Agents!
We’re excited to shine the SHD Spotlight on Sage, a The Division 2 streamer and pod-caster! Sage has created a relaxing space for his viewers to engage in a “Gud“ Morning Coffee/Tea talk before diving into the missions of the day.
As we pull up a chair to get settled and to get to know Sage better, we think it is fitting to start with his origins.
THE SPOTLIGHT
“I’m originally from a small town in Indiana. My father received an opportunity to move our family to Florida in 1995. For the first 8 or so years, we lived on a boat traveling from place to place all over Southwest Florida.
After spending 24 years of my life there and many adventures, my wife and I started a new quest line in North Carolina. We love our new home and the wonderful people we’ve met here.”
When he is not saving what remains, you’re more than likely to find Sage working in his beautiful garden, or fiddling with a new composition on his guitar.
“My father and his family were musically inclined while my mother and her family were gardeners and artists. You could say I’ve come by it honestly! These are moments I treasure, as they reconnect me to my past and ground me in the present.
I’ve really enjoyed sharing my love of gardening with other gamers and especially guiding ‘level 1’s’ through their first experience.
There’s a sense of accomplishment when you’re rewarded for all your grinding in-game, not unlike seeing a seed grow with the right amount of sun, water, and TLC, into tangible beauty which rewards you every time you look at it. “
If you would like to share your gardening adventures with Sage or the community, use the #GamersWhoGarden hashtag and tag Sage on Twitter!
“I’d love to see what you’re up to in your gardens.”
Sage's Stream starts with a morning coffee talk where the community chats about their day, their adventures or their plans.
HISTORY
So, how did you come across The Division, where did your journey within this community start?
“Ohh the memories! I was first told about The Division Beta by a friend who knew I was looking for a new game to augment my MMORPG time. At the time, I spent countless hours in World of Warcraft and Star Wars: The Old Republic. The Division quickly replaced them both!
Initially, and for the majority of my Division 1 playtime, I was a skill utilizing agent who specialized in supporting the group. But solo, you would rarely find anything other than my Fire Turret and Pulse equipped. Ah yes, the Tactician’s Authority and FireCrest days stick with me to this day.
In Division 2, I still enjoy using Skills, especially a Stinger Hive / Sniper Turret combo and supporting the group with Crowd Control / Status Effecting awesomeness, but have gravitated toward burst-damage complimenting SMG builds in my solo play.”
THE COMMUNITY
Can you tell us a little about what the community means to you and how you came to be a part of it?
“During my time playing Division 1, I’ve met and continue to meet incredible people. People, like me, who above all else, saw the game as a story of hope. At a time when I was looking for it in a game, I found it in true friends who were drawn to The Division for the same reason.
The Division community, to me, is a representation of hope. In-game, this is depicted so well; a vast city and you, one agent, piecing together the broken shards of all that humanity has lost, the pressure of distrust from those who also survived, and the unbreakable will to carry on with your mission in hope that your actions will display your true intent – to instil hope. Yes, even if it costs you your life. I believe we all feel that way at one time or another. Once, we lost hope in each other and then we hoped alone, but now, we hope together.”
When I first joined the Division community, there were super knowledgeable people willing to answer my questions no matter how silly I felt they were. That had a lasting effect on me.
Now, as a content creator, I do my best to carry that mentality forward and to encourage my community to do the same no matter what stream they go to, no matter what platform. We’re here to help make your game time more enjoyable and knowledge-sharing is a huge factor. Though I don’t always have the answers, I’m confident someone in my community does!”
The Sage household includes a trio of beautiful Schnauzers!
__Have you been to any conventions or meetups with other fans or members of the community? __
“Not as of yet, but I want to! My community often jokes about a “Sage Con”. I would love to make something like that happen in the future!”
STREAMING
What inspired you to pick up a mic and start streaming?
“When I was first introduced to The Division community, I watched Twitch streams like many others and acquainted myself with content creators. At the time, I dabbled in streaming Star Wars: The Old Republic but quickly found myself passionate about The Division. After joining a community called Dark Zone Report, I remember an event where we helped Agents gear up and I was asked if I would like to stream it along with other content creators.
