Week 5 Write-a-thon Partner: Take This!

We’re already down to our second-to-last week of Write-a-thon, but we’re still going strong! Even if you haven’t joined in yet, you can always sign up for the fun here.

This week we’re partnering with Take This, an innovative nonprofit organization supporting mental health within gaming communities. Here’s an interview with Executive Director Eve Crevoshay about the important work that Take This does.

What is the mission and vision of your organization?

Our mission is to decrease the stigma, and increase the support for, mental health in the game enthusiast community and inside the game industry. Our vision is a game community that welcomes and supports people experiencing mental health challenges, and that recognizes the humanity and mental health of game creators.

How long have you been doing this amazing work?

Take This began as a Tumblr blog in 2012 and was incorporated as a nonprofit in 2014.

What is the coolest thing that has happened for your organization?

So many! Matthew Lillard, who met us at PAX, created a custom shield pin, the Shield of Faith, that’s sold to benefit us via Beadle & Grimm’s. Also, we had the opportunity to weigh in on the development of Psychonauts 2 (and interview Tim Schafer!).

Those are some cool celebrity encounters, but really, what’s so cool is that we get to interact with people who make and play games in a meaningful way every single day, and provide them with the resources they need to make their lives better.

What is the best speculative fiction book or story you’ve read recently?

Ooooh, I just read The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow.

What do you see as the role of speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural horror across media, including literature, TV, games, comics, film, etc.) in making our world a better place?

All of these genres give us the opportunity to step outside of the challenging and emotionally-charged world we live in, but still tackle the big questions in life. Also, it’s so beautiful and fantastic and fun to imagine a world of magic that’s bigger than ours.

How can Write-a-thon participants get involved with your organization and your programming?

The best way to get involved with Take This is to join our Discord community. That’s where we post volunteer opportunities and advance notice of some of our major events and partnerships.

You can also find us on Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, and Instagram.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with the Write-a-thon community?

Fiction ⁠— especially speculative fiction ⁠— is a beautiful way to tell stories that share different perspectives and create empathy and understanding. If you do so with compassion and nuance, you are doing a great service to the whole world.

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