I have worked at writing articles about how to make a gaming experience better. Along with articles about tabletop gaming there have been reviews on movies, books, and events associated with the gaming community in one form or another. This year, at SaltConand Salt Lake Gaming Con, I had the opportunity to meet people involved in an organization that works at allowing our gaming to make other people's experience better.
You probably know a family a children’s hospital has helped. You might not even realize it. These hospitals have help many families directly and indirectly. Not only do they keep up on the latest pediatric medicine, they help in developing practices and procedures used in hospitals all over the world. The great work they do is supported through different means. One of those helping to provide support is Extra Life.
Extra Life is an organization works with gamers raising money to support hospitals in the Children’s Miracle Hospital Network, which covers North America. For most of us here in Utah, that would probably be Primary Children’s Hospital; however, if you want to support another hospital you can. I bet there are similar activities happening in other countries. If you know of one, please share the information so more people can be involved.
The gaming community is known for being givers, involved as volunteers in many ways. For example, cosplayers who visit children in the hospital. But not all of us are comfortable doing cosplay. For those of us not so outgoing, Extra Life is a way to add our support. As gaming geeks (tabletop, electronic, sports, LARPing, etc.), we can help children, their families, and the hospitals serving them by playing games.
Just go online, signup, and choose the hospital you want to support (here is a link to Extra Life). After that, continue doing what you have been doing—play the games you play with the friends you play them with. You can also be involved with National Game Day on November 5th.
National Game Day is set aside for a 24 hour marathon. There are national events and live streaming. But not everyone can run a 24 hour gaming session. And, you don’t have to. You can spread out your 24 hours of gaming over a period of time, which means for most gamers there is no disruption to what you are already doing. If you are reading this, I’d be surprised if you haven't played games for more than 24 hours over the past year. With my gaming group we easily reach that goal every month and some in the group usually do it every week.
When you sign up you choose the hospital you want to support, then let people know they can go online and support you in fund raising. It is like doing a walk-a-thon without having to walk 25 kilometers, or miles for some of us who did this back in the 70s. This is also on an honor system, so you don’t have someone calling to remind you to update your game time. And, with it being on the internet, you don’t have to go back around and collect the money and get it turned in by a certain date. Extra Life uses their infrastructure to take care of all of the pledges people make.
Extra Life started in 2008 and has raised over $21 million for children’s hospitals across North America. Locally, Primary Children’s Hospital currently has about 600 gamers registered who have raise over $50 thousand as of 2015. The money is mostly used to help families for charity care. Their goal is to make sure the children, and their families, get the care they need.Check it out. The support you throw their way helps. Spread the word by sharing the idea. You can use this article, one of your own, or just talk about it.
If you have any comments, questions, or critiques please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.
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