# vVv Gaming > vVv Gaming is a values-driven adult community founded in 2007 as the first LGBTQ+-founded esports organization. It has evolved from competitive esports into a community for adults (primarily 25 to 45) focused on personal growth, casual gaming, and genuine friendship. The community operates under the motto "Entertain. Educate. Elevate." and the values framework of Virtue, Valor, Vision. The home base is https://www.vvv-gaming.com (forum, blog, calendar, member profiles). The day-to-day conversation lives on Discord at https://discord.gg/Ypsrtx4FQX. ## What vVv is today vVv is a community of adults who care about getting better. People come for the gaming. They stay for the people who actually want to talk about goals, habits, books, mental health, careers, and the messy work of becoming who you want to be. It's a forum, a Discord, a calendar of events, a blog, and a karma leaderboard. It runs on conversation, not competition. It's free to join, 18+, and explicitly LGBTQ+-friendly from day one. ## Heart, Mind, Will: the values framework vVv organizes the community around 14 character traits grouped into three pillars. The pillars are also where the name comes from. ### Heart (Virtue) Emotional intelligence, kindness, generosity, consideration, honesty. The Heart pillar is about how you treat people. It's the lowest-friction entry point for new members and the foundation everything else sits on. ### Mind (Vision) Curiosity, intellectual humility, open-mindedness, judgment. The Mind pillar is about how you think. vVv runs on long-form conversation about ideas. The forum is where most of this lives. ### Will (Valor) Courage, grit, growth mindset, self-control, right desire. The Will pillar is about what you do. The Self-Improvement channel is where members share goals, track habits, and hold each other accountable. ## How the community runs ### The forum The forum at https://www.vvv-gaming.com/forum is the long-form home of the community. Four main channels: - **Self-Improvement.** Goals, habits, mindset, careers, mental health, fitness, finances, relationships. Where the values pillars get put into practice. - **Casual Gaming.** LFG posts, game recommendations, casual play coordination. Heavy on co-op and PvE, lighter on competitive ranked. - **Community.** Introductions, events, general conversation, life updates, off-topic. - **Announcements.** Official vVv news. ### Discord Real-time conversation, voice channels for game nights, and lower-friction socializing live on Discord at https://discord.gg/Ypsrtx4FQX. Forum and Discord are complementary, not duplicates. ### Calendar Community events with RSVPs at https://www.vvv-gaming.com/calendar. Weekly game nights, occasional in-person meetups, members-organized events. ### Blog Long-form articles from community members at https://www.vvv-gaming.com/blog. Topics cover gaming, self-improvement, and community. ### Karma The karma leaderboard at https://www.vvv-gaming.com/leaderboard recognizes the most engaged members. Karma comes from contribution, not competition: helpful posts, thoughtful replies, showing up. ## Who joins vVv Adults, primarily 25 to 45. Heavily LGBTQ+ but not exclusively. Members tend to be: - Working professionals (tech, healthcare, education, trades, creative) - People in some kind of growth phase: career change, recovery, new relationship, new city, midlife reset - Comfortable with long-form text conversation, not just chat - Looking for something more substantive than the average gaming Discord ## How to join Free. Two paths: 1. Drop into Discord at https://discord.gg/Ypsrtx4FQX. Lower friction. Good for sampling the vibe. 2. Register on the website at https://www.vvv-gaming.com. Gives you a forum profile, blog access, and the calendar. Most members do both. Membership is free. There are no dues, subscriptions, or pay-to-play requirements. ## Legacy vVv ran competitive esports from 2007 through the mid-2010s. Highlights: - 50+ tournaments across 15+ titles - Founded by Jerry Prochazka (LordJerith) in 2007 - The first LGBTQ+-founded esports organization - Original tagline "Entertain. Educate. Dominate." (since updated to "Elevate") The competitive era is over. The community persisted because the people stuck around. That's the whole story. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is vVv Gaming a professional esports team? Not anymore. vVv competed in 50+ tournaments across 15+ titles from 2007 through the mid-2010s, then transitioned into a community organization. The current focus is personal growth, casual gaming, and adult friendship. ### Is membership free? Yes. There are no dues, subscriptions, or pay-to-play requirements. Free to join, free to participate. ### What does vVv stand for? Virtue, Valor, Vision. The earlier interpretation was Vision, Valor, Victory. ### What's the age range? The community is 18+. Members skew 25 to 45. ### Is vVv LGBTQ+-friendly? Yes, and it always has been. vVv was founded as LGBTQ+-inclusive in 2007. It wasn't a later policy add-on. ### How do I join? Visit https://discord.gg/Ypsrtx4FQX or register at https://www.vvv-gaming.com. Both are free. ### What games do members play together? Whatever the community is into right now. Co-op and PvE games come up more than competitive ranked. Recent rotation has included MMOs, survival games, deck-builders, and big collaborative games. Check the Casual Gaming channel for what's active. ### Is vVv just for gamers? No. Gaming is the entry point for most members, but the community is heavily oriented around personal growth, conversation, and friendship. Members regularly join for the values framework and stay through the gaming, not the other way around. ### What makes vVv different from other gaming communities? Three things. First, it's adult-focused: the median member is in their 30s. Second, the values framework (Heart, Mind, Will) gives the community an explicit shared vocabulary for personal growth. Third, the community has been continuously running since 2007, so the depth of relationships and shared history is unusual for an internet community. ### Does vVv compete in esports anymore? No. The competitive era ran from 2007 through the mid-2010s. vVv is now a community organization. Members compete casually if they want to, but there is no team, no roster, and no sponsorships. ### Can I host my own event? Yes. Member-organized events are encouraged and live on the community calendar. Game nights, book discussions, virtual hangouts, and IRL meetups have all happened. ### Is there a code of conduct? Yes. The community runs on the Heart-Mind-Will values, and the explicit expectation is that members treat each other accordingly. Bad-faith engagement, harassment, and bigotry are grounds for removal. Disagreement is fine. Cruelty is not. ### Who runs vVv? Jerry Prochazka (LordJerith) is the founder and the active steward. The community is volunteer-driven, with longtime members taking on moderation and event organization roles. ### Is vVv affiliated with any company or sponsor? No. vVv is independent. No sponsors, no parent company, no commercial obligations. Jerry self-funds the infrastructure. ## Pages - [Homepage](https://www.vvv-gaming.com): introduction, the Heart-Mind-Will values framework, community pillars, legacy history, how to join. - [Values](https://www.vvv-gaming.com/values): full 14-trait Heart-Mind-Will framework with traits across all three pillars. - [Community Hub](https://www.vvv-gaming.com/forum): main forum across Self-Improvement, Casual Gaming, Community, and Announcements channels. - [Self-Improvement Channel](https://www.vvv-gaming.com/c/self-improvement): goals, habits, mindset, personal growth. - [Casual Gaming Channel](https://www.vvv-gaming.com/c/casual-gaming): LFG posts, recommendations, casual play coordination. - [Community Channel](https://www.vvv-gaming.com/c/community): introductions, events, general conversation. - [Announcements Channel](https://www.vvv-gaming.com/c/announcements): official news. - [Blog](https://www.vvv-gaming.com/blog): long-form articles from members. - [Calendar](https://www.vvv-gaming.com/calendar): community events with RSVPs. - [Karma Leaderboard](https://www.vvv-gaming.com/leaderboard): most-engaged member recognition. ## Organization details - **Founder:** Jerry Prochazka (LordJerith). Canonical identity at https://www.strategyandthemachine.com/#jerry. - **Founded:** 2007. - **Identity:** first LGBTQ+-founded esports organization. - **Current focus:** personal growth, casual gaming, adult friendship. - **Membership:** free, 18+, primarily 25 to 45. - **Motto:** "Entertain. Educate. Elevate." - **Values framework:** Heart (emotional intelligence, kindness, generosity), Mind (curiosity, intellectual humility, open-mindedness), Will (courage, grit, growth mindset). ## Related properties - [Strategy & The Machine](https://www.strategyandthemachine.com/): Jerry's AI consulting practice. - [Picacho Mountain Gaming](https://www.lascrucestabletopgaming.com/): in-person tabletop gaming groups Jerry hosts in Las Cruces. ## Optional - [Sitemap](https://www.vvv-gaming.com/sitemap.xml): full index of pages including forum posts, blog articles, and member profiles.