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Conquest, Isla Bell Charity, and an Easter Message
How have you spent the Easter break? I've spent it at the Conquest gaming convention, where four hundred nerds took over every room of the Coburg City Hall for a convention that's been running since the 1980s. Not that I did any gaming myself, as I safely esconced at the RPG Review Cooperative table with various games that members have put up for sale, which includes a majority of which is fundraising for the Isla Bell Charitable Fund. This particular run, "Gamers for Isla" is now coming to a close after an eight-week fundraising campaign which raised approximately $15000, with a bit in various pledges to come in. I must thank Andrew, Charmaine, Penny, Liz, Karl, Michael, Edward, Rade, and Tim for helping transport goods, staffing the stall, and generally providing awesome company over the three days.
A real highlight of the convention was the visits from Isla Bell's family to our group. This included her uncle, Kieran, who provided an opening speech at Conquest about who Isla was, what happened to her, and the importance of the Fund. Also present on that day was his partner who has a mutual interest in immersive technologies as a teaching tool. The following day, there was a visit from Isla's mother, Justine, and her partner, and then on the third day, a visit from her uncle, Christopher. Justine made a rather delightful Facebook reel about our fundraising efforts, and Christopher and I had a long conversation about an old mutual friend (sadly departed), Simon Millar. Michael O'Brien of the gaming company, Chaosium, donated the special-edition folio set of their most famous roleplaying game, "Call of Cthulhu", to further raise money for the Fund.
In this context, it is necessary to make a few comments about Easter. The Biblical literalism, bound too strongly and ludicrously by religious fundamentalists, is too easy to mock. The notion of "zombie Jesus" brings laughter, and even deeper, the argument that "Jesus the Lich" is even more accurate (gamers understand that one). My irreverent side derives pleasure from this as well. But what is overlooked by both the fundamentalists and the new atheists and their ilk is a metaphorical reading; that for any person of great spirit, not even the end of their life is the end of their story. Certainly, it is a critical juncture in their wider narrative, not just the closing of a chapter, but the ending of a book. But the narrative and themes of the character can continue. And this is what groups like the Isla Bell Fund charity represent: a tribute that continues a story that deserves and needs to be told. So, for all of you (myself included), go and produce great art, seek and advocate for justice and liberty, and unearth the facts of our shared existence.
A real highlight of the convention was the visits from Isla Bell's family to our group. This included her uncle, Kieran, who provided an opening speech at Conquest about who Isla was, what happened to her, and the importance of the Fund. Also present on that day was his partner who has a mutual interest in immersive technologies as a teaching tool. The following day, there was a visit from Isla's mother, Justine, and her partner, and then on the third day, a visit from her uncle, Christopher. Justine made a rather delightful Facebook reel about our fundraising efforts, and Christopher and I had a long conversation about an old mutual friend (sadly departed), Simon Millar. Michael O'Brien of the gaming company, Chaosium, donated the special-edition folio set of their most famous roleplaying game, "Call of Cthulhu", to further raise money for the Fund.
In this context, it is necessary to make a few comments about Easter. The Biblical literalism, bound too strongly and ludicrously by religious fundamentalists, is too easy to mock. The notion of "zombie Jesus" brings laughter, and even deeper, the argument that "Jesus the Lich" is even more accurate (gamers understand that one). My irreverent side derives pleasure from this as well. But what is overlooked by both the fundamentalists and the new atheists and their ilk is a metaphorical reading; that for any person of great spirit, not even the end of their life is the end of their story. Certainly, it is a critical juncture in their wider narrative, not just the closing of a chapter, but the ending of a book. But the narrative and themes of the character can continue. And this is what groups like the Isla Bell Fund charity represent: a tribute that continues a story that deserves and needs to be told. So, for all of you (myself included), go and produce great art, seek and advocate for justice and liberty, and unearth the facts of our shared existence.