As I sit here and ruminate on City of Heroes (which is something I will probably be doing quite a bit over the next several weeks) I cannot help but be awed at the community, and its reactions to the news.
There was the initial shell shock of the announcement, for it was so very sudden. There was despair, and there was anger. There was blame placed and fingers pointed. But in no short order, there was action.
In less than an hour after the announcement went live, the main petition went live. In the days since, the community rallied and promoted the petition, garnering attention from several gaming websites.
Fans gathered on the official forums to offer solace to the developers at Paragon Studios, and to thank them for letting them be part of this living, breathing, online world. They have sent e-mails, as well as physical mails, and made calls to NCSoft. Some to beg and plead for a stay of execution, some to appeal to reason, others simply to inform the publishers about what precisely City of Heroes has meant to them.
I’m fairly certain some of the corresponence has been vulgar and inflammatory. that’s just the nature of people. But the bulk of what I’ve seen is respectful and informative, and so very wrought with emotion that it brings tears to my eyes and I have to stop for a moment to collect myself.
There are the naysayers, of course. The cynics who say “why bother?” or “It won’t make a difference.” Maybe these people are right, maybe they aren’t. But it isn’t going to stop the community from trying.
It may be these next three months truly are City of Heroes’ swansong, but it’s not going to keep people from pulling themselves up out of whatever despairs or sorrows they’re going through. It isn’t going to make them forgo the bonds of friendship and community they have established.
And it certainly isn’t going to keep them from taking to heart the spirit of the game they all have in common; from standing firm in defense of something dear to them against insurmountable odds, no matter how hopeless or pointless it may seem.
It’s not going to keep them from being Heroes.