Famously wholesome co-op dwarf game Deep Rock Galactic has finally done it. The game inspired one player to become a miner, specifically an explosives miner, in real life. I've followed Deep Rock Galactic for years and have always wondered if this would ever actually happen, so when Bulk-Detonator – or Mat, as he requested – shared his story with the game's Reddit community, I about fell out of my chair.
This is one of the white whales of my 11-year career in game journalism, and Mat's story did not disappoint. In his post, Mat explained that Deep Rock Galactic helped dig him out of a "dead-end job that barely provided for my family" by making a career in mining, or "rock drill training / explosive mining," seem like a real, plausible thing. "Huh, wouldn't it be funny to do the video game thing IRL," he thought.
Folks, he is doing the video game thing IRL, and it sounds pretty great. I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole Speaking with GamesRadar+ on a video call straight from his work truck, Mat explains that, a few years ago, he was looking for machine work after getting fed up with an unfulfilling job at a plumbing store. "My intention was to find some type of machine operator, maybe like crane work," he says.
"And I happened across a driller trainee position. I looked up the machines themselves, they looked pretty cool, and I applied. They took me in and here I am today.
I'm still technically a driller trainee, but they've needed a lot of help out on the blasting crews, .