It’s that time of year where the jokesters are pulling out their box of tricks to share a few laughs with their friends. Some pranks are kinda silly, while others are downright rude. However, being the trickster is not really our role.
This month, we want to have some serious conversations about roles. Our team enjoys breaking the mold, so we’re taking on the challenge of identifying real-world roles that exist in video games!
While games create their own reality, that doesn’t mean they can’t help us expand the way we think about the real world around us. Take Sea of Thieves for example; it references both our historic imagination through creatures like the Kraken as well as some of the real-life complexities behind sailing. In most cases, you need a crew to help you gather resources and navigate the various elements of the sea.
Having these conversations shouldn’t eliminate the fun of games; instead, it helps us play them better. When we understand the rules of play, we can operate more efficiently. That’s why this month, we’re bringing on a crew of guests that can tell us about some of their most interesting real-world experiences!
April Roles Month will be focused on conversations between people who have experience in industries related to the game we’ll be showing off that week. In an effort to inspire future gamers and professionals, we’ll also be raising money for Career Analysis Organization of America (CAOA), an organization that helps students find career pathways.
Our schedule can be found on our Activities page, and it follows a theme:
- Week 1: Role of builders – our guests from Ancon Construction will be joining us to talk about building while we play Minecraft.
- Week 2: Role of artists – guests from various creative industries will be joining us to talk about their experiences while we play Sea of Thieves.
- Week 3: Role of team players – Bethel University student athletes will be joining us to discuss the collegiate esports scene.
- Week 4: Role of strategists – D&D veterans will be joining us to talk about how a figurative (or literal!) roll of the dice can impact important future decisions while giving us a thrilling experience.
You can tune in to these conversations on our Twitch and contribute to our goal of raising $2,500 for CAOA! In addition to donations, $1 from every Twitch subscription (+$2 for each additional tier) will go directly to the charity.
Throughout the month, we will be hosting various incentives. Every $250 we get will unlock a raffle for one of three alternating items: the first $250 segment will be a Pitbull WanBon Plush from Tasty Peach Studio, the second a $50 to South Bend games retailer JGaming, and the third a German Shepard WanBon Plush from Tasty Peach Studios. Our final raffle at $2,500 will be revealed at a later date.
Join us as we set out to conquer the daunting task of learning about roles! By playing games and sharing experiences, we may empower the next generation of adventurers.