So, we’ve kicked off our 10th anniversary with the question what is our favorite UWG/VB event? Well, for that, I have to look waaaaay back to when we first crashed onto the Internet as United We Game. What strikes me the most is how different the blogosphere was in 2013/14. I don’t know if we just happened to get moving at the right time or if times truly were different (probably the latter), but the sense of community then was quite robust. One of the tenets our founding was that we wanted to bring together people interested in video games and sharing within that world. That’s why one of our first major external collaborations will always remain closest to my heart, our first anniversary “Mario Party” project with 1 Hour 1 Sketch.

 1 Hour 1 Sketch is a weekly art challenge that was established by artist Adam Foreman. If that name might sound familiar, it may be because of his amazing body of work that spans from illustration to game art, or, perhaps, because of his Slice of Mallow web comics and/or book. Foreman’s idea with 1 Hour 1 Sketch was simple, and really the name said it all! Each week, 1H1S would post a random prompt to social media. Any followers wishing to participate would make a single sketch in one hour, and then post the image in response to the prompt.  The idea took off! Now, I don’t recall exactly how we connected with 1 Hour 1 Sketch, but, as the blogosphere was much smaller at that point, and so much else wasn’t vying for folks’ attention, we managed to link up.

What followed was an amazing bit of cooperation, whereby we (of United We Game) got to choose 1H1S’s weekly prompt for the week of our site’s first anniversary in April 2014. After some light debate, we settled on “Mario Party,” because, hey, we were in a partying mood! Over the course of that week, images came rolling in from near and far. At the time, when social media seemed more spirited and less inundated with nonsense, it was truly exciting to see such active voluntary participation take place. The week itself flew by in a flash, and the result were nothing short of wonderful! The prompt elicited some incredible drawings imbued with style and creativity. Happily, the images, and the artists who drew them, remain memorialized on our site.

Putting oneself “out there” for the world to see and judge can be difficult and risky. Hatm0nster, The Duck of Indeed, and I started this site to share our love or gaming and to bring together people who felt the same. We had no idea how far we’d go then, or what the future held. But in those early days, knowing that there were others trying forge their own paths online helped ease the nerves. We were there to support them, and they did the same in return. The 1 Hour 1 Sketch collaboration cemented the “we can do this!” factor and proved magical. Nobody had to pay attention, but they did, and we’re grateful for it. Whether you’re getting paid to make art or don’t have an artistic bone in your body, follow 1 Hour 1 Sketch. They made a difference for us and will, at least, keep your feeds artsy and entertaining!

Lede image from Nintendo.com store page.