Good People in Gaming

This article originally appeared on The Third Faction website

In June 2020 the gaming, streaming and content creator community there were allegations of sexual misconduct and worse which affected the WoW community. In light of that, we wanted to show case some of the GOOD people in the community and Deme compiled a list on Twitter which others then helped contribute too. Here’s the complete listing.

We don’t follow everyone so feel free to pick and chose who you want to. Some are streamers for other games or just chatters, some wow content creators and others are just decent people in the online space.

Feel free to add your own in the comments and we will update the list periodically.

Updated 23rd July 2021 in light of the Acti/Blizz Lawsuit.

Mental Health Resources

This article was first published on The Third Faction website. 

After the passing of Byron “Reckful” Bernstein, I wanted to collate some of the resources I have used to help manage my own mental health. I am not a professional therapist, counsellor or doctor, these are just the things I have found helpful. PLEASE talk to professionals too.

You can call the Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK 24/7 – I can vouch for them helping just to calm a mind riddled with anxiety and/or depression.




In the UK you can self refer to Talking Therapies in the NHS via this link – talking about my issues with a therapist over the years has helped me a lot. I never say I’ve finished with therapy, I just say I’m done “for now”.

Here are some other links to charities and phone lines that can help.

Some practical things that I’ve found to help me are
1 x 10 minute walk outside a day. When I have been extremely low and unable to do bigger physical activity, taking a short walk for just 10 minutes outdoors has been a huge help. I leave my phone and smart watch behind and focus on the fields and the sky. And the dog.
The HeadSpace app – you can use the basic meditation programme for 10 days. I often go back to day 7 or 8 and repeat them. You can also subscribe to the service if you want to. There is also Calm and probably other meditation apps, I recommend having a go with a few until you find a voice that works for you.
The 5 Minute Journal App – this one can be tough sometimes as it asks you to think of 3 things you’re grateful for. When I am particularly struggling I often write down “the sky, the air, my bed”, but it’s important to just do the practice even if it’s hard as it will start to get easier.
Crying in the shower, soaking in the bath, drinking a lot of water, being by or in the sea. Crying is good for us. Doing it in the shower allows me to wash it all away. Water, at least for me, has huge healing properties and I always feel better when I’ve spent time in it, on it, or near it. For you it might be having a fire, spending time in the woods or something else.
Doing something with my hands. Doing something that requires a monotonous and repetitive manual element can help take you out of your head and put your focus back into your body. All the old cliches of gardening, sewing, drawing, painting, baking, woodwork – anything that forces you to focus on something else, takes you out of your worries for a wee while. I prefer bread making, gardening and sewing.

Medications can be helpful too, I haven’t taken them though I’ve never ruled it out and believe that they can be another tool in the box to help us.

The biggest problem for me is talking about it in depth with people at the time that I am dealing with it. Although friends often say “I’m always here to alk” it’s rarely something we take them up on because we usually just don’t want to burden others with our problems, we don’t think we’re important and we are ashamed. Personally, I’m very good at talking about it online but if you asked me face-to-face I would clam up. It is much easier to type it out and send a tweet than it is to vocalise what I’m feeling. If you feel like this, you are not alone.

All you need is one reason to hold on.



This link includes numbers for suicide prevention around the world.

Updated on 25th January 2021 following our interview with Celheals to cover support for bullying and sexual assault resources. Please know that nothing will replace the help and support that you can get from qualified professionals, these links are meant only to point in the direction of those professionals. We are not qualified and are not associated with any of these bodies or organisations.

Bully at work support UK – https://www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk/law.html

Bullying survivor support in the USA – https://www.stompoutbullying.org/

UK based sexual assault survivor support – https://www.thesurvivorstrust.org/find-support

USA Based sexual assault survivor support – https://victimconnect.org/


therecoveryvillage.com/recovery-blog/bullying-substance-abuse/ – some may find this link helpful too.



Updated again in April 2021 with these resources kindly sent to us via our twitch supporter wifeofavalon – thank you!
Able Futures is ran by the DWP and offers 9 months free Mental health support with a dedicated specialist for anyone who is worried that their mental health may affect your work. You must be 16 and over, be in work, about to start work or in furlough or an apprenticeship to qualify
Grounding techniques PDF which you might find helpful
grounding-techniquesDownload

Positive steps PDF which may be of use too –
positive-steps-to-wellbeingDownload

This guide to stress by the charity Mind –
stress-2017Download



And finally two more organisations that might be able to help
https://giveusashout.org/ It’s a text support for people who maybe don’t feel confident speaking on the phone and is a good alternative to the Samaritans.
https://turn2me.ie/ is Ireland based but open internationally – offering lots of different support including a crisis line.

