On 20th Oct. 2012, a very special mission will be undertaken. For the first time in almost two decades, veteran Terran Confederation pilot Josh Loomis will don his pressure suit and step into the cockpit of a fighter craft to do battle with the ruthless Kilrathi invasion forces, to protect humanity and raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

We are calling this operation Extra Life.

Last year, Operation Extra Life raised more than 1.2 million dollars to save kids, but in 2012 our goals, just like the needs of the kids we serve, are much, much higher.You could say they are as high as the sky. And beyond it is where we will fly, lighting up interstellar space with laser fire and rocket exhaust.

For 24 hours beginning at 1000 hours Eastern Standard time, the operation will play through the adventures of our intrepid pilots as chronicled in the Wing Commander series. The simulation will begin with the first iteration, and continue through each one as long as the operation goes on. The operation will be chronicled, live-Tweeted, and possibly even streamed. Updates on this to follow.

The best part is that you can help. Donating online is safe and easy! To make an online donation please click the “Support This Participant” button on this page. Your donation is tax-deductible and ALL PROCEEDS go to help kids back home.

Do your part! Tune in to the operation! Contribute if you can! YOUR PLANET NEEDS YOU!

First of all, I want to thank everybody who voted. I know that LA Noire got the most votes, and while I do still want to play that game, a poster on the Escapist made an excellent point:

I doubt half the voters here even understand what Wing Commander was back in the day.

Before Wing Commander, story was sparse in video gaming outside of, say, role-playing or adventure games. The most story you got out of an action piece like Doom was some scrolling text and maybe a fullscreen splash image. I still remember the Doom marine cradling the head of his beloved bunny while glaring at the flaming pits of Hell.

Wing Commander changed that. Not only does it have a story, but its story has multiple paths to multiple endings. Losing a mission sucked, but was not a failure state; the game carried on, just as it would in a real conflict, with all of the ramifications included in failure. Crew mates died, and never came back. Those things stick with you.

Moreso than anything else, I want to see how the writing holds up. I’m curious if I can get it to work with a game pad, rather than shelling out for a joystick or struggling with mouse and keyboard. And I feel compelled to introduce a new generation of gamers to the joys and frustrations of the space sim, just in case the old warhorse is put out to pasture forever.

So Wing Commander it is. More details to follow. I will post a link to my Extra Life page once it’s ready, and gird my loins for the 20th. It’ll be a long day, but a fun one.