PLAYER PROFILE
Spawning into the real world (IRL) in the year 1988, Caroline Louise Murphy entered the realm screaming, quickly earning the “title” of “Paddy Murphy” by parents and nurses alike. Surely this was an “Easter Egg” hinting at my future love of loud, metal music?!
Today, my player profile would list that I am an animal lover (if I could turn into one as my druid in World of Warcraft can, I’d be set!), a drummer/singer in real-world downtime and in love with alternative culture. My IRL ‘toon is covered in tattoos, piercings and adorned with various “armor” and “trinkets” that are either completely black or brightly whacky, never in between… I’d be a dream or a nightmare in stealth arena combat!
Picture - ME, Caroline Murphy
PREVIOUS SAVE DATA
As a teenager I’d spend most of my time at concerts or listening to the trove of new bands on a little website they called “Myspace”. I was a real “scene kid”… now classified as an “Elder Emo” or “Sentinel of Sadness” as I’d write my in-game tagline. I had the full winger eyeliner that often ran down my cheeks at shows and a haircut that meant I could barely see… but what I lacked in vision would definitely have been made up in fabulous “fringe attack”, imagine that as a finishing move!
An avid reader, I began to put my fondness for the written word into features, reviews and interviews as a freelance music journalist, bringing my personality into my work which seemed to work well working with both bands and their agents… my “talents” would include being able to talk for Britain… and the rest of the world!
Not being able to shush (as my teachers at school would attest to… Sorry Mr. Duthie!) quickly led me to writing for several publications online including ThisisUll.com as a music journalist, Gigwise.com as a feature writer and several other e-zines as well as at my own blog. I was invited by bands to review their sets with wristbands for many events, including VIP access at Reading Festival where I took my Mum and we met Natalie Imbruglia who I think wondered who on Earth we were!
Along the way I covered many bands including 10,000 Things - the lead singer Sam Riley having since appeared as Ian Curtis in the film Control and as Diaval in the Disney movie Maleficent alongside Angelina Jolie… alright for some!). “Gift of the gab” would be my primary real-world achievement and somehow I even managed to persuade Trivium’s Matt Heafy to let me interview him about his French Bulldog! “What’s the worst that can happen?! is absolutely my motto and it USUALLY serves me well… that’s what respawn points are for, right? Ha!
As well as my writing, I put on several live events as the “CariMurph Club Night” in and around Wolverhampton. This is where my love for all things screamy was truly born, my first metal night was headlined by Eternal Lord who I’m pleased to say are still going today!
Picture - me and Sam Riley in Leeds at his birthday concert with 10,000 Things and The Cribs (early 2000s)
Picture - My review of Trivium - In Waves on it’s release, for an online magazine
Picture - Me and Matt Heafy at a guitar clinic in London after I’d interviewed him about his French Bulldog
20 YEARS AFK
Doing well in school and with my freelancing, of course something had to happen… I’m a Murphy after all, we have a literal law! I became extremely unwell very suddenly at age 17 and was thrown from pillar to post with different medical professionals trying to work out what had happened and how to help me. I was eventually diagnosed with Myalgic Encephelomyalitis (chronic fatigue syndrome), ironically a mouthful to say and explain for people who are already exhausted! Some days I would go to bed and not wake up for a week, at other times I couldn’t sleep until my feet could no longer hold my body up, never truly feeling rested no matter what I did.
Chronic pain and other not so admirable symptoms would lead me to be unable to leave my house and often even my bed, for two decades, breeding anxiety and agoraphobia, I was trapped in the prison of my own body.
Fast forward some ugly seasons to 2025, I decided I would rot in bed if I didn’t do something to change my life, I was becoming a shadow and I could feel it in every aspect. With some amazing metal bands as my soundtrack, I got to my feet and walked my dog, only a short distance, but repeating it daily, choosing my tunes and just getting up, despite the pain, worked. I still have my disability and always will but from nowhere, my will to LIVE and not just exist became stronger. Music was part of that push too, with Sleep Token’s Even in Arcadia becoming an unexpected catalyst for me.
Music and gaming (which thankfully you can still enjoy in bed!) were the only hobbies to get me through some very dark periods, which is why I’m choosing to focus on those now.
PLAYER TWO HAS ENTERED THE GAME
My gaming journey began with a second-hand BBC computer a neighbor gave to our family. One of my favourite memories is sitting on the sofa in our living room watching my elderly non-tech-savvy Grandpa trying to work out Space Invaders! I fell in love with the bright cyan and pinks and was soon a real champ at Granny’s Garden!
