Up until this night, all of this had only lived inside of our heads. But as intangible as it was then, States has always been real. It has been intertwined into who we are and built from a lifetime of memories. The difference now is that we can see it, touch it, wear it and — most importantly — share it. We decided that the only possible way to introduce States to the world would be to introduce it first to the most important people in our world. The people who were part of the foundation of States way back when, before any of us realized what we were building together. 

  

Our family and friends have supported us for close to two years as we have kept telling them about our vision for States. They believed in us even when they had no proof. At our pre-launch event, we got to present them that proof. This night exceeded anything we could have imagined — and, like we said, we have imagined a lot. We spent days transforming East and West KC into a showcase for States, and we took great care in our presentation. We thought that the feeling of finally seeing our work on display was unrivaled until everybody started to arrive.

The room reflected everything we want States to be, but it didn't truly feel like home until the room was filled with familiar faces sharing in our joy. 

Each person after person filing in, the people in the pictures on the wall, represented a piece of States. Our families who were there when we played our very first game and remained dedicated when our love for the game took us all over the place. Our friends who once played with us.

These shirts, shorts and hats decorating this room are not just shirts, shorts and hats. They are our tangible thank you. States is not States without all of you.

 

 

Written by Megan Armstrong