Desert Starstruck

To mod or not to mod, that was the question. Watching, reading, FEELING the way one particular chat moderator brought the desert and its denizens to life helped me find the answer.

I didn’t become a “mod” immediately… nobody does, it would be like being thrown into the deep end of the pool without knowing how to swim. That said, the instructions I was given when I accepted the honour were, basically, “Watch what everyone else does, and do that.”

It soon became clear that everyone else had their own ways of modding, ranging from a subdued background presence that popped up to post timestamps, enforce rules, and paste facts to a host of colourful characters that radically widened the Blue Crew into an azure rainbow. Where did I fit on that spectrum, assuming I’d fit at all?

It took a voice that seemed to come from beyond the blue, well into the ultraviolet in fact, to shine the light for me. “Desert Stars” wasn’t like the other mods – she was a native of South Africa, for one thing. She wasn’t drily observing an alien world; this was her home and the animals were her family. At least, she spoke of them as if they were.

The jackals were “my beauties,” for example. Jackals don’t have the greatest reputation, for reasons we won’t delve into right now, but Desert Stars’ commentary forced myself (and others too) to look beyond our ingrained impressions and see them with new eyes.

Her active, loving and respectful modding made her a sort of Spirit Guide, showing us the way to interpret sights, sounds, behaviors and interactions few of us had ever witnessed. If NamibiaCam’s vision was/is to bring the creatures and environment of Namibia to the awareness of the wider world, his choice of Desert Stars was a truly enlightened one!

I can never hope to fill her modding sandals, sadly set aside for now as she devotes her full energies fighting a battle for life itself. I can, however, feel inspired by her passion and follow her example to enliven MY modding style (such as it is), as I aspire to forge lasting and meaningful emotional connections between the viewers and the viewed.

I may never find myself, as Desert Stars once related, in a sleeping bag looking up at the countless blazing stars studding the roof of the Namib desert, when a passing jackal stops to gently sniff my face. But I can imagine it, thanks to her honest and compelling commentary.              

I feel greatly satisfied and deeply fulfilled when I can channel my feelings for what I’m watching onscreen to evoke similar emotions amongst the chatters and, hopefully, the unheard multitudes of viewers with whom we as moderators share a common view, if not (yet) a common vision.

With that in mind, I know now that answering the call to mod for NamibiaCam was the right decision and for that – and also for the very special virtual birthday cake you “baked” for me – I thank you, Desert Stars.

(images via Desert Stars © 2026)