Veteran Gaming Australia brings ex-soldiers together at Open Expo

Isolated and injured veterans are finding new support networks online through a shared passion of video and tabletop games. See how one Townsville ex-ADF member ‘fell down a rabbit hole’ after ankle surgery.

Veteran Cameron Wilson with a model of a character from the action game Death Standing, which will be one of the prizes in the Game On Expo at Oasis Townsville. Picture: Evan Morgan

A support network helping to connect veterans through their shared love of gaming is inviting former and serving soldiers to the Open Expo on Monday.

ADF veteran Cameron Wilson, the Townsville State Representative of Veteran Gaming Australia, said he’d joined the organisation after realising how many of his fellow veterans had been prevented from regular activities by injuries.

“When I discharged from the ADF, I knew a lot of guys like me who had injuries, some of them couldn’t get to work, or socialise,” Mr Wilson said.

“I had ankle surgery, one of my tendons just didn’t want to play ball. There’s a few lads I know in Melbourne, one of them has the same injury as me, but we’ve still been talking and playing games together for five years.”

Mr Wilson said after finding himself ‘stuck’ for people to talk to throughout the day, but after reaching out to the group on communication platform Discord and helping them with the tech involved, he quickly ‘fell down the rabbit hole’.

Cameron Wilson is the Townsville representative of Veteran Gaming Australia. Picture: Evan Morgan

“We started doing more and more, I had a whole bunch of spare time while studying at CQU, and I started thinking about things we could do,” Mr Wilson said.

“The CEO, Samuel Harris, told me he wanted to run a Christmas party where they could for veterans, so I reached out to Oasis about holding one here.

“They were really thrilled, thought it was great and they’ve been super helpful.”

Mr Wilson said gaming and similar hobbies made it easier to reach out to defence veterans who might otherwise be isolated.

“You don’t need to travel to have a conversation and find that common ground. We can talk about our military service, everyone might be watching a new show on Netflix, or be keen on a new game coming out.”

Along with video games, the group also includes tabletop gaming, 3D printing, cosplay, drone racing, along with kid-friendly initiatives for defence families.

“We introduce them to new hobbies, or maybe even see hobbies in a new way, not how it’s normally done,” Mr Wilson said.

“It’s a safe place to monitor them, they’re talking to other kids that understand some of those unique situations that only defence families understand.”

Nearly all of the activities, including kid-friendly options, will be available at the Open Expo on Monday at The Oasis, from midday.

Originally published as Veteran Gaming Australia brings ex-soldiers together at Open Expo