EQ in Tragedy @ eSports Shooting

Do you need help in turning a tragedy into an opportunity to connect with your audience using EQ? Read on.

On Aug 26, 2017, a gunman armed with a handgun killed two people at a video gaming tournament, then fatally shot himself. I thought to wait a bit before doing a post about this devastating event, though the passing of time never makes such events less difficult to grasp as real. This post is not about the shooting or security, gun laws or personal beliefs, but rather about what happened next in the eSports community.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the eSports community rallied together. Outpourings of support were seen everywhere as gamers offered condolences, well wishes, and shared their pain.

High profile gamer, @ProblemWright, one of the top names in Madden competitions according to its maker, Electronic Arts Inc (EA), said he was crying and “in so much pain.” “All over a videogame. Two of our brothers are gone man and its so disturbing. One of the most tragic days ive experienced. This community is like family. Broken,” he wrote on Twitter.

Another professional Madden player, @ThePrxdigyy, tweeted “RIP to two of our brothers and speedy recovery for the others injured,” he wrote. “Love you all and hope something like this never happens again.”

Electronic Arts canceled three qualifying events in its Madden Classic tournament in the aftermath of the shooting, donated $1M to the victims of the shooting, set up a public fund for the victims and held a tribute livestream on September 6. What a powerful way for EA to show up for its supporters and show itself as being part of the community. This link takes you to the tribute fund page on the EA website.

Now picture this: same situation, same EA response. Except that, when you go to the tribute fund page, a brief 30 second video auto-starts. The video is a simple dark background, with supportive quotes displaying from gamers, like the ones shown above, and additional ones from posts reflecting how the community united in the face of tragedy. The voiceover reading each quote is the person whom its attributed to. The video clip ends with EA CEO Andrew Wilson, in person, reiterating the message from their tweet that, “this horrific event will not define us, but only serve to make our community stronger.”

This adds a personal touch to EA’s efforts, integrating a human element, using visual and auditory senses, and creating emotional engagement through the EQ quality of empathy. Notice as you read this if you can imagine feeling something deeper with that exchange than with the tribute fund page as it is now.

ENGAGE:  Do you want to learn how to make your messages to your fans and consumers more personal? Click here to contact me and let’s get started. 

GO FURTHER:  Click here to visit the Jacksonville Tribute Fund GoFundMe page.

EMOTION DRIVES ACTION!