I absolutely loved the connectivity with chat and the sense of joy that came from helping a fellow Agent who, like me, started their journey alone. Since then, Division has been the game I’ve built my community around.
Echoing my early experiences with Division and its community, creating that same sense of belonging, inclusiveness, and relaxing atmosphere is my primary goal. To enhance that, I’d like to create a Twitch Stream Team, along with other framework, that will support those new to content creation or well-seasoned, and couple it with a complete support system of genuine folks dedicated to you and your journey.
To do this, becoming a Partner on Twitch has been my focus. I’m happy to say that framework has already been well underway and headed by passionate humans I call my friends. I’m excited for our community’s future!”
What are some of your favourite moments?
“One of my more recent funny/triumphant moments was finally seeing the Lady Death drop. My community knew I’ve been farming for it since WONY dropped and I figure “I’ll dedicate an entire 8-hour stream to getting it!”
Not too long into stream we see the iconic exotic beam of light after taking down an open world boss and we were all so excited! But, just in case, I had two sounds queued up – one in case is WAS the Lady Death and one in case it wasn’t. Well, we won! It was a great moment and one of my favourite kinds of moments to share with folks on stream.”
If you want to check out Sage's memorable moment you can check the clip here.
Where are your favourite places or missions in The Division 2?
“In D.C., a few of my favourite missions are: Air and Space Museum, Federal Emergency Bunker, and Lincoln Memorial. I love every area in open-world Manhattan, but my mission of choice is definitely Pathway Park – Hiding place of Javier Kajika. This mission delivers suspense, ambience, and contains one of my favourite scores by Ola Strandh.” /chefs kiss
GAMERLOOP NETWORK
Not so long ago you launched into orbit, your Gamerloop Network; can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind this portal?
“From the beginning, our goal was clear: Create a one-stop-shop for gamers to connect through LFG’s, events, charity, guild activities and more. From inception we had a clear focus on community, inclusivity, giving, and education – all in a relaxed atmosphere where everyone is welcome and appreciated.
Gamerloop Network is founded by content creators who come from many areas of experience including but not limited to podcasting and streaming. We asked ourselves in what way we can make our experience available to the community while also providing practical guidance, not just words in a DM or links to YouTube.
This is where the magic happens, with Sage at the helm.
Our answer was to include our community from the very beginning in its own content creation. Whether you’re interested in podcasting – we’ve got GamerLoop Radio for that!
Streaming – our leadership Team and community have a wealth of experience! Or writing news articles for our community’s website, or even something else we haven’t explored yet, GLN is a space for you to learn and grow and that need not be restricted to our platform.
Our experience is open to all! We love to help.”
You do The Division specific content among other things, how does this portal help other agents in your community?
"GLN loves to help - Answering questions from basic gameplay mechanics to end-game building, community events focused on blueprint or targeted loot farming, or one of my favourites: SHD School. SHD-School is designed to guide new players through end-game content whether that’s Heroic and Legendary Missions, or Raids. One of our SHD School leaders, KayleeFenix, conducts first-time raiders through a detailed breakdown of each engagement in a relaxed, mistakes are OK environment."
We pride ourselves on education through calm, systematic explanations and that new-raiders are encouraged to ask any and all questions. It’s a supportive teaching and learning experience!
What does the future look like for Gamerloop Network?
“Our goal is to continue to expand into all areas that support gamers! That will include more serious subject matter such as Health & Fitness and Mental Health.
We also have been guided immensely by the passions and hobbies of our community’s interests – from gardening and cooking to technical support and everything in between, we passionately believe that the GLN community lights the way.
It is our commitment as Leaders that ‘community first’ is not merely a philosophy reserved purely for growth, it is an all-encompassing lifestyle. It is our greatest desire, and the inspiration behind every interaction, every game-session, and every kind word or action in support of those in need: We are GamerLoop Network.”
If you want to connect with Sage you can find him on the below platforms:
We’d like to thank Sage for taking the time to share his work, his passion and his visions for the future. We wish you all the best in becoming Twitch partner and look forward to seeing what you and your community comes up with in the future.
/ The Division Community Team