Two years ago, gamer Aldo Cauvi started losing his hearing. Then, things got worse. Last year, he lost his hearing completely. And his job. This year, he needed something to keep going. That was Gears of War 3.
On April 18, Cauvi began the Gears 3 beta, and by May 15 at 5pm EST, Cauvi hit Rank 100, apparently the first player to do so.
"Literally I lost one month of my life, sleeping only 4 or 5 hours daily for one whole month," said Cauvi. He played public matches, because the in-between time was shorter, meaning no waiting, and he could earn as many points as possible.
But Cauvi wasn't just trying to earn points to showboat; he wanted to lift his spirits. Achieving 100 in the Gears of War 3 beta was a way to show himself what he could do if he tried.
Opponents were jealous, sending him hateful and bitter messages over Xbox Live, saying he didn't have a life or that he was just some rich kid.
Cauvi hasn't been able to find a job. "In Peru where I live, the opportunities for deaf people just don't exist," he said.
"That's why I have a lot of free time for gaming while I try to raise the funds to get the operation to recover my hearing," said Cauvi. "Now, I really don't have many things in my life that makes me happy and don't have many things to do—but the beta was definitely one of those good things."
Inside A Gear: Panconbasura (Gears 3 Beta Rank 100) [Gears Community Online Network Thanks, Stiggers!]