I’ll update this as I get more resources including international ones.

Take care of yourselves, and each other.

Deme the DK ❤

Death Knights on the Dawn of Patch 8.3

Bolvar is back! As of January 14th 2020 and assuming you have the Shadowlands expansion pre-ordered, any race can be a Death Knight and we get a new starting zone! Not to mention when we get into the expansion itself, there's a whole zone that supplies the power we draw on, Maldraxxus, the home of the Necrolords. 

On The Giving and Receiving of Help

"Help! I need somebody! Help! Not just anybody!"

Help. It's a loaded 4 letter word for me. "Please help me" is a phrase which fills me with frustration. It's like a little whine behind my back when someone isn't strong enough to manage on their own. It's that signal that you're too weak, needy and pathetic to do it yourself. The needy part is what makes me flare my nostrils and clench my jaw most. And as such, it is extremely hard for me to admit that I ever need help but I'm extremely good at offering, and giving without confirmation of a requirement, help when it's not even been asked for. Condescending cow that I am.

On Learning Lessons

I firmly believe that in every struggle or confrontation in life, there is a lesson to be learnt. Further to that, I believe that every lesson will keep repeating itself to you until you learn from it. I believe this to be true in every aspect of life, from work, personal, emotional, fiscal, whatever area you find you want to push away or you find confronts you, I bet there's a lesson for you. Until you learn the lesson that you need, to grow and move on, you will keep coming up against the same problem. 

Goals. Not resolutions.

Having read Elsen and Grokknar’s recent blogs about goals in WoW, I thought it might be an idea to write up my own. I’ve never done them before but I think this year I will need them simply because there is so much going on now that I’d like to know I’ve achieved a few things!

Light and Shade - Part Four

This is the third part of a piece of fan fiction I began in the summer and since resubbing to Warcraft I've found my muse again!  You can read the first two parts here and here and the third part here. 

Garim and Raik were talking up a storm by the great fire. The table was littered with empty tankards and if Deme had still been fully human, she would have felt the warmth from the heavy, potent dwarven ale.

MMOs, The Internet and The Perception of Gamers

A post on Wow Insider recently promoted a link a survey asking about addiction to MMORPGs. As I'm not a USA resident I can't answer it, but the comments on the post at WI, were quite revealing.


1. Survey seems to be rather biased and closed
2. 'People' still don't understand that the internet is a tool that can be used for good, not just a procrastination tool or a thing of evil.


Would I say I've been addicted to the internet? Yes. Would I say I've been addicted to Warcraft? Yes. Does it worry me? No. Why not? Well ....

Lunch Topic - Why are DKs so hated?

Based on today's Breakfast Topic on Wow Insider, the class most people would like to see removed from Warcraft is the Death Knight.

As Demeternoth is my main and a death knight, I'm intrigued (and a little bit peed off) as to why this is the case. What do you think? Is it that the class allegedly attracts the biggest douchebags in the game? Is it that currently in Mists as a blood tank you can be top of ALL the meters? Is any of it really important?

Mists of Pandaria - First Impressions

EDIT - now with pictures!


Quick and dirty post on first impressions of the new Warcraft Ex-pac.

After getting there myself last night I can say the following

On Boobie and Bottle

In case you didn't guess from the title, this is not a Warcraft post.

On Tuesday 21st February I gave birth. The following is the tale of my progress through the world of feeding this amazing Level 1 Human. I'm sharing it because I recently read this.

I gave birth via C-section and thus wasn't able to have the precious skin-to-skin moment with our little boy until I got into the recovery room. However, he had a clear sucking reflex (he almost took my little finger off!)  and I tried to latch him onto the breast to feed. I didn't succeed.

Holy Healing - Tales of a Student Priest.

Apollina Lightfoot bent down to the river and scooped some water up with her hand. The water was clear and she could see small mudsnappers swimming in the shallows. The cool water felt like ice in her throat, her body was so hot from the sun and the ride through the dark forest. She sat back on the bank and looked over at her horse, a bright black stallion who was also eagerly drinking from the river, his reins resting in her hand.

Deme Gets Dressed

HAHAHA.

Light and Shade -- Part 3

This is the third part of a piece of fan fiction I began in the summer and since resubbing to Warcraft I've found my muse again!  You can read the first two parts here and here. 


