Gamers Giving Back Events & ArenaNet

Gamers Giving Back Events & ArenaNet

in In-game Events

Posted by: fizzypetal.7936

fizzypetal.7936

Howdy folks!

Earlier this month I received in the post a marvelous surprise…

I have had breast cancer 5 times since 2008 and am currently on chemo for my most recent occurrence diagnosed mid June 2015. I had the pleasure of working with Rhonda Head aka Malibu Barbie (Yailith.4056) as a volunteer organiser for Pink Day in LA 2015. It was via Barbie that my personal situation came to the attention of ArenaNet.

Inside the card was a beautiful hand written message from Colin Johanson and the signatures of 36 ANet folks. To quote from the card: “Keep up the good fight and know that everyone here at ArenaNet has your back and is rooting for you.”

When the card came through and I saw the name on the return address on the envelope, I was confused. The only Colin Johanson I knew worked for ArenaNet. When I opened the card, read the message and saw all the signatures, my jaw hit the floor, my eyes filled with tears and I immediately called my husband to share the news. Then told a few close friends. A couple weeks on and I’m still astonished.

The point of sharing…

That Colin Johanson and his team took time to send their best wishes to me shows what big hearts peeps in ArenaNet have. They do care about their players and the wider world we live in. ArenaNet have a history of supporting players in their charitable endeavors – take Pink Day for example – Pink Dye was introduced as a way of supporting the Pink Day initiative. ArenaNet also donated a bunch of prizes for the draws that were held on the day.

The number of super cool and awesome people I have met through GW2 far outweighs some of the negative people that have very occasionally crossed my path. GW2 is one of my main social outlets in addition to Facebook and Twitter. Sitting at home in my jimjams with a clean bathroom and plenty of loo roll is far more appealing to me nowadays than sitting in a pub barely able to hear the person in front of me because the music is so dang loud.

For me, GW2 is a game that gives me a break from real life when things start getting too heavy. I get to dress however I want, I get to have boobs again, I get to do things like fly and run for miles without getting tired. I can have awesome pets like dragons and big cats, fire a bow and arrow or be a healer.

I have been playing GW2 since Beta. When you feel like the devs don’t care, think again. They may not get it right the first time or all the time, but they sure do try and will keep trying. They engage with the community in a way I personally have not seen with any other game producer. It is this caring about the community, the beautiful game that continues to evolve and the many lovely players, some of which have become friends, that will keep me playing GW2.

When Pink Day comes around in October of this year, please do mark it on your calendars and make an effort to participate in some way. You don’t have to be a volunteer organiser to be a part of it – donating materials for prize give-aways, helping spread the word, supporting those that are running farm events in Orr, Silverwastes and other maps (obviously check the forums first to check the farms are legit) and participating in events on the day are all ways you can support the Pink Day initiative. Although Pink Day and October are associated with breast cancer, the Pink Day event is much more than just raising awareness of breast cancer but to also raise much needed funds for cancer research into all types of cancers, some of which are hugely underfunded (pediatric for example).

To listen to Malibu Barbie’s story, how she got started with Gamers Giving back, the other charities Gamers Giving Back support and ArenaNet’s part in contributing to Gamers Giving Back success, have a listen to this podcast. Barbie’s segment starts at 58.47.

https://youtu.be/_6SKWTlxOS8?list=PLuF8h6vFT6oUdsRRsrAkCPv1-gK2h0NuP

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