So I'm back. These last few weeks have been one giant setback I've faced in my project. Though I've refrained from posting updates, I've been playing now and then. It's not nearly as much as I should have been, but a little progress has still been made. I've made it further in Final Fantasy 4 than I have before. Suffice to say, it's very unlikely that I'll get much further in the series at this point, though. I think I'll be pleased if I can make it to Final Fantasy 6 before our team's marathon on October 22.
In any case, you can expect regular recaps to resume tomorrow with a long catch-up post, but today, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the 'reason for the season' in regards to #100daysofgaming.
No matter the answer, it binds us together as what I like to call 'The nicest gaming community on the internet.' And it's been an amazing journey to watch Extra Life grow.
I first heard about it in 2010 on DiggNation. At that time, my initial motivation to participate was very different than it is today. Sure I was drawn to it because I'd spent time in a CMN hospital as a kid, and sure I wanted to support those who went through worse than I did, but when I first began, I simply set out with something to prove. I wanted to be living proof that gamers weren't useless. You might say I wanted to be the very best like no one ever was.
Ultimately, 2010 was a wash though. We thought it too late to start, and the marathon came and went and we paid it no mind. But the seed had been planted. I knew I wanted to get involved and gradually, my reasons shifted.
You see, it's hard not to get caught up in the frenzy of inspiration surrounding Extra Life. As 2011 started, I did my research. I read more and more of Extra Lifers' stories, and I got closer and closer to the true heart of it. The need to prove myself faded into the background as I schemed something grander. I wanted to unite those around me into a force for good. That was when Steel City Score Attack was born. Even the name reflects my desire at that point.
Our name had to be something that embodied Pittsburgh, because eventually I wanted to get as many Pittsburgh Extra Lifers together as possible. The name resonated. I designed a logo. We got T-Shirts. We were only five members, but we were doing something awesome. It felt great and most of us met our fundraising goals.
The next year, in 2012, we welcomed a few more members, and set our goals a little higher, and had more T-Shirts made. Again, we made an impact, and it was bigger than the year before.
Early in 2013, I received a message. The organizer of Extra Life was holding a meeting to start an Extra Life Guild in Pittsburgh. I dropped everything to go, and I'm glad I did. Meeting Doc in person was such an inspiration, and he noted my enthusiasm, or maybe it was just my team shirt. Whatever he saw in me, he chose me to be the first Pittsburgh Guild President. I was honored.
That first year of the guild program was rocky. It was a brand new program and it takes a lot of work to get something like that off the ground, and I definitely felt the stress of it all. So when a personal tragedy struck, I'm sorry to say I was defeated and left the guild. I felt terrible, but I knew it was just too much at the time. Despite that, I still made sure to keep my team going. We again exceeded our prior year's totals.
In 2014, another turning point came around. I worked hard for Extra Life that year too, and again we beat our 'high score' of funds raised. Late in the year, Extra Life announced something called Extra Life United. Something told me I had to go. That and I was still recovering from the lingering effects of the worst depressive episode in my life, so it seemed like it would be a fun trip to Orlando that might brighten my spirits. Really, I think it saved my life.
The event left me in awe. My husband and I hadn't really known what we were getting into, and for the most part, we kept to ourselves. For those of you reading that don't know, Extra Life United is a national tournament for Extra Lifers that takes place during the Children's Miracle Network Momentum Conference. What that means is Extra Life gamers came in from all over the country to compete in a gaming tournament to win even more money for their local hospital. Meanwhile, the CMN Champions (kids who survived some terrible things and came through smiling) all converge on the conference to be treated like the rock stars they are.
So on the one hand, I was knocked out of the tournament in the first round. On the other hand, I got to meet 60ish of the most amazing kids, and hear their stories. I got to meet the kids that benefit from our efforts, and I got so many hugs and cried so many tears. It was there that my path crossed with Doc's again. We had a conversation, and he inspired me to go back to the guild and try again. I can't thank him enough for helping me shake off the bad stuff in my life and fully channel my energy into such a worthwhile cause. I left Orlando a different person thanks to that. A better person.
You could say my priorities were different last year. I took up a leadership position in the guild once more, and have since poured my heart and soul into everything we do to reach out for Extra Life. Sometimes I get tired of working at conventions. Sometimes I get discouraged by people who decide they don't care. But it's those smiling faces that keep me going. At the beginning of this year, Extra Life United happened again. There was no question about it. We were going.
The 2nd ELU was even more amazing than the first. The gaming area was bigger, there were more players. And even though we were technically competing against one another, the camaraderie was incomparable. The first time, I'd been reserved, but this time I dove in. To all my fellow ELU Alumni, you're amazing and I love you!
This year, I'm reaching for the stars. I'm inspired, and I'm pushing hard. My goal is to raise $7500 by game day, to represent just 25 dollars for each of the 300 patient beds at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. I'm a third of the way there, but I still need more support. You could donate a little, or sign up for Extra life, or just share my link and signal boost me. I'll make it easy. Copy and paste this to your social media: www.extra-life.org/participant/katemorosky
As an added bonus, if I make it to my goal, I'll be holding what I call a Fear-A-Thon. Now, I hate horror games. (Heck, I'm scared of some games that aren't even technically 'scary games'. It took me months before I was brave enough to play Minecraft on anything but creative mode.) So to prove my dedication I'm going to play a marathon of just scary games in addition to our team's main marathon on October 22. Donate $25 or more and you even get to pick one of the scary video games I play.
However you choose to help me out, even by just sharing my blog or my fundraising page, you're doing something to make thousands of miracles happen each and every day. Those miracles... That's why I Extra Life.
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