How TikTok Shifted the Tides of a Virtual War
A new year and brand-new article hitting HB Theory!
We don’t just talk about Destiny on HBT. So, for today’s article, lets visit another universe.
A universe that’s filled with waging wars, perfect amounts of Sci-fi angst, and unparalleled nationalism, Helldivers.
Rallying to Malevelon Creek, A Lost Front
Time and time again the world shows how unpredictable it can be. I was monotonously scrolling TikTok a few weeks back, unknowingly about to unite to a cause I had no idea was underway. What I was stumbling upon was often being compared to World War I’s Western Front.
Not to speak so casually regarding the atrocities of real-life conflicts with very real traumas/emotions, but in terms of pure chaos, I could see the validity of the comparison.
This brings us to Malevelon Creek. One of five planets adjacent to Super Earth, making up the Severin Sector. The planet was covered in a dark, ominous forests spanning across gouged hills and war-torn shorefronts. Endless clouds blocked a majority of the light from the atmosphere, stagnating the natural flow of time. And if it wasn’t menacing enough, the humidity from the lush vegetation trapped an ill-hued fog that steadily crept amongst the flora.
The writer in me commends the Helldiver dev’s (Arrowhead Game Studios) worldbuilding, but the gamer in me appreciates it even more.
Not only does AGS do a phenomenal job at setting the scene, but they excel at instilling a sense of patriotism within its player base while doing it.
One of, if not the highest priority goal in the game, is to achieve unblemished democracy for Super Earth. Man’s symbol of unyielding determination against its intergalactic opponents.
This goal is measured by a “liberation percentage” that can be seen when hovering your cursor over a planet in-game. This is a live accumulation of the successful missions being run on a planet. The higher the liberation percentage, the more control we, as Helldivers, have over the planet. Enemy reinforcements are weaker, and missions seem “easier”.
This game is not one to hold your hand. Quite the opposite actually.
As you can see, Malelevon Creek’s liberation was nada. So, you can imagine how much harder attempting these missions are when you’re in the minority.
Afraid…Uncertain…Enlisted
Up until that day of me scrolling on TikTok, I have heard nothing of the war that was waging for nearly 10 years.
My for you page was filled with Helldiver propaganda and posts relating to the hell that awaited me in The Creek. And holy sh*t where they were right.
This is where I began to play Helldivers. My timing was impeccable given that this series has been out since early 2015, and I join when we are losing.
The enemies that occupied Malelevon Creek and posed the biggest loss of liberation are called the Automatons.
Automatons are one of three enemy factions that are present in Helldivers 2. The other two factions are the Terminids (think of those alien-bugs from 1997’s Starship Troopers for a general idea) and the Illuminate, an ancient race of vengeance seeking aliens (because of course they are).
The Automatons have no ability of higher thinking apart from their murderous tendencies and bloodthirsty programming. Armored in darkened steel-like metal with their eerie skull plated heads. This is everything you can ask for a videogame adversary.
In game, the Automatons produce a crimson hue that weaves with the ever-present fog. This ensures that you hear and feel them before you ever lay your eyes on them (highly unsettling by the way).
Protruding from their mechanical bodies and from their gruesome weapons of war. Loading your last clip of ammunition into your AR-19 Liberator (standard issue Helldiver rifle) and shifting your gaze towards the horizon to see a wall of malicious moving steel is terrifying to say the least. Hopelessness sets in, and the idea of a successful extract seems delirious.
To liberate the planet, Helldivers must complete successful missions like extracting civilians, resource collecting, and meeting elimination quotas.
Said missions become almost impossible to carry-out with the percentage being so low. And this is how the effect of morale is influenced through social media.
Time to Spill Oil
The idea of spilling oil is much more than that of knocking over industrial sized barrels. It is the physical embodiment of putting one’s life on the line for absolute democracy. Putting lead down range in a merciless manner as to be the very example of what it means to dive in hell.
As music is poured into my headphones, chaos is unleashed. Explosions and chainsaws rip through the air. And the hum of machine gun fire becomes rhythmically bound to the power struggle in The Creek.
This is what the posts were designed to do. Enlist and invoke your emotions. So that when you’re on the front lines your head is filled with nothing more than this innate sense of righteousness. The keyboards and controllers of all players conveyed this conceitedness.
I’d be lying to you if I said there wasn’t gratification to be acknowledged here. To put the mantle of your planet on your back and have Death stare at you with an inevitable and almost immediate smirk. Just to laugh in its face and continue cleaving through relentless waves of enemies.
On February 27th, 2024, diver’s crucial supply lines were lost. Humanity had lost Malelevon Creek. This loss was whispered through TikTok, and after a few hours, a new fate was woven into reality.
Only a couple days after losing our grip, humanity had established another foothold on the planet with new orders to take back the creek, which reignited the conflict.
After hours of the ground tremoring from air strikes, the shrapnel lodged into your armor looks less like withered pieces of steel and more like half-assed Christmas decorations. Even though conditions couldn’t have been worse, the newfound bond between your fellow divers allowed humanity an actual chance of victory.
Was social media the answer for turning the tides of this intergalactic war?
The Powers of Friendship!
Even though it’s extremely silly, I feel as though this instance of taking back the Creek showcased one of humanities greatest strengths. Often times social media gets a bad rap. I mean for good reason. It’s merely a reflection of the world and its inhabitants (and believe me, there are some really bad inhabitants).
But in the same thought, when a group, community, or an entire player base become united under one goal and have the resolve to get it done? It’s a fascinating feat to say the least.
In the face of overwhelming odds, Super Earth and its Helldivers overcame a metallic hell and it sure was a beautiful thing to be a part of.
If you made it to the bottom…amazing.
If you skimmed through and saw the pretty pictures…that’s amazing too.
Dry humor aside, I appreciate all of you. Glad you could, in some way, shape, or form, be a part of HB Theory today!
There will be more to come in the future with topics like this, ranging from silly to serious in games and anime alike.
– HB
HB Theory 
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