Online communities can often vary in terms of quality, it’s fair to say. Some are outright toxic, while others can be a genuine force for good. Thankfully, Dads of Destiny falls into the latter camp, with the group recently going above and beyond to help out a family.
First, a little background: As you can probably work out from the name, Dads of Destiny is an online community for dads who love videogames. Obviously, having produced a child isn’t a prerequisite for membership, but you’ll find the majority of members are parents.
Beginning in July 2014, Dads of Destiny aimed to offer a place where parents could play videogames and openly share advice and concerns in a safe, non judgmental space.
Now, Joshua McClain has spoken to Kotaku and revealed the lengths that Dads Of Destiny went to. In November 2o14, McClain lost his job. His wife was eight months pregnant, and they had no choice but to relocate by January to move in with family.
McClain said:
One night, while lying with my newborn son on the couch I broke down. Feeling like a horrible person, husband, and father I reached out to a few of my good friends in Dads of Destiny Eclipse. I started a GoFundMe account, and my “gaming friends” (who I feel are like my family) helped raise over $1,000 to help get my son diapers, formula, and other basic things.
In addition to helping raise the money, McClain also revealed that members of the group sent him care packages containing much needed baby gear like nappies and baby wipes.
Joshua and his wife have since both found work, but it’s always nice to remember that people will go to really great lengths to help out, when it comes down to it (and even better when some gamers help give the rest of us a good name).
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.