Home Athletes: Club VIP (Very Important Pixels)
by Burbie52, HSM team writer
Many of you are aware of the fact (though some may not be) that I have a decently-sized club in the Home community: the Grey Gamers. I’ve already written about the Grey Gamers; in fact, it was my premiere article in HomeStation Magazine. I also wrote one during the outage about what it takes to start and maintain a club of any size and make it work.
Once in a while I get wind of a unique group or club within Home that I think deserves attention, and this is one of those times.
There was an article written a while back about a Home athlete who had beaten both of the Midways and achieved that elusive purple jacket. I am here to tell you of an entire club of people who have accomplished the same thing: the Very Important Pixels Club, also known as the VIP. It consists of two clubhouses so far, with thirty-two purple jacket holders and twenty gold jackets.
For those of you who don’t know what that means: gold jackets are won for beating ten games in Midway One and Two. A purple jacket means you have beaten them all; a whopping twenty games in total! This is no easy feat, as many who have gone crazy trying to score on Ball Squeezer will testify, myself included.
The club was formed by cobaltcurse. He states,”I created the club because I thought it would be neat to have a club that was a bit more exclusive. A club of people with similar interests – that of being a skilled reward hunter in Home.”
He says it is a very laid-back club with no regular meetings, required events or dress code. “Though from time to time,” he points out, “we like to display our hard earned jackets. The only requirement to be a part of VIP is being over eighteen, in possession of a gold jacket, and being respectful to all.”
Besides cobaltcurse, there are six sub-leaders: Elite_Ox, Painmaker_69, RayBladeX, W-Force4, angdon and halo_nothing.
The club was formed at about the same time that Midway One came out. They got together with the intention of beating all of the Midway games and succeeded. At first there were only eight members, but within a month the first club was filled with people who had already earned their gold jackets. As a club they do other things together. They love to play games together outside of Home, such as Little Big Planet. They have events in Home as well, like the recent goofy fashion night, to show off all the weirdest stuff they owned — and they have poker nights as well.
Goofy fashion night
I asked how much it cost them and how long it took to beat the first Midway, and the consensus was fifteen to twenty dollars; most had it done within a week’s time. They said that Midway Two cost them between ten and fifteen dollars to complete and RayBladeX and cobaltcurse beat it all in the first day! The rest of the purple jackets had it done within two weeks time.
“The games were easier, though they looked harder at first,” cobaltcurse said. I asked if they pursue this level of excellence in other games in Home; many members have won every game reward in Home, even the Resistance 2 hoodie. They love Sodium, and even Central Plaza staple Saucer Pop is a favorite. When asked what they though of Sodium2, many said they liked it as well.
One thing that cobaltcurse wanted stressed is that not just anyone can get into this club. Not only do you have to show them your gold jacket, but you have to be able to prove you earned it and didn’t hack it instead. They do this by testing you on a few of the more difficult games in Midway, such as the dreaded Squeeze Ball. If you show you have earned it legitimately, you are in. When asked if he had run into people with jackets that weren’t earned, cobaltcurse replied, ” Oh yeah, you would be surprised. I have had to turn down or boot a few who obviously hadn’t done the work. But that’s another story.”
Early club at Darlas Darts
Another story indeed. I wonder how many people sporting that jacket have truly earned it. RayBladeX has a several videos of what kind of skill it takes to accomplish this feat.
Since we recently had a developer come to us and ask our opinion about freemium gaming in Home, I thought I would ask this group, who are obviously well-versed in all the games Home has to offer, what they would like to see here. They had quite a few things to say about it; here are some of the highlights.
“I want a multiplayer RPG type of game. A true MMO RPG.”
“How about a third person Zombie shooter?”
“More Home personal spaces with games you can talk to your friends during, and cool rewards!”
“A game that gives you Marvel and DC outfits either to buy or earn.”
” I like a game that has varying degrees of difficulty to achieve ultimate goals.”
Club VIP
I have to say these are some interesting ideas — just as interesting as the people who came up with them. This club is very close-knit, and they have all earned their places; it isn’t like most clubs in Home where anyone can join. This sets them apart as very unique in my book.
Think about it. You can make a club based on age, you can make a club based on common achievements, you can make a club based on common interests or beliefs, and you can go the Seinfeld route and make a club based on nothing at all. Chances are, though, that all clubs which stand the test of time define themselves by their common threads; threads that only serve to make themselves – and even non-members – better people.
Many thanks to the members of the VIP club who took the time to be a part of this article.
June 26th, 2011 by Burbie52 | 35 comments
Burbie52 is a 62 year-old published author and founder of the Grey Gamers group within Home. Born and raised in Michigan, she has lived there her entire life, with the exception of a twelve-year residency on the Big Island of Hawaii. She enjoys reading and writing, as well as video games, especially RPG's. She has one son in his twenties.
I met RayBladeX just last week as I was visiting Midway 2. Very nice guy and if you needed help with anything Midway then you can check out the huge collection of Youtube video’s that RayBladeX has created just for Midway. Awesome meeting RayBladeX, Very cool that someone takes that much time to help others.
