The Stacks – Boston Stacks Up at the VA by: Tanner Hastings
This past Friday, the Boston Stack and the Jamaica Plain VA banded together to hold their second monthly gaming event for local veterans. Attendees had a chance to enjoy refreshments, play games on one of the Stack’s four Xbox Ones, and learn more about Stack-Up and the services provided at the VA!
This month, the Boston Stack added a new game to its repertoire: Halo’s Master Chief Collection. The Stacks’ VA contact Wes played through three full levels of Halo 4 with Milly, a veteran from Brookline who was wounded in Iraq. While the thought of trying out a 4-player match was brought up, but after watching Milly and Wes having so much fun in their co-op campaign, the others decided to play something else and let them enjoy their game.
Overall, this month’s VA event was a little less exciting than its predecessor. While the advertisement and constant communication with the VA was greatly improved from last time, there were some uncontrollable factors which led this event to be less attended than other Boston gatherings. Issues like work schedules, transportation, and the simple fact that July is mid “summer vacation” season hit local veteran and Stack member attendance pretty hard.
It may have felt discouraging, but this event serves as a solid reminder that not all improved plans promise a better result. Hosting events always comes with a risk of no one showing up, but the only thing a Stack Lead can do is to get up and try to tweak the advertisement, and hope to get one or two new faces next month.
The event was not a bust; the Boston Stack got a chance to meet two new veterans who didn’t attend last month’s gaming night. They also added a new game to their list of options. The Stack also became VERY good friends with the VA’s overnight shift employees, who were happy to lighten their load by taking the uneaten goodies bought for the event. So shaking off the discouraging numbers, the Stack Leads have already begun planning how they can improve next month’s attendance!
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