The Memorial game ideas keep rolling in. Our long time family friends, Milt and Sharon Feryance, did not let distance come between them and gaming with friends this last Wednesday, June 7th. We love how they took to heart being Game Champions and used an online venue to share connection time!
Game Champions: Zoom with the Feryance’s
We just finished playing games for the Jolt-On Memorial Games Week. It was the Riveras in Iowa, Rich Phillips & Maureen Hughes-Phillips and Milt and I. We had a lot of good laughs playing Trivial Pursuit,Two Truths and A Lie and answering questions from our leader 1000 questions book! Thanks for helping us bond more and using this opportunity to remember Ethan and the ways he brought others together through games. May God comfort you, Joel and Noah, and may he continue to give you the strength to persevere as you continue to bear this heavy burden of grief. Love, Sharon & Milt
Thank you for encouraging us and providing another awesome idea to enjoy games when separated across the miles. All of you are a blessing for joining us and we hope you find opportunities to keep playing!
The Atkinson family joined the Jolt-On! Memorial Game Days on Ethan’s birthday to champion game time at their home. I sure wish I could have joined them in person as their chosen game was SuperFight! This is a personal favorite of Ethan’s… especially during Middle and High School years. There is something awesome about assuming a character and crazy attributes in pursuit of the best battle story. He loved the super powers and corresponding super problems that were presented and then the ridiculous story argument that followed. We always enjoyed great laughs every time the cards came out.
I am told the characters in this particular SuperFight were:
Conan
Attributes: 6 inches tall and floating down on a parachute
Abraham Lincoln
Attributes: with X-Ray vision and could become whatever is touched
T-Rex
Attributes: Matches the size of opponents and throws 200 mph fastballs
Now that is quite the SuperFight! I have a hunch Abraham Lincoln was quite the formidable opponent… but then I can also see Conan and T-Rex using their new attributes to make an explosive challenge. That would be hard to judge if you ask me! Thank you Atkinson family for sharing the fun of your game night with us!
Ethan’s long time friends came together on Wednesday, May 31st… Minecraft was the perfect game of choice to highlight the time of remembering their friend through games. Everyone lives in separate places now, some near and some far. I remember the days of elementary, middle and high school when it was just a short drive from house to house in order to be in community with each other.
Check out the results of their Minecraft shenanigans below!
I am especially touched by how the time helped them remember him…
As is customary, the game was preceded by an hour of IT troubleshooting, but miraculously it worked. Playing video games, it was a toss up whether Ethan was going to be competitive, or a carefree agent of chaos. In Minecraft he was usually the latter. It was really nice to get together and remember the jovial spirit Ethan would bring to games.
One thing I particularly loved about Ethan was his ability to meet people where they were. While gaming he adopted different attitudes and playstyles to make sure everyone was included and having a fun time. He also stayed up way too late on school nights to accommodate the night owls (though i wish he prioritized sleep a little more). That’s the kind of person he was.
Comment taken from the original Game Days posting
Thank you all! We carry such wonderful memories of all of you along with our son!
I just got back from my women’s bible study friends Game Nite. We met tonight, Friday, June 2nd (2023), for an evening of fellowship and competition (I truly did not know how competitive some of my friends really are!). Our leader, Sharon, provided the location and we all brought games to consider. In addition, we shared snacks and desserts and fun conversation.
Our game lineup started with a long round of the game Left-Center-Right. This is usually a fast paced dice game where players exit and enter the game at random based on the throw of up to three dice. The winner takes home the “loot” pile as the last person with any tokens. We made it a bit long by choosing to give everyone 25 pennies as their passing tokens… it gave us a lot of time to share and talk during the game play. Maureen was the ultimate winner (all of $2.00 worth!) and we crowned her the Game Queen!
There were so many games to consider this evening. We ended the night with the hilarious game of Say Anything! As we took turns, parts of this game got me thinking of what Ethan would say. The major part of the game is to pose a question to your opponents. Saying the phrase “In my opinion” before every question helps to remind everyone to think of the speaking player when providing an answer. So, when I heard the question, “In my opinion, what is the best lego model?” I could not resist thinking of an answer that Ethan would have said!
It was a fun night with everyone sharing stories and laughter. I have not had the ability to laugh like that for a long time now. Oh the healing power of games! It is not surprising to me that I also felt less stressed coming home tonight. I know this is a major reason Ethan engaged others in game play so often… after all, life can be stressful. Several women in our group commented that they had not laughed out loud in a very long time. I hope we can find more time for stress relieving fellowship and maybe play Pitnext round, Ladies!
The Jolt-On! Memorial Game Days Game Pass event at the Boiler Game Mine last Tuesday, May 30th was a great success! It was our honor to have been able to share this great space with the Purdue and West Lafayette, Indiana community. In this game replay, we are sharing some of the fun that happened on Ethan’s 23rd Birthday…
Our sponsored Game Pass time at the Boiler Game Mine started at 4pm on Tuesday May 30th, 2023, in celebration of the Esports efforts at Purdue over this last academic year and Ethan Wang’s 23rd birthday.
The generous staff of the Boiler Game Mine welcomed gamers through the afternoon and evening. For those coming to the Boiler Game Mine for the first time, the staff provided one on one game challenges on the Nintendo Switch and XBox console along with giveaways of Free 1 hour gaming coupons to those who participcated. In these photos, I recognize several faces of Ethan’s friends and fellow Esports gamers whom were able to come enjoy the space. One friend from Campus House noted:
The day was full but I made it with just enough time to catch the end and talk with a couple of friends who were there. What a cool idea! I remembered Ethan’s calm presence with a joyful heart yesterday. Thank you for the invite!
