True Fandom: How Far Can You Go? (a true story)
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), Onrpg Journalist
It’s given that all gamers have their own way of praising their favorite games. Some do this through collectibles while others dwell in cosplay. Much like other gamers out there, the gamers in my country (The Philippines) also carry their own respect for the games they love. RF Online A.K.A Rising Force Online is one of- if not the most famous MMO’s here in the Philippines. People would cut classes, pay a gratuitous amount of money, or even fight for it if possible. I for one have become addicted to this game. I remember joining tournaments, visiting other guild dojos, and doing various activities to further enhance my competitive gameplay.
There is no end to what a gamer can do when they give their oath of loyalty to a certain game, but up to what extreme will these players go to? How far can they go for the game that they’ve been playing for years?
The Mski.immortals
Mski.immortals: one of the most feared hardcore guilds in our RF Online Server. Those who don’t know the name are either noobie gamers or not from this country. The Mski.immortals has won countless trophies and is definitely a force to be reckoned with. I talked to one of the members of this famous guild, Rodelio Joveres — who is also known as Milie, a member of the Bellato Federation in the battlefields of Novus.
One of the most famous events in RF Online is the City Under Siege tournament (CUS), a deadly 10 on 10 competition where guilds gather from all over the country to smash and trash everyone who gets in their way. The CUS is always fun to watch as these individuals show their respective talents in a match where both teamwork and individual skills matter. Hearing them yell out their battle cry in the midst of the competition is priceless. For the Mski.immortals, this was a battle of pride, for the only thing they wanted was to uphold their glory over the other guilds.
BREAKING NEWS: The Storm “Ondoy” has struck the Philippines
It was when super storm Ketsana (local name “Ondoy”) struck the Philippines, killing hundreds of people. Houses were pulled down; leaving people at the mercy of the storm You can probably imagine how horrific this scene was for the Philippines, especially for the Mski.immortals since the hosts of the CUS didn’t deem life-threatening floods as an excuse to cancel the tournament.
Yes, CUS was still up and running and the guild was given until twelve o’ clock midnight to show up. The storm raged further, claiming more and more victims as people rushed for shelter. Rodel’s story got me laughing as he explained in full detail how his group mates swam the raging flood just to show up in time. Since there wasn’t any form of transportation available they had to hook themselves on to passing vehicles in order to move faster. The flood was actually the least of their worries as the rain bashed on with no mercy. Upon reaching their destination, the guild was actually surprised that they made it shortly before the tournament started. Mski.Immortals was ready to KICK SOME AXE.
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Rodel: Some of the players were already playing in their boxers because they were too damn soaked.
Onrpg: Did it even bother you that some of you guys were facing other guilds on your boxers?
Rodel: I don’t think so.
Onrpg: So who were the ones who actually swam?
Rodel: Calamus, wAyAb, and HaJiMe.
Onrpg: Damn! So it must have been really hard for them
Rodel: Actually, the hard part was that they even smoked their soaked cigarettes upon getting there!
How far can you go for the game you love? Is it fandom that actually drives people to do these things? Others do it by simply gathering collectibles for me Mski.Immortals have proved more than that. You don’t really have to buy everything related to the game in order to prove that you’re a big fan; you just have to swim through floods to get to a tournament. Props to these guys for their efforts didn’t really end in vain. After all was said and done, Mski.Immortals emerged victorious (YEP! They won!). I honestly don’t think anyone can pull out their A-game after such an ordeal, but I guess these guys proved me wrong.
I got into a conversation with a friend shortly after talking to Rodel. We talked about fandom, specifically what a real gamer is. There have been various cosplayers and collectors, purposely collecting ingame memorabilia just to prove that they’re the biggest fan of all.
How Far Would You Go?
“Let’s say there’s a BIG RF Online event, and all RF fans are prompted to join. During the cosplay event, some guy dressed up as a perfect Bellato. Yeah, his armor is perfect, complete with metallic parts that make him look exactly like a bellato warrior. Now who do you think is the true gamer? The one who pulled off the biggest Bellato cosplay in the face of the earth or the guy who stayed at home just to play the game while the others party in the event?”
Yes, that made a lot of sense didn’t it? Some gamers buy all the collectibles in world while dubbing themselves are the game’s biggest fans, but these guys (Mski.Immortals) have shown us what most gamers have overlooked— “A gamer’s love for the game itself”.