I’m sitting in the air port waiting on my plane to fly home from SOE Fan Faire 2010. As I drifted off to sleep last night I thought about all of the amazing things that happened over the long weekend while I was here and about all of the many choices that brought me to this place. It struck me that in my constant cycle of feedback I don’t always look at the good things that EverQuest II has brought me. Sometimes you do have to give back.
It would be true for me to say that I owe a lot of the great things in my life to SOE. My experiences in EverQuest and EverQuest II shaped me as a leader. I was a shy teenager with a good group of friends but I never went out beyond it. MMORPGs allowed me to do that. Through my in game interactions I became more confident. With my acceptance of leadership roles I became more bold. I would not be where I am at in my career without the skills I learned running a competitive raid guild.
I can also say that my life would be a lonelier place without SOE. The older you get the harder it is to make time for friends. They move, get married and have children. You do the same. Making plans to go out becomes complicated and cumbersome. Travel can be impossible for some. MMORPGs are the great equalizer though. You can spend a couple of hours with a whole lot of friends every day and it is meaningful.
I would also have never met some of the colorful people I now call friends and family without EverQuest 2. I would not know Norwegians. It is highly unlikely I’d have ever met a Boston socialite. I’d have not gotten to know current and former members of our proud military. Nor would I have met gnome loving bastards. Iniquity is not a guild of strangers. We are a guild of good friends and that was proven yet again this weekend. That would have been impossible otherwise.
Finally I want to say I would have never found a company that cares so much about the fans. I’m sure someone will disagree and point out that SOE is evil or dumb. SOE is a corporation and sometimes as a whole they do things that end up wrong through multiple smaller choices. The individuals, however, are not evil. They are not dumb. They are not cruel. They are great. They are kind. They are accommodating and lord knows they are patient. They deserve some praise now and then.
No matter what negativity comes out of the Fan Faire this year, and I know there will be a lot given how some of the EQ2 panels went, I still think we need to reflect at least for a minute on the fact that we get a lot more good than evil. I will never look on this experience as anything but one of the greatest, most memorable vacations of my 20s.
Thank you to all who attended and made this such a special event. I hope to see you all again next year.
All characters are © 2007 - 2012
“I would not be where I am at in my career without the skills I learned running a competitive raid guild.”
Agreed. Several articles to back that up as well. Here are a few decent ones. They say WoW but apply to EQII as well. Wired and Tom’s Hardware.
Great article btw. I agree wholeheartedly.
Amazing time being with guildmates I have played with for years and enjoying them just as much or more in person. Also an awesome feeling of community with so many EQ2 players there. You really get a great sense of the social aspect of the game when you have such a vibrant group of great people.
Also, no matter how much crap we give the devs, they were extremely welcoming and giving from the parties to the panels. You could get a sense that they do indeed care about the game and the people who play it.