Great read Burbie
Interesting article.
Wow, I am amazed by all these gold and purple jacket winners from Midway games and the little time that they got em! Even more amazing to hear about the members that have won every reward on PS Home. These truly are PS Home athletes.
very well written article.fun t see a lil recognition for our acomplishments,thank you burbie52 for putting a a smile on my big yellow face,was hoping to see my name up there lol to gloat a lil but ty 4 your time .MIDWAY 3 YOU BETTER WATCH OUT!
That was an interesting, well written article. Something that caught my eye was cobaltcurse’s quote, “The only requirement to be a part of VIP is being over eighteen, in possession of a gold jacket, and being respectful to all.”
Very nice article I may say myself written to the fullest extent. Very Please! Great job by the sub-leaders and Leader cobaltcurse & as drunkr said so burbie52 did a wonderful job with everything.
What really got me was the picture of Goofy Fashion Night. You VIP folks are not only “cream of the crop” gamers, you are FUN. I agree with drunkr, I would love to see the entire list of names -- these are the kind of people I love to meet in Home. I would also love to see a follow-up story with pics of all the Midway prizes and a list of which are the best to win. I love my golf cap but would love to see a picture of someone with that golf cart before I keep throwing money at tickets.
Well I think that can be arranged Granny I have all of their names and I can get them to put all their stuff in a personal space or at the club so I can take pics, I am sure that cobalt will be happy to do that
Thanks for the excellent article feature Burbie & HSM. I would be happy to do that Keara, I will get in contact with Burbie when its finished.
let me know when and how u are planning to do the reward display ,will it be at the club, a few personal spaces, i dont wan miss it
Rayblade is nice all the time, not just when its convenient for him.
Having had the honor to be involved in a scoring duel with RaybladeX on “Trigger Happy in a Box” I can honestly say he’s probably the most gentlemenly gamer on Home I’ve met,he even mentioned me in his Youtube video about the game which is something I doubt very many other ppl would have done.When I did an interview with DJ_Tenchu I asked Ray if he would like to be included as I seriously doubt I would have scored as high as I did without that friendly rivalry but he selflessly declined,I’m glad to see him finally get the reconition he and this club deserve,Congrats.
Gee I would have liked to have been involved with this. Cobolt sent me a message that gave like 24-48 hour notice about a meeting apparently for this article. Guess you got some people involved though.
I believe I’m the only person to have earned both gold and purple jackets in 4 regions: NA, EU, HK and Japan.
btw I thought I spelled Cobolts name wrong, but he has 2 similar IDs spelled a bit differently and yes Ray is a supa nice changeling
Yay, v_Trillian_v congrats on your round the world achievement. Not everyone is as lucky as you to have lived in all those places. Wow, most of us couldn’t even afford the plane tickets. Although, I do think I have met at least one other who has done the deed.
And a few who have actually gone purple on Freebies. Now that’s a Freemium!
Ah, sadly, I had to make due with just the green tickets in NA. Nevertheless, I proudly wear my purple to applaud your success.
Go VIPs!
Congrats everyone.
I completed both NA Midways back in early April,but never got my purple jacket. I’m not alone. Many of you may be seeing our unanswered pleas for help on the Official Forum, but we will continue to wear our gold both in honor of you, and in memoriam for our purple. Great article, Burbie! And thanks for the invite to the VIPs Cobalt. Nice folk, indeed.
HSM, how about an article on region hopping?
Actually, I think that would make an awesome video too. “On Location”
Cool Halday, could you put me in touch with whoever else has done it in 4 regions? Thanks!
I knew of only one person who attempted to do M1 on free plays and I don’t think they ever finished. That would be amazing to know several people.
The Fly Home airlines are the best!
Hi Trillion. I believe the “one other who has done the deed” that Halday mentioned may have been you, it was simply a case of mistaken identity, that’s all.
I *ahem* might know someone who is going for Purple in Hong Kong right now, it’s just a matter of time.
I’ve only been on an airline once, and it was a fly home. XD
Ooops! “Purple in Hong Kong” by way of freebies, I meant.
Halday, I was just checking and both Midways went live in Japan and HK on April 14. So your friend also must have completed them both in Japan and HK within a week, since Home went down sometime on the 20th. Here I thought I would have been the only one too. I just have to meet this person if I can. Cool.
Hey V_Trillian_v send me a FR and I will ask those involved if they wish to be contacted
A few of them are at the Mui Ship as I type earning their pickle suits ala freemium. Apparently for some, it adds to the conquest..hee hee
Hey v_trillion_v
I just want you to know that the folks I was referring to in regard to having completed all Midway games in 4 regions wish to stay privately purple. I was told by someone recently that they completed NA, EU (mostly on freebies) & JP (all on freebies)and are just about finished in HK (also on Freebies). Sorry, but apparently they don’t wish to be outted for their accomplishments.
So, you may in fact be THE only 4 region Midwayer..
Yay, YOU!
Me? I paid dearly with time and tickets for my NA only purple which is fading virtually in comparison as I type hee hee But I can still play free..I’m saving up for Midway 3.
