s about newcomers in online gaming communities and forums.
s about newcomers in online gaming communities and forums.
The first guild I really connected with was Deathgods on the Mabinogi Ruairi server. The leaders had to leave and we merged into Edgepunisher. Anyone who played Mabi on Ruairi back then should remember them...right? I still miss them all. I’m still in touch with a couple, one as a regular friend and the other through Steam, but the rest...well, after some big splits among Edgepunisher guilds, things never felt the same. Recently I had a disagreement with someone about gender versus sex, and she didn’t like my non-progressive take on it.
Guild members from every guild I once led in World of Warcraft. Ten Thousand Volts - Black Dragonflight (US), Hunter Trainer - Lightbringer (US), Anomaly - Trollbane (US), Set Phasers to Hug, Sen'jin (US) and all the folks at WoW-V back then. I don’t know where anyone is these days, they’re all gone.
During the end of Wrath (ToC-ICC), my 10man WoW guild was rebuilt by a smaller group with friendly members. We relocated to a poor location without internet access for most of Cata. Shortly after moving, the guild collapsed and everyone vanished. Now I still play WoW, but it's not the same.
Several experiences shaped my journey. The Runescape clan Slayers of Godness eventually merged into a larger group, which made me lose interest. Later, I tried BF1942 demos with Finnish players online. One remained a friend or scrimmate of my brother in CSGO. Most players I met regularly played on the Finnish CS1.6 server Looneyworld'04, even though I wasn't involved. It was pleasant to see familiar faces and enjoy gaming sessions occasionally. Then I entered the Battlefield scene with BF2. The first team I joined still holds a special place in my memory. Dangerous Koala Mafia, dkm* (FIN). That was the only team I’ve been on that consistently ranked high in EU play. It was during this time I learned many tactics still used in BF games, such as bunnyhopping. After a period of inactivity, I joined my previous team until the end of my career in December 2013—six years ago. The BS Clan (also known as BFClub.70s) has undergone several roster changes over the years, attracting new friends along the way. Some members are still close personal connections. The multigaming group Sotapeli.fi (sgc|) also helped me meet many gaming buddies. Eventually, public TF2 servers with active players emerged, especially in the UK. I’m a bit reserved and take time to connect online, so it’s sad that my free time doesn’t allow much for multiplayer games. Otherwise, I’d probably spend more time on Evolve and hang out with old friends.
Some time back, I enjoyed Burnout Paradise on PS3 with a player named Voltron2010. He was the primary account, finishing all 500 challenges more than 100 times, and was really fun to play together.
I've been quite involved in several gaming communities over the years. The most active ones include the Need for Speed Porsche Unleashed Hitman Fable Bioshock forum, Mafia Lost Heaven, and others. Since then, I've changed a lot. It's not always clear if I'm still the same person.
I think I missed some friends from Clanbase when Medal Of Honor Allied Assault was at its peak. Back then I was the head admin for Clanbase MOHAA and even wrote the rules used at the time. I was still known as ShavedApe and belonged to a clan called KbN or Killers by Nature. The last site I created for that clan still exists on kickme.to/kbn, though I can't access it anymore—it's impressive it's still there. I've also joined a few non-gaming forums, but I mostly went by the nickname ShavedApe. I guess if anyone is searching for me, it should be easy to find now.
Long ago, before I could buy a gaming PC, I was deeply into Soco and US Navy SEALs on the PS2. I mainly played online and was quite popular—people kept reaching out to me from different groups. I still have friends on Facebook with a few of those guys, though we haven’t stayed in touch. Over the years, I’ve moved between many clans. Once I was part of a big group (I don’t remember its name), but the leader was someone who wanted to be a Hitler fanatic—super controlling. My last clan was Old Guys Gaming; I joined because I was always on their Battlefield 3 servers and earned admin privileges. It was a structured community, but they let anyone join if they paid, which diluted membership and made it hard to find real matches now. I’m currently freelance and not part of any clans.