Any writer is overjoyed when a story takes off, getting picked up by other publications and passed from hand to hand via social media. Nothing warms my heart more, though, than seeing a group of people like this get the recognition and kudos they so richly deserve … just for being generally awesome folks.
At point: Ben Shaw, a British ex-serviceman who lost both eyes in a horrifying explosion in Iraq, continues to play World of Warcraft, thanks to the persistence of guildmates who literally lead and talk him through the game’s intricacies. This is no show-and-tell mission, either; Shaw manages to remain a top performer and contributor to the group’s in-game success.
Well, your guild sounds like a pretty tight-knit group. Even so, having a raider such as Ben on the team is bound to be a challenge at best and a real roadblock at worst. What’s been the overall reaction to including him in raids?
I have to say from my point of view that without Ben hot on my tail, I would just be lost in a raid. Everything I have accomplished and us as a guild, Ben has been there for it. Yes, we all have our off days and things seem to be impossible (e.g. Ragnaros), but it’s never held against anyone. There is never a reaction to Ben alone; we don’t see that having Ben there makes us more special than other guilds. He’s just another one of the guys (and girls).
A huge praise needs to go out to all of the raiders in Die Safe. Without everyone’s dedication, this would not be possible.
It sounds like the guild went through a period of struggling to learn how to work around Ben.
Yes, I would say it took some time to get the right group of people together — but now that we have this committed group, I wouldn’t change it for the world.
If you feel so moved, please share or Like/upvote my original interview with Owen, Ben’s in-game “guide dog” buddy. These players find themselves bound in an endeavor that shows there are still people who understand the value of putting friendship first. I’m sure the group would get a kick out of seeing how the story of their friendship within a video game has inspired readers across the world.
“Guide dog” player and guild embrace sightless player, steer team to victory (original interview on WoW Insider)
‘Guide dog’ helps blind vet play World of Warcraft (Discovery News)
People Are Awesome: Meet the World of Warcraft “guide dog” for a blind vet (Good)
Soldier blinded in Iraq dominates World of Warcraft with help from selfless players (Tecca)
Ben Shaw, blind veteran, plays ‘World of Warcraft’ in conjunction with ‘guide dog’ player (Huffington Post)
Soldier blinded in Iraq dominates World of Warcraft with help from selfless players (Yahoo via Tecca)
This man has no eyes, yet can play World of Warcraft (Kotaku)
This is an awesome story
Loved reading it. It does take a special group of people.