A few years later my uncle donated a computer to our household and Monkey Island was absolutely where my time was spent… I could escape to the persona of Guybrush Threepwood, mighty pirate and get lost in comeback sword fighting, “how appropriate you fight like a cow!”
We weren’t a well-off family so my first real console was the Playstation which was a joint Christmas present to my brother and I. I’m glad we have such a great Mum as she would sit and watch us charge around as Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot for hours. It soon became a necessity to have her there when there was something I couldn’t do, a tradition I still hold to this day! If there’s a boss being particularly unfair or a puzzle I’m stuck on, I get her to sit on my bed and wish me luck and she seems to be a really lucky totem to call to aid!
My favourite era of gaming has to be World of Warcraft in its Wrath of the Lich King campaign and subsequent raids! Having played since Vanilla with Dark Lord Kruul wiped out major cities… I still hold Arthas and Sindrigosa as my anti-hero heroes! I was a raid leader, telling people off for standing in fire and not to get tail swiped by Onyxia (50 DKP MINUS!). It’s here my love of helping people in games and making new friends through it, globally, talking for all hours via Ventrilo, really was born.
Post-WOTLK I picked myself up an Xbox and fell into the squeaky descent of FPS games, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Black Ops and Destiny! With a friend recommending I try Destiny 2 with him, my ambition soon flew and I began to stream on Twitch where I gained Affiliate within a month! My mic sounded like I was down a well but that was a golden era in itself. Upgrading my setup to PC again with an NZXT custom build, custom gaming keyboard and fancy Elgato, Razer and Logitech peripherals, I was well on my way.
Bungie were the first company to take me on as one of 40 global creators, I had a slot in their annual Game2Give drive and raised thousands for the Bungie Foundation. I loved the game at this time, The Witch Queen expansion was the peak and I was regularly helping people via my twitch stream through the hardest master raids and pvping (player versus player) in competitive and ranked playlists, many with hundreds of thousands of followers, me, a peon in comparison (zug zug!).
Signing NDA’s to get sneak peaks and behind the scenes news, I was the first person to release the name of the game’s then newest dungeon! I was so scared after posting the name that maybe I’d misheard and wasn’t actually allowed to do it that I emailed the boss to double check!
With Destiny 2 on hiatus I moved on to Warframe with Digital Extremes. They soon signed me as an official creator and as with Bungie and Destiny 2 I was given lots of in game items to give away, growing my following to the several thousands very quickly!
With my love of music, I decided to branch out into YouTube and wrote a parody song for Destiny 2 and Warframe with my Australian producer and in game friend. This was a huge passion for me and I’ve always tried to fuse my loves of music and gaming to create something whacky and often funny, humor is my highest stat! Perhaps so high making up for what I lack in the health attribute, ha!
Today I can be found downloading my favourite songs on Clone Hero, reliving the fun of the Guitar Hero games while adding in my modern metal favourites; Beartooth, A Day to Remember, the list goes on! I have even gained 100 percent on expert on several songs, if only that skill transferred to me playing guitar in the real world!
Gaming has been more than just a game to me, it has meant connecting with people - from kicking my brother’s ass on Fifa to leading 40 man raids in World of Warcraft. It’s a place to escape from my health problems with a landscape that can change in an instant; where I can be who I want to be brave guardian battling in space or scared survivor running from the Killer’s hook.
Music has always soundtracking my highs and lows in these scenes, with Tony Hawk and Forza Horizon having some of my favourite real-world bands, alongside trying not to cry at Deep Stone Lullaby (Destiny 2) and Invincible (World of Warcraft).
Picture - Me and Grandpa enjoying Space Invaders on our BBC computer
Picture - Dark Lord Kruul desimating Stormwind with my alliance toon going to have a look! FOR THE HORDE but I wanted to see!
CONTINUE TO GAME?
Here I am, white screen and cursor flashing, have I still got this? You can’t answer that question without pressing “continue” and giving the metaphorical boss fight another shot, right? RIGHT?! SO… the story continues and here I am, dual-wielding my two loves, gaming and music… looking for some players to join my fireteam. The quest? Raiding their thoughts!
Picture - My current setup
RIFF & RESPAWN
My fireteam finder would read:
One slightly unhinged veteran, looking for metalhead music makers to take on the boss fight of a lifetime… an interview with me! KNOW WHAT TO DO.
RSVP: RiffandRespawn@outlook.com
Bring a sword.
