Last week, some of our most daring devs took on the ultimate fundraising act of bravery and jumped out of a plane in support of SpecialEffect!
This incredible charity helps gamers with physical disabilities access and enjoy video games through adaptive technology. From custom controllers to eye control technology, SpecialEffect provides innovative solutions that keep people playing, connected, and immersed in the joy and escapism that gaming offers.
James Butlin (Lead Programmer) organised the skydive and said “the work [SpecialEffect] do is completely life-changing for those they help, and it's such a kind and empathetic cause! I truly believe the world would be better with more people like them in it!”
Louie Cliff (QA Tester) was feeling nervous ahead of the skydive and said:
The night before the skydive I was pretty nervous, and I carried those nerves with me throughout the commute to the venue, but as the time was coming closer and closer, and we had our instructor assigned to us, had our gear fitted on, I felt much more calm. When we took off in the plane, I was still pretty chilled out, until they opened the door, and I had waddle towards it and sit on the edge of the plane. Then the nerves came back. But, it only lasted a second as I was immediately shoved out! The freefall was incredible, and surreal, I honestly don't think I got the full experience because I was in such disbelief.
Here’s a look at the skydive experience!
After the adrenaline fuelled experience, all three skydivers said they loved the experience and would love to do it again.
James Baxter (Senior Build Engineer) said: “I would definitely do it again, it was such an amazing experience and I’d 100000% recommend it to others” and James Butlin said “I’d recommend it to anyone who’s able to; it’s really not as scary as it sounds! Bonus points if you can raise funds to support a charity in doing so!”
Perhaps this won’t be the last FuturLab skydive, with Louie saying: “I firmly believe I will be doing another skydive at some point, and I would definitely recommend the experience to anyone else - I've already been trying to persuade other members of the [FuturLab] QA team to try one!”
We’re delighted to say that our skydiver’s efforts completely smashed their initial target of £1000, with a total of £2541.91 raised so far (inclusive of Gift Aid). Every penny of the money raised is going straight to SpecialEffect, and you can still donate and add to the pot if you would like to support! The JustGiving page will stay open until the end of July.
I feel like video games can be such an enriching experience, and often provide at least a small joy in life, a little bit of escapism, and that should apply to absolutely everybody. Accessibility is not talked about enough, let alone properly implemented, and SpecialEffect are doing amazing work making games available to everyone, they're a charity I am really proud to have supported even if it was only in a small way.
Louie Cliff (QA Tester)