No One Fights Alone: Finding Mateship Through Gaming
For Australian veterans, leaving the Defence Force can mean leaving behind more than a career, it can mean leaving behind the people who became family. Mateship is one of the strongest bonds formed through military service, and for many, it is one of the things they miss most after leaving. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that 18% of veterans report feeling lonely, while 22% have infrequent social contact with friends or relatives. So, what happens when the mates who were once only a few steps away are suddenly spread across the country? For Veteran Gaming Australia, the answer can sometimes be as simple as picking up a controller.
VGA Founder and CEO Samuel Harris knows the feeling of isolation all too well. After breaking his neck in 2020, Sam found himself facing a recovery that was about much more than the physical injury. “Coming from a background where I was always leading from the front, the recovery was a significant change for me. There was a lot of physical rehabilitation, but there was also the isolation and loneliness that came with suddenly having an injury like this that I hadn’t experienced before.” During his recovery, Sam turned to gaming, using the Nintendo Switch’s Ring Fit Adventure and virtual reality as part of his rehabilitation. Through that recovery, Sam began to see gaming differently. “Gaming wasn’t just about playing a game,” Sam explains. “It was a way to move, have fun, engage with people and maintain a sense of connection when other things weren’t as accessible.” It also got Sam thinking about other Veterans and Veteran Families who might find themselves experiencing that same sense of isolation, whether through injury or illness, deployment, attending courses, transitioning out of the ADF, or simply being posted away from their mates and support networks. From that personal experience, Veteran Gaming Australia was born, with the goal of using gaming and geek culture to create social connections, build community and provide pathways into broader support. For Sam, gaming was never intended to replace professional support; instead, it could provide something that can sometimes come before it… a reason to connect.
During his time in the ADF, Sam saw first-hand how quickly a game could turn into a social gathering. “I think back to when I was deployed and would come back inside the wire,”Sam recalls. “Even though we’d be absolutely sweating and stinking, the first thing the particular unit I was attached to would do was sit down and play FIFA on an old PS4.” The game itself wasn’t necessarily the important part. After a long day, it gave everyone a reason to sit down together, talk, laugh and unwind. “We’d just sit there, chat, laugh and have a bit of fun before eventually going to have a shower. Those moments weren’t really about the game, the game was just the vehicle that brought everyone together.” Sam believes that’s still one of gaming’s biggest strengths, you don’t necessarily need to walk into a room full of strangers and immediately start a conversation; you can start with a game, a shared interest or a simple invitation to join in. Gaming can also remove some of the geographical barriers that can make maintaining those connections difficult. A veteran recovering at home, living in regional Australia, staying in hospital, or posted somewhere far from their usual support network can still jump online and play with someone hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away. “It is engaging, fun, accessible and, importantly, it can make those first social interactions a lot easier,” Sam says.
Sam recalls one veteran couple who initially found Veteran Gaming Australia through Facebook and Discord. For around 18 months, they interacted with the community online before they felt comfortable enough to attend an in-person social event. After eventually attending an event in person, the couple became more involved with VGA’s gaming and community activities, connecting with others. Sam says their story is a reminder that the impact of VGA can’t always be measured in numbers. “That might sound like a long time, but for them it was significant — it was the first time they had been outside their house, other than for specific medical appointments, in more than five years due to anxiety and other health conditions,” Sam says. “Being able to start that journey through gaming and community helped reduce that sense of isolation, and they’ve since been able to step outside the house more regularly through both gaming and community activities… That’s the sort of impact that can be difficult to measure on a spreadsheet, but you can absolutely see it in someone’s life.”
Veterans don’t all find support in the same place. While formal government support plays an important role in Australia’s Veteran support system, a significant number of Veterans don’t engage with it. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 53% of veterans who had served since 1985 were not DVA clients in 2021, rising to 60% among ex-serving members. That doesn’t necessarily mean someone is without support, but it highlights the need for a broader network of organisations available to veterans and their families. That’s where Ex-Service Organisations come in, providing everything from advocacy and practical assistance to social activities and community connections.
For Veteran Gaming Australia, that last part is particularly important. “Comradery and mateship are some of the strongest aspects of serving in the Australian Defence Force,”Sam says. “It is part of what makes the military experience so unique, and for many people it is one of the things they miss most when they leave.” Mateship is the first of the four pillars around which VGA builds its community and charity activities. For Sam, that means creating a place where people can form new connections, regardless of their background. Gaming provides a common ground where those differences can quickly become less important. “You don’t have to have the same background to have something in common,” Sam says. “You can have someone who has never served sitting alongside someone with decades of military experience, and once you are playing a game together, those barriers can disappear pretty quickly.”
While video games provide the common ground, VGA’s programs cover a much broader range of activities designed to bring Veterans and their families together. That includes social gaming hubs on Defence bases, in Veteran and Family Hubs and alongside other Ex-Service Organisations, as well as digital and in-person activities. Gaming isn’t the only way people connect, either, as VGA also covers hobbies such as miniature painting into its community activities, providing different ways for people to meet others and find something they enjoy. The organisation also takes its programs beyond the gaming room, with hospital visits and programs, care packages for Veterans and others who need a helping hand, and collaborations with organisations across the veteran support network. That work has grown considerably since VGA was founded. Sam says the organisation has now supported more than 46,000 Veterans and Veteran Families through its collaborative in-person and digital social and charity programs. For Sam, however, the number only tells part of the story. “For me, VGA isn’t about simply creating a gaming community. It is about creating those positive social connections, friendships and sense of belonging for Veterans, Veteran Families and the wider community.”
For Sam, some of the most important moments VGA has been part of aren’t necessarily the ones that can be photographed or counted, but when someone reaches out because they need someone to talk to. Sam has lost close friends to suicide, both during and after their service, and says those experiences have reinforced just how important peer connection can be. “Knowing that some of the conversations we have, particularly in the evening, have helped save lives… is incredibly powerful.” Sam is quick to emphasise that VGA isn’t a replacement for professional mental health or crisis services. Instead, the community can provide a first point of connection. “Sometimes it can be as simple as playing a game with a mate and noticing that they sound a little different or aren’t quite themselves. That can open up a pathway for conversation and give you the opportunity to check in and ask how they are going.” That element of mateship can be particularly important for Veterans, Sam says. Being able to speak with someone who understands service, injury or transition from lived experience can make it easier to open up.
That’s really the heart of Veteran Gaming Australia: people looking out for one another. What began with Sam discovering the value of gaming during his own recovery has grown into a national, volunteer-run organisation supporting Veterans and Veteran Families through gaming, community, creativity and connection. Gaming might be what brings people together, but it is the mateship that keeps them coming back. For someone who has spent years surrounded by people who understood the experience of service, finding that sense of belonging again can be powerful. Sometimes it starts with a controller, and simply knowing that someone is there to talk to.
Support Veteran Gaming Australia
Veteran Gaming Australia is a 100% volunteer-run charity, with a team of around 90 volunteers helping deliver its programs across Australia. If you’d like to support the work VGA is doing, there are several ways you can help. Donations, sponsorship and volunteering all help the organisation continue providing social activities, gaming programs, hospital visits, care packages and other support for Veterans and Veteran Families. Even simply sharing information about VGA can help connect someone with a community they may not know exists.
“Simply spreading awareness of Veteran Gaming Australia and the programs we provide is incredibly valuable and can help us reach Veterans and Veteran Families who may not otherwise know we are here.”
– Samuel Harris, Founder & CEO, Veteran Gaming Australia
