Celebrating Community - Commemorating The Multiplayer Bonds That Transcend Screens

mmorpg.com:

In-game funerals and memorials are nothing new to MMORPG players. It’s an experience that no one wants to go through, but for many of us, these rituals can provide some closure after a trusted friend has passed on. Relationships we build in-game are just as impactful on most of us as those we build outside the confines of a digital world. The grief we feel is real, because the communities we form are, themselves, truly real.

Community is the lifeblood of these games, from MMORPGs to any multiplayer circle. The bonds we form with those we spend our limited time with matter — and it’s one of the most powerful draws that bring players like myself going back to the same games I’ve played for over a decade.

For me, and many like me, the most important letter in the acronym that adorns the top of this page is the second «M» — Multiplayer. Sure, you can solo many of these games nowadays, but you lose something in the process by doing so. 

The human element, that draw for interaction and friendship, overcoming obstacles together — creating memories: these are all a crucial part of the puzzle in any multiplayer setting. This is as true for online games as offline events.

While many gamers may wait to commemorate a friend till after they are gone, the Las Vegas FGC decided that waiting would be too late to let one of their own know how much he means to them.

While thinking about this article, I was reminded of a conversation I had with CGMag’s Dayna Eileen about the Cyno Vigil itself. At the in-person event in Reykjavik, there was a small stall set up commemorating the Cyno Vigil for capsuleers who are sadly no longer with us. Seeing a Cyno Vigil proceed in-game and hearing the poem that players recite as part of the ritual is