The Imperium’s favourite battle bard celebrated his birthday tonight on Saturday Night Swarm with a live DJ performance lasting for eight hours and holding a steady 600 viewers at all times. What started as a full-on Imperium party turned to a really emotional show of appreciation as Mind1’s viewers continued donating large sums of subs, bits, and cash. Mind1 had to regularly step away from his turntables as he was overwhelmed with the kindness on display.
Saturday Night Swarms are usually a big event for those of us in the Imperium, and this weekend held a huge amount of hype with victory in the war looking likely. The Meta Show kicked it all off with Brisc Rubal & The Mittani bringing in 2000 viewers, followed by RampageInc shortly afterwards. But the event everyone was waiting for was Mind1’s birthday stream, and he did not disappoint. His amazing set all night covering every genre imaginable reminded us all why the Imperium has such a strong culture, such a great family and the reason why we will prevail in this war. And why we’re staying alive.
As the evening rolled on, the tips kept coming in. At the time of writing, his viewers had donated over $15,750 and smashed July’s total “bits” (Twitch currency) to over 1 million, which is the equivalent of around $10,000. “I don’t know what to say, tonight has been one of the best nights of my life” Mind1 proclaimed live on his stream. “For those people who think Goons are toxic, look at nights like tonight. I can’t thank everyone enough”.
The stream was also paired with an impromptu live spaceship party in 1DQ1-A. Hundreds of pilots flying everything from shuttles to titans assembled on the McManifest Memorial Backupstar launching fireworks and firing doomsdays. Ships were sacrificed, a freighter full of fireworks was lanced by the titans for the fun of it and a conga of Dominixes orbited a crate full of launchers & more fireworks.
But this was not just for the Imperium—capsuleers from across New Eden tuned in. Special mention must go to the Pandemic Horde pilot who kept bringing shuttles to get involved in the rave. Local was filled with shouts to “rep the red shuttle” as unknowing Goons shot at him! He died a few times, but with each death he was spammed with donations from Imperium pilots – we think he earned around 100 million ISK for a few shuttle loses. In a great show of appreciation, asmall LEGACY fleet came through the gate and wished the Battle Bard Happy Birthday in local chat. Classy!
Tonight’s show really encapsulated the feeling amongst the Imperium at the moment. With the invasion reaching a complete standstill, rumours of TEST corps evacuating their ships, and a general feeling of “fuck you, that’s why,” a hype-rave is absolutely what was required. With the stream finish at 0900 EVE, all we can do is give thanks to Mind1 for his amazing services to the Imperium. Tough times in-game and in real life really highlight the importance of a tight community in our online worlds. Mind1 is at the very heart of our community.
Ending with his characteristic GUNSHIP sign-off, Mind1 gave a emotional and heartfelt speech. “I have no words. I will never be able to explain or convey the amount of gratitude I have for you guys—you are all absolutely amazing. Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me. Never in my life did I ever think that something like this would ever happen to me. You guys mean the world to me. Thank you so much for everything tonight. Huge shout out to my Goon brothers & sisters, huge shout out to my enemy PAPI nerds, you’re all a part of the hive and I love you for that. You guys are awesome. Keep being awesome. I love you. Take care.”
