I read every word of that post. My eyes are a little tired, but i'll be ok. It almost brought tears to my a couple of times. CEO's and people of the sort have NO IDEA about how something as simple as a "game" can have MAJOR impacts on peoples lives.
My brother in law got me into this game in 2004. Since then, i've had 2 kids and gotten married to the "best woman in the world". lol. Well, "my world" anyways. My oldest son is 8. He was born in 2004. He remembered my account and password when he was 2.5 and started logging in and making alts. lol. He sits right here beside me now, making an alt. LOL. When i told him it was over soon, he said, "well daddy i gotta hurry up and get me a 50". My youngest is 3. He hasnt remembered the accounts, but wants me to log him in whenever his brother or i am not on the game. lol.
I really wish i had met a group like yours. I played solo 90% of the time. Only really met a handful of people i played with regularly. One i txt often to check on. He lives in cali and as you know, have a ton of quakes.
I don't know you, but i wish you and yours the best in our new journey after CoH.
So today sucked for me and many of my best friends. We got news that a video game that we have all played for years is being shut down at the end of November. Not for lack of profits, since it was the companys most profitable game. Other games have LOST it money and are still up and running.
I know that many of you might be thinking that it is just a game, but for me it was much much more. When I was first introduced to City of Heroes 8 ½ years ago it was by some really good friends. We all played the game for hours on end and really enjoyed it. As it always does, life happens, all of those friends left the game for one reason or another. I however stayed and met many new players and over time they became real friends.
I met Dave a Special Investigator for the Virginia State Attorneys Office. He was a computer expert and brought to my attention a program called TeamSpeak which allowed players to talk to one another as if we were in the same room. Wow, that really changed how we played the game and more importantly, brought all of the players that were in our circle (it is called a Super Group in the game, think of the Justice League and the Super Friends. I actually named our Super Group Paragons Super Friends, PSF for short) of friends closer together.
We started out as five players who were mature and wanted to have fun and play the game. Unbeknownst to the five of us how it would grow and affect our lives, especially mine. Again life happens, some of us got married, had kids, went undercover for six months, deaths in the family, Hurricane Katrina and many other things. After about two years we were down two of us playing regularly but we had an influx of new players all who joined PSF for various reasons, but always to have fun. We had about thirty players at our peak number but the core group has really consisted, for several years now, of about seven players and with old friends stopping in from time to time and new ones coming and going. Life continues to happen.
PSF members have flown across country to meet up at conventions and go to Journey concerts. Seriously in 2010 John from California and Jen from Oregon flew to Indianapolis for the GenCon Gaming Convention and Regina and I drove up to meet them for a day. I was finally able to prove to all the guys/gals that Regina was real and not a figment of my imagination. I drove up the next day to join John and Jen at the Indiana State Fair for the Journey Concert. We all had an awesome time, even though John got mugged in downtown Indy, but I will let him tell that story if he wants. Ive had the privilege to have several members stay at my house and I at theirs. Brian a member or PSF for about 6 years drives a motorcycle decided to do a trip that not only took him to my house for a night but also Pauls for a night. There are some funny stories about a CD with the title of Boy Power (an all boy band compilation CD) that gets passed from person to person, usually without their knowledge.
Our friend Scott and a founding member of PSF lived through the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and most recently Hurricane Isaac. When he lost his house in Katrina and had no money and was living at a friends house several hours away from his family home members of PSF sent money to him to make sure that he would be okay. I know that it may not sound like much but during that time $25.00 kept him fed for a week. Im not sure how much people sent to him but I know that he did not go hungry for several weeks. I let him know just the other day before Hurricane Isaac came barreling in on him and his wife Sara who is pregnant with their first child that if he needed anything to let me know and I would do what I could for him. I know others were ready to chip in as well. Im not speaking for myself, but the members of PSF are some of the most generous and wonderful people Ive ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Brian, Chuck, Derek, Steve, Trevor give Arkansas Rednecks bad names, all of them are, or were, firefighters in Jonesboro. Not only are they Super Heroes in our digital world but also in our flesh and blood one. Now to be honest these five guys probably could not count to three, but you can damn sure bet that you can count on them. One is the original owner of the Boy Power CD mentioned earlier and one drives a purple truck another really does not like cussing and one is now planting and selling trees, probably the most surprising one actually lived in Douglasville, GA when I lived there. Surprising how life sneaks up on you and shows you just how small this world really is.
John and Lawrence live close to each other in the high desert of California and have been stalwart companions in the game for many years. Lawrence can probably build you just about anything that you need and John well he is one of the most intelligent and kind sould person you would ever want to meet. Just dont meet Lawrence in a dark alley, he will scare the **** out of you, not on purpose but because he is not a handsome man. I love him like a bald headed brother should, but DAMN! John on the other hand, meet him in that same alley and you are likely to get his cellphone and he will pay you to take it.
Jen and Ben a wife and husband team from Oregon who played CoH for about three years with us and remain good friends. She is a no nonsense mother bear who also happens to be a dog groomer while Ben should be referred to as Gentle Ben. Both are great people and I hope that they will join PSF for one last blowout before we all take our heroic capes off.
