3 charities fundraising through gaming
Melanie May | 26 February 2020 | News
A mini round-up of charities that are using gaming to raise funds, from Make-A-Wish UK, to the International Red Cross, and SpecialEffect.
GameBlast20 raises £140,000 for SpecialEffect
For the sixth year running GAME has supported GameBlast. GameBlast is an annual event run by GAME’s longstanding charity partner SpecialEffect, and asks people to play their heart out for gamers with physical disabilities.
Gamers everywhere were invited to join the streamers, studios and student societies taking part in GameBlast20 from 21 to 23 February with SpecialEffect inviting gamers to complete a challenge of their own design, whether a marathon livestream, speed run, esports tournament or games-themed office party.
The marathon gaming weekend was live streamed via Twitch to raise money, with GAME also running fundraising activity across all GAME stores and BELONG arenas nationwide. The event beat the £100,000 target to raise £140,000.
[youtube height=”450″width=”800″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjdk9gmxGiI&feature=emb_logo[/youtube]
Fortnite spin-off sees gamers play International Red Cross workers
The International Red Cross (ICRC) has partnered with video game Fortnite to launch Liferun: a spin-off game mode showcasing its humanitarian work in conflict zones.
Launched last month with the help of gaming influencers DrLupo, ONE_shot_GURL and Lachlan, Liferun players act as ICRC workers and are challenged to save lives instead of taking them as is usual with Fortnite, winning points for completing tasks, such as providing medical care for civilians, demining territories, rebuilding infrastructure, and distributing aid quickly.
The game is a free custom creative game mode for Fortnite, which players access with a special code, and was created by agency Wunderman Thompson Seattle with gaming specialists Team Evolve.
GameStars launched by Make-A-Wish UK
YouTuber Syndicate – also known as Tom Cassell – is supporting Make-A- Wish(R) UK’s fundraising initiative GameStars, which launched on 18 February.
GameStars sees the gamer community, developers and streamers come together to raise money and help grant wishes at a time of unprecedented demand for wishes at the charity by either holding a livestream fundraiser or by fundraising through offline gaming with friends.
Syndicate played video games with wish teenagers who attended the launch of the new venture at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester.
Make-A-Wish Chief Executive Jason Suckley said:
“For the young people we support, playing video games isn’t just a hobby, it can be a vital lifeline. It allows them to be themselves and stay connected with friends and family despite the confines of illness, hospital and treatment.
“Through gaming, seriously ill children and teenagers can experience a new identity where they are not ill and there are no limits to their abilities, so it’s also a way of escaping the reality of life with a serious illness. More children than ever have turned to us in recent months, so we’re urging the whole gaming community to get behind us to help us to grant wishes by fundraising through GameStars.”
Main image: Tom Cassell and GameStars
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.