The Gift of Gaming: How Make-A-Wish Grants Gamers Dreams - Gaming Podcast
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What is the gift of gaming?
The joys are endless, and the impact gaming can have on people cannot be understated. Today, we're diving into the gift of gaming and the impact it can have on people. But first, some introductions are in order. I am your host, Josh. And joining me, as Buddy the Elf would say, he's a cotton-headed ninny muggins. And his motto is, I just like to smile. Smiling's my favorite. It's Ryan.
Josh, just so you know, that gum over there, it's not free candy. Dang it, too late.
And joining us, he doesn't smell like beef and cheese. And if gaming had a Santa Claus, this might just be him because he can be found spreading gaming cheer throughout the world.
It's Ian. I'm sorry, I don't have a cool Buddy the Elf quote for you, but just super pumped to be here, guys.
Oh, that's okay. That's okay. You're the gaming Santa Claus. And now, right now, this is where people are going, wait, what? Wait, Santa? Santa? I know him! I know him! You're not Santa.
You sit on a throne of lies.
Oh, man. Okay. Well, thank you for joining the Buddy the Elf podcast. Yeah, right. No, Ian, we are super excited to have you. And as much as we have teased this little you being the gaming Santa, why don't you... Well, actually, I'll just say it. So to introduce you to the listeners, you lead the gaming division at the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which, oh my goodness, what an incredible thing that instantly just makes me smile. So tell us a little bit more about yourself and about what you do at Make-A-Wish.
Yeah, yeah. So yes, my name is Ian Wright. My official title is the lead manager for gaming and digital fundraising and Make-A-Wish America. It doesn't fit on a business card. I usually just tell people I'm the gaming guy. That's just like, that's what I do. I'm the gaming guy for Make-A-Wish. So when it comes to Video games and Make-A-Wish, if there's a conversation, whether it's fundraising or wish granting, I'm usually involved in some capacity. My role in general is to do fundraising. It is to sort of get individuals and corporations involved to help support the mission of Make-A-Wish through gaming.
How does Make-A-Wish grant gaming wishes?
But like I said, if it's wish granting, if it's just spreading the word of Make-A-Wish through gaming, that's what I'm here for. I'm a longtime gamer, like, since I can remember. My first game, I think, was Donkey Kong Country on the SNES. So, it's like the early 90s. So, like, you know, that'll, like, date me a little bit there. But that's, like, the first one I remember.
What is Ian's role in Make-A-Wish?
But, like, I've had the SNES. I had the Sega Dreamcast. I don't know if anyone remembers that. Soul Calibur. Yeah, I mean, like, you know, Phantasy Star Online. Played so much Soul Calibur on that thing. GameCube, Xbox, like, PC all the way. So, yeah, I'm a lifelong gamer and super pumped to be here.
Dude, we're very excited to have you, man. Yeah, that is awesome. So you mentioned you handle the fundraising and the gaming division at Make-A-Wish. Is that kind of like a 50-50 split? Is it more like, hey, I try to get people to support this awesome cause, and when gaming comes up, that's kind of my wheelhouse and people kind of point them in my direction? Yeah. Um, but you know, tell us a little bit more about that. Like, are you directly involved in the like granting of wishes that are gaming related and stuff like that?
So not by, by like, first and foremost, like not every wish, right. Um, our organization grants, I mean, last year we did 16,200, a little over 16,200, um, which, um, was a record. It's the most we've ever granted as an organization. So very excited to do that. And then as part of that 16,000, we grant hundreds of gaming wishes. And so I am definitely not involved in the majority of them, but I am involved in ones that I can try to make a direct impact on or ones that might need a little bit of help. The way that our organization is sort of split up, we have Make-A-Wish America, which controls America, and then Underneath that, we have different states and regions, our chapters.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the gift of gaming?
0:30–2:46
2
How does Make-A-Wish grant gaming wishes?
2:46–3:07
3
What is Ian's role in Make-A-Wish?
3:07–9:27
4
What impact does gaming have on people's lives?
9:27–10:51
5
What are some favorite games of Ian?
10:51–17:20
6
How did Ian's journey lead him to Make-A-Wish?
17:20
7
What is the importance of community in gaming?
14:27–19:29
8
What is the debate on Red Dead Redemption 2's gameplay?
19:29–1:06:41
Speakers
5 identifiedMore from Video Gamers Podcast
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