Camaraderie has been a theme with Destiny since 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 the Destiny 2 subreddit, Bungie has made every effort to cultivate a community of good. Whether it’s been employees of the company itself, or the players of Destiny 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 played Destiny, 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 the Destiny gaming community, which has also often participated in similar fundraising and charity events based around that same mantra of camaraderie.
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 big Destiny 2 reveal 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 within Destiny 2. Players can purchase the “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 of Destiny‘s and Bungie’s community.
Bungie also consistently makes efforts behind the scenes with the Destiny community. 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 the Destiny 2 community. Back in April, Bungie and Destiny 2 partnered 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 proceeds supporting efforts to quell the Australian wildfires that struck the continent earlier this year.
Numerous other charity streams from Bungie itself and partnered Destiny 2 content 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 the Destiny 2 playerbase who work to make the community a better place. Just recently, the site highlighted Light.gg, a database and statistics site that numerous Destiny 2 players have used to track god rolls and the best weapons for Crucible’s competitive meta.
More recently, Destiny 2 also released a new quest honoring the memory of Matt Helsom, an artist at Vicarious Visions who had worked on Destiny 2 content 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 the Warmind expansion 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 make Destiny a reality.
As Destiny 2‘s overarching narrative marches forward with Beyond Light this November, it’s important to remember the efforts of everyone in the Destiny community 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, the Destiny community comes together to celebrate and practice its most important attribute: camaraderie.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, as well as on PS5 and Xbox Series X this holiday.
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