The devs are listening.
That is the philosophy the employees at Carbine take to heart. From the developers to the community team, they all follow it. On May 5th, this mantra became reality for one woman from Indiana. It all began with a single tweet.
May 5th, 2014, the community team for WildStar launched a promotion on Vine. The short video was simple. They wanted their players to tweet how they were readying for launch on June 3rd with #WildStarLaunch.
We are going crazy waiting for launch. Go to Twitter and tell us how you’re preparing for June 3rd using #W… https://t.co/CKitqN60Ir
— WildStar (@WildStar) May 5, 2014
The winner would receive a surprise personal visit from the community team and some great swag. A tweet from Jennifer Baugh captured their attention.
@WildStar my son @xXChRiSwILdmanN leaves for boot camp that day so it will be my sanity saver #NationalGuard #WildStarLaunch
— Jennifer Baugh (@jenpea34) May 5, 2014
Jennifer Baugh is working mom from Indianapolis, Indiana. Her only son is preparing to leave for boot camp. The day he leaves coincides with the launch of WildStar. A day of happiness for a new game merged with such sadness as
to see her son leave to train to defend his country. As she put it, “it’s a double-edged sword.”
From California to Indianapolis, two Carbine employees flew to meet the woman who they’d chosen. Jennifer Baugh had no clue that the community manager, Tony Reyes, and the social media manager, Sean Clanton, were going to hand-deliver her winnings. The two found shocked greetings.
Community Manager Tony Reyes with Jennifer Baugh and her husband. Image from Twitter
On top of the personal visit, Jennifer received some WildStar promotional items, like t-shirts for her family, and with their partner Alienware, they presented her with an Alienware gaming laptop with mouse and headset. A working mother who couldn’t afford such a prize on her own, this accompanied tear-filled words and great surprise. But that was not all that the team presented her with. The last part of the prize was a year subscription to WildStar for her and her family.
Community support can be so awe-inspring. To watch people support someone they don’t know but share a common interest with restores one’s faith in humanity.
Jennifer’s story does not end there. Jennifer’s husband received a diagnosis of Malignant Melanoma. This news would accompany expensive doctor bills. Using the site GoFundMe, Jennifer started a campaign to get help with the bills. The WildStar community showed up to support their fellow player. While the campaign is not yet fully funded, gamers and Carbine staff have shown overwhelming support to Jennifer Baugh and her family.
One simple tweet started it all. Carbine caught it all on video to share with their fans about the power of one single tweet. Carbine gives back.
