I want to share the story of a player that was as part of our pvp community that had a tremendous impact on me, not just as a player myself, but also as a person. Hangaku was someone who was a multi r1 gladiator Ret paladin that passed away around 4 years ago. I first got to know him in early MoP. At the time, I was new to competitive pvp, even though I had pvped casually since I first started playing ret in BC, with my highest experience at the time being around 2k in Cataclysm. When I saw his achievements and ratings at the time, I could not help but reach out to him to ask if he had any tips for me to improve as a player. Not only did he reply to me, he invited me to his guild at the time, which only had 8 people in it that were all his friends (and partners he queued with.) Over the course of MoP, he encouraged me to stream my games, and would sit and watch them live for hours at a time, even going over my old vods if he missed my stream to give me direct insight on ways I can improve my gameplay. He would queue with me in 2s to help give me direct insight from game to game, even though he had no need for conquest at the time, and I certainly worked to just bring his CR down. He was incredibly encouraging, and I cannot recall a single time he ever was degrading or disrespectful to me in the 3 years that I knew him. When I had irl problems, he was a friend I could even talk with.
This is not to say he was perfect. But, he was a decent human being. He remembered something we forget a lot of times when we get frustrated while playing: that while someone might be playing a warrior, or a lock, or a ret, or a night elf, or an orc, at the end of the day, the people behind that computer screen are human beings. And as human beings, we deserve to treat each other (and to be treated) with basic human decency. This may just be a game, but in these times, when real life is so chaotic and painful for so many people, a lot of those same people, many of which are broken human beings, turn to this game as a means of escape, and to relax and rest from the trauma that life can bring our way.
Over the course of these years, I have noticed a steady decline in our community, that has only gotten worse with time. Its been systemic for years, and has only increased. From hateful messages we send because someone is playing a spec we dont like, to discarding one another the instant someone does not play to our pay-grade from LFG, to ghosting and lying to one another, and gossiping behind each others backs, disparaging each other while we are all still learning how to be better players in the end. But the one thing I have heard from everyone who has been a part of this community now for years, from multi-r1 glads to the casual bg player, is that we all yearn for a return to the days when the community was less toxic, more welcoming, and more wholesome. But we must first start with analyzing our own actions to realize how each and every one of us have contributed to the problem, especially now, when real life has gotten to be so bleak, for so many. We must begin to ask ourselves, how have I helped contribute to the decay of our community? How can I start to rectify that?
So, I implore you all, to remember the lives that have been lost in our gaming community, and to exemplify the best of those people that have had the greatest positive impact on us; to remember that regardless of the game, or spec, or experience, the people behind those screens are human beings, and at times broken ones, that we can truly have an impact on with even simple acts of kindness, on their lives.
Go out on a limb for others. Help those in LFG when you can. Message one another encouragement when we see that they played well, win or loss. Spend time with one another, in discord, in guild, in chat, and build each other up. When we see our teammates act in toxic ways that help to tear down our community, speak out against it. There are people like Reckful, without the notoriety, that play behind those screens. There are people with abusive home lives, lost jobs, family members who have recently passed away, mental health issues, substance abuse issues, etc., that look to this game as a source of escape and community. No game, no spec, no irritation with the state of WoW, is worth not treating people with the basic human decency we would show to our neighbors and friends, or even strangers in a grocery store, that every human being deserves. People matter more than rating. Kindness goes further than pixels ever will.
I have managed to reach around 3150 mmr and 2.9k cr, and have gotten glad multiple times as Ret, even playing other specs such as WW, ele, and hpal at ~2500cr in some seasons. I can definitely say that if it was not for his patience and kindness, especially to someone he did not know well, I would not have ever gotten to where I have in WoW pvp. I quit in legion season 4, and did not return to the game until this patch. The grind for gear, and for rating, helped compel me to right this, as I could not help but notice how much worse the problems that lead me to quit in the first place had become. So, in response, I wanted to share my story, and his, in the hope that maybe, even if it just inspires a few of us, it may help us start to move in the right direction.
The truly best experiences I have had in game have been when I have decided to pay that kindness he showed me forward, even if it was to a lesser extent than what he showed me. In legion season 2, I played PHP (ret/hunter/priest.) At the time, the priest and I were interested in finding a hunter who had similar schedules, but more importantly than anything else, was someone who would be teachable, kind, and willing enough to listen to feedback to improve without taking offense to it. We were both multi glad players, who were around 2400 cr at the time. We came across a hunter whose highest experience at the time was 1750. He was, by all means, a 1750 player at the time. But he had all the qualities of a player that we would enjoy queueing with, so we decided after a discussion to talk to him about main teaming with us over the next 2 months to try and push as high as we could with PHP. Over the next 2 months, we taught him the basics of arena, and queued well over 1,000 games together. In the process, he became easily one of the best hunters in the world. But not only did he improve tremendously, so did we. We learned a lot from that experience, and it made us not just better people, but better players as well. That season, we got to 3150 mmr, and at that time, we were the highest PHP in the world. Those games at that time helped me to deal with a lot of even my own irl issues I had going on, and those 2 helped me through that time, even when I was definitely not the best player (or person) as I should have been.
Hangaku is not the only decent person Ive met in our community, some of which I have not even talked to in years. Zsteezy, Bambi, Humble, Covaz, Stormlashx, Paradiseone, Jiryes, Manuel, and Aveng are all just some of the players that have had a tremendous impact on me as a person, not just as a player. When I needed someone to talk to, they were there. When I needed help with queues, they were there. When I just needed advice, they were there, at times even when they didnt have to be. They werent perfect, but no one is, and certainly not myself either. But when people take those kinds of actions, dont forget them. Pay it forward, and encourage others to do the same. Dont allow this wonderful game to go downhill, and to keep contributing to it through our actions or negligence.
Let us make it our goal for Shadowlands, and even 2020 and onward, to make it not just a recommendation to watch out for one another and take care of one another, but an obligation.
Let us use Shadowlands as a reset not just as an opportunity to fix the problems in the game that irritate us so frequently, but also as an opportunity to fix the problems we have in ourselves and how we treat one another, in all aspects.
thank you for sharing this with me Ramadan