Supporting Those that Support the Kids: Gaming Industry
This is the latest in a series of posts highlighting those who have done so much to help kids and now society as a whole during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the other posts here.
Extra Life, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals peer-to-peer fundraising program, has been uniting people through gaming #ForTheKids since 2008. We’re so thankful that now, more than ever, people are uniting to help their local children’s hospitals through gaming. We want to celebrate and share a few ways Extra Life participants and partners have helped support children’s hospitals recently:
Extra Life United: Online Edition powered by Twitch
Twitch, major live streaming platform and supporter of CMN Hospitals’ Extra Life program is rallied live-streamers to support the children’s hospitals COVID-19 impact fund through their support of Extra Life United: Online Edition. Thousands of gamers registered and hundreds competed in Extra Life’s sixth annual Extra Life United gaming tournament, raising more than $374,000 for 170 children’s hospitals in the United States and Canada.
A significant portion of our Extra Life United: Online Edition total was raised by longtime supporters of Extra Life, Mindcrack Network. They hosted two streams and raised $50,000. Last year Mindcrack raised their $1 millionth dollar for Extra Life!
Thanks to all of the participants for competing to win funds and for those who fundraised during the event made possible by these incredible sponsors: Twitch, Skillz, HyperX, ASUS, Kontrol Freek and Way.
#ExtraLifeUnited: Online Edition was made possible thanks to our wonderful sponsors: @twitch, @skillz, @hyperx, @ASUS_ROGNA, @kontrolfreek, & @nWayGames. Thank you for supporting our community and the 170 children's hospitals we raise funds for! ?? pic.twitter.com/V1v2O5bVzk
— Extra Life @ ? (@ExtraLife4Kids) April 10, 2020
GameStopGives
GameStop’s support of CMN Hospitals continues to grow and more recently was shown by their delivery of much-needed technology to one of our Network hospitals. They also shared in congratulating Extra Life Hackathon’s final four with $1,000 in gift cards.
.@GameStop overnighted 80 gaming headsets to aid in @UCSFChildrens telehealth efforts to help doctors and nurses during the #COVID19 pandemic: https://t.co/p85zFjBc8S. ?? pic.twitter.com/FlRNCaLXsz
— Extra Life @ ? (@ExtraLife4Kids) March 27, 2020
Extra Life Hackathon
We’d like to thank those Extra Lifers and the Hackathon panel of judges who generously donated their time and creativity to help shape the future of the Extra Life program. Take a look at the final four 2020 Hackathon presentations:
Humble Bundle
Humble Bundle, a digital storefront, raised nearly $1M in 2019 for CMN Hospitals. Their mission is to support charity while providing awesome content to customers at great prices. Right now you can buy games and keep your family entertained during the quarantine. Be sure to use the Extra Life referral code and select Extra Life & CMN Hospitals as your charity of choice!
Step into the world of the #ForgottenRealms because we've teamed up with @Wizards_DnD for our newest bundle! Best of all, your purchase will support @ExtraLife4Kids. https://t.co/nLUVAxbYyD pic.twitter.com/WXdYkV8CED
— Humble Bundle (@humble) April 22, 2020
Community Support
An Extra Lifer playing for Children’s Health in Dallas has been 3D printing mask straps to make wearing PPE more comfortable for those on the frontlines. Read more: here http://cmnh.co/O7
Big kudos to Extra Lifer Tyler, who supports Extra Life through @Fragforce, for donating mask straps he 3D printed to various hospitals including @Childrens Health.
The straps offer a small comfort by relieving ear pressure caused by wearing PPE. https://t.co/xPIj0PQ56Z pic.twitter.com/Q3yMuG9zoN
— Extra Life @ ? (@ExtraLife4Kids) April 21, 2020
Tens of thousands of Extra Lifers raise funds year-round for their selected Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Those funds help pediatric patients like Cooper:
While we move through uncharted times, we are grateful for the continued support of the gaming community and its impact on our mission to change kids’ health, change the future.
You can register to play games, heal kids at extra-life.org.