Hey Haldey, I wouldn’t want any1 outted
No worries, they shant be scrutinized whatsoever.
The only person I knew who was (and is) trying to complete Midway 1 on free plays is still working on it. So I suppose she’s been at it (not continuously of course) since sometime after it first appeared in NA, that would be July 1, 2010.
To have completed Japan in under 6 days was well done by the folks you’re referring to, but to have completed Japan solely on free plays in a few weeks is truly indescribable. Yay THEM!
A massive congratulations to those nameless individuals!
Awesome article! Thank you very much Burbie, for your time, attention, and professional verse. A very enjoyable read that flowed quite nicely. With so many parts that I could comment on, I don’t know where to begin. I especially like your closing paragraph and the last half of the last sentence “threads that only serve to make themselves – and even non-members – better people.” I have witnessed time and time again, a VIP member offer their experiences and tips to those who ask, who may be stumped on a particular game or level. It’s refreshing to see such helpful moments in Home. Now that I can play for free, I like to play Wet and Wild on level 1 (for max hits per hour), over and over again, working the counter down to 001 and then exiting so that the next lucky patron who plays only needs to hit the target once to beat the level that they were going for AND wins a photo saved to their HDD of their avatar being kissed on the cheek by Midway 2’s freshly dunked Karla. Some people get a kick out of that. XD The VIP is a great group of people and I’m proud to be a member. w00t VIP! I think that one of the best prizes in either Midway is Kitty Cannon level 9. It’s a functioning clock for your Personal Space. It’s in the shape of a cat and its eyes move side to side in synch with its pendulum tail. As a Home Athlete, I never really considered myself as one but I suppose I am. When a new public space comes out that has game(s) with reward(s) to win, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning once again wondering if the reward is going to be that shiny, new, uber-awesome thingy that I wanted, or is it going to be a bag of walnuts and a couple of oranges? Although, either way, I’m happy. All in all, I like how Home is progressing and I look forward to its future and challenges. Cheers to HSM, Grey Gamers, 2nd Childhood and VIP!
Excellent article on my favorite Club & Spaces in Home =)
Congrats to everyone who has recently gotten their Gold or Purple Jackets whether by Free Play or with Tickets.
The old issue of players not being legit goes back to the Midway 1 days when items (usually Gold Jacket) were able to become hacked. This issue was resolved before Midway 2 was released.
Most, if not all Club VIP members had to go through a “Ball Squeezer” initiation test to prove they didn’t have a hacked Jacket. This test is rather outdated as players can now get a Gold Jacket w/o playing Ball Squeezer or Swingers even once.
Might be time to set up some new rules =)
Congrats to Trillian/Lara for her dedication to Midway by getting Purple in all 4 regions. Perhaps she (or even cobolt) could be featured in Home Athletes #6?
Contest or tournament coming up folks?
As far as qualifying for a Midway Club..I should think it would be nice to allow the prospective member to choose the game at which they feel most comfortable. However, will that then lead some to someone questioning whether or not its really the intended member playing, or a friend? How much is too much when it comes to rules?
When will the drug testing begin? hee hee
Congrats Burbie and everyone for their dedication.
I celebrate your enjoyment of your crafts..
I don’t think testing matters as much as being a respectable member.
So, how about no testing at all? As long as they have a Gold/Purple jacket w/good attitude?
If testing doesn’t matter Ray why ask anyone to perform the ball squeezer test at all?
Club VIP started shortly after Midway 1 was launched. The testing was done to insure we didn’t have players who had a hacked Jacket (at the time).
Since the dynamics of getting a Gold Jacket has changed, we could either keep doing the test for all members, create an easier test, or have a more “open” club to all. This has to be voted on, of course.
Perhaps we could be like the Homelings where the only requirement is to have the full Echochrome outfit, but in our case, a Gold or Purple Jacket.
If you’ve beaten Ball Squeezer lvl 10, I don’t think Level 5 is too much to ask (for purpose of joining the club).
I don’t think it’s too much to ask either but was just curious.But wouldn’t dropping the test now make the ppl who already took it to enter your club feel like they had to prove their worth while new ppl were getting a pass?Idk the specifics about what has changed in order to earn the jackets so maybe that’s why I’m not quite understanding why the need for a change in the way you have conducted business in the past.I’m not trying to tell anyone how to run their club here but as a leader of a club I understand how seemingly small details like that can blow up into huge divisions that can split a club.Just don’t want you or your club to encounter needless headaches.
Keep’n it real. Go Ray!
Well drugs use doesn’t necessarily mean you are immoral so any drug test would be worthless here.What you need is a morality test of some kind and if it was able to be done I wouldn’t be too concerned with games,they are just games after all.I would use the morality test for the more social aspects of Home.
lol wow iv been upgraded didnt know the free games were any bsides swingers ,mrs fortune, darla darts when did this happen lol?
when will the update vip photo and name list of all the members be posted i feel all members make a club and maybe shud be mention.
I could post them all here in a comment but I am considering doing another article later on about all of the different prizes you can win and will include everyone then if it works out. I don’t have any other photos to show newer purple jackets if there is one.