For 13-year-old Aiden Deck, video games kept him connected to his dad, Master Sgt. Christopher Robert Deck, even when he was deployed for the U.S. Air Force. The two played together constantly until Master Sgt. Deck’s passing on July 11, 2021.

Aiden’s love for video games lives on, and he is now involved in Gold Star Gamers, a nonprofit dedicated to helping Gold Star children remember their parents through video games. The Deck children have attended Gold Star Gamer camps in Texas and around the country, gaming with other kids who have also lost their parents.

Gold Star Gamers’ Cup

Last year, the San Antonio family participated in the first-ever Gold Star Gamers’ Cup, an event put on by USAA where children are paired with USAA employees to compete in an esports competition to represent the parents they lost. The event took place on July 11, 2025, the fourth anniversary of their father’s death. The Deck children came in first place.

This year, the kids were met with a surprise opponent: Spurs star Julian Champagnie. The kids, dressed in flight suit uniforms, waited in line to battle Champagnie in a game of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Aiden played and beat Champagnie in their matchup, which was filled with talk about the Finals, the World Cup, and Victor Wembanyama’s NBA 2k27 cover.

Original reporting: San Antonio Report — read the source article.