War Child UK, a charity dedicated to helping children in war-torn areas, has announced that it managed to raise $380,000 in 2018 via its Armistice project. Since its inception in 2016, the initiative has raised over $750,000 for children in conflict, and over 20 gaming studios contributed to this feat by providing a mix of exclusive content, sales across different online stores, and live streams built around peaceful gameplay.
Games have the ability to raise awareness of the effects of war, as a large number of war-based games release every year, often with historical and factual context. However, most video games that cover war tackle the direct interaction between soldiers in the form of shooting games and don't focus on other facets of conflict.
Bandai Namco, 505 Games, Gameloft and Devolver Digital were among the companies that contributed to the project, and War Child UK has used the gaming industry as an effective way to raise money for those in need. Since the charity was set up, they have gathered $4.3 million in funding through the PC, console and mobile industries as well as the communities that support the industry.
Wayne Emanuel, head of gaming partnerships at War Child UK has praised the gaming industry for its charitable efforts. Emanuel said: "With such engagement and a strong sense of community from gamers and willingness to support from developers, publishers and platforms, there is an enormous opportunity to make gaming a platform for positive change."
In 2019, War Child UK will look to further its efforts of fundraising through various initiatives, including the RE-PLAY event in April. This looks at taking players back to their favourite childhood gaming memories as a way to raise money for children who are affected by war.
See below for a list of the companies that got involved.
⦁ BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe
⦁ Wargaming.net
⦁ PlayStack
⦁ Game Insight
⦁ Imperia Online JSC
⦁ IGG.com
⦁ Gameloft
⦁ Introversion Software
⦁ Digital Legends
⦁ Madfinger Games
⦁ Tencent/Miniclip
⦁ Studio Diva
⦁ Social Point
⦁ Positech Games
⦁ Amanita Design
⦁ Six Foot Europe
⦁ Fireproof Games
⦁ Devolver Digital
⦁ Dinosaur Polo Club
⦁ Revolution Software
⦁ 505 Games