Mathew Ewings is $10,000 richer. He’s the winner of SLN Gamer’s Summer Gamecation, and an awesome guy to boot. Following his surprise winner reveal (aka when he was able to compose himself), we sat down with Mathew to learn a little more about him and what it’s like to win 10 grand.

So, how does it feel to be crowned winner of Gamecation?

Winning the Gamecation contest has, simply put, blown my mind! I’ve been entering SLN contests since they first started up, but I never thought I would actually win. When I found out, I just couldn’t stop smiling. I still can’t! It’s the best feeling in the world to know that this will be the best summer ever.

Tell us what was going through your head when you first read the letter to reveal you were the winner?

When I found myself alone at that table, I started to get a little suspicious. After reading that letter, I can’t believe I didn’t just fall out of my chair. My first thought was to tell my girlfriend. I kept her completely updated as the contest went on (probably a bit too much, but she put up with it). She’s the first person I wanted to tell and I could barely contain all the things I wanted to do with the prize money.

What was your experience like with Gamecation, the full contest?

The Gamecation contest has been my favourite SLN contest to date. While the prize for Canada’s Luckiest Student has been larger, I felt that the Gamecation contest was a more close-knit and community-based experience. It wasn’t just about all the ways to get extra entries, it was about the blog, the gaming news and sharing that with everyone. The prize itself was just a perk of being a part of this contest.

What plans do you have with your $10,000 winnings? Playing video games all summer?

To be honest, I didn’t give tons of thought to what I would do with the prize money if I won throughout the contest. Of course, once I found out that I won, it was a flood of ideas! In terms of gaming, I can finally upgrade to a PlayStation 4. I’ll also be pre-ordering some awesome titles coming out later this year and in 2015, including The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Batman: Arkham Knight, and LittleBigPlanet 3. Outside of gaming, I’ll be going camping in August and I’ve already started planning a trip to Las Vegas with my girlfriend in the fall. Finally, I definitely want to use the money to get a certain special item of jewellery for my girlfriend.

You’ve been an SLNer for a couple years now. In your opinion, what’s the best part about being an SLNer?

The SLN community is amazing. Firstly, the contests they put out are so much fun. They have outstanding prizes, develop a great sense of community, and it’s just so much fun finding all the voucher codes! It’s great to be a part of such a fun experience. I remember talking about the first Canada’s Luckiest Student in class and having random classmates know about the contest too. We were able to connect over this contest and the community.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I was born and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I currently attend Niagara College for Electrical Engineering Technology. We’re a great school and I’ll definitely be spreading the word about the Student Life Network to everyone I can. I have a beautiful girlfriend, Christina, who I’ve been with for almost three years. Right now, I’m completing a work term in Clarington, Ontario and will be finishing my final year at school very soon! I’ve been a gamer all my life, from Sega Genesis to my (soon-to-come) PS4. My favourite game of all time would have to be Red Dead Redemption for its great visuals, storyline and the classic Rockstar Games humour.