Hey Light Keepers, I'm Michael/Jansten AKA Destiny Emblem Collector (DEC) and I've been a member of the Bungie Foundation for ten years of Destiny, six years of DEC, and four years of fundraising!
What’s the origin story behind the Destiny Emblem Collector website?
I've always wanted to help people in whatever way I can and I wanted to find a way to help people with my knowledge and love of emblems. I remember seeing an article that told people way back in the Destiny 1 pre-Vault and pre-Collections days that they could get an emblem by deleting their Gjallarhorn. I wanted to create a reference site to gather all the emblem knowledge and make sure that knowledge stays up-to-date and verified. I also wanted to try to find ways to alert people to emblems that are only around for a limited time, largely because I'm still sad I didn't get Brick By Brick.
How many Destiny emblems have you personally unlocked?
Best I can tell I've unlocked 676 emblems so far!
What’s your favorite Destiny emblem?
That's a tough question! I'll pick one from each Destiny game and try to keep myself to just those two. Destiny 1 I always loved "Blessing of Worlds," I love how clean it is and the purple color in the background. For Destiny 2, one of my favorites is First To the Forge; I love how this one looks in game, especially at the top of the character screen. I could probably go on for a long time about how many great emblems there are (DEC tracks over 1,200 emblems!), but these are two of my favorites.
What emblem took you the longest to obtain?
Warminded, hands down. I didn't even need to look this one up. I spent so, so much time on Mars opening Sleeper Nodes and trying to get that one last Node that I just couldn't get.
What inspired you to start supporting the Bungie Foundation?
In the interest of helping people, I started to fundraise for the Bungie Foundation to try to help those that are in need through the work the Bungie Foundation does. I was initially drawn to the Little Lights program and wanted to support that especially.
What keeps you motivated to use your platform for good?
I'm motivated by the messages that donors leave during their donations about how we can all help The Little Lights along with seeing how much the money we raise can help those around the world that need help in difficult times.
How has your involvement with the Bungie Foundation impacted your community?
I think it's had such a positive impact on my community! I've seen so many people joining together to donate money towards the various fundraisers that take place during the year and help the Bungie Foundation with the causes they support. And we can get some very cool incentives too (like emblems, of course)!
Can you share a memorable moment or story from your fundraising efforts?
I remember Jarrod on stage during one of the livestreams announcing that myself, Leopard, and Marruk (from the awesome Trials Report) had all reached $100,000 raised at the same time. It was wild hearing my site's name on a stream like that!
Why do you believe the Bungie Foundation's mission is important for the Destiny community?
I think the Bungie Foundation's mission aligns with a core part of the Destiny community's goal: helping those in need. Whether it's helping someone during a flood, or following around a Guardian Rank 1 New Light in the Cosmodrome, or showing your friend how to do a dungeon they've never done before, I think that all Guardians want to help each other, especially when they need help the most.
How does the foundation's work align with your personal values or goals as a creator?
As I've said above, I really want to help people however I can, just like the Bungie Foundation does. I think that's what drew me to the work that the Bungie Foundation does originally and what keeps me fundraising for them every year.
What message would you like to share with your audience about the importance of supporting the Bungie Foundation?
Every dollar helps! I see people apologizing for donating $7 during an event and that's not something to apologize for! For an organization like the Bungie Foundation, they can do so, so much with every dollar that gets donated, much more than we realize. And if 100 or 1,000 people donate $7, that's a lot of money that can be used to help those in need.
What do you think it says about the Destiny community that they are so supportive of the Bungie Foundation’s work?
I think it shows how incredible the Destiny community is in supporting those that are in need around the world. And it's incredible that the amount raised during each fundraiser keeps going up every time!
When did you start playing Destiny / get involved with the community?
I started to play Destiny when the first game was launched; I still remember my wife and I seeing the original E3 trailer for Destiny and pre-ordering PS4s and copies of the game on the spot. I've been playing Destiny 1 and 2 constantly since the game launched. I originally started Destiny Emblem Collector (DEC) during 2019 and it's grown a ton since the site opened!
Favorite Destiny gaming moment?
One of my favorites was my raid team (shoutouts to The Semi-Serious Raid Group!) clearing Deep Stone Crypt for the first time. We're all parents so we don't get a lot of time to raid each week, so clearing DSC as our first raid as a team was amazing!
Is there a particular focus of the Bungie Foundation’s work that you feel especially close to or passionate about?
The Little Lights program is the program that I feel especially passionate about. When a child needs to stay as a patient for any amount of time is stressful and being able to support the child with something familiar like an iPad while supporting their entertainment and educational needs at the same time is amazing.
What do you hope to achieve through your continued support of the Bungie Foundation?
I hope that the amazing and generous DEC community can continue to raise as much money as we have been able to in support of the Bungie Foundation's work! There are so many great causes that the Bungie Foundation supports in support of their mission and I'm so happy to be able to fundraise in support of the Bungie Foundation.