Who We Are
Or, rather we might say: "Who We (Still) Want to Be."
Over 6 years ago, I outlined the kind of community that I wanted to be a part of back on the old Steel Command blog. This was before Shmitty and Truthiness joined me, before we were Steel Strategy, or the Unnamed Podcast, and long before we merged with the far more successful Geek19 and Snipafist and their Cannot Get Your Ship Out blog to create Blissfully Ignorant Gaming. We have since then found ourselves at the head of a community of gamers far beyond just our Armada beginnings.
Everything starts out small, and nothing stays how it is. My blog was originally intended to be about X-Wing. The Discord server was originally a place I could dump my memes so that a couple of friends could laugh at them. The Vassal World Cup was just a dumb Armada tournament that had weird tournament rules when we were still figuring out what online tournaments might look like.
As time passes, and things grow, we realize that we didn't really control what was growing, we could only help shape it as it took form. There are all sorts of stories of people having their success get out of their control. Still, I look at the community that we have and that we have become and I can't help but feel pride for what we've accomplished.
I'd like to think the Blissfully Ignorant Gaming community is the best community in gaming. For as large as we've gotten we've still got the feel of a small, tight knit group. I'm happy that all of you have decided to hang out with us here, and have found that we're the sort of community worthy of your presence and your time. I wanted to take this time and reflect on my ongoing commitment to "...integrity, a spirit of friendly competition, and a concern for the happiness and fun of all players... new and old." And I ask that all of you in our community make the conscious effort to be the player that you want your community full of. The written rules might be not to be a jerk, but it is so much more than just one simple sentence that makes a community great. It's more than just the written rules being followed, and the letter of the law adhered to. It's the simple kindnesses that can be asked for but never demanded. It's the compassion for your fellows. It is, to be poetic, the soul of the community itself as all the individual members embrace a culture that fosters creativity, kindness, and humor.
We are great.
We can be even better.
We will see even more challenges as we grow and change. We may need more written rules, or we may need better unwritten ones. We may need to foster new discussions, or put aside the past for what is still to come. I cannot tell you what the future will bring.
But I will ever be the kind of player I want in my community. Join us, won't you?