Awesome kid “Brawls” his way past bullying, reminds us why we play games

Caine Smith is an 11-year-old boy with a name that sounds like he should be fighting crime. In a way, he is. Caine gets bullied at school, simply because he's different. Caine has two moms; because of that, kids pick on him, shove him into objects until he aches, call him names, punch him and choke him.

One of the ways Caine deals with being bullied is through video games. In the video (which you can view below), Caine can be seen playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl while he explains his situation.

"Gaming actually really helps me a lot to calm down and get out of the troubling parts of my life, and to clear my mind of things that happened. It's like going to a different universe."

We hear you, and we've all been there. Video games seem to only get press for the violence they may cause, but this is one example of how their worlds can offer blissful escape, safety and empowerment. As a father of a four-year-old boy in pre-school, I already see how kids at that age bully each other. I see how quickly society forces them to lose their innocence. If video games can offer an experience that takes them away from the the cruelty in the world, and offer a place for them to escape and get lost in, I'm all for it.

The Bully Project is helping spread stories of bullying, like Caine's, and to raise awareness. It happens to kids that are gamers, get called geeks or nerds, and are just interested in different things. And it has to stop.

Caine, by sharing his story, hopes to make a difference.

In the video, Caine said, "I never had real friends that stick around and help me a lot. Most of my friends are the people that get called names. But even them have started to call names to me."

Caine deserves better — from all of us. All he has are different interests from other kids, interests that you and I probably have, as well. Caine is brave enough to stand up to bullying. From us to a fellow gamer, we're proud of Caine for having the courage to speak up.

To learn more about The Bully Project, visit their Facebook page.

Caine Stands Up from The Bully Project on Vimeo.

You can follow Senior Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He likes talking sports, video games, movies, and the stupidity of celebrities. Email at LLiebl@GameZone.com