I already posted this in the testimonials thread, but it was suggested to me that I should make it its own, so I hope no one minds.
Hi, I'm Mindscythe, and I'm a CoH Lifer since about three months after launch. Never unsubbed, never stopped playing, never stopped paying, even created a second account (also VIP) a few years back.
When I'm not running around as a crimson-clad magic mind controller, I'm a professor at Central Michigan University, where I teach our introductory web design for electronic media class. Currently, I have two sections, a Monday-Wednesday class and a Tuesday-Thursday class. Although I helped write the course many years back, this is my first time teaching it.
Week 1 is all about Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) theory, talking about virtual identity, community, and culture. This is right up my alley, since that's what my doctoral dissertation was about. In week 3, the students get assigned an exercise that asks them to explore an online community, participate, and write a short (3-5 pages) paper on their experience when the week is over.
Long before the NCsoft announcement, I knew I'd love to send my students into Paragon and let them experience the same virtual community I've come to love and call home. That was an easy decision. Getting the college computer techs to install a "game program" on the computers in the lab I teach in, on the other hand, wasn't, but I convinced them. And this week...
The Monday-Wednesday class, day 1.
The Tuesday-Thursday class, day 1.
The Monday-Wednesday class, day 2.
The Tuesday-Thursday class, day 2.
I'm not ashamed to say that I teared up just a little taking the Day 1 pictures. And it was wonderful to see comments in the main Pinnacle channel like "Why are their *20* level 2's running around AP?" yesterday. The veterans on Pinnacle have also been really wonderful about coming out, talking to the students, taking them exploring, etc. I love my drunk server.
And best of all, I've already gotten requests from students for the client so they can install the game at home. Fortunately, I have copies of both that I can give them (I've archived both clients on the class website for them).
So there are forty new citizens of Paragon, some of whom will stick around after the exercise is over. And next semester, gods-willing, there will be forty more. And forty more every semester after that. All they need is a game to log into.
#SaveCoH
