The determination of a hardcore gamer should never be underestimated, even if they just had a baby. Florida gamer mom Goonz demonstrated her dedication to the game by winning a Mortal Kombat tournament while holding her newborn daughter. Competing in fighting games like Street Fighter or Smash requires dedication on its own. But deciding to still compete days after giving birth to a child is another level of commitment most gamers can’t imagine.
The Florida mother was “still recovering from a brutal c-section that almost resulted in a rupture” after having her daughter. Yet, she still managed to come out on top and won $28, along with a trip to DreamHack Atlanta. “😭😭 Babality!” exclaimed host Juicy Game Night in an X post, congratulating Goonz for winning its Mortal Kombat XL tournament. The entire competition, the baby daughter was reportedly “actually chill” while her mom competed in the intense PvP matches.
Needless to say, Goonz won the respect and support of many gamers, not only for her first-place victory, but also for winning right after having a baby and bringing her to the competition. “That’s hardcore,” remarks a Reddit user. “I bet people were salty as hell,” laughed another, pointing out how distracting babies can be. “That was her strategy 😉,” a third joked in response. Truly, the “based” gamer mom deserves all the praise she can get for her efforts.
However, the baby daughter was more than just a ‘unique addition’ the Florida mother brought to the tournament. Goonz made a heartbreaking post back in May, expressing how she had lost an 11-day-old baby to Kasabach Merritt Syndrome. It’s a rare, non-genetic disease that caused a lethal tumor to form on the infant’s neck, which caused the poor child to endure almost two weeks of pain before passing away.
Despite the tragic loss on top of the physical and mental trauma, Goonz has endured and come out on top, not just in this Mortal Kombat tournament, but as a strong, dedicated mother.
