Behind the Controller: Diana Xu
We recently went behind the controller with Diana Xu, 27, to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! She has been advocating for patients and families at Lurie Children’s through Extra Life over the last two years. Going into her third year, she is serving on the Extra Life Chicago Guild leadership team as the Media Chair. Diana grew up in Aurora, IL and now lives in Lincoln Park in Chicago. You can follow her on Instagram here, check out her stream here and donate to her here!
How did you find out about Extra Life?
I first heard about Extra Life in 2019 after the Chicago guild hosted their in-person game day in the Panda Cares Center of Hope! I was an employee at Lurie Children’s Hospital from July 2019 through April 2021 in the role of a Business Analyst in the Department of Pediatrics. I thought Extra Life was a perfect combination of my passion for changing kids’ health and gaming!
Although I now work across the bridge at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, I continue to play games to heal kids through Extra Life! I was inspired by the resiliency of the patients and their families at Lurie Children’s. Gaming is a creative outlet to strengthen resiliency by helping kids manage stress and explore new worlds outside of their hospital room. Playing games also helps connect children with their friends and family virtually in a time when the pandemic has greatly impacted childhood socialization.
What does Game Day look like for you?
Game Day always falls right around my birthday! As a result, my husband and I usually host a combo birthday party/game night each year. In 2019, we invited friends to our apartment for a 24-hour in-person game day. We created coupon sheets and prizes as donation incentives. The coupons included different ways to get ahead in board games and video games throughout the event. At the end of Game Day, we gave away prizes for folks who had accumulated the most points throughout the day. It was a fun way to get our friends engaged in Extra Life!
Outside of Game Day, I also have been able to participate in a special Extra Life event called “Game On!” Game On is a new show sponsored by Extra Life Chicago through the Lurie Children’s Skylight TV program. The Game On show was brought to Skylight TV as a way to stream video games “Twitch” style to all the patient rooms. Guest Gamers from Extra Life come to the hospital and are able to stream their games and patients can call in and help play the games, answer trivia questions and talk to the Gamers. I’ve been able to participate as a Gamer twice- once we played Mario Kart and most recently Pokémon Snap. Game Day is always the best day, but being part of Game On is one of my other favorite parts of my Extra Life experience!
Has COVID-19 and quarantine altered your gaming routine?
Yes! My husband and I love board games and video games. Unfortunately, we played fewer board games during the pandemic because we could not meet in-person with our friends. However, we continued playing video games like Animal Crossing and Starbound online with friends. Over time, we found creative ways to play board games online as well, using platforms like Board Game Arena (BGA) and Tabletop Simulator to play games in real-time. We even competed in a board game tournament during Extra Life United through BGA! My hope is that we can host in-person game nights more regularly as vaccinations ramp up. Until then, we will continue to find creative ways to navigate gaming and fundraising during the pandemic!
This month we are celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to honor and pay homage to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders that have contributed to our history, culture of the United States and the Extra-Life gaming community. As an Extra Life Gamer and a member of the AAPI community, is there anything you would like to share with your fellow gamers about how this has shaped your gaming experience?
For the most part, the community I’ve grown up in has been welcoming and diverse! Nevertheless, I remember in elementary school experiencing what AAPI folks call the “lunch box moment” – when you are so embarrassed by your lunch consisting of a thermos of fried rice or braised meats over rice because all your friends were having their “normal” hot lunch of pizza, juice boxes, and Lunchables. Luckily, I was able to draw from other areas of pride to overcome these moments of wanting to fit in.
One of these areas was games! An early memory I have of Asian culture influencing games was through MapleStory. It is a game that was released in 2003 by a South Korean developer. I got my middle school friends hooked on the game – we would hop on every day after school and play for hours. It’s still one of my favorite games because of the cute maps and monsters, often inspired by Asian culture!
When you think of gaming in general, there are so many examples of Asian culture influencing game design and development. Some of my favorite games include Dance Dance Revolution, Final Fantasy, Animal Crossing, and anything Pokemon! I am incredibly proud to see that these games are enjoyed by people of all ages, ethnicities, races, and gender.