I'm sure most of the people reading this would agree that video games really are special. Transformative. What others see as a trivial distraction or a hobby for kids, we see a form of escapism - a window into any number of wondrous worlds that can help us connect, learn, develop, grow, and in some rare cases, find peace.
This was the case for one gamer who sadly passed away recently, but not before finding some comfort in Assassin's Creed Valhalla in their final days. In a heartfelt post thanking Ubisoft for the recently released viking RPG, Reddit user Paradorin revealed that they'd just lost their friend to COVID-19.
They recalled how it was always a tradition for the two of them to play through the Assassin's Creed games together. When their friend got ill, they did everything they could to afford a copy of Valhalla, getting it to him at the expense of being able to afford their own copy of the game, but knowing it would make him happy.
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"Every time an AC game would release one of us would buy the other the game," they explained. "It started because we didn't have jobs as kids, obviously, so that way one of us could enjoy the game while we gathered more money for the other to get himself a copy. But after we both grew it just became something of a yearly tradition.
"For fear of spoiling we would never actually play the game together but we would always talk about the lore and gameplay of each title. We grew up, and the tradition continued... which brings me to today. COVID has been hard on both of us, but much more on my friend. He had weak lungs, so COVID was basically a death sentence to him.
"Because of that he couldn't work and spent his days at home. We talked but I could tell he wasn't his usual self, which I assumed was due to isolation. When Valhalla dropped I borrowed money from everyone I knew so that I could offer it to him, I knew it would mean a lot to him and perhaps even cheer him up. It did, for the last few weeks he was back to his cheerful self. I wasn't able to afford the game for myself, but I enjoyed listening to his thoughts on the game and seeing him so joyful really made it worthwhile."
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While Paradorin's friend ultimately, tragically, succumbed to the virus, they thanked the team behind Valhalla and the community of players for making his last few weeks so special.
"I wanted to thank the team behind Valhalla for making my friends last days so joyful," they wrote. "Thank you to the community for being so amazing, I'm so thankful we were part of this amazing fandom. I long for the day where I will get my hands on the game and experience all the wonderful things he told me about. Until then, if you guys have some AC buddies, do me a favour: hold them tight."
Featured Image Credit: UbisoftTopics: News, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Ubisoft