Joedat "Voyboy" Esfahani has been committed to creating positive change in the League of Legends community at large for multiple years, but the former North American League of Legeends Championship Series pro kicked things up a notch by partnering with LCS organization FlyQuest. FLY has been executing environmental initiatives since the start of thew 2020 LCS Season, and in uniting with Voyboy, have recently launched a new initiative called #MeQuest focused on wellness.

Voyboy sat down with Inven Global to talk about joining FlyQuest, his role in creating and carrying out #MeQuest, and the bigger picture of his shared goals with his new organization.

Voyboy, can you describe how you partnership with FlyQuest came to be and how the nature of this partnership differs from a standard dynamic between an organization and a streamer?

Ever since I retired from the NA LCS in 2014 and became a full-time content creator/streamer, I've been looking for ways to entertain my viewers with good content but also ways to make a positive impact on the community around me and League of Legends in general.

I've done it over the years through a lot of charity streams, 24-hour efforts, mental health causes — I've focused on a lot of different things, but I'm always trying to figure out how I can use my voice and the platform I've been given to help create some kind of positive impact. Ever since FlyQuest arrived on the LCS scene, and especially in launching amazing initiatives like #TreeQuest, #SeaQuest and #BeeQuest, I was always a fan of the team.

There are several LCS teams that I have liked and rooted for in my heart, but ever since FLY started doing community efforts and trying to make a positive impact to create a lasting difference in the gaming community and beyond, I was like 'Wow, they are awesome. I really respect and love what they are doing.'

This past off-season, I got the opportunity to sit down with Tricia and FlyQuest. We agreed that we both saw eye to eye, had mutual fans, and both wanted to make a positive difference in the community around us, and we wanted to see if there was some way we could come together and work towards the mutual causes in a way that makes sense by creating more awesome initiatives.

We talked for a little bit, immediately clicked, and we felt that it seemed like an awesome idea. We started talking to see what we could do, and one thing that I wanted to do coming into this partnership was trying to figure out ways we could make a positive impact on mental health and its surrounding conversations, especially in the midst of a pandemic. We wanted to help people get back on their feet, me included, and we all know how tough this has been.

We all saw eye to eye, so we wanted to find ways we could make a difference for the community around us, and that's kind of where we are now with the recent launch of #MeQuest which is an incredible cause. A lot of people have jumped on board, and I've found it helpful myself to take small positive steps on a daily and weekly basis.

We want to not only hold each other accountable, but also, support each other in figuring out how we can all take these little steps to our help our bodies and minds by bringing our community a little bit more and feel better. We're nearing the end of quarantine, and things are starting to become a bit more normal.

That's the goal for me and FlyQuest: we're trying to figure out the best ways to use our resources and platforms to make a difference and create some lasting change for the community around us. That's my long-term vision, and I think FlyQuest shares it. We're really looking to do some awesome things and we're really excited for everything that is to come.

#MeQuest seems like something that is right up your alley in terms of community engagement. What is your role in the most recent FlyQuest initiative?

The whole #MeQuest initiative kind of came together as a result of FlyQuest and I brainstorming what we could do to help on an individual level after #SeaQuest, #TreeQuest and #BeeQuest. It's a cause of grandeur, but on a smaller scale.

In terms of helping the community around us, whether it's FlyQuest fans, other LCS fans, or beyond that, we asked ourselves, "What's something we can do to help bring people together and find a positive outlook on steps we can all take to make our respective day-to-days feel a bit better?" It was a brainstorming effort, and once we came up with the #MeQuest idea and worked together to flesh it out and nail down the different categories, activities, and the whole schematic.

It's been a really cool journey so far. It's been super exciting to see people come on board and check in with their weekly updates. One of my #MeQuest updates is going for walks every day. I used to go on walks before the pandemic lockdown, and I just got a little bit lazy and out of shape. I was like, 'You know what? I want to bring that back,' so one of my #MeQuests in the last two weeks in the physical category was going for walks everyday.

I felt so good about that, and I definitely want to keep i up for #MeQuest and beyond. When people share their #MeQuests — taking those positive steps by playing basketball again, or swimming, or daily yoga — it's been really inspiring.

I think it really does help motivate everyone else involved to keep working hard and taking those steps, whatever that looks like for each person. #MeQuest is about the individual, and everyone has their different ways of bringing joy or a smile into their lives, so that's what #MeQuest is about.

Now that you've had some time to work with FlyQuest, how would you say the organization's approach differs from that of its peers in context of community initiatives?

I think it's pretty clear that on a competitive level, FlyQuest wants to be the best. We've had success multiple years and multiple LCS finals finishes, and it's been really cool see them field top teams year after year. From a community-focused motivational standpoint, I truly believe everyone at FlyQuest cares about making a difference through positive impact. It's a big reason why I signed here in the first place, and it starts from the top.

From our CEO Tricia down to every single person across the organization, all of my experiences with everyone, even before joining the org, confirm that everyone really does care.

Everyone wants to make a difference and I think that's been proven through all the initiatives that have and will continue to come through the pipeline. There's a lot of ways to use one's platform and influence in a positive way, and I don't think anyone has really figured out the limit of positive reach an individual or entity can have.

FlyQuest is just exploring that in different authentic ways that make sense and can resonate with fans to get people involved and excited. These initiatives have included a really cool tie-in to the competitive side of things by raising money when FlyQuest does something in game like secure a dragon or pop off on kills.

Obviously, our team and everyone else cares about being some of the best competitors around, but when you tie in the community efforts, the positivity, and charity initiatives, it kind of brings it all together in ways that can make sense and make a difference for the gaming community around us. That's how I would sum up what FlyQuest is all about.

Amongst retired professional players, there are few who have continued to establish themselves as greater and greater fixtures in this community. Do you think what you've done and are continuing to do with FlyQuest will inspire other orgs to collaborate on community efforts with prominent figures such as yourself?

Hey, watch who you're calling retired! I killed Faker the 2018 All-Star Event, so at the next international tournament, you never know...I might come out swinging.

I think that what FlyQuest and I are doing together is incredible. I couldn't be happier with the partnership, how things are going, and the ways in which we are trying to make a difference in the community. We're not the only team and organization around who is trying to make a difference, but I definitely think that it's only a net win to bring in streamers, former pros, and influencers to teams with resources who share the desire to make some kind of lasting change.

I think that's only a good thing, and I would love to see more players and teams out there following suit in their own ways. On a macro scale, it's really about how we can all do something positive and help those around us, ourselves, the communities we are a part of, and the world at large.

It sounds really grandiose — some people will be like, 'You're playing video games, what are you talking about?' — but everything helps. Every little step that a team takes to try and create some positive impact does go a long way in the end. I think it's super important and it would be awesome to see anyone else doing something similar to us.