Community Spotlight - Aerotsune

We’ve seen communities of varying sizes grow over the years alongside Sea of Thieves, across all manner of social spaces such as Reddit and our very own official Forums. Our official Discord server is no different, where we recently celebrated hitting a milestone of 100,000 members since the server opened in March 2018!

Of course, with a community that big, moderation is a top priority and so we thought it fitting to shine the Spotlight on one of the great people who help us with that. Aerotsune is currently our longest-serving Discord community moderator, so we caught up with him to find out more about this badger-favouring buccaneer.

[Q]: Can you tell us a little about what got you into gaming?

[A]: I can't really say what got me into gaming in the beginning. I've been doing it basically my whole life at this point. But if I had to put it to words, I'd say that it'd have to be something akin to that of reading a book. Putting myself into new worlds to experience new things and enjoy a good story – only this way I have a little more interaction with how that story unfolds.

[Q]: Were you a Rare fan before Sea of Thieves? Do you have any favourite Rare games?

[A]: Naturally. Favorite Rare game is Perfect Dark, hands down. Though I'd say Battletoads was also a strong contender for that title and Conker’s Bad Fur Day is a very well-liked one as well.

[Q]: What other games are you currently playing? Any favourites?

[A]: My games are all over the place. Sea of Thieves, of course, but also games like Destiny 2. I also still play Grand Theft Auto V every now and again, Far Cry 5, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot... and then onward to the odder games like American Truck Simulator, European Truck Simulator 2, PC Building Simulator, Farming Simulator 19 and Star Citizen. Plus, I'm looking forward to a few of the other new titles coming out like Final Fantasy VII Remake. So, like I said... a tad all over the place.

[Q]: What brought you over to Sea of Thieves and its community?

[A]: A previous co-worker introduced me to the game. Sadly, this was within maybe a week or so before it launched, so I missed the Day 1 Patch and the ability to pre-order as I would have otherwise. After that I started playing it and I've loved every second of it. No matter what people say, I will always be happy that I started when I did. The journey has been incredible. From the days of 'Sea of No Content' to the present-day build, it has been one heck of a journey to watch the game grow.

[Q]: What is it that draws you to Discord specifically as a social space for gaming communities?

[A]: I used to participate in and sometimes even moderate for forums back when they were the primary communication method, and it worked fine back then. But as things evolved and went to more real-time services, I found myself migrating to those. Why? Because of that real-time interaction. Forums are a great place for people to communicate and keep in touch, but I've found that they're just too... slow. So that's why I ended up here rather than there.

[Q]: You’re doing great work as a moderator on the Sea of Thieves Discord server – can you tell us a bit about what that involves?

[A]: Basically, just a keen eye and a level of patience. Plus, not treating people like they're less than human, even when they basically troll the server right in front of you. The only thing I've really had to keep in check over the past year and half or so of doing it is to watch myself and never stoop to that level. It's not always been the easiest, but I'd like to think I've done a fair job of it so far.

[Q]: Any particularly fond memories from your time on the Sea of Thieves Discord server so far?

[A]: Honestly, probably the best time in the Discord itself was toward the end of The Hungering Deep update when there was a contest introduced for killing the Megalodon. That was when the community felt the strongest to me. That's not to say that it isn't strong now, just even more so back then.

[Q]: Thinking back, are there any standout moments for you in Sea of Thieves since you started playing?

[A]: Again, we return to The Hungering Deep. When multiple crews had to both summon and fight the dreaded beast. Easily my favorite update to date in that respect. Though Cursed Sails was also good as it was the first real story-driven update that the game had seen. The Hungering Deep had a little dialogue, but Cursed Sails had an actual campaign and quest. And then finding Wanda's hideout/workshop was pretty amazing.

[Q]: What are your favourite additions to Sea of Thieves over the past year?

[A]: Favorites within the past year or so? The Tall Tales, easily. For a company that has been known for its storytelling, I'd been missing that. And then they finally got some in there and it was amazing. The grind to get to 100% completion of all of them was a tad lengthy, but worth it when it was over.

[Q]: What are your greatest achievements in a game, Sea of Thieves or otherwise?

[A]: To be honest? I couldn't say. My own personal 'achievement' has only just come through as I finally completed the entire Black Dog/Obsidian/Ebon/Onyx/Midnight set. Weapons, clothing, tools, instruments and ship. All of it. It has been my favorite set from the first time I saw the beginnings of it and will likely stay that way until the game eventually steps aside to make room for the next big project.

[Q]: If you had to choose a pirate, ship and crew name, what would they be?

[A]: Dunno, but probably something to do with badgers for most if not all of that. :P

[Q]: What kind of other hobbies do you enjoy outside of gaming?

[A]: Reading, gaming and photography (nature without human presence specifically) are probably my biggest (possibly even read as only) hobbies.

[Q]: Share a fun fact about yourself. Anything is fair game!

[A]: Nothing really comes to mind, to be honest. I suppose the best I've got is that I served 12 years in the US Navy.

And that’s all sea wrote for this latest Community Spotlight. It goes without saying that we really appreciate the work Aerotsune is doing to help keep our Discord server the fun and safe space that it is, and raise our tankards to many more moons of merriment with him, the rest of our moderators and the Sea of Thieves Discord community in general!

While we’re off sorting out the next Spotlight, why not check out our previous deep dives into the lives of piracy’s most colourful community? And if this Spotlight has piqued your interest, becoming a member of the official Sea of Thieves Discord server is only a couple of clicks away.

Until next time!