With all the negativity surrounding the video game industry lately, we finally get a piece of wonderful news thanks to Creative Assembly's decision to give a dying fan a free copy of Total War: Three Kingdoms.
Having been a major part of the gaming industry for the better part of thirty-two years, Creative Assembly has worked tirelessly to create one of the best strategy games in existence. With the Total War franchise, the company has quickly become a household name and has allowed players the world over to shape history in any way that they see fit. It's a big reason why Total War: Three Kingdoms has become one of the most highly anticipated installments in the series to date, with many reviewers already having their chance to play the game.
While it's common for gaming companies to hand out review keys a few weeks before a game has been officially released, it isn't often that we see something like this occur. Though it is certainly not the first time that a company has done this, it's the way in which it all happened that really makes for a great story. Often, a company will get a message from an organization on behalf of the individual and will meet with them in person, but in this case, it was the community that got the word out.
Through PC Gamer we learn that it all started when user on reddit by the name of TheMissingLink5 shared a story detailing how his brother had been diagnosed with leukemia and that, while waiting for a bone marrow transplant, his cancer went out of remission and started attacking his body aggressively. Knowing that his brother didn't have long, he used Reddit and other social media avenues to get the word to Creative about his brother's story and love for the game. Redditors went to work and soon afterward Creative informed them all that they had sent out an early access key. What followed was information by the TheMissingLink5 on how much the gesture had meant to his brother, along with the sad news a few days later that his brother had passed on.
It's news like this that really shows the good that the gaming community can do. With constant stories out now about government regulation and problem players on all platforms, its nice to see stories like this make their way to the top. This is the reality of gaming as a whole and it’s a great thing to see companies do their part to make the lives of those who have given them so much over the years better in some way. Though the company saw it as a small gesture, in the minds of many, it was so much more than that.
These stories help to remind us that our time could come at any moment and that we must do all we can to bring joy to others while we are still here. It shows us that, while what we do may seem small, it can have a huge impact on so many lives.