Extra Life Game Day 2024

Dispatch from the big nerd party

I went to my second Extra Life Gameday this weekend. On Friday, I packed two Warhammer armies, my laptop, a controller, and a change of clothes to spend the weekend raising money for charity. I drove from Burlington, Vermont, to B@Work in Westport, Connecticut. It was a four-hour nerd pilgrimage, a bit longer than last year's trip from New Haven, Connecticut, to Seymour, Connecticut.  It all started when my Warhammer friend Rudy invited me to Extra Life in 2023. I'd done a campaign in 2021, so naturally I said yes, went, and had a great time. When I first started doing extra life I was just starting working in a hospital system that had a children’s wing so it felt like a natural move. Now I continue because I just love it so much and have found an incredible community with my fellow Extra Lifers. Despite me moving back to Vermont, Rudy and his team invited me back, I said yes again this year because I'd had such an incredible time.

The experience is like a youth group lock-in, except most people present are adults. Some fundraisers have been coming for a decade now. UHoppinOn's numbers have grown significantly, with 37 people attending the 25-hour event this weekend. Wonderful Connecticut sponsors catered the whole event, so we didn't have to worry about lunch, dinner, or breakfast. Sponsored by Gaetano’s of Westport , Angelina’s of Westport.  Taco Dia of Seymour, Primo Pizza of Fairfield and Tasty Yolk of Fairfield CT. These sponsors provided the whole menu for the 25-hour event and made the party happen.

 The event was split down the center of the building in terms of activities. On the video game side, we had people playing Destiny 2, Smite, Space Marine 2, Minecraft, Guardians of the Galaxy, the Sims, Death's Door, League of Legends Helldivers 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Jedi Survivor, and the list goes on (and on). The LAN is still alive as a charity event. Each of these people has Extra Life campaigns, raising money for the children's hospitals in Connecticut. The vibe was convivial, with people calling across the room to each other. On my stream, I invited my friends to play Spirit Island with me via Twitch chat and had a great time just sitting on the couch with my friends and playing my little game. I got to do my favorite thing which is talk to people about video games.

The tabletop games were on the other half of the building—the zone where I got 100% serious. We have people hanging out and playing Magic the Gathering, open play Warhammer 40,000, and then, of course, the Captain's Challenge, a 2v2 40k tournament. A tourney in which my teammate and I placed first, winning $50 for our respective Extra Life campaigns. The tabletop space grew from being in a toasty upper room last year to about half of the event with three tables set up and three games going simultaneously. By the end of 8 hours of Warhammer, my feet hurt, and I was exhausted but very satisfied. We had players coming from the communities of Elm City Games in New Haven, Battleground Gaming of Norwalk, Fire & Dice of Trumbull and Warhammer of Stamford. I was impressed by just how many players we picked up in just a year. It was gratifying to go from a single table in an upper room to having an whole half of the building. 

The later hours of game day are fascinating. Some people have gone home, but many stay the night. Some are taking naps or taking breaks to post on their social media or get coffee. Because this is a 25-hour-long event, eventually, it becomes less a matter of playing well and more about remaining upright. I got started on my Hyper Light Drifter Let's Play, and then it became a slumber party. People were hanging out playing Settlers of Catan and Magic the Gathering while I talked with my Twitch chat. Most of my time on the stream I spent talking about the game with my friend Emma I eventually succumbed and had to lie down for an hour or two as people were getting into yet more 40k and even Trench Crusade.  As a perpetual early bird/insomniac, I was back up for the late-late show where people started playing Secret Hitler. In the final hours of the event I wrote this, going around asking people about what they’d been playing even sitting down on another players stream because she’d been playing Death’s Door, one of my favorite games of all time. 

When I told people how far I'd come to be here, I got asked, "Why?" a few times, to which I'd reply: "Because I get to just hang out and talk about games and be amongst friends while doing charity." Adulthood is what you make of it; I'm on the younger end of the age bracket among the video game players and one of the older Warhammer players, and it's important to me to make sure that we're still having fun. Sure, my feet hurt from playing 8 hours of Warhammer, and the drive back will be a trial, but it is worth it and will be worth it every time.  I'm glad to have been invited back. If you have a chance and like being a nerd, attend a game day (it's magic) or organize one of your own. 

My Extra Life campaign is ongoing, and you can donate via this link. I'll keep it running until the end of the year. Thank you to Rudy and the rest of Team UHoppinOn for organizing a tremendous event that I'm happy to return to again and again.