SOE Live Ultimate Squad Showdown and the Lie of Omission

Before we begin I must say that I had the time of my life at SOE Live.  I’ve been a nerdy gamer my whole life and I have suffered the isolation associated with such.  As I child, I suffered further isolation by authority figures telling me in no uncertain terms that I would be held to a different standard than the other kids, that they expected more out of me because I was “gifted”.

I’ve also been very competitive.  I started racing BMX when I was 5 years old.  By the time I was 10 I had a room for my trophies.  How many 10 year old kids do you know that have a trophy room?  But this further isolated me.  I was a known quantity on the BMX track.  Had some local news paper articles written about me.  But the BMX race course was not real life and in real life nobody cared that I was a successful BMXer.

I’ve competed in every manner of sport growing up and now I have the injury riddle body of a 65 year old pro athlete to prove it.  At least according to the head neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins University Bayview Campus.  Said injuries prevent me from continuing to channel my competitive nature into these sports that I so loved.

Good thing for me I also enjoy video gaming.  These same injuries though prevent me from being a top tier player in any of the twitchy type games that are supported by eSport.  I have accepted and embraced this.

Which is why I found Planetside2 so engaging.  Because of the large scale of the competition it is possible for me to participate using the “gifts” that have isolated me from the rest of humanity for my entire life.  An isolation that led to clinical depression that I have only recent come to grips with through numerous therapy sessions and the support of like minded people that I discovered through Planetside2.

I have met more creative, talented, passionate, intelligent, hard working and helpful people in these past few months of playing Planetside2 than I have in 15 years of working as a Software Engineer.  It is for these people that I play.  And it is because of these people that I was able to claw my way a few inches off of rock bottom.

I will quote 3DogNite, a Viet Nam veteran, a man old enough to be my father, a man with whose grandson we also play games said this, “The only reason I still play this game is because of you Czuukie.  Because of your leadership.”

This made me cry.  IRL.  A service member of our military.  A man that fought in one of the worst wars in modern American history.  A man who fought in the same war as my father honoring me in a way that I never though possible.

After discovering this community and the commitment that other players had to it and to me, I found new purpose.  Rather than hiding my gaming hobby in the closet, now I had a chance to celebrate it openly with a community that I felt had embraced me.  For the first time in my life I felt accepted, even loved for my hobby, my passion for gaming.

So I created Czuuk Waterson.  An internet persona designed with one purpose.  To celebrate Planetside2.  To draw players to the game, to the Waterson server, to the New Conglomerate faction and to my outfit, the H4TZ Mad Tea Party.  And why?  So I could share this life changing experience with other players.  So I could help provide them the kind of joy that I have discovered in what is a very difficult and often frustrating game.

And off Czuuk Waterson went.  Into the great digital expanse.  I discovered youtube.  We found other youtubers.  We made videos.  People joined us and said, “I saw your video on youtube and thought it looked like fun.”  It is fun.  We had fun making it.  Glad you could join us.

And then finally onto SOE Live.  Where I had the chance for the first time to bring together the real life and the digital in a way that I never dreamed possible.  And it was glorious.

Enter the Ultimate Squad Showdown.  Originally I had no intention of competing, but every intention of watching and celebrating those gamers that I know to be far more skilled than I.

But I was asked to do so.  And again I cried.  I was so honored to be asked to be a part of a team.  I never entertained any hope of winning anything.  I considered myself lucky just to have participated.

I was nervous at the competition.  More nervous than I have ever been in my life.  Again, not because I though we could win, but just because we were in the spot light, competing with some of the best gamers in the world.

I expected nothing.  I know that I am entitled to nothing from SOE.  But under numerous direct questioning, it was SOE that said, “we will be posting team scores in a few days.”

As it turns out, a lie of omission.

Luperza said:

“We’ll be posting the top 10 team scores and top characters per category tomorrow. Keep an eye out for it in the News and Announcements section.

For now:
The winners!
1st place: [FCRW] Future Crew
2nd place: [DA] DasAnfall, [NNG] No Nonsense Gamers & [TGWW] The Great White Whales
3rd place: [DVS] DVS Gaming

SOE Live was a blast! I hope everyone enjoyed it and if you didn’t go, you should go next year!!

Going to unsticky this thread now! <3”

Further, you’ve only posted the winners in the other competitions that you held at SOE Live.  Why not just leave it at what you’ve already posted for Planeside2?  Why add seven additional teams and omit six?

You knew full well that you weren’t going to post all the scores at the time SOE.  But you didn’t have the stones to give us the full truth at the time.  Further, if you had said, “we’ll be posting some of the scores” I wouldn’t be upset in the least that you’ve ignored the 60 other players who names will be eradicated from gaming history.  And why?

RadarX said:

“Not providing you data on the event is not disrespect, it’s simple choice to prevent debate and negativity.”

Unfortunately for you RadarX you do not get to determine whether or not I feel disrespected by your lie.  It is my feelings that were hurt.  And I am the only one who has the right to make that determination.

RadarX said:

“I don’t know if you personally will come back but in general? Yes I think people will come back because the event as a whole was fun. I know this because I talked to a number of you.”

Yes the event was a blast.  But being marginalized and forgotten is not.

I participated in the event knowing full well that I would lose because I was hoping for a little love in return.  Because you gave me every indication that we would have our team name and my outfit name reported in the results.  Because I asked you.  And apparently you lied to my face.

What’s worse, you’ve now come back and called me an ignorant entitled prat for expecting you to live up to your word.  And voicing my opinion as such as earned me another week long vacation from the forums.

Yes, my opinion is an unpopular one.  It always has been.  It always will be.  But it is mine.  I know you are running a business and that I am entitled to nothing from you personally or SOE.  But I took you at your word as a man.  And your word was, “we will be posting the team scores in a few days.”  But then in a few days your word changed to, “Unfortunately we will not be posting anything beyond total score for the top 10 teams and the top player for each category” and “Not providing you data on the event is not disrespect, it’s simple choice to prevent debate and negativity.”

If it is unfortunate then how is it not disrespectful?