Camaraderie has been a theme withDestinysince the beginning, not just in the game itself, but as a mantra for its community. While sometimes it’s easy to focus on the negative comments on theDestiny 2subreddit, Bungie has made every effort to cultivate a community of good. Whether it’s been employees of the company itself, or the players ofDestiny 2, both have made significant efforts in supporting pivotal movements like Black Lives Matter protests and Coronavirus relief. Inclusivity, individuality, acceptance, and activism have all been practiced by those who made and playedDestiny, whether they’re a veteran since the beginning or completely new to the game.
Bungie is one of the few game developers out there that has made its activism widely known in the gaming industry. Several developers have even been vocal about their participation in Black Lives Matter protests in Seattle, something that doesn’t happen too often among others. The best part is this level of vocal activism never seems to have bothered theDestinygaming community, which has also often participated in similar fundraising and charity events based around that same mantra of camaraderie.
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Bungie and Destiny Taking a Stand Against Systemic Racism
Back in June,Destiny 2’s big reveal for the future of the game was spearheaded by a message. “8 minutes 46 seconds, This marks the time in which George Floyd was killed.” In perhaps the biggest showing of support for the Black Lives Matter movement from any game developer, Bungie made the effort to spearhead this year’s biggest announcement with a somber-but-necessary call to action. Over the course of those eight minutes, they told the story of George Floyd’s murder, and encouraged support through numerous donation links as well. While many game companies have shown solidarity, Bungie has made it their duty to encourage its community to take action.
Even after the bigDestiny 2reveal stream, Bungie has continued to cultivate this call to action within the community. As part of the Bungie Foundation, the nonprofit section of Bungie, conducted a fundraiser for the Equal Justice Initiative and Black Lives Matter movement withinDestiny 2. Players can purchasethe “Be Heard” collectible pin from Bungie’s store, which also unlocks an in-game emblem of the same symbol. That same iconic Bungie fist from the studio’s logo is now black and yellow, with “Black Lives Matter” written on the banner, bringing the movement to the forefront ofDestiny’s and Bungie’s community.
Charity Efforts and Community Focus
Bungie also consistently makes efforts behind the scenes with theDestinycommunity. Whether it’s been supporting fundraisers among streamers/content creators, or posting the consistent “Community Focus” blog posts, Bungie has made every effort to highlight the importance of theDestiny 2community. Back in April, Bungie andDestiny 2partnered with Direct Relief to raise funds for Covid-19 relief around the world. Before that, the Bungie Foundation also created a limited edition t-shirt that sold with proceedssupporting efforts to quell the Australian wildfiresthat struck the continent earlier this year.
Numerous other charity streams from Bungie itself and partneredDestiny 2content creators have continued to support and lift up the communities around them. Bungie also consistently produces and publishes a “Community Focus” blog post, featuring members of theDestiny 2playerbase who work to make the community a better place. Just recently, the site highlighted Light.gg, a database and statistics site that numerousDestiny 2players have used totrack god rolls and the best weapons for Crucible’s competitive meta.
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Supporting Everyone In and Around the Destiny Community
More recently,Destiny 2also released a new quest honoring the memory of Matt Helsom, an artist at Vicarious Visions who had worked onDestiny 2content in the past. Players head to the soon-to-be-leaving planet of Mars to access a Golden Age terminal, and then report back to Ana Bray. The game immortalizes Helsom into the canon of the game, who was a pivotal art director on theWarmindexpansion back in 2018. It’s little touches like this that shows Bungie is very supportive, not just for the community and world around it, but for those who’ve worked hard to makeDestinya reality.
AsDestiny 2’s overarching narrativemarches forward withBeyond Lightthis November, it’s important to remember the efforts of everyone in theDestinycommunity who continues to support the game and those around it. Bungie’s efforts is a testament to what games and online communities are capable of when they come together to uplift and support those around them. Whether it’s battling with systemic racism, issues of gender discrimination, raising money for relief efforts around the world, theDestinycommunity comes together to celebrate and practice its most important attribute: camaraderie.
Destiny 2is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, as well as on PS5 and Xbox Series X this holiday.
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