Jason aka Jay met me during a mission that my friend, and best man at my wedding, Todd was running. Jay and I kept dying in the game and we just laughed our butts off at how we died and how quickly. We did not have TeamSpeak at the time and so everything was typed out. Jason is a long distance runner, motorcyclist, husband and his best role ever, father to his kids. When my injuries got to be too much for me and I started packing on the pounds I asked Jason to come up with a workout that I could do since he was really into the entire fitness scene. Unfortunately for me, Jay said that with a core injury like I had that I was screwed. After many doctors visits and physical therapy doctors they all agreed with Jay, there was/is nothing that can really be done exercise wise. While Jay has not had the time recently due to his growing family he is still a founding member of PSF and was distraught by the news today that the game was shutting down.
Im not sure what happened to Dave as he disappeared a few years ago and has not returned to the game. He did this once before for a period of six months for an undercover job. I did do a general web search for him about a year ago and at that time he was doing well and receiving lots of awards from the state. Dave was a founding member of PSF and is always welcome back into the fold by all of us. Hope he and his daughter are safe. Again another real life hero who sometimes played one in the game.
Anthony aka Ant was a very funny guy who loved the line Kickem in the jimmies and used it to make us all burst out laughing. He had to take some time away from the game shortly after we formed PSF to help his mother who was very ill. When she made a recovery Ant came back to the game and continued to make us laugh just like before. But again life snuck into the picture and his mother had a relapse after two weeks and passed away. Ant had to take care of his siblings and other family members. That has been over 7 years now, and we still miss him. I hope that wherever he is that he is happy and healthy and wearing a cape. Sometimes the heroes you know best are your own family and Im sure that is how his family thinks of him.
Paul is in one word AMAZING! Think of your typical 1960s hippy with a beard and tie-dyed t-***** and a love of music and his fellow man. He has followed the Grateful Dead on tour and gives out hugs for free. (I can use one right now brother from another mother) He is also a chick magnet. I really dont know he is, but damn it he IS! Ive seen it and him in action. The first time we met at GenCon 2007 we went to a booth for a Pirate video game and there was this BEAUTIFUL lady working there and man she wanted nothing to do with ANYBODY else including her boyfriend who was also a developer for that Pirate game. Now while she did not throw herself on Paul, it was made clear that if she was not in a relationship she would be after him. Now, that was impressive, but not as impressive as Brian, Chuck, Paul and I walking down the street and women in cars stopping in the middle of traffic and hooting and hollering for him. Brian, Chuck and I looked around for George Clooney or Brad Pitt, but there was only Paul acting like it was no big deal. Pauls trick to being a chick magnet? He doesnt even know, its not like he has a patent pickup line that works on the ladies, he is just himself. Paul had to take a break from the game because his computer could not handle the game anymore and only recently got back into the game, so welcome back OLD friend at least we will get to play a few more times together.
Ripper da Stripper aka Martin has been playing the game with us for about three years now and lives in Virginia. He is a former furniture store manager who now works in a bar part time and teaches ballroom dancing as well. I am actually envious of Ripper since he can dance the dances Regina would love for me to dance with her. Oh well, Im sure he has some short comings. Oh did I mention that he works out and is in crazy great shape? He is also pretty funny and fairly quick witted and I must say that if you are on TeamSpeak with our group you better be quick witted and have a good sense of humor. We may say things that sound mean and hurtful to others, but to us, it is showing the love. After all laughter is the best medicine.
We have a couple of recent additions to PSF who are actually a couple Javier and Ali who live in Puerto Rico and are raising their children there. Ali is a stay at home mom taking care of the kids and house and as most of you know that is a fulltime job itself. Ali is actually the person we invited to join PSF and she went out the next day and bought a headset to join us on TeamSpeak, when we told her that her husband is welcome to join us and play along she was so excited for him. While they have played the game off and on over the past 7 years, they have never really had people willing to help them out and show them around. Javier joined us a few night later and he really opened up according to Ali he finally found a home in the game with our wild bunch. Sadly, we wont have years playing the game together but the next few months will be fun and filled with laughs.
Lisa is the latest person to join us in just the past two weeks. She is a college grad and currently a web designer for a small company in Wisconsin (I hope Im remembering that correctly). She recently was a bridesmaid and according to her she KILLED the bridesmaid dress by making it look fabulous. She killed it again out of the dance floor by doing the funky chicken and in general having a blast. When she got the news earlier today about the game shutting down she was devastated and a little down since she doesnt think she will get to the top level in the game a Lvl 50 character. I have news for her, she will get there. I promise her that.
This letter has been as I intended a bit cathartic and more than a bit melancholy. I know that at some point in the near future I will have to put down my cape that I earned in City of Heroes, but I will always be able to go to the bathroom closet and get a towel and make a cape just to wear around the house.
The tears are flowing and I need to bring this to a close.
Thanks to all of you who have made this game and the past 8 ½ years some of the best.
Thanks to Sarah and her friend for forgiving me when I made an *** of myself thinking that the game was more important than her and her friend, I learned a valuable life lesson.
Most importantly thanks to my wife to letting me fly away every night to be with my friends and fight the good fight.
Da Falcon Scrapper lvl 50
Shadow Hunter Q Blaster lvl 50
http://psfcoh.com/
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