GoodBye Misfits - an Admin Eulogy

[THEGordonFreeman 664]

This is kind of a eulogy for The Misfits. The group had been running DayZ for 6 years. Many of us met through TOG (The Older Gamers). We were a mix of US, EU, and Aussies. We eventually left TOG and started a group called HIHB led by one of the hardest working people I know, JMAN.

We later formed The Misfits. Even for people over 25 years old, we had our bits of drama, but those times can't come close to all of the fun times we had together. 6 years of memories and really fun times playing DayZ and other games together. I recently made the decision to close The Misfits down .

Being a community admin/server admin can be difficult at times. And when competition for players is heavy and having to deal with many different types of personalities, running events, and just making sure things go smoothly, it takes a toll after awhile. There are a lot of people that act like friends but come into groups with agendas. I've seen it time and again. This time though, after reflecting what went wrong and what needed to happen to correct it, I suddenly realized I did not have the will to keep going. Gaming wasn't fun anymore. Agendas ruin good communities, plain and simple.

Most admins want to have popular servers, or a thousand members or whatever, I'd like to say this. None of that is important. Finding good people to help you and support you that come with no agendas in hand is much more important. I have four or five really good people I can depend on, and several more that are willing to support another group.

We boasted 42 active members strong at one point in our run and in 6 years we saw a lot of people come and go, we talked about our wives/husbands and family. We had members have health scares, and financial issues, and we all pitched in and helped them the best we could. This is a group of people that for the most part have NEVER laid eyes on one another, we were all just 1's and 0's floating in cyberspace. And yet, many of us pitched in to help one another.

I remember we had one member who was going through a particularly hard time in her life, and her computer crapped out on her. She didn't have the money to replace it and she was just holding on to reality and her computer was her escape, and her way of reaching out and communicating with others. Many of us pitched in and bought all the necessary parts for her a new computer. I built it, and shipped it to her. In a few days she was able to get back online. I think we all cried talking with her again and being able to play again as a whole group.

Three years ago, my father passed away suddenly. I was fortunate to be with him in the hospital when he passed. When we were preparing for his funeral, I received the biggest bouquet of flowers I have ever seen and a large gift basket of chocolates/snacks and other gourmet food. there was a signed card by all the members of our group and even other clans/groups we routinely played against, and former members and just friends of the group in general. It's that kind of decent outpouring of love that made The Misfits special. We weren't just a gaming group and community. People cared for one another.

Unfortunately, some people with agendas that were a part of this, what we had, decided their agenda was more important than all I have said above. I do not understand and likely, never will. Hell, I don't CARE to understand. I've been a part of gaming communities since Unreal was originally announced. I don't know what the future holds. True friends stuck with it through thick and thin, and while I'm sorry it had to end, I am not sorry for doing what was necessary to protect the true friends who stuck it out through thick and thin. Our paths will most definitely cross again and we should all stay in touch. I leave two links to two music videos we did several years back. Enjoy our insanity! We did.....

 

 

[TuranArek 61]

The Art of Warfare will regret seeing a good community like yours leaving the Dayz Experience. The form MistFits has created a community is unique and we hope to see more likewise communities.
May our paths cross once in our lifes. Remember, the people who are your friends online, will also be your friends in real life.

Edited March 16, 2020 by TuranArek