Call to Arms!!! Community Awareness and Healing!!!!!

Greeting and salutations my fellow Halo Community members. For those of you that know of me, this post will not be a surprise, but unexpected in some ways. For those of you have not heard of me at all, a little background and introduction first.

My name is Twinreaper. I am a Generation 1 (old old school) modder and programmer with a rich heritage that stretches back beyond Halo 1, and stretches into every halo title produced, except Halo Wars. I was around at the ground floor when we were all starting to plan and build the now "Halo Community". I have participated in many posts, threads and websites around the internet. I hold a lot of credibility within my people and communities. I pull no punches and always tell you how it is. As a first step, I want to formally and officially apologize to anyone I may have insulted, looked down on, or made feel bad in the past. It was not my intention and in hind-sight I admit that my path was wrong. Now, my reason for this post...

Over the years I have seen this community evolve and in ways devolve. When I first came to Halo and started to build lifelong friendships, the community was still in it's infancy. People were still trying to figure out where they stood and what halo meant to them and to the people who shared their love for it as a whole. As with any community over time, is has been through many changes and many many troubling times. These troubling times have now become the present day "Halo Community" in which we all participate. While Halo may be a great title and have some great people that are a part of it, this community alone over the last 5 years, has declined into the "basement" of the gaming world.

Gamer Communities the internet over, now laugh at us and mock us at every turn. Once a great pillar of the gaming world, we are now shunned and left with no credibility or solid backing by anyone...even our own franchise. No one takes this community seriously anymore. No one wants to listen to anything we have to say. Now yes, there are certain times in the case of Reach TU, where the devs did give us a listen....but beyond that mostly what we speak of and talk about in terms of goals and game ideas is lost on deaf ears. SO you may be thinking to yourself, "You have no idea what you are talking about". Rest assured I know completely all too well in which I speak in terms of the community.

Anyone who would go to various websites around the net, could plainly see how divided and segregated we have allowed ourselves to become. Because of the fragile nature of a community with various sub-cultures, we lost our main goal. Our main goal used to be a simple fun gaming experience in which we all participated, respected one another, and worked towards making the gaming experience a great one, for all walks of life and gaming preferences. Now, we have sub-cultures who would rather shun, insult, ignore and plain out despise any other sub-culture whom does not share the same views. This is dangerous! This alone is why Halo is failing as a community and a franchise. We have lost ourselves amongst the years of gameplay and interactions resulting their of.

In order for this community to continue to grow and prosper, we need to begin to heal our current wounds and come to a great communal understanding. Regardless of whether you are a "Hardcore", "Casual", "MLG", "Fun", "Modder", "Noob" or part of any other sub-culture, you must realize this now.....we need to come together and put aside our past judgments and hangups that we have with each other. There are a great many threads here at 343i that are a shining example of everything I have spoken about. But one thing remains clear and front center...WE NEED TO FACILITATE A CHANGE!!!!!!!

I personally am stepping forward to promote and lead this change. Moving forward....You want 343i to take us seriously? You want 343i to listen to this community and really give us great things? You want to be part of something big, and not just a bystander? Do you love your game and community enough to change? I do! And that is why I am officially calling for all gaming sub-cultures of Halo to start trying better to get along. we need to come together and work together properly if we are to survive into something that can once again be the role model and top of the food chain in terms of gaming communities. I don't want us to dwell and further spiral down into a nothingness from which we can never return.

It does not matter if you like competitive play, if you casually play, or if you just like to have fun. There is no good reason why any of us have to continue to be jerks towards each other simply because we do not see eye to eye of gaming styles and title decisions. Halo is what united us, and it must be Halo that continues to keep us together. Shed off any misconceptions or hard feelings about title updates, title mechanics, gaming cultures, personal feelings, and help start getting this community back on track. No gaming company wants to try to even begin to listen to a community that is virtually broken. Help fix it now, and you may very well help to facilitate and change in the community and the game itself!

No more will intolerance towards sub-cultures be tolerated. We must learn to work together, not bicker back and fourth about what "Halo really is", or "What a Halo game really is". halo means different things to many people, and must be respected as such. Please join with me now my fellow community members, and help to spark a change in the way we view each other and the game in general. Do not allow fear or unsettling feelings prevent you from becoming better towards the community and yourself. Join with me and say "We wont take it anymore, we are Halo HEAR US ROAR!!!!!"

If this post has spoken to anyone at all at any level, then I feel good about what I have started and what I have done. I sincerely hope that these words can start to facilitate the change and help change the state of things. In the end isn't that what we all want? To get along and have a great gaming experience? I thank you for your time in reading this, and if you have a similar goal or desire to see the community once again become the king of the gaming world, please sign a comment in the post and show your support!!!! Thank you all once again, and good gaming to you all!

- Twinreaper