A few weeks back, our raid group finally started working on Deltascape V3 savage...we are behind the curve for many raiders, but it still felt substantial that our little ragtag team of Dinos made it as far as we have. One of the most satisfying experience I've had in any game ensued...trying to take on Halicarnassus where our entire team was going in blind. There was no need to do so...there were plenty of guides we could have watched, but over time we've been able to cultivate our community into having an unspoken rule about attempting fights without guidance.

On top of being a really interesting fight, seeing our group go into the encounter without any expectations of success was a delight. Without the pressure to perform that naturally accompanies watching a video (I've seen this thing so I should know how to react), we were able to learn very organically, collaborate as we encountered each new mechanic and just really joke around and enjoy the process of learning. No one was expected to be an expert because we were all there fresh. As friends, we were there to support one another and build up a strategy that worked for our group based on our slowly-increasing repertoire of knowledge in dealing with various mechanics.

It was so encouraging to see the fun that everyone had that night and feeling firsthand the enthusiasm that we had because of the rather substantial progress we made on our first night (about a third into the fight). It made me ponder what in games, and even in society in general, prevents people from enjoying the process of learning? Was there toxicity in the way people treat one another? Was it anxiety provoked from feeling like we can't waste time...despite it being a game made for enjoyment? What about the idea of appreciating the process of failing and being okay to be less than perfect?

I feel like with the last comic and today's entry, I was trying to express something...but I'm not quite certain I captured the essence. It felt as though it were wafting around in my mind, having trouble manifesting. I suppose I just wanted to challenge whatever the reasons, be it bad tank or societal pressures, we should always think of community and camaraderie as being a vital piece of a healthy social fabric.