Fallout 76 Redefined: How Players Immortalised a Community Member

Fallout 76 is a title that will draw a response from most gamers regardless of whether they've even played it.

The 2018 game has divided opinions, but for me, it's a title that will always bring a smile to my face.

This is in large part due to the incredible people within the Fallout 76 community.

A S.P.E.C.I.A.L Kind of Community

Unlike the single-player RPGs that predominantly make up the bulk of the Fallout franchise, Fallout 76 is a multiplayer game that's driven by players.

Miraculously though, despite the dog-eat-dog setting of the post-apocalypse where violence is commonplace... Fallout 76 has the single greatest community that I've ever come across.

Yes, the wastelands of Appalachia may be radioactive, but they sure aren't toxic. The Fallout 76 community is kind, welcoming, and just genuinely nice to be around.

It's so pleasant that even Todd Howard himself couldn't help but mention it at Bethesda's 2019 E3 show as seen in this clip posted by the YouTube channel SpottinGames.

I always had my appreciation for the Fallout 76 community, even after I had long since moved on to other games.

But that appreciation became a life-long adoration in 2021 and the story of a community member by the name of Gamer:Redefined or, as I knew him, Greg.

How The Fallout 76 Community Immortalised a Friend

The story of how I came to know Greg starts in early 2017. I was in my first year of university, living in student halls, and was dabbling with the hobby of making YouTube content around video games to practice skills I had been learning in my degree.

It was through this hobby of mine that I first met Greg. Both of us joined an online community of creators that shared videos and ideas on how to improve.

Greg, who was creating news videos on his channel Gamer:Redefined, quickly became a good friend of mine with the two of us bonding over our love of content creation, the world of news, and, of course, gaming.

Come 2018, most of the community who enjoyed gaming were talking about one thing, an upcoming title by the name of Fallout 76.

Greg and I often discussed the game and what it could be due to our shared love of the series and once the game came out, we all started to play it. That's when Greg found his true calling.

Soon after the launch of Fallout 76, Greg found himself mingling with an in-game community by the name of Wasteland HOA. The group, in which Greg was one of the first "agents" would go around and conduct tongue-in-cheek reviews of other players' camps.

Greg fully ingrained himself within this community, taking his infectious positivity and humour to other roles like an in-game newscaster, musician, singer, and DJ.

He even played a major part in the community's charity efforts, taking part in the Fallout For Hope Campaign and helping raise money for St. Jude's, Austin Relief, and the American Heart Association.

Greg did it all because that's just the kind of man Greg was. He showed support no matter what and gave 100% at all times.

Unfortunately, on Sunday, 20th July 2021, Greg passed away from a sudden heart attack, a massive blow to the Fallout 76 community, who all poured out to pay tribute to the man with memorials both in-game and out, going as far as to hold a fundraiser in his honour which raised over $7,000 USD.

I had mostly lost touch with Greg by this point. The community that we had met through had long since fallen apart and while we were friendly and showing support for each other, our lives just went their separate paths and in the cruel world of the internet, things can easily just disappear after a while.

If it wasn't for the incredible players of Fallout 76 whose lives Greg had touched, I would have never known about his untimely passing.

Their love and support for a player within their community stretched all across the wastelands of Appalachia, with memorials and funerals taking over the game on all platforms. Players who didn't even know Greg took the time to show respect for the man.

A year later and the memory of Greg is still being kept alive by these incredible people who are hosting community events and sharing their memories of him with the world.

To the Fallout 76 communities across all platforms, I want to say thank you.

Your love and kindness have not only allowed thousands of gamers to find a place where they feel like they belong in a medium that is often criticised for the opposite, but you have made it so the memory and legacy of a great man are never going to be forgotten.

In doing so, you have helped me and those that had the pleasure of knowing Greg come to terms with the passing of a good friend.

And to those at Bethesda, I ask of you to also find a way to remember Greg along with us.

Not only as an inspiring person who loved your games but as someone who, true to their username, helped redefine what a gaming community could and should be.