[Theme Week] Tips for First Gens

[dogwoodmaple 380]

As a first generation player, I'm uniquely equipped to offer some advice to those who are considering joining, have recently joined, or, like myself, are still in their first generation as a player.

 

First, interact as much as you can with as many people as possible.  I'm not saying you should spam chat in discord or sent 1,000 DMs to anybody you come in contact with, but don't be shy about jumping into conversations.  The most obvious benefit is that you'll get noticed by general managers, which will not only help your prospects as far as the draft is concerned, but will infinitely improve your experience in the league.  We all know that sim leagues can be really random when it comes to player success, so having friends you enjoy being around is paramount when it comes to having a good time here.  If your player ends up with a Hall of Fame career, fantastic, but if things don't go as expected then you still have the relationships you've built.  And in many ways, those are worth way more than trophies.

 

Second, explore the forum!  When I first joined, I knew the basic "how the league works" but I wasn't sure about some of the smaller details.  One of the first things I did was jump into different teams' forums, read about different players' histories, and try to soak up as much knowledge as I could.  It didn't take me long to get a feel for who the historically great teams were or some of the all-time great players, which helped set expectations and also provided valuable insight when it came to getting scouted by teams for the draft and free agency.  It also gave me some good tips on player building as well, because I could try to long-term model my build after some of the better players at my position and try to set myself up for the best possible career I could.

 

Third, cherish your time in VHLM.  What a great experience!  There's so much less pressure in VHLM as far as how your player actually performs, so you can focus on getting the hang of updating, finding out which attributes are the most important, and most importantly, build some great relationships in your locker room.  I was fortunate enough to have an incredibly impactful VHLM general manager who not only helped me learn the ropes, but also instilled in me a huge amount of joy for this place.  

 

Fourth, don't be afraid to ask questions!  No one is an expert at something right when they start and that's perfectly alright.  I probably asked 10,000 questions when I first joined and never once did another user make me feel dumb for asking.  It's the best way to learn about the league, especially if you're not used to this type of sim league. I've always found that the more I know and the more comfortable I feel, the better I'll perform in the league and that's certainly the case here.  

 

Lastly, don't worry about your players' on-ice performance the first few seasons.  I know everyone wants to be the MVP, get to the Hall of Fame, and get their jersey retired by their franchise, but that takes years and years of success.  Don't get down if your hot shot goal scorer doesn't find the net a lot in their rookie season, or if your rock-solid defenseman doesn't put up the hit numbers you envisioned.  There's plenty of time for that as you progress and you don't want to let yourself lose any level of motivation for updating if that's how the first year or two go.  

 

Stay the course, continue to work hard, and try to have as much fun as you can!

 

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