Community Spotlight: Adeen

Today, we had the privilege of chatting with our Raider.IO Featured Streamer of the week: the talented, stunning, and absolutely inspiring, Adeen!

In this exclusive interview, Adeen talks about her roots in gaming, the Liquid Women in Warcraft (LWiW) initiative, her impressions of Dragonflight, and so much more.



Want to learn more about Adeen and LWiW? Read on!

Table of Contents

“I have been very involved in the WoW community in recent years in an effort to increase visibility and support to women and gender-minority gamers. I believe it is so important for underrepresented communities to have representation in Azeroth where they have chosen to adventure – something I always wanted when I was growing up.”

Q-1: Hi! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today. First, we’d like to get to know you a little better. Can you tell us a little more about yourself and your background with WoW/gaming?

Adeen: I'm Tasha, but more widely known by my Gamer Tag, Adeen. I am the Liquid Women in Warcraft (LWiW) Lead, the Liquid Guild Treasurer, and a musician, scientist, and streamer.

I have a Bachelor's of Science in Marine & Freshwater Biology, a Master of Environmental Science, and am currently working on a certificate in Environmental Management. My in-real life job is an Environmental Consultant specializing in Risk Assessment and Aquatic Toxicology. My science nerd side enjoys the challenge of identifying trends, data management, analysis, interpretation, and technical report preparation.

I’ve played WoW since Season 3 of WoD. I had no prior experience with MMOs, and my experience with video games was also limited to Shrek on GameCube & Super Mario games on Wii. I absolutely loved the open world, and quickly got into RBGs as a Rogue flag carrier. I got 2100 rating in my first season, and became hooked on WoW! Now, I enjoy all types of content from Raids and Mythic+, to transmog farming and pet collecting.





Q-2: How did you get started working for Liquid? What is your educational background and how do those skills transfer to your work for Liquid or in gaming in general?

Adeen: When it was within Blizzard’s Terms of Service (ToS), I led two successful boosting communities (Spartan Community and Gold Cap Group – GCG, which totaled over 10,000 members). I have networked with thousands of WoW players and hundreds of US Guilds through boosting organizations, class Discords, achievement Discords, and In-Game communities. I have also forged long-lasting relationships with RWF guilds, Hall of Fame (HOF) guilds, and many content creators, streamers, and prominent community figures. This unique skill set allowed me to become employed part-time on contract by Team Liquid to support Liquid (#1 US Guild in World of Warcraft, #2 Worldwide).

In my current position with Liquid Guild, I monitor all incoming and outgoing transactions, and manage all our banks. This includes all the gold the guild has accumulated through sales which spawn across 40 different realms on both factions. I have 2 accounts dedicated to this that are character capped. I structured the Liquid Guild to put a marketing emphasis on In-Game sales. This included developing resources in and outside of the Discord including creating channels for prices, reviews, sale pings, and services (Mythic+, coaching, gold swapping, raids, etc.). I manage all the support tickets with the Discord, schedule services, as well as provide Liquid Guild with buyers from my personal resources. I created resources for sales coordination which include a rulebook, a structured tier system, instructions on how to operate sales safely within Blizzard’s update ToS, and feedback channels.

During and after the RWF, I take on additional roles, which include working with our social team and producers to provide input and ideas for graphics during the race and other content, updating stream elements for the raiders, acquiring BOEs, facilitating and tracking split participation, split payouts, guild bank stocking, and SOMETIMES casting/giving fish facts on the main broadcast.

“The LWiW initiative I lead strives to empower, encourage, educate and elevate gender minorities to the same positions of authority, respect, and visibility as their male counterparts in competitive WoW.”

Q-3: Let’s talk a little bit about Liquid Women in Warcraft – can you please tell us a little more about the origins of this initiative and your role in everything and what it means to you?

Adeen: I have been very involved in the WoW community in recent years in an effort to increase visibility and support to women and gender-minority gamers. I believe it is so important for underrepresented communities to have representation in Azeroth where they have chosen to adventure – something I always wanted when I was growing up.

The LWiW initiative I lead strives to empower, encourage, educate and elevate gender minorities to the same positions of authority, respect, and visibility as their male counterparts in competitive WoW. We have formed a diverse leadership team to tackle the issues facing gender minorities across the game and have implemented a mentorship program where individuals can request mentorship from competitive raiders to improve their gameplay. We have been spotlighting guilds who have gender minorities in leadership positions and identified guilds that provide safe spaces – providing such guilds with a tag on Raider.IO’s guild recruitment system.



(Read more about the LWiW initiative and recruitment tag here.)

LWiW also hosts a series of roundtable discussions about important issues we face, and we provide educational content that will grow into a robust library of resources. The LWiW community can be found as discord.gg/LWiW.

I first started out as a committee member in July of 2022, and took lead on the Mentorship and Featured Guild programs. With my efforts being recognized by the LWiW Council and Team Liquid, I was brought on as the Interim Lead in October of 2022. During the RWF, I was officially promoted as the Lead moving forward! I am so excited for what this year will bring, and what LWiW will accomplish.




Q-4: What did LWiW accomplish in its first year? What kind of things does LWiW have planned for 2023?

Adeen:

In 2022, we accomplished so much, including the following:

• LWiW Community Created
  
• Mentorship Program Created
  
• LWiW Approved Guilds Program Created
  
• Roundtables: RWF Experiences with Eiya, Naguura, Kali, and Cruella
  
• Workshops & Seminars:
  • Meet & Greet with Cherry, Adeen
  • How to Find a Guild
  • How to Use WarcraftLogs
  • How to Use Questionably Epic
  • How to Use Raidbots

Our goals for 2023 are:

• Continue and Improve Mentorship Program
  
• Expand LWiW Approved Guilds Program
  
• LWiW-Created Competitive Events
  
• Creation & Support of Charitable Events and Causes
  
• Further Roundtables
  
• Further Workshops & Seminars
  
• Focus on Gameplay
  
• Focus on Esports opportunities
  
• BlizzCon Presence & Opportunities
  
• RWF Presence & Opportunities

Q-5: Now, onto some in-game questions. As a Resto Druid myself, I have to ask – why Holy Paladin? Why recycling over nature? ;)

Adeen: Once Legion came out, I decided to try PVE content. I formed my own little guild and we eventually got into Mythic progression, then merged with another bigger guild on the server to try and push for Cutting Edge (CE). I got very unlucky with my legendaries, and I couldn’t compete at the level I wanted. However, our guild was looking for a new Holy Paladin, so I decided to give it a whirl. That is how Adeen came to be! I’ve stuck with Holy Paladin as my main for the last 5-6 years or so, and have attained CE every tier since Antorus. I absolutely love the reactive healing playstyle over other healing classes that are proactive, and I love the lore behind Paladins as a whole. FOR THE LIGHT!

“Dragonflight feels like a breath of fresh air compared to the last few expansions. Although I have enjoyed all my time in WoW, this really feels like a revitalization – as if I am experiencing WoW all over again.”

Q-6: On that note, how are you liking Dragonflight so far? What are your favorite and/or least favorite aspects of the expansion so far?

Adeen: I am absolutely loving Dragonflight so far. Dragonflight feels like a breath of fresh air compared to the last few expansions. Although I have enjoyed all my time in WoW, this really feels like a revitalization – as if I am experiencing WoW all over again. My favourite parts so far have been the art and new models. My least favourite, which I believe will come to no surprise to anyone, is the loot system. As an officer, and as the person who manages sales for Liquid, loot is the bane of my existence.

“I really hope that Blizzard will continue to add more representation within WoW – including more characters that are like us in real life. I want people to be able to play WoW and see strong women and gender minorities – or be able to create characters that they can relate to.”

Q-7: What are your hopes and dreams for Dragonflight or future WoW expansions?

Adeen: I really hope that Blizzard will continue to add more representation within WoW – including more characters that are like us in real life. I want people to be able to play WoW and see strong women and gender minorities – or be able to create characters that they can relate to. I think the updates to the character creation screen are about damn time! I believe WoW is a beautiful game, and even more beautiful every time it becomes more inclusive.



Q-8: If you could replicate any in-game item and/or spell in real life, what would it be?

Adeen: I would love to be able to cast Polymorph IRL. It would be so fun transforming my brother into a sheep.



Q-9: What are your favorite things about being a streamer and a caster? Any funny or cool stories you’d like to share?

Adeen: My favourite thing about being a streamer and caster is being able to interact with the community in chat. It is amazing being able to connect with people all over the world, and get to know them. Another favourite of mine is being able to be fully myself and have an audience. I consider myself a bit socially awkward, and odder than most. Yet, my community seems to have fully embraced me (and my fish facts). It is so liberating to have people enjoy my ramblings/company while being my authentic self.





Q-10: Do you have any tips for women and minorities in WoW? What are some tips you can offer for how to inspire and foster allyship in the gaming community?

Adeen: I believe it is up to women, gender minorities, and our allies to create the change we want to see in the gaming community. Instead of wondering why aren’t people advocating for or setting change, the better question to ask ourselves is why not you? YOU can change the game.

The best thing I could have done to inspire and foster allyship has been getting involved in a community of like-minded people, such as LWiW. I’ve also educated myself on a multitude of issues faced by women and gender minorities. Keep learning about the causes you want to represent. This can be done through attending seminars, workshops, round tables, and most importantly, asking questions in your communities. You could also get involved in volunteer work, being on committees, planning events, etc.

“It takes nothing to be kind, and we need more of that in our world. If you can, do something nice for someone today. It could be giving a stranger a compliment, telling someone you care for them, or thanking someone for being in your life.”

Q-11: Do you have any closing thoughts? Is there any advice you’d like to share for people aspiring to work in the industry someday?

Adeen: If you take away anything from this spotlight, I want you to know that manatees can hold their breath for 20 minutes when resting, but have to surface every 30 seconds when exercising. In all seriousness, my advice to everyone is be kind to people. It takes nothing to be kind, and we need more of that in our world. If you can, do something nice for someone today. It could be giving a stranger a compliment, telling someone you care for them, or thanking someone for being in your life.

In terms of breaking into esports (see what I did there? 😉), my two-cents is to just keep learning. Participate in any opportunity you can, and make it to network!

I am so thankful to have an amazing community rallying behind me, and cannot be more grateful. Big shout out to all the members in Calm Down, everyone in Adeen’s Aquarium (my Discord server), and most importantly, Scottie.

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