Will had a blast at
DreamHack Dallas 2024
at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center at the end of May.
Convention goers met Will in the F4R (Fight4Rare) booth
where they got their flash on with a
Care for Rare bracelet!
Will was seen wheeling around the CC wearing F4R
mingling with his fellow gamers!
And Will was on the Main Stage during the
last day of the Convention!
Because he is wheelchair bound,
Will spends a lot of time on his iPad and has found another passion–gaming!
He discovered Cities Skylines and Farming Simulator, and has built cities and farms with his dad on their desk top.
Of course, he can never really subdue the “hockey fanatic” in him so when he received an X-box for Christmas several years ago,
NHL was the first thing that was loaded. Go to
to get the full play-by-play on that! Will controls the shots on NHL24!
He takes a break once in awhile to build things like the Eiffel Tower on Minecraft!
And now he is an avid Manor Lords fan and he and his dad build medieval towns and fight medieval battles!
During the day, while his dad is working, Will spends his time searching out videos of players from around the world. He remembers all the tips and tricks and is always very anxious to pass them along to his dad during their evening Xbox or computer sessions. He does his watching and learning during the day between assorted therapy sessions and other activities his mom has lined up for him. And, of course, during the school year, school sessions are mixed in there too. Since he is on a feeding tube, he waits for the family to finish their evening meal and clean-up.
Then it’s show time!
Whether he’s building
up in the city,
over in the medieval kingdom,
or down on the farm,
Will is loving every minute of it.
But–truth be told–playing hockey in
NHL24 is his favorite!
Playing hockey, Will doesn’t just tell his dad what he wants to do–HE DOES IT! Will controls hitting the puck–all the passes, all the shots on goal–with his own remote. And he is an enthusiastic gamer!
PLAYING NHL24When
Will Builds
Cities & Farms
or with
Mine Craft &
Manor Lords
things are a little different.
Will has lost his ability to talk, but he has not lost his ability to communicate! One of the hallmarks of his disease is problems in the throat–not being able to swallow or pronounce words clearly. He knows what he wants to say, though! And even though most people can’t understand him, his parents can. Will gives them the “thumbs up” to let them know that what they heard is what he said!
Will tells his dad what he wants to build, and because Will’s motor control has deteriorated with the progression of his disease, Will’s dad mans the remote control. Will tells Dad his plans, and Dad carries them out! Sometimes Will takes a turn on the remote, but is rather quick to hand it back to his dad when he wants to do some serious building.
Will has built cities.
Will and his dad have built several cities, one with a large zoo, an amusement park and an airport. He then started a new city near a body of water so that he could build a harbor. He learned a lot about building neighborhoods and the need for functioning city services!
Will has also built several farms.
He has planted canola, sunflowers, and sugar beets. He has raised bees, chickens, sheep, and cows. He has refined sugar, combined it with milk from his cows, and produced chocolate at his own factory. He planted wheat, built his own grain mill, built a bakery and made cakes with his flour, milk, butter, eggs, and sugar. He also built a greenhouse, grew strawberries, and made strawberry short cakes! He planted saplings, built his own sawmill, and manufactured furniture (which takes a long time.)
Will had a grape orchard, but got out of the grape business because he found out that grape juice wasn’t very profitable! He also has his own clothes manufacturing plant, and produces clothing from his sheep wool. He has found that selling clothes from his own factory is the most lucrative venture so far.
Will’s farmer avatar looks a lot like “Will” in NHL!
And Will builds medieval villages.
Will and his dad started playing Manor Lords as soon as it came out and have been perfecting their village building skills. And, yes, they have fought a few battles!
Will enjoys Minecraft.
When Will started gaming several years ago, he was really into Minecraft! In his younger days he even had a Minecraft costume for Halloween!
Will obviously has 12-year-old interests.
Along with gaming with his dad, he loves gaming with his buddies from school,
but his disease continues to take its toll on his body so he is limited in his physical activity. His brain is still active and coming up with all sorts of ideas, though, so he keeps living his life fully!
