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Not many people know what the two items in the picture below are or what they represent.

These are items from my second job right out of high school. I was one of the first employees to work at the Battletech center in Las Vegas. For someone who loved playing video games, this was a dream come true. The place predated things such as LAN parties, online gaming, as well as high definition and eventually those things would eventually be the site's demise. But working there was awesome. The small pin in the image is only for master players, who could take on 3 other master players and win. It took me a year to earn that, even as an employee. Fast forward to today and it's almost entirely forgotten. If you Google Virtual World, you won't find it. Googling Virtual World Las Vegas will today brings countless stories of the casinos trying to profit from VR headsets. The point is I've come to realize that Google doesn't remember everything and sometimes things that were on the Internet do not always stay there.

Which brings us to Konner. This past week here at LDS Gamers, we've engaged in an effort to remember and honor Konner "Exotic VN" Long, a young man who passed away last year at 17. Konner had Muscular Dystrophy and it was complications due to MD that would eventually take his life. Konner though, also shared a passion for gaming. He was part of the LDS Gamers community, our community. Not only did he have a passion for gaming, but he was skilled too.

The clip above was of some gameplay shortly before he passed. As a Destiny player, I noticed right away that he was using weapons only obtained through flawless Trials of Osiris. You have to be good to do that (i.e. much better than me). Now they don't award pins anymore, you're awarded achievements and Konner had achieved more awards than I'll probably ever earn. In his honor, we hosted several charity streams, and a gofundme was setup. All the proceeds will be donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. For those of you who donated or helped out in any way, a huge thank you. So far, we've raised $250, half of our $500 goal. It might not seem like much, but we feel it was well worth all of the effort. In fact, once Konner's mother learned of what we were doing she posted this on Facebook:

This brought tears to my eyes as I read the beautiful tribute to Konner and for a cause that is dear to my heart! Thank you LDS Gamers for keeping Konner's memory alive and for being such a positive influence in his life!

It would have been Konner's 18th birthday this past April. Here's to you, Konner. May your memory and the wonderful example of your life continue to be a positive influence on others. The Internet might forget, but we won't. God be with you till we meet again, brother.