Social impact isn’t just a trend, it’s at the heart of what people want from the businesses and products they support—and the game industry has embraced this notion with enthusiasm.
Thirteen years ago a couple of gamers who wanted to help raise money for worthy causes came up with a novel approach to doing just that, and the game-bundles-for-charity model was born. Humble Bundle was founded by Jeff Rosen and John Graham in 2010, and from that very first initiative to the present day, the company has grown its focus on doing good, integrating it into every aspect of its business and operation.
At Humble, we treasure the opportunity to blend charitability with our work, but we wouldn’t be successful at it if there weren’t a larger movement afoot that our founders were tapping into. We don’t really see our company as an instigator of goodwill; what we’re trying to do is help mobilize and focus the abundant kindness and compassion that already exists—and seems to be growing each year—among gamers and pop culture fans all around the world.
Gamers want to give back
There are countless stories of individuals and communities of players who have leaned in on their own or rallied like-minded people to take action or make donations for worthy causes. On any given day, you can tune in to your streaming platform of choice to find someone combining gaming with charity. This grassroots movement has helped drive large-scale events, such as BlizzCon, the Games for Change Festival, PAX, and more to incorporate substantial social impact components, including charity auctions and dinners, as well as guest speakers and panels covering impact-related topics.
In addition, developers are increasingly weaving social or environmental themes directly into their games (see the major companies in the Playing for the Planet Alliance for a sense of the commitment driving this evolution). These games are appreciated and enjoyed by a generation of players who recognize the urgency of the real-world challenges we’re all currently facing.
Charity fundraising through gaming
It’s not a secret or surprise that younger audiences, particularly gamers, prefer to invest their time and money into products and services from companies that reflect their values and their concern for the well-being of our planet and the people inhabiting it, as research has shown. Furthermore, according to the Charities Aid Foundation, a majority of gamers have engaged in philanthropy through gaming purchases (and believe more can be done in and around games directly). What’s interesting is the creativity with which game companies—effectively made up of the same audiences—are embracing this opportunity.
Some of the countless examples include charity fundraising through:
- Selling in-game content, such as the Halo 5: Guardians Relief and Recovery REQ Pack, which supported GlobalGiving’s Coronavirus Relief Fund
- Selling merchandise, like Blizzard Entertainment’s and Bungie’s sale of pride pins to raise money for National Center for Transgender Equality and It Gets Better Project, respectively
- Social media campaigns, such as Sega’s effort to turn a meme into awareness-building and fundraising for Uganda
- Engagement campaigns, for example Bethesda’s offer to donate $1 to pet welfare charities for every five dragons slain in The Elder Scrolls Online
- Community and e-sports events, including the Fortnite Summer Block Party, which featured a tournament that awarded a sizable donation to the charity of the winner’s choice
- Fundraising streams, such as Awesome Games Done Quick’s weeklong events, where the world’s best speedrunners play games to raise money for charity
Create community connections
What’s particularly exciting about these and many other charity initiatives in gaming is that they organically weave together game community interests with current social impact topics rather than tacking on calls to action in an unengaging way. Not only does this help maximize reach and impact, it also fosters a deeper connection between a game’s audience and the cause it’s being asked to support.
Speaking for myself and my colleagues at Humble Bundle, we’re inspired by the passion of our audience and also the genuine commitment of our many game (and book and software) content partners. Pulling together the content for our charity bundles—which can involve as many as 50 or more items—is a big undertaking that we wouldn’t be able to do without the engagement and investment of the many companies we work with.
It’s gratifying to serve as a connection point between the content that players love and the strong desire of the people working at these publishers to make a positive difference in the world. This ongoing, growing connection between those of us at Humble and our partners and customers has led us now to more than $250 million raised for charity over the past 13 years. And when we survey all the good that’s needed in the world, and all the good that’s out there and primed for action, we really feel like we’re only getting started.
There’s a massive distributed will among individuals within companies and communities all around the world, to empower entire engagement models that can bring about positive change in areas where change is needed most. With a mixture of passion, commitment, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit, that will can be crystallized, even in the face of the daunting challenges our world faces, into a brighter and more hopeful future.
Kamini Tiwari is VP of Social Impact at Humble Bundle.
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