Extra life is not limited to just game day! For the last two years, we have been going out with our mobile VR station on the Friday before game day, bringing VR to other Extra Life Events within our local Children’s Miracle Network of Hospitals and Outpatient facilities.
Only hospital staff were allowed to take photographs – some of the kids we were playing with were sensitive about having their photos taken, since many of them have very rare and serious medical conditions. But Children’s Miracle Network did their own writeup of one of the events, held at their 80 bed facility in New Brunswick, NJ for Extra Life 2018. Check it out:
It was quite a fun time with every genre of game represented, lots of board and card games, some console gaming, but wouldn’t you know, VR stole the show. We all have seen what kids are like when they have their first VR experience, and the delight and surprise we brought to to the table were well worth the effort. Nobody was happy about being stuck in the hospital for Halloween, but getting to try VR for the first time really made their day.
This was a great event for all of us for a few reasons! First, it was Halloween, so I got to cosplay as Rick Sanchez. Second, we provided very first VR experiences to a lot of kids who are stuck in the hospital and can’t just go out to an arcade due to their health conditions. Third, we got to mix and mingle with a ton of other Extra Life streamers. Finally, it didn’t cost us anything, just my own time and effort. As a bonus, one of the streamers I met that day ended up coming to play at the Arcade, and I managed to convince her to join the team as a VR Specialist. Lindsay turned out to be one of our most talented employees, and no small part of that was her dedication to helping kids through Extra Life. Anything for the kids.
