A VHL Review - From a Noob

[Aimee 1,150]

A VHL Review - From a Noob

 

Hello hello! I just wrapped up my very first season in the VHL and I want to write about it! I want to share my experience for entertainment, as maybe a guide for other newbies, and possibly as a way to express any issues I had during the last two months.

 

I joined the VHL a week before the S84 draft and had quite the steep learning curve prior to the draft. It seems I came in at a time that was both hectic and opportune. Not only did I dive into something while everyone around me was scrambling, but I also unknowingly chose the one position that was in high demand; goalie.

 

Now, I’m a goalie girl. Give me a goalie any day. My favorite player is Marc-Andre Fleury. I was mad when the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh’s farm team) traded goaltender John Curry because I truly believe that the trio of Fleury Curry and Murray could have been something amazing. But I digress if to only let you know that I chose to play a goalie for a reason.

 

So luck had it that I chose to create my goalie Jesse Teno and I was thrown into a deep end so deep that I swear Nessi was lurking down there. Coming into the VHL with no one in real life to guide you or to explain how it works means learning a lot on the fly. Honestly I think if it hadn’t been for @Shindigs I think I would have been mediocre at best and inactive at worst. I know that the beginners guides are there but as someone who doesn’t usually do forum or site based activities like a simulation league, it is a serious learning curve. I was definitely lost and confused my first week and even to this day I still sometimes struggle to remember where to find things. But I suppose that’s part of the process, right? Sure. But I think the way newbies are taught could use a little tweaking.

 

To continue that thought and one that comes to me as I’m writing is that I would have to assume that many members of the VHL do not have English as their first language. I am lucky in that it is for me. But I do think that certain things that I found confusing, must be even more so for non-English speakers. Now I won’t speak for others but for example, I think the one thing that maybe needs tweaking is the abbreviations. There are so many and it’s hard to always find where the dictionary for them is. Maybe if there was a dedicated dictionary somewhere to lay out all of the league, sim, site, and game abbreviations, that could help new players out even more. 

 

But to talk about the other side of that coin would be to hype up the incredible people in the discord servers. I’m not the most active but I do participate when I find a window of opportunity and I find myself able to ask questions and not feel like a moron. After I was drafted, I knew I wanted a cool signature like everyone else but I also knew that I had no artistic skills especially on a computer. So I asked in the Saskatoon discord and it was suggested that I just ask in the main server. I was so freaking nervous. I thought I was going to be told to go away, that I can’t just ask, or that I would even be ignored. But that’s not what happened and it honestly blew my mind. Out of nowhere, asking for nothing in return, was @Enorama offering to make me a sig and as you can see below, it’s incredible. I’ll be sad to see it go when I need an updated one after the upcoming draft. But all this to say that this has been one of the nicest communities I have ever participated in and I truly think that the kindness and willingness to help from veteran members is what makes the VHL so amazing. Take away the hockey and you still have a group of really good people. 

 

One thing that I have really enjoyed with the VHL is all the writing I have been doing. I used to write in high school and in college along with a lot of fanfiction. It’s been years since I have told a story but this sim league has given me a new perspective to write from. It’s been a seriously good exercise and because each week brings something new, I don’t feel like I run out of things to write about. I was concerned about the off season especially needing to hit five hundred words for a Media Spot but this thing just hit a thousand while I added this paragraph in so there we go, now I’m covered for this week and next!

 

I had an incredible first season in the VHL and I have learned a lot and made a few friends over the last two months. It also blows my mind that it’s only been two months. It feels like so much longer than that. 

 

I want to thank everyone who has helped me along the way by just liking a post, answering my random questions on discord, or even posting words of encouragement when I was getting down at the beginning of the season in my writing. Also to those who have tagged me in posts and talked about my player, like most recently with @badcolethetitan. It seriously put such a smile on my face to read what you wrote about me; thank you.

 

So if you’re new to the VHL and you find yourself lost or confused or both, my suggestion would be to take a deep breath, join the Discord, and just start asking questions. You’ll get some silly responses like a pickle gif or #BlameCole but you’ll learn to understand their weird ways and even come to enjoy them. And if you have any questions from a fellow newbie’s perspective, you can always reach out to me too.

 

1,022 words for weeks ending 8/14 and 8/21 
 

Edited August 12, 2022 by aimkin

[badcolethetitan 938]

Always glad to talk about new and upcoming players, especially people who deserve it! I’m always a first generation player and I’m actually not that much older in the server then you are, maybe like 2-4 months older. I agree it’s overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a great time. Glad to have you here and I hope you stay long term!

[Aimee 1,150]

3 minutes ago, badcolethetitan said:

Always glad to talk about new and upcoming players, especially people who deserve it! I’m always a first generation player and I’m actually not that much older in the server then you are, maybe like 2-4 months older. I agree it’s overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a great time. Glad to have you here and I hope you stay long term!

Definitely plan on staying for the long term. This is just too much fun to give up.

[Enorama 2,039]

3 hours ago, aimkin said:

Out of nowhere, asking for nothing in return, was @Enorama offering to make me a sig and as you can see below, it’s incredible. I’ll be sad to see it go when I need an updated one after the upcoming draft.

 

Give me a shout when you need another one. If you like your current one so much, I can fairly easily just swap out the colours and logos.

[Aimee 1,150]

57 minutes ago, Enorama said:

 

Give me a shout when you need another one. If you like your current one so much, I can fairly easily just swap out the colours and logos.

Thank you!! 

[diacope 1,696]

Happy to hear you've had such a big journey in just a short time, keep up the good work homie!

[Shindigs 1,771]

9 hours ago, aimkin said:

#BlameCole

I mean #blamecole isn't silly, it's just the way of things.

[der meister 3,248]

I clicked on the top MS article to do a review, not realizing it's you again after reviewing your Teno piece last week. Nice to see your activity continuing into the offseason. I agree the learning curve can be tough - I found that out when I recreated in the SHL last year after being away for quite a while. And I love the idea of a glossary or a wiki of sorts to help people have a reference point for abbreviations, site-specific memes, what-have-you. I also find your mention of fanfiction interesting, having listened to @JardyB10 podcast last night about the potential this site has for diving deep into roleplaying. Long story short, I enjoyed this post, saw no grammatical issues worth noting, and look forward to seeing how far you're able to take your current - and future! - players. 10/10

Edited August 13, 2022 by der meister
Tag didn't work :-/