I have no reason to post that image, other than the fact that I just created it for a bounty over on Just About. And I thought it was worth sharing.
I never imagined I'd be writing this blog for (almost) fifteen years. One day I started playing a video game with my Son and WAM! - here we are. It both feels like forever and instant all at the same time. Last night when I was playing I had a good fight with another pilot and afterwards we talked briefly. I discovered that he had taken the fight simply because it was me. He said he couldn't pass up the opportunity. These days I get so many positive remarks in local, even when I'm just passing through. Love the art. Hey it's Rixx. Can't wait to get my hands on the board game. Stuff like that. It is awesome and I sincerely appreciate it. I don't think anyone can appreciate just how much it means to me. Because it truly does.
There have been dark moments along the way. Some of those have been of my own making, but the majority of them have been unexpected. It is possible for certain camps within this game of ours to be truly vile, personal, and vindictive. Often without provocation. Having said that, I must qualify it with the following - the VAST majority of my interactions with this community are extremely positive. It is often easier to relay the negative, to focus on the horror, but the positive far outweighs those moments. If it didn't, I would have stepped away from it all years ago. I think it is important to never lose sight of that.
That is what keeps me going. If I had stepped away during the storms of the past I would never have been able to be involved in the board game project. Or live to see CCP grant official licenses to my artist friends and myself. Or to travel to Iceland, or England, or Alaska, or any of the other places we've been - simply because of this incredible game. And I could recount hundreds of more examples. From friendships forged along the way, friends we've helped in tragedies, charities we've supported, careers we've helped, and literally hundreds of other examples.
And that doesn't even scratch the surface to include the thousands of players I've interacted with inside of the game, especially those who have and continue to pass through the Stay Frosty and A Band Apart family. Flying with them each day is what continues to inspire me to log in and participate. It is hard to put into words what it means to watch our pilots explore and learn, to see the kill-board every morning and see what they've been up to. Amazing.
I didn't have much of a point to make today. So this has been a bit of a ramble. I just thought I'd chronicle the moment and relate my feelings. Been thinking a lot about the future these days and what paths to take going forward. So a tiny bit of this is justification in a way. Reminding myself that the path I've taken to get this far has been worth every step, and that the steps I take going forward will also be worth it. I think we all need that from time to time, to remember where we've been and where we might be going.
Perspective is important.