Gaming Chaplain goes to Gamehole 2022

Hi, my name is Derek White. You may know me better as The Geekpreacher. I am a volunteer gaming chaplain and have recently completed a documentary on The Satanic Panic of the 1980s.

We were able to do a great deal of filming at the Gamehole gaming convention back in 2021 and, in a recent conversation with my friend Tom Tullis of Fat Dragon Games, I told him I might not be able to make it this year due to the expense.

Tom said, "Well, Derek, why don't you do a GoFundMe?" I haven't done one of these in years but after talking with him for a while he encouraged me to try it once more.

For those of you who don't know what a gaming chaplain is, it's very similar to a workplace chaplain. The only difference is that I am at a gaming convention. I've been taking part in something like this since 2008.

Now, you might be asking, "What do you do as a gaming chaplain?" Well, as I like to remind people, real life doesn't end when someone is on holiday. Very often I find myself catching up with people who want someone they can share with about the struggles they're facing. Those struggles may be with family, work, or a variety of other issues. Many of them are also facing personal spiritual challenges in their lives and they don't have someone they can reach out to locally. I try my best to make sure that I'm available for those conversations to happen either at the convention or, in many cases, after I return home.

Sometimes I'm asked to have a short religious service on the last day of the convention where I offer prayer and eucharist for those who wish to take part. Occasionally I've been asked to officiate a wedding and, at other times, I've been asked by gamers to provide a blessing for their children. I've even been known to hand out a dice blessing or two.

At conventions like Gamehole, I also run family-friendly games and do my best to build bridges between communities of faith and the gaming community. If this is the type of ministry you would like to support, please feel free to do so.

The Cost

Thankfully, Alex Kammer, of Gamehole was kind enough to give me a ticket for my birthday! The gifts you give will go to pay for my airfare, hotel, a few meals, and possibly a little childcare for my son while I'm out of town.