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Gaming has its share of toxicity in the fandom, with some communities being much worse than others for a variety of reasons, and this is often highlighted as a reason why people shouldn’t play video games. But, what often flies under the radar, is the sense of community and support that gaming brings in the modern age with people being able to connect from all over the world. Sometimes, jumping into your favorite game or engaging in a community can be just what someone needs to help take their mind off a tough situation, as one Helldivers 2 player has recently discovered.
U/ThePoetMichael took to Reddit to share how Helldivers 2 has gotten him through the past couple of weeks following a difficult time at home saying, “Its Sunday night. I have a bottle of whiskey and my kitten on my lap. My wife left me 2 weeks ago and is with another man. Hell Divers keeps me going. I like having a common goal. Feeling like I am part of something greater. I enjoy meeting people from all over the world; Germany, UK, Australia, Venezuela, Canada, etc.”
He would then go on to thank the community as his experience has been “overwhelmingly great,” saying,
“I know there are posts about assholes kicking people for low levels or running subpar loadouts, but my experience has been overwhelmingly great. Just people having a good time liberating planets from bugs and bots. Thank you, truly, to the devs and the community for helping me through this lowest time in my life. It sounds pathetic writing all this out on a subreddit but truly I will look back on this time in my life and this game and fondly think of it and how it got me through the lowest point in my life.”
The Helldivers 2 community shared their support, as well as their experiences playing the game, with u/hotellonely saying “You know what hits me the most? You get more hugs in this game than probably your entire life as a man. Hold up brother we need to spread more democracy and hugs!” And u/KCDodger saying “No, it’s not pathetic. You’ve found community. That is everything.”
u/mamadovah1102, a female gamer, praised the community for being the least toxic game they’ve played and not receiving hate for her gender saying “As a female gamer I’ve experienced so much vitriol in my gaming life. Helldivers is the absolute least toxic I’ve ever played. It’s definitely an awesome community.”
u/RiseOfTheMeese also commended the Reddit user for opening up by saying “Takes a lot to be even a little vulnerable. Honestly, should be proud of yourself for opening up in the first place. Now go spread democracy, and liberate the galaxy from the automaton threat. Damned fascist robots.”
Life has a way of throwing curve balls at all of us, and it is great to see that gaming continues to provide a space to be able to forget about those troubles even if for a brief period. And, as a Helldivers 2 player, it makes me happy to see that the community stands together and shows support, whether for people going through hard times or to honor fallen Helldivers.
If you’ve been thinking about trying Helldivers 2 yourself, we highly recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guide so you can get off on the right footing on your journey to bring democracy to the galaxy. See you on the battlefield.