Cupcakes were provided through Baked by Brittaney, a Boilermaker owned bakery in West Lafayette, IN. Ethan’s favorite… yellow cake with chocolate frosting were enjoyed by all!
We are very grateful for the leadership of the Purdue University Recreation & Wellness staff, along with the Purdue Memorial Union and Boiler Game Mine Management whom came alongside us to make the event possible. Jason Maynard and Travis Huston were hugely present in the planning and bringing ideas for the event. They assisted us with promoting the event throughout the Purdue Memorial Union in the days and weeks during May, 2023. On the big screens in the Mine, Travis graciously gave us the ability to share some of the highlights during the last year that have brought this space into reality through the efforts of Jason Maynard (Recreation & Wellness). Jason continued the work that Ethan started alongside him on campus before his passing.
You can read more about Ethan’s capacity to bring forward the Esports program at Purdue University on our post for the event, Capacity: Esports at Purdue. There are also links to several of the current Esports Clubs through the University website if you are interested in being involved! If you missed it this year, we are looking forward to providing future Game Pass events from time to time in Ethan’s honor. In addition, we are always staying in touch with the Esports club leaders of Splatoon @ Purdue and Battle Association @ Purdue for support of their seasons efforts. Be on the look out for what comes next!
If you were able to attend the Game Pass event, head to the comments below and tell us about your time! Not on campus or able to attend? Not a problem, head back to our Game Days Schedule to see what is coming up next for the remainder of the Jolt-On! Memorial Game Days!
It has been a privilege to continue to support the Esports community that our son enjoyed during his undergraduate years (2018-2022) at Purdue University. Intensely involved as player and President for both Splatoon @ Purdue and Purdue University Battle Association (a Pokémon Draft League) during the 2021-2022 seasons, Ethan was determined to build a lasting legacy. Through his capacity to lead, collaborate with University leadership and mentor teams, Ethan brought forward improvements to better the gaming scene on campus.
ITaP (Inkling Technology at Purdue) Competitive Team – Ethan (right) “head Inkling”
During his leadership time with Splatoon @ Purdue, Ethan was purposeful to encourage student leaders and membership towards involvement in all areas of club life. The current leadership carries on that legacy as a community which encourages everyone to be involved. The Club encourages recreational through competitive play. In addition to playing the game of Splatoon 3, members are invited to take initiative toward fundraising, building membership attendance, tournament roles and overall campus community. In the video below, created by Zach Nahorski, hear from Ethan and other members on what involvement in the life of the club is all about:
Thank you to Zach Nahorski, Vice President of Splatoon @ Purdue (2022-2023), for providing this awesome video!
In the spring of 2022, excitement grew as the Club, under Ethan’s leadership as President, worked with RecWell staff to host an Intercollegiate Invitational Tournament. The tournament took place at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN campus) vs Michigan State.
“Purdue’s match against Michigan State was the first-ever known match between official collegiate Splatoon club teams. Members of Splatoon @ Purdue hope the event and connections with other collegiate clubs will encourage more student organizations to form club teams and establish collegiate events.”
Ethan Wang, excerpt from Spring 2022 interview with Student Life staff writer, Matt Vader
While Ethan is now no longer with us, his legacy will continue on for years to come. Jason Maynard, Sr Assistant Director of Sport Programs (RecWell) worked with Ethan to bring forward a number of institutional developments in the realm of Esports. The Boiler Game Mine, which opened November of 2022, is the completion of the vision Ethan had to provide a dedicated space for Esports teams and the gaming community on campus. We honor our sons legacy on his 23rd birthday by sponsoring this afternoons Game Pass for fellow Boilermakers and the West Lafayette community to enjoy all that Ethan envisioned it could become.
Find out more about Esports at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) on the Purdue University Club websites listed below:
PMU Boiler Game Mine Info on access to the Game Mine at the Purdue Memorial Union
Happy Birthday, Son. Our first without you birthday. Really unspeakable what it is to wake up to today and not have you here. All I can do is hold onto the time we had with you at your birthday last year. I am focused on eternity, taking it all to Jesus… until I see you again. All my love, xoxo Mom
Anna Golden “Take it to Jesus”
22nd Birthday… a simple (and favorite) gluten free yellow cake with chocolate frosting
These are my guys… Ethan (forever 22) and Noah (14 at the time). I am so glad to have been given sons. They are the joys of my life at all times. I find there are not many pictures of me with them, for I am usually the one taking the picture! In the highs and lows of motherhood, I will always be in awe of the impact they both have on my life.
“Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.”
Psalm 127:3-4
I tuned in to listen to a favorite podcast this morning hoping to frame this Mother’s Day. While We’re Waiting Ministry has been a lifeline for me walking through this year. I had saved Episode 43 “The Highest Form of Love” for today. Just over 5 minutes long, but just the right message I needed to face the day. I am grateful to you, Jill! You have given me courage to keep going by focusing on God’s sacrifice for us all by giving up his son Jesus so that we are able to receive His grace. Powerful!
SBR 2022Last Beautiful Day June 8, 2022CHI Ferris Wheel 2017Hockey Game TX 2015Tyler TX 2017Waco TX 2016SBR 2014Williamsburg VA 2021Senior Year Hockey 2018Chicago Shoreline 2018Batavia IL 2018Handsome HS Grad 2018Planetarium Adventures 2010Mother’s Day 2022
