Deep Rock Galactic* and the 500 Lives I Saved: A Journey from Pixels to Reality

There are moments in life when a game transcends entertainment and becomes something more profound—something that shapes your actions and changes your perspective. For me, that game was *Deep Rock Galactic*. It’s not just a co-op, sci-fi, mining, and combat game; it’s where I learned the value of teamwork, sacrifice, and the kind of grit that extends beyond the digital universe. Little did I know that playing this game would eventually lead me to saving the lives of 500 homeless people. I know, it sounds insane, but let me explain.

It all started innocently enough. A few friends and I were looking for something to do together, something cooperative and fun. After a couple of rounds of various games, we stumbled across *Deep Rock Galactic*—a game where you play as a team of dwarves sent into deep, alien caves to mine valuable resources. There’s a catch, though: the caves are crawling with dangerous creatures, and the mission is dangerous from the moment you step inside. But what really drew me in was the camaraderie—four dwarves, working together, each with different skills, facing impossible odds in the pursuit of profit.

At first, it was all fun. The game was an exhilarating mix of combat, resource gathering, and working as a team to stay alive. There were moments of chaos, moments of triumph, and moments of failure. As a team, we’d get overwhelmed by alien swarms or buried in the depths of the cave, our way out blocked by shifting terrain. We learned quickly that *Deep Rock Galactic* wasn’t about playing solo—it was about relying on your teammates, each dwarf’s skills complementing the others’. Without communication and trust, the whole mission would fail.

But as I spent more time playing the game, something unexpected started to happen. It wasn’t the game mechanics or the addictive loop of mining and shooting that started to stick with me—it was the *feeling* of teamwork and purpose. Each mission in *Deep Rock Galactic* was about making it to the extraction point alive, ensuring that everyone had what they needed to survive, and that no dwarf was left behind. It was about sacrifice—doing whatever it took to protect your crew, even if it meant putting yourself in danger.

I didn’t know it at the time, but this mindset would change everything for me.

One weekend, while playing with my friends, I found myself reflecting on what I was really doing with my life. I’d been in a rut for a while—working long hours at a desk job that drained me, living in a city that felt increasingly detached and impersonal. I had no real sense of purpose outside of work and gaming. It wasn’t until I found myself in one of those high-pressure *Deep Rock Galactic* missions, where the whole team was about to fail, that I had this strange moment of clarity. I was working with my team to fight off hordes of enemies and trying to clear a path to the extraction point, and in that moment, it hit me: **If we could band together to survive in this game, why couldn’t we do something similar in real life? Why couldn’t we come together to help people in need?**

The thought stayed with me for days, gnawing at my conscience. I was sitting comfortably at home, playing with my friends, while others in the world—people struggling with homelessness—had no such luxury. They were stuck in real-life caves, in a sense—trapped in situations that felt impossible to escape. It was a stark realization: **I had a chance to make a difference, to be part of something bigger than just my own comfort.**

I couldn’t shake it. The idea of rescue, the idea of *saving* people from their own alien-like cave, took root in my mind. And like any good mission in *Deep Rock Galactic*, it needed a plan. I began researching local shelters, talking to people involved in homelessness outreach, and trying to figure out how I could take action. I wanted to be a part of the solution, not just a bystander in the face of such overwhelming need. I began to understand that helping people wasn’t just about writing a check or volunteering on occasion—it was about building a system of support, about pulling people out of the metaphorical caves and providing them with the tools and resources they needed to survive, thrive, and ultimately escape their situation.

Soon, I was in contact with several local non-profits. At first, I helped organize fundraisers and drive supplies. But as I got more involved, I realized that my work wasn’t just about giving material resources—it was about creating lasting change, about restoring dignity and hope. I wanted to offer more than just handouts; I wanted to help build a community where homeless people could get the help they needed, whether it was shelter, mental health services, job training, or simply a hand to pull them out of the depths they were trapped in.

The more time I spent helping, the more I realized how much the analogy to *Deep Rock Galactic* applied. Homelessness, in many ways, was a game where survival was the ultimate goal, and each person needed a team to survive. A team of people who were willing to fight alongside them, no matter how dark or dangerous the environment. And like the dwarves in the game, I began to see that no one should be left behind.

I decided to make it my personal mission to rescue 500 people from homelessness in my city. It wasn’t easy. There were countless setbacks—shelters full to capacity, bureaucracy that slowed progress, and the harsh reality of how deep the problem went. But each small success kept me going, kept me motivated. I spent hours organizing events, building partnerships with local businesses to create job opportunities, and advocating for policies that would provide more affordable housing. I poured everything I had into it. The same teamwork and resolve that I had learned from playing *Deep Rock Galactic* became my guiding principles. **Rescue wasn’t just about completing a mission. It was about lifting others up, making sure no one got left behind, and working together to break through barriers.**

Eventually, I reached my goal: 500 people helped off the streets and into safe environments where they could start rebuilding their lives. These weren’t just numbers to me—they were lives saved, families reunited, individuals who had been lost in the system now given the chance for a future. It felt like we had fought our way through the worst of the alien infested caves, and now we had our hands on the precious resources they so desperately needed to survive.

In the end, *Deep Rock Galactic* wasn’t just a game I played for fun—it was a catalyst that inspired me to take action, to use the values of teamwork, sacrifice, and perseverance to make a tangible impact in the world. The feeling of pulling together, rescuing my fellow dwarves from danger, eventually turned into the motivation to rescue real people, helping them out of the caves of homelessness and into a better future.

If anything, I learned that games can teach us more than we think—especially when we realize that sometimes, the most important missions aren’t the ones we complete on the screen. Sometimes, the real mission is saving lives. And sometimes, it all starts with a game that teaches you to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.

If you don't rock and stone, you ain't coming home.

ROCK AND STONE!