Sometimes there are events in the world that remind us exactly why video games exist. This is one of those times.
24-year-old Total War fan James recently visited the Creative Assembly studio. He toured the premises, got to demo Rome 2 shortly after the game was announced, and even had his likeness replicated as a character in the game, all thanks to The Willow Foundation, an organization that plans out great days for terminally ill people.
You see, James had liver cancer, and was told that he would not live much longer. When Creative Assembly was contacted by the foundation on James' behalf, the company was moved to the point of excitement.
What really struck me was how my colleagues reacted to James coming in. I was inundated with emails offering help with James’s day," said Craig Laycock, Community Manager for Total War, in a blog post. The tour organised itself, as the guys around me scrambled to show James what’s going into making Rome II."
Shortly after his visit, James lost his battle to cancer, but not before getting his likeness modeled and put into the game as a Roman soldier for the Siege of Carthage.
"Although he won’t get the chance to see Rome II released, he will live on in some small way in our game – and every time I see him I’ll be reminded of what a great guy he was," said Laycock.
"In many ways, James represented what’s best about working in videogames," he added. "Crafting games that people enjoy, and that stay with them. It’s why we all do what we do, and why we’re so passionate about it. He really brought that home to us."
Rome 2 will be released later this year, but no exact date has been announced.