"Are we all set then my love?" Deme asked Raik as she approached him at the tram entrance.

"Of course! Did you ever doubt me?" he smirked as he said it and Deme smiled back, reminded that this was the man who could get any project off the ground.

They turned to walk through the swirling entrance and down the ramp to the tram. The cold metal clunk under their feet rang off the tunnel walls as they left the cobbles and slate of Stormwind behind. The tram always astounded Deme, a feat of gnomish engineering. From the outside it looked like a giant swirling cog with a mouth gaping, big enough to take a whole battalion of Alliance forces in one gulp and on the inside it was full of giant rivets, bronze and iron and the driver-free tram system that linked Stormwind with it's closest neighbouring city, the great dwarven capital of Ironforge. They descended into the station and the sounds of Stormwind faded, the chatter of the residents lost into the metal tunnel.

On the importance of experience.

This post concerns a principle that I have long stood by and believe to be central to my enjoyment of Azeroth. That principle, or rule, if you like, is that in the current guild I'm in we do not accept anyone who is under 18 years of age. However it has recently been brought to my attention that we have someone considerably younger than that in the guild, and I took the decision that I could no longer remain an officer if that was the case. Before there is a cry of people exclaiming that I'm over-reacting, let me explain a little about the reasoning behind this decision.

Saturday Coffee Reading

There's been some damn good blogs around this week so here's a few pointers to keep you entertained over the weekend.

Disco Priest over on Disciplinary Action explains why the Baby Boomers are to blame for your professional frustrations and why that makes Warcraft such a good outlet.

Pewter over on 'mental Shaman explains why homophobic slurs will never be acceptable, even if intended in jest. Thankfully there has been a sincere apology from Blizzard on this now, but it's still worth noting this little hot potato.

Cynwise in his Field Notes talks about the influences that are apparent on Samwise Didier's designs for Mists of Pandaria. If, like me, your initial thoughts about this up coming ex-pac were 'Kung-Fu Pandas, WTF?' then I urge you to read this post. I have renewed hope for a land covered in ronin and feudal lords fighting with each other.

Someone clearly looking forward to the release of MoP is me ole' mucker Grokknar. For excited and positive thoughts on MoP with much less of the cynicism and side-long glances I've been giving it, head over to Real Men Wear Dresses. Look, he's a paladin, in cloth, with flashy light spells. Of course he thinks real men wear dresses.



Have you read something this week you want to recommend? Please let me know! I'm always looking for more blogs to pour over.

Over my 'dead' body - Or How Blizzard got my interest in Mists of Pandaria

Until lunch time yesterday I was pretty much "meh" about the whole Mists of Pandaria expansion. Pandas are fun but it was a bit of a stretch for me to see them in Azeroth.

**SPOILERS FOLLOW* TURN BACK NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT ANY!**

Then I read about Theramore. I play mainly Alliance, of my 17 characters, 3 are horde. My over-riding feeling of Deme's past has been that she fought and fell against Arthas when he rampaged through Lordaeron. The details have always been hazy, she certainly isn't old enough to have been at Stratholme in the early days of the zombie plague. It's more likely that she was a militia woman or town guard at a small village, a place smaller than Andorhal so it's not even on the map any more. Anyway, with that in mind it's pretty feasible that she has a sentimental attachment to Theramore, one of the last out-posts of Lordaeron's escaped refugees. So this feels rather more personal to her than anything the horde have done before. Lordaeron was her nation and it fell. She moved on. In 'undeath' as a Death Knight she heard of Gilneas's fall to the Forsaken and the butchering of alliance home-steaders at Southshore. She continued to fight but didn't let these losses dampen her spirit or break her faith in the Alliance.

Theramore, is a different story altogether. A potential threat to Theramore  gets her back up. To be told that even with one of the most powerful mages in Azeroth in their way, the horde will be riding into this city and flattening it, well it stings a bit. Yeah, it stings like a 1000 bee stings in your crotch.

It's not often that I am lost for words, in fact I don't recall the last time it happened. But the abject fury and rage I feel today, and thus so does my main character, Deme, has kind of shocked me. It's not even that great of a questing area!

I can forget about the pandas and the pokemon. I can get over what will be the umpteenth talent reset for Deme. I can even ignore the fact that as yet, there isn't even a 'little-bad' announced for the expansion, but I can not forgive the horde for obliterating Theramore.

I've heard that in the lead up to MoP it will probably 'just happen'. No in-game action, no chance to defend the city. I realise we will lose. I realise the outcome is already planned. Please though, I ask you oh Great God of Pixels, allow us the opportunity to defend Theramore. Allow us to see the battle, to take part and to be be beaten back. Wow Insider asked sometime ago, what would happen if we lost for once? Allow us (even if it is just the alliance faction) to see and to feel what that would be like.

Allow us to see a Jaina furious and embittered and taking action. Since one lowly Death Knight can be left broken and battered by the loss of Theramore, what would it do to the woman who created it? Who built the city and who remains a key linch-pin in Kalimdor's Alliance presence?

Suddenly I am all-a-flutter with excitement to know what will happen! How will we retaliate? Where will we strike? What will Variann do? Hell! What will Anduin do when Aunt Jaina portals into Stormwind with battered and broken citizens of Theramore? What will Baine think? The money says Garrosh begins the war, what prompts him to lead an attack on Jaina's city? Is he that keen to distant himself from Thrall's reign?

Whilst I am sad and yes, a little pissed off, the effect this news has had on me  and on other Alliance players, definitely shows that Blizzard know what they are up to. Bravo, Blizzard, Bravo.

In which the F2P Project dies, at the hands of a Blue.

Well we tried folks. You were creative and ingenious and I did my best not to fish in XP rich waters and grind out even a lowly 1g, but thanks to a recent hotfix, Deminii will never be able to be the all empowered level 10 F2P rogue with 9000 achievement points.  Whilst I wasn't paying attention, Cynwise tipped us all off to the fact that F2P accounts are no longer able to turn off their XP. Boo I say Blizz! Big Boo!

F2P Project - In which I hit my head on a wall

On Friday I was able to do some testing of these F2P limits.

Grouping with someone higher works if they initiate the group, however I can't get them to summon me to Dalaran because the F2P accounts don't have Wrath.

I can use a 2 character mount, the lovely Candlewaxx flew me down to STV to do some fishing. I can swim from Yojamba Isle to Booty Bay without getting any XP and only dying once I get to Booty Bay due to the vengeful fish. However, fishing training costs 1g for the next training level, or 90s if I get it in SW.

I currently have around 50s. And I need all I can get to get me to 10g for god's sake.

I did the fishing daily in SW and got myself the weatherbeaten journal and then the 'Fish don't leave footprints' achievement. SO another 10 points for that but still no closer to the 10g and 50% into level 10. I'm starting to doubt that I can do this.

The Free To Play Project - Deminii

Last night I had my first bash at earning Deminii the 10g needed to turn her XP off. I managed to go from 22s to 40s in an hour of fishing and mob slaying. This revealed a few problems though.

• Killing mobs in Teldrassil still grants me XP and the nightsabers in Shadowglen are not skinnable. 
• Fishing will only level to 75 in Darnassus/Rutheran 
• The Fishing daily grants me a huge chunk of XP
• There isn't a lot to skin in Teldrassil

Twitter and my Google Wave buddies came up with a few creative suggestions on how to get the gold -

1. Ditch LW for herbalism or mining and go gathering
2. Group up with a warlock and get them to summon you somewhere higher level to fish
3. Swim to STV and fish
4. Fish up rare fish in Outlands that vendor for 6g. 

Number 1 has a couple of problems,  I can't use the AH so anything I gather is only worth vendor value. To go mining I would need to go to Elwynn Forest for the best lowbie place and that means getting XP through exploration. BUT I should ditch LW and go for herbing anyway at this point because Teldrassil does have more flowers to pick. 

Number 2 - Warlocks only learn the summoning spell at level 42 and I can only group with people up to level 20. 

Number 3 - This is possible! Although I would imagine rather mind-numbing, but not quite so mind numbing as only ever fishing up crap in Darnassus. 

Number 4 - Also possible with a body-guard to kill all the mobs in the area that I will no doubt aggro the shit out of. 

So a couple of options. THEN ... the mighty Warcraft Experimenter Cynwise let me in on a little secret and mentioned that I shouldn't take all of the FTP rules as written in stone but test them out. Next time I can get on to  play Deminii I will poke one of my very good friends and we'll test a few of the limits. I'll keep you posted!  Thanks to all who made suggestions :) 

On the route to the big achievement target we rose from 10 points to 30 last night with a nice couple of 'WHOOOSHES' from 25 and 50 fish. I noted I panicked slightly thinking that the achievements would give me XP, which of course they didn't. Needless to say, I still love the 'WHOOSH'.