I recently discovered an article on Reddit about a dying man’s wish to play Creative Assembly’s Total War: Three Kingdoms. Needless to say I was moved deeply by the outpouring of support from the gaming community.
It was also a reminder of how games can take us away. Away from stress, anxiety and the nagging reminders of a hard day. In the case of this young man, it briefly swept him away from the thought of his fatal diagnosis.
Knowing his younger brother’s love of the Total War franchise and who was also eagerly awaiting the release of Three Kingdoms on May 23rd, he rallied the troops. The diagnosis meant he may not live to see the official release date.
Reaching out to influencers and the developer on social media, a special request was made; to allow this dying man to experience Three Kingdoms before it was too late.
On May 16th, 2019 Reddit user and Creative Assembly dev u/DogbertCA sent the brother a download key for Total War: Three Kingdoms. The interwebs came through in a big way that day.
The older brother describes his younger brother’s enthusiasm about the gift on this Reddit post. The message briefly describes the timeline and conditions surrounding the request. I have to admit, it’s both awe-inspiring and hard to read. What’s most astounding is the 600+ comments that follow. Like-minded people coming together in support of a bad situation.
On May 19th, Leukemia claimed the younger brother’s life. He had three days with the game. I wonder if it felt like a lifetime?
What was very clearly a moment of Earth-shaking sadness for a young man and his family, was also a keen reminder that people can come together to support one another. The gaming community leveled up that day when a simple download key was emailed to a dying gamer.
Are there other similar stories out there? Feel free to share them below. As always, thanks for reading!
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