Meet VALOR: Helix
Meet: Helix
Hello VALOR Fam! I’m Helix, the newish social media guy for VALOR.
I will start by saying that being in the spotlight is a bit of a change of pace for me. As a photographer and videographer, I’m usually the one behind the camera. As a graphic designer, it’s usually my work that’s seen. As a support player, it’s usually my job to facilitate the rest of the team to excel at their role. So, get ready… because after looking at how much I’ve written, I feel like I’ve had some pent-up stories to tell…!
I started playing games back when Sonic the Hedgehog, on the Sega Genesis, was cutting edge technology. I grew up in a neighborhood with several children my age, so between our antics around the neighborhood, video games were the arena in which we tested each metal. From taking turns on Sonic, to hot seating Heroes of Might and Magic 3, to battling in Donkey Kong 64 and eventually Halo, I’ve been bonding with people through games.
When World of Warcraft originally launched, regrettably, I didn’t have the income to play it regularly. Only when the Burning Crusade was getting ready to launch did that change and I earned the ability to start playing. So, I technically have been playing since vanilla, but I’d say Burning Crusade is when I really started exploring WoW.
I’ve primarily been healing my entire WoW history, I started as a druid, played some paladin, shaman, evoker, and now I’m starting to enjoy Holy priest. I’m in a weird situation where I spend a lot of time watching the Race to World’s First, Mythic Dungeon Invitational, The Great Push, and all this other WoW content, but am not a hardcore M+ player, raider, or PvP’er. I appreciate the content that other people make while taking that knowledge into my casual gameplay.
I got a chance to perform for the Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff (#1 in the military), the Secretary of the Navy (#1 in the Navy), a military tattoo in Quebec, and several other locations around the U.S.
In 2011, I joined the Navy, which put a bit of a hold on my WoW time, since internet connection in the middle of the ocean was spotty at best. I spent two years in Washington D.C. in the Navy Ceremonial Guard, where I was a member of the drill team. We were the ones that put on the entertainment-based performances. We would spin and toss bayoneted rifles while marching in perfect coordination. I got a chance to perform for the Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff (#1 in the military), the Secretary of the Navy (#1 in the Navy), a military tattoo in Quebec, and several other locations around the U.S.
My other two years in the Navy was spent as what’s known as an Operation’s Specialist. The easiest way to describe what my job was is to imagine, nearly any Navy movie. There’s typically a scene where the commanders are in a dark room with a bunch of radar monitors and weapon’s systems in it. That was me. I was the radar operator in the “Brain” of the ship, specializing in… well… the operations.
I’ve visited about 32 of our 50 united states and have gotten a chance to visit Canada (specifically Quebec), Scotland, Spain, Greece, Israel, Italy, France, and kind of Egypt (It was the Suez Canal and I’m not sure it really counts).
Nowadays, when I’m not playing WoW, I’m playing board games. I have a fairly extensive collection by normal standards, a pitiful collection by an enthusiast’s standards. Combined with my love of cooking, game nights are a staple and joyful weekend activity in my household. I’ve always held that games bring out people’s true nature. When confronted with a task or problem, people approach it in a way that speaks specifically to them. Games, being nothing but a series of tasks and problems, inspire people to break out of their shell, shed their worries, and just enjoy themselves. These are the moments where you can really get to know someone.
I enjoy reading a lot, split between paper back and audio books, I’ve probably read over 300 books in the last 5 years, both fiction and non. I’ve also taken my love of stories into writing as well. I’ve written articles for local news outlets; I’ve written binders worth of training material for my various jobs; and I’ve posted several chapters of a novel idea to a public reading forum called Royal Road. I have another book concept I would love to work on in the future, when I settle into my role with VALOR.
As briefly mentioned before: I also enjoy photography. I would take a lot of photos from my time in the navy and share them with the rest of the crew so they could show their families upon returning home. From that passion, though, I’ve also learned the value of just appreciating a view, instead of needing to photograph it. I’ve done some videography, both in university and just for the joy of telling stories.
I am a graphic designer by trade, though I don’t currently work in the industry at the moment. It also happens to be what I went to university for. This is the skillset I’m bringing to VALOR. For the last couple months, I’ve been building graphics for VALOR’s social media. We’ve been working to find content that is worth engaging in, as well as easy to replicate (because life is busy…).
Recently, I’ve been pitching other ideas, on top of the social media, that will hopefully bear fruit in the future. Fruit that will make use of my other hobbies and skills to provide a welcome source of entertainment for the community.
VALOR is a community of both hardcore and casual gamers that play together for the sole purpose of having fun.
Maybe it’s just the support player in me, but VALOR is a group I can get behind, because of how much everyone is there for each other. VALOR is a community of both hardcore and casual gamers that play together for the sole purpose of having fun. We recognize each other’s differences, both in gaming preferences and personalities, and still manage to enjoy each other’s company.
I hope that I can contribute to VALOR’s success and help bring this community to the poster image of healthy online gaming communities. The foundation is strong, now with the help of the rest of the community, I’d like to help build the castle upon it.
Helix is such an invaluable member of the VALOR team as our social media manager and content creator extraordinaire. His hard work and commitment to high quality content have consistently exceeded expectations. Helix is professional, reliable, and endlessly creative, and his good-natured personality and strong work ethic make him a pleasure to work with and make him such an integral part of our community. Helix is truly a cornerstone of VALOR’s success and growth and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!
– Jette, VALOR Creative Director
