Many organizations exist to help veterans re-acclimate themselves to civilian life once again when they get out of the service. However, one such group that recently launched may be unique in its offerings to soldiers who are trying to get back on their feet.
The gaming nonprofit Stack-Up.org recently partnered with the founder of virtual reality platform Oculus and creator of the popular indie game DayZ, as a means of helping more veterans through these methods, according to a report from the group. Dean Hall, the creator of DayZ, is actually a veteran as well, having served as an officer in both the Army and Air Force for his native New Zealand.
"As a veteran myself, it's fantastic to see organizations like Stack-Up supporting the next generation of veterans through a common love of video games," Hall said. "Gaming offers a unique opportunity to relieve the stresses, tensions, and social challenges of being separated from your friends and family while on deployment. Stephen's work has been making a very real difference in the lives of many veterans all around the world and I'm really excited to be able to support that."
Meanwhile, Palmer Luckey is the founder of Oculus and designer of its popular Rift VR headset, and said that he wants to make sure there is a community of gamers out there to help support veterans and current servicemembers whenever they need it, the report said. To that end, both he and Hall have joined Stack-Up.org's advisory board.
The more that any organization can do to make soldiers and veterans feel more secure in their situations, the better off those current and former service members will be in the long run. Likewise, those people can reach out to such organizations to get help when they need it.