Etherlan 2017 was held at the Bunker in Winkler this past weekend.

Well over 100 people attended the gaming tournament, participating in one or more of the four available gaming categories: PC, tabletop, board games, and Wii.

"We raised $3,000 in one day," said Harold Espinosa, mission pastor at Pathway Community Church in Winkler.

Espinosa is one of the organizers and founders of the event. The money raised last weekend will be given to start an off-shoot of the Bunker in Puerto Rico, which Espinosa

Harold Espinosasaid would be vital to the people there.

"There's a lot of unemployment, it's bankrupt. The island needs to have some lighthouse. The churches are there, they're doing their best, but they want to create something that attracts the young people to realize they're loved," Espinosa said.

Speaking with a deacon of a Puerto Rican church, Espinosa told him about what the Bunker does. The man was excited and wanted to do something similar. That was in 2008.

A building is nearly ready to be constructed. As of Saturday, only $6,600 was required before the Puerto Rican "Bunker" could be started.

Gaming to this degree, playing all weekend long, is often seen as a waste of time. But Espinosa disagrees.

"It is an amazing outreach to connect with people that love gaming and to let [them] know that Jesus loves them. Building this relationship is important. It's like when we play with our kids, we're building a relationship with them, we're connecting with them. This is another way to connect with the community," Espinosa explained.

Some people drove out all the way from Walhalla and Langdon, ND to attend the event.