I like closed species that have an ARPG element to them, it gives you more things to do. Levels, skills, elements, etc."
Q&A With Species Admins
Cinnabutt - Cinnadogs group leader
Shortened version
Author: "I'm aware of some of the past admin issues you've had, how did it feel to have to "fire" some of your admins due to their choices? How did these changes effect the community if at all?"
Cinnabutt: "Three of my past admins have become swollen with pride in their position, taking on a faux-leadership role in my absence. With every instance, they became aggressive and lashed out at both my mods and community members - as well as myself. Its been hard having to eliminate them from their position because the reason they were there in most cases was because they were very good and often close friends of mine. The first two instances of this were when I actually had a "head admin" position - like second in command of the group. In every instance, the community has come to me with complaints of the mod in question acting unprofessional, and after many talks and no growth on their half, removing them made things easier. I haven't had any major issues in the past year after these admin changes and rule revisions. It's a real shame trusting your friend to help you with this monumental task and having them become corrupt for who knows what reason. But even after all of that, I'm willing to forgive what they've done. Losing friends over something like a closed species is silly to me. I don't want to be in this position for much longer if I'm speaking honestly, and at this point I would much rather my species be open to make people happy."
Griffsnuff - Bagbeans group leader
Shortened version
Author: "considering your designs were already highly popular before you released bagbeans, do you think it would have effected popularity and prices if this wasn't the case? Why did you decide to make bagbeans an ARPG rather than just a closed species?"
Griffsnuff: "Any brand needs some kind of hype for it to be successful, but the time it takes from brand to brand varies greatly! I think anyone with a passion for making an art game can get to where I am no problem! Patience, dedication and passion can take you a long way! Prices varies depending on demand. You do not need to have years of building up a follower base. The key word is activity! If you go inactive, stop caring or no longer want to build the world, make designs or interact with the people buying it, the price goes down. Making designs is fun and all, but my passion has always been lore , world and character building. So it was natural that I in the end decided to combine them. And now I am having the time of my life. Bagbeans are not about the money for me, sure it helps pay everything and that's great, but as long as I have enough to support myself the ARPG comes first and customs come after."
Author: "I've seen a lot of gift giving to your mods, and quite a few people in the community see it as "favoritism". I myself wonder why your mods get so many presents from you for various reasons ranging from simple things to more complicated issues. My main question here is why do your mods get so many gifts for random reasons? Have you seen it as a problem at all not having a rule similar to "you can't sell it for more than you paid for", for example, someone buying a flatsale and then a few days later trying to sell it for at least twice as much as it was bought for?"
Griffsnuff: "Gifts have no correlation to mods. Some of the mods have become my friends and friends gets gifts because I love them. Simple as that. I like making gifts for my friends and family. Inflation/demand is normal in any business around the world. You do not see apple tell someone they cannot resell an I phone for the price they paid it for. Adding rules like demanding someone they cannot sell something they own for more than what they first got it for, is not legally possible and is a made up concept for CS artists to control their consumer base. Why? I don't know, you would have to ask someone who has that rule."
What can be done?
What we can do as community members to solve issues in communities is to pay more attention to what's happening in them. If we can do that, a lot of these problems could be stopped before they go too far. Communicating with group leaders and each other is key to making sure issues are stopped. My one hope with this website is to push people to more openly communicate with group leaders about issues they see in their communities. I also hope that group leaders can peacefully communicate with each other without causing an all out closed species war. I would like to strive to communicate better with others and push through all the initial fear of trying. A lot of group leaders are much friendlier than they seem at first glance. I'd like to personally thank everyone who reads this and everyone who contributed to the site content. Thank you all so much for the up's and down's with closed species over the years, and I hope you've all had fun.
- Skully
Art by griffsnuff