Hello friends. Paul here.
As some of you may have heard, on October 25th we lost part of our Games and Stuff family. You may have met Amber and her son James at some of our large marquee events, or seen her in any number of our videos on social media.
Amber Cook was our marketing guru, our branding specialist, the voice of our emails, and so much more. And her accomplishments in our industry outside our walls are legion, having worked for Looney Labs, Asmodee Digital, Roll20, Steve Jackson Games, and countless others. Amber's influence was wide-reaching and impactful. Our whole staff, and the entire tabletop industry mourns her loss.
Amber was also my girlfriend and partner of many years, and my personal grief has yet to touch bottom.
Games and Stuff would not have this glorious new location if not for Amber. We wouldn't have our now beloved logo, our big-eared rat called Mischief. There are so many things about the modern Games and Stuff that would not be in place without Amber's guidance, and in recent months we had been greatly expanding her role here behind the scenes.
I struggle to think how to push forward without her. But she would have scolded me for such thinking, so step-by-step and day-by-day we'll manage.
More pressingly, Amber leaves behind a young son, James, now almost seven years old. So we've pivoted our Black Friday charity to benefit his future education and well being.
All of the proceeds from our Three Days of Black Friday VIP tickets will go to James, and we'll also be featuring some special silent auction items in the weeks following Thanksgiving. Finally, in the very near future, we hope to share some more details about how you can directly donate to helping James. Watch this space for updates.
Be good to each other, and hold your loved ones tight.
-Paul
UPDATE November 21, 2024: Black Friday VIP tickets have sold out. I have personally launched a GoFundMe to benefit James, which can be found at the following link. Anyone interested in donating directly to the cause can do so here. Please share!
In Memory of Amber Cook: A Fund for James's Future.
