The gaming community is one of the world's most elusive societies, comprised mostly of stereotypes and myth, with a touch of super intelligence. Far beyond the usually assumed image of a grown man sitting in his mom's basement, thousands of gamers around the world lead perfectly normal lives as business sharks, parents and politicians. But these shadow cats are doing more than dominating virtual worlds-- they are working hard to save their own. To understand how their gaming is impacting lives world-wide, first we need to take a look at a different organization: Doctors Without Borders.
Originally founded in France as Medicins Sans Frontieres, Doctors Without Borders has now grown to 21 functioning medical hubs, sending medical doctors to over 60 countries across the world. One of their bases, ever growing in necessity, is Haiti. Following the 2010 Port-Au-Prince earthquake, DWB set up medical aid in-country, providing much needed attention to the overwhelmed community. With government health plans taking longer to return to acceptable levels than they should, DWB has their work cut out for them.
In a recent interview, we learned that the government-employed Haitian doctors have had an equally overwhelming time. These doctors have been working with a disinterested government, no medical funding and less than the equivalent of $12 US per month as salary. With the medical crisis growing, finances dwindling and paychecks disappearing since February, national doctors have gone on strike-- refusing to work until conditions are, rightly, improved by the one organization that should be caring for its people. The only functioning medical facilities left are private practitioners, whose prices are far above the average income and the Doctors Without Borders team.
From July 3-10, a group of Twitch gamers organized under the banner of Games Done Quick-- an online streaming group emphasizing completing games at maximum speed-- held its annual benefit for Doctors Without Borders. From all over the world, video game enthusiasts and casual spectators alike watched as players attempted to set record scores for speed to completion (some of the games including Fallout and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time). While the draw is certainly fascinating-- who wouldn't want to watch a tiny Link zoom through the forest?-- the cause is what really rallies this community together. As of July 10, as the final game came to a lightening fast end, more than $1 million had been raised. This money will be sent directly to DWB, and go to provide much needed aid to teams in countries such as Haiti, Russia, India and nearly 70 others.
According to their funds disclosure, an astounding 89 percent of all donations to DWB are used directly on the field, with 10 percent for fundraising and a mere 1percent for general management. Unlike some organizations who promote good cause and social justice, while pocketing a good portion of the funds, Doctors Without Borders stands by their numbers and continues to put the interests of others before their own. And in spite of the usual assumption that gamers are simply living in