Pause that refreshes

Last weekend I learned that PureHero is indeed a brave man. I don't know if I'd have the courage to invite a bunch of people, most of whom I've never met and only know through the glorified chat room that is Clan Lord, into my home. And not only did he have us come, he let several of us stay at his place.

Now that's guts for you.

Though, really, like all these gatherings of Clan Lord players that I've gone to, by and large all the people I've met are lovely. The only sad thing about this meeting in D.C. was its length: too short. Still, Conny and I met a bunch of great people, and had a lot of laughs.

Now I know I'm one of the most outspoken critics of Clan Lord. Well, besides Outcast, anyway. And maybe the regulars at Clan Bored. Come to think of it, there's quite a few people on the comp.sys.mac.games.adventure newsgroup who are pretty outspoken. But, I'm certainly on the top fifty list, in any case.

But, for a moment, I come not to bury Clan Lord, but to praise it.

This past weekend got me thinking. I have a lot to be thankful to Clan Lord for. Many wonderful people are now a part of my life, and without having the meeting place and common bond that is Clan Lord, it's doubtful I'd have ever crossed paths with these fine folks.

In spite of its frustrations and aggravations, in spite of my deep disagreements with many design and management decisions, Clan Lord is a community that I love. I dare say that my passionate rants are motivated by that love for the community, and a desire to see it grow and prosper.

Many people clock a lot of thankless hours to make Clan Lord what it is, and in my most rabid, frothy diatribe against the faults that I perceive, never once do I forget about those who toil away on Clan Lord, and I know that they too, like me, love the game with the same devotion that I do. Without all these people giving generously to their fellow players, Clan Lord would be half of what it is today.

So, in case my respect and caring for Clan Lord and the people who make it happen isn't obvious, I'm making it explicit: I am so glad this silly, wonderful game came to happen and I was lucky enough to become a part of it.
posted 4:17 PM | link |