I had a bunch of ideas and things I had made previously that I wanted
to submit for this contest. But nothing I wanted to use fit the size
requirements. So I figured that the best I could do is just write out an
explanation and tell it like it is.
Hands down, the best thing about TFC is the community. This goes for
places like Planet Fortress and the clan scene. Yes, there are places and
people in the community that make it very hard to enjoy the game sometimes.
But there are some really great people out there. I have no greater example
of this than last September. In the span of a week in that month, both my
father and my aunt passed away. I needed an outlet to express my feelings
and the community was there for me. I wrote two posts on the Planet
Fortress forums, one when my dad died and one when my aunt died. The
responses I got were touching. Many, many people on the forum posted their
condolences in response. Some posted their email addresses and some even
gave me their phone numbers if I needed anyone to talk to. Some even posted
condolences on my local newspaper’s website which had my father’s obituary
online. I even received some private messages from individuals who were
able to give me a personal perspective that really helped me through all of
it. Some even asked that I continue giving updates so they would know how I
was doing, and when I did I got more well wishes and responses that were
happy that I was doing better. I am forever in debt to those that posted
and helped me through it all, it meant so much to me to see all your
responses. Shortly after that another member of the community, Roughneck,
was involved in a car accident in which he lost a good friend and another
was paralyzed. He posted on the forums like I did and the response was the
same. The outpouring of this community is great. Undoubtedly all the
response helped him cope with his tragedy also.
My clan, The Pact, is much the same way. I know a lot of you have similar
experiences in your clans. Basically my clan mates are like family to me.
I care for all of them dearly. I have known most of them for years, and
talk to them every single day. Sometimes I see them more than I see members
of my real family or my friends. They are always there for me. I know much
about all of them. I enjoy hearing stories about their kids, how they are
going off to college, or how they just fell in love. They are there for me
when I need them, whether I need help with a Physics problem or like how
they were there for me when my dad died. Last year we started a gathering
in which a bunch of us went to Chicago for a few days and hung out. It was
some of the most fun I have ever had, to be able to meet these great people
in person. We are planning a trip again for this summer and I cannot wait.
It is a great feeling knowing that no matter what time of day it is I can
always log onto my clan’s chat room and there will always be someone there
to talk to. That goes for the PF forums as well, I know that I can make a
post about anything whenever I need to and I will get helpful and
intelligent responses. We often say that the main reason we play this game
still is because of the friendships. It’s alright if we lose a match, as
long as we had fun and we got to play with a great group of guys.
In conclusion, all I can say is, here we are, a group of people, who for the
most part have never even met each other in person. We’re all just people
at a computer somewhere on the other side of the country or even the world.
Most of us don’t even know each other’s real names. We are all just brought
together by TFC, a computer game. Yet, we are all there for each other. We
are willing to extend our hand to help others in need. We lend our ears to
other’s problems. We even offer our homes up for others to visit. We offer
advice, humor, friendship, help, and kind words. We are a virtual community
that is stronger and kinder than most real life communities. This is why I
love TFC, it gave me a family.
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