While the international gaming community may be spread across multiple continents and platforms, complete strangers were recently able to put aside their differences and unite towards a common goal of kindness.
The wife of video game designer, Brian Wood, who was killed in a horrific car accident two weeks ago, is saying thank you to all the gamers who have supported her and her unborn child during the darkest days of her life. Erin Wood was married to Brian Wood, the 33 year-old lead designer of Company of Heroes Online, a real-time strategy title developed by Relic Entertainment.
On September 3, Brian was driving his wife, pregnant with their first child, to visit family in Washington when an oncoming vehicle crashed into them. Brian was killed instantly, but not before saving the life of his wife and child. According to Erin Wood, she and the baby would not have survived the crash had Brian not swerved at the last minute, taking the brunt of the impact himself.
In a letter addressed to Kotaku, Brian's wife said that she would like to thank all of the gamers who have supported her and her baby throughout the entire ordeal.
Hello.
My name is Erin Wood, and I wanted to send a request to please pass along my most sincere and heartfelt thanks to the gaming community for the overwhelming support provided to me in the past two weeks. I asked coworkers of Brian how I might best send my thanks, and they recommended sending them to Kotaku - hence this email. Any way you can help share this with the community would be much appreciated.
Brian always told me about how close-knit and wonderful the video game community was, but I had no idea until this tragedy just how special a group it really is. From all the articles and comments, to the emails and donations, I am simply stunned and so touched by the love, kindness, and generosity shown to me and my family. As everyone knows, the last 10 days have been the most difficult, dark days of my life. But this journey has been eased tremendously by the thoughts, prayers, and well wishes received from friends, family, and strangers living all over the world. It is so meaningful for me to hear about how his work and enthusiasm for the industry has touched others. Brian was completely and utterly devoted to the game industry, and was pretty much living his dream every day. He woke up every morning excited to be working in such a creative, demanding field. It was such a joy to be married to someone who was absolutely passionate about his professional life.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the compassion and support. It is so appreciated, and has been a light to me in this impossible situation.
Warm wishes,
Erin
Neowin wishes Erin Wood, her family, and everyone at Relic Entertainment the best during the difficult times ahead. Visit the Brian Wood Memorial Trust webpage to see how you can lend a helping hand.
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