Friday Night Fights: Elsa Fest 2016 Edition

A pillar of the community

[Update: We have currently raised $265 of our $400 goal. Thanks to everybody who has donated!]

[Longtime community member Elsa has it a little rough right now, so we want to show our support by doing something she loves: playing video games together. Let’s make this week’s Friday Night Fights the biggest we can! And feel free to donate some cash to her if you have some to spare. -Darren]

One of the founding principles of Destructoid has always been community. Trying to bring fellow gamers together. Comments, CBlogs, Quick Posts, convention meet-ups, NARPS… even the forums, god help us. It’s increasingly hard to maintain communities given how fractured and fractious gamers have become in the last couple years, but that just makes it all the more important to highlight the people who have maintained a steady and positive influence. Especially when they’re going through hard times.

If you’ve spent any time on Destructoid, you’ve probably bumped into Elsa. Be it from her comments orher blog, she’s been a fixture here for long enough that our Community Manager and Phallus Connoisseur, Mike Martin, looked up to her when he first started here. OG Dtoid, for real. Join date: 01/25/09. No joke. In fact, Elsa was one of the people I looked up to when I started as well. It’s hard not to. She’s smart, together and not afraid to speak her mind. Whenever someone would go off on an apoplectic fit, she’d be there with a well reasoned, well thought out take on the subject. She was also instrumental in making Friday Night Fights the time-tested staple it’s become.

A battle scene in Battlefield 6 Open Beta

So,when she broke the news via CBlogthat she’s currently dealing withtwodifferent kinds of malignant cancer (What? One wasn’t enough? Show off),PappaBear/GrumpyDadcame to us with an idea: a community-funded gaming care package. Specifically, a PS Vita (possibly with some games or accessories depending on how much we can raise) so she can game on the go. Also, in honor of everything she’s given to the community over the years: a really big friggin’ party on Friday night. A Friday Night Fights for the record books. A bacchanal of games (and also booze, if that’s your thing).

Community Manager and Resident Penis Wrangler Mike Martin will be acceptingelectronic Amazon gift cardssent to his e-mail address:[email protected]. When we reach the requisite amount, he’ll send off a Vita to Elsa. Any funds above and beyond that — and I realize I might be putting the cart before the horse here — will go toward accessories, games, PSN gift cards, etc.

capcom evo moment 37

Times are tight for a lot of people, so if you can’t donate, consider hosting or joining. Any game you like. Not feeling social? Stream something on Twitch or YouTube. Busy on Friday? Maybe dedicate a stream to her sometime this week. Just get the word out. Mike and I have Friday off so we will be hosting all manner of old favorites and new stuff. Plus, we have the rest of the FNF crew and you, the Destructoid community.

Cancer is a raw deal. Too often it takes the best of us. We have faith that Elsa will stomp a metaphorical mudhole in those tumors but I think she deserves to know that we care… and we have her back. So give if you can, even if it’s just your time, and let’s make this a party to remember.

GigabyteMon

Also (and never has there been a better time in the history of man to say this), cocks.-The Defenestrator

New to Friday Night Fights? It’s easy to get involved!

Each week, a bunch of us Dtoiders get together to play video games online! It’s a 100% community-run event, so feel free to join in or even host something yourself!

EventGame (Console)Time (Eastern Standard, please)Your Disqus/Dtoid usernameYour gamertag

A snap of the upcoming MESA update in PEAK

To join in, simply send a friend request to the match host! (Don’t forget to say you’re from Destructoid!)

Friday Night Fights is a time-honored Dtoid event but you don’t have to wait around to get a game going. Whatever your schedule might be, you can host a game or stream anytime you like by using the Quick Post feature… or schedule it in advance by leaving us a comment with the date and time. We’re all happy to to help get the word out.

Naked Snake sneaking around in MGS Delta.