by JR Cook - 10 years ago     show comments

I came to BlizzPro in April of last year, suggested by the guy you all know as Twizz. It was honestly a dream come true. I’d tried writing at another video game site, but my interest was always Blizzard games, and writing news snippets about Call of Duty, Madden, et cetera did not appeal much to me. Right from the start, JR Cook and Heather Scofield gave me leeway to create the kind of content I wanted to create. It wasn’t particularly masterful, but freedom to indulge my creativity motivated me to see where I wanted to go as a creator.

Originally, I’d planned on just covering World of Warcraft. Like many others, I’d been playing the MMORPG on and off since it released in 2004. However, as time passed, I began to hear more and more about Hearthstone. I’d played the Pokemon TCG, WoW TCG and Magic the Gathering extensively, so I had some idea of what the game would be like. What surprised me as I learned about it was the business model. Most card games are deeply entrenched behind a very prohibitive pay structure that unfortunately forces out people with less expendable income. Such was my experience with Magic the Gathering. I had a competitive white soldier deck I took to tournaments, and I had a lot of fun until some of my cards were phased out of standard and I felt forced to buy the newest set. Realistically, I just didn’t have the money for it, and it felt awful. I wanted to participate, but I couldn’t.

Hearthstone‘s approach is incredibly friendly to everyone. You don’t have to pay. A lot of people  do, but largely because they enjoy the game so much. Players can grind to get the cards they want without ever spending a dime. They can be competitive, even if bills are overdue, funds are scarce and the world outside looks grim. Suffice it to say, I believed in Hearthstone. It not only looked fun, it looked like the sort of game that would bring people joy in their lives. Don’t get me wrong. We all hate Zoo. However, on the whole, I like to think that people who play Hearthstone enjoy it most of the time. It can be fun while winning, losing, building decks, creating cards, whatever. That’s something special.

I approached JR and Heather about a possible Hearthstone site early on in my career with BlizzPro. Surprisingly, they not only agreed to have it made, they also agreed to let me run it. That’s an incredible leap of faith, and one that convinced me that, even if I wasn’t getting paid, I wanted to give my all to make our site the best it could be. That’s an overarching theme with BlizzPro. We may not be the biggest site, but that doesn’t stop us from doing what we can to not only improve, but to create a specific culture, one that’s inclusive and dedicated. We’re friends who love Blizzard games and want to share that love with other fans. I like to think it’s a winning recipe, when I look at how far we’ve come as a site and group in just over a year.

I might have initially reigned as Site Manager, but I doubt this site would be here today without the contributions of Marc Huber. The elder statesmen of our merry band, Marc possesses an incredible wisdom and serenity that I found helpful early on in the history of BlizzPro’s Hearthstone site. Like a machine, he routinely cranked out articles about lore, card uses, what the developers were saying and more. He’s been a bit busy with real life lately, but he still plans to continue those articles while acting as the steward for the HearthPro Podcast. While I was very much concerned with all of the immediate issues, Marc has an amazing ability to see the big picture. He’s a great teacher, and I am very much fortunate to have been under his tutelage.

JR’s contributions also merit discussing. While a number of us here have very specific games we like to write about, JR just plain loves Blizzard games, even if he’s not as good as me at them. He’s constantly encouraging the team to go out and write about games they’re less familiar with, as it’s a good exercise in writing beyond the all important comfort zone. He’s also a fantastic friend, and one who has always looked out for me wherever possible. We have a lot of talent at BlizzPro, I’m proud to say, but JR is the glue which makes it work. Whenever he’s in high spirits, we generally seem to be as well.

The three of us spent a good chunk of time manning the wheel, so to speak, while we continued to bring on new people. One of those new people was Stephen Stewart, the current master and commander of the Hearthstone site, and my brother from, yes, another mother. Stephen’s one of those rare individuals who genuinely places the happiness of others before his own. He’s a diligent worker, a worthwhile leader and, perhaps most importantly, someone who wants to be there for everyone who works with him. We’re fortunate to have grabbed him up when we did.

Our staff has grown to be quite large, encompassing a number of noteworthy individuals who continue to make their mark across the various Blizzard titles. I am impressed every single day by their dedication to their craft. Some days, being a part of a fan site is an absolute grind. You might slave over an article for hours, even days, only to find that no one has left a comment, or given you a pat on the back. It can be deeply frustrating. Yet, the BlizzPro staff, my compatriots for the last 16 months don’t shirk the responsibilities they’ve taken on. They continue to power through it because they love the games, the people, the site, and each other.

While all of the BlizzPro staff members are important, by far the most important person on this site is you, the reader. Without you, what we do here is meaningless. We write to our audience, safe in the knowledge that, even if we never hear back, we know that someone, somewhere appreciates our words and shares our enthusiasm for these games. They’re not just games, after all. They’re tiny universes that we can escape to when the chips are down, or when we’re bored, or when we long for some sort of challenge. Thank you for reading the work I’ve created, on here, at WoW Insider, on Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, wherever. It has truly meant the world to me. I’ve connected with a lot of you, conversed regularly, and it’s meant a bunch.

I’m off now to work for a company I very much believe in. Blizzard Entertainment has created games that have generated joy for millions of people, and I’m exceedingly thrilled to have the chance to add my name to such a proud tradition. Thank you again for being supportive for the last 16 months. Just remember, if you do appreciate what’s being done on this site, consider taking a moment to let the author know. It really is the fuel that drives content creators. In exchange for a bit of praise, you’ll continue to get insightful articles, hilarious videos, and much more. Above all else, keep playing Hearthstone, because, well, it’s a great game.

-Robert

Editor’s Note

So, while it’s not a glamorous life or even one where you can make any kind of monetized returns unless you are one of the big guns in the game, there are certainly some awesome perks to running a fansite. One of them is being able to help individuals grow and better themselves. Every single team member we’ve brought on to BlizzPro I give them basically the same speech – that we’re a bunch of passionate people who just love doing this. If you’re passionate as well, you’ll fit in, but just remember that you’ll get out of this what you put into it.

Robert is one of those cases where he took it to heart and has given us 100% through a vast majority of those 16 months since we started BlizzPro. His energy and excitement and loyalty to BlizzPro and to Blizzard games in general was infectious and I believe has been one of the reasons we’ve been as successful as we are. He not only energized our team but also our readers and fans as well. I kept telling him that some day his hard work was going to pay off somehow and I encouraged him multiple times to apply for Blizzard and if he could get into community management that I felt that was his true calling.

Seems I was correct. Sadly, that means someone I have relied on for the last year and a half is no longer going to be around to help with the site and the team. He’s going to be tough to replace (and I actually feel it’s impossible to replace someone like him). However, with that said, the fact that he gets to go and live out a job that many of us can only dream of makes me very proud to have helped him get to that point and makes me extremely happy and excited for someone I’ve been able to call a close friend that’s been through a lot with me in the last 16 months.

On to bigger and better things. Thank you, Robert – for everything you have done for me, the team, and for the Blizzard Community. We’re all very excited to see what you’ll do on the Hearthstone team!

-J. R. Cook, Co-Founder BlizzPro