Joining other gamers to take a stand on violence

When Candice, my friend and boss over at Advanced Media Network, IMed me the other day and told me about Gamers Against Violence Day, I thought it was the coolest idea on the planet. I didn't realize that Candice and I were going to wind up organizing the Carson City event.

In response to the school shooting in Virginia, video game media and players are gathering in cities across the nation, from Los Angeles to New York City. We are telling the world that we don't like being stereotyped (Jack Thompson, listen up). We are telling our fellow game enthusiasts that we don't condone violence in real life, and if they commit it, we will not support them. And we are also telling people that we want to help.

This event is the mutual brainchild of the Girl Gaming Network, on the West Coast, and Empire of Arcadia in New York City. It will have numerous contributors and sponsors.

There are, as I said, numerous events going on for Gamers Against Violence Day, which will be either the first or second Saturday in May. There are events planned in Los Angeles, Florida, New York City, and right here in Carson. Candice and I hope to make the Carson City one a large event, but seeing as it's not that far away, we're going to need community help.

We, the gamers of Carson City, Douglas County, Lyon County, Storey County and Reno, all need to pitch in to send the world a message.

We'll need signs printed, pictures taken, music, speakers, microphones and really, anything anyone wants to help out with. As of this point, we don't even have a place to hold it! We're in the process of looking at some outdoor venues.

We plan on holding a video-game related raffle, with the proceeds going to benefit the families of the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting. That means we'll need raffle prizes, and those rolls of raffle tickets. If anyone has any spare laying around, let me know please!

However, I think it'll be a success, even if we have none of that stuff, and gamers just show up, with PSPs, GameBoys and DSs in tow (and wearing your game gear - time to drag out that old Atari T-shirt). So show up and support your fellow gamers, and let them know that you love games and hate violence. And let the politicians know the same.

• If you have any questions or comments, or you'd like to help out, contact me by calling 881-1211, e-mailing tcosta@nevadaappeal.com, or commenting on my blog at http://techtasha.wordpress.com.