10th Anniversary ambassador interview with Danielle Starstorm

Danielle has been playing Star Stable Online since 2012 and she became an ambassador in 2020. She is from the US. 

On the transformative power of Star Stable Online

Star Stable has had a big impact on my life. It’s given me life lessons that have changed me as a person in a really great way. I used to be that person who wasn’t good at leadership. I’d follow along and try to lay low. But Star Stable has helped me make decisions for myself and not be scared if someone won’t like what I have to say. It’s helped me be proud of who I am and say what I think without being influenced by other people.

On the influence of the community’s creativity 

If I had to sum up the community in one word, it would be creative. That creativity is about inspiring people through what you come up with. It’s how you make new friends in our community. I know that the Star Stable Online Instagram community inspired me to try out creative software programs, for example. I saw what other players were doing, and I thought, I want to do this for my job! I wouldn’t have figured that out on my own. I didn’t even know graphic design was a career. If I was honest, I never thought I’d have a career in art at all. I took art in school, but I was scared every day because I was never proud of what I made. But I found that I’m so much happier creating things digitally. Now I’m headed to New York for art school in the fall. So, my Star Stable journey set me on my career path. I’ll always be thankful for that.

On the personal growth she’s experienced playing the game

Having the opportunity to run a Riding Club has given me the ability to deal with different situations - good and bad. That’s true of being an ambassador, too. It’s taught me how to be a bridge between the Star Stable team and players. That's helped me build communication skills and solve problems. Now I know it’s up to me to ask, what can I do to help this person? 

I’ve sharpened my social skills playing the game, too. During the pandemic, many more people were active in Jorvik than before, so I talked to more people. Now I’m about to go to college, and I feel way more open to and more comfortable talking to people in real life. 

On the empowering experience of Star Stable Online 

The way girls are represented in Star Stable Online is so refreshing. Other games I've played aren’t like that at all. And although those games have communities, they’re more aggressive. That’s one of the reasons I’ve never been more interested in other games. People aren’t as welcoming, and we can’t find an immediate connection. I can with other Star Stable Online players. I know a lot of people feel this way.

On the positive impact of being in the StarFam during the pandemic

When I first joined, I met so many amazing people, including one of my best friends. We decided to create a Riding Club together, and we’ve been with it for five years. We’ve met incredible people in that time and, in the last year with the pandemic, we’ve created an extremely close bond by becoming a support system for each other. I would never have thought that was possible for a game. I couldn’t imagine life dealing with everything in the past year without this game. 

On making lifelong friends in the game

I’ve met my lifelong friends, and these friendships are about more than Star Stable Online. We met in the game, but we’ve taken the steps to grow real-life friendships. The main thing that Star Stable Online has done is bring us together. A lot of people have found lifelong best friends in the game. I’ve never found friends through other games, not like this. It’s changed my life in the best possible way. This community is super special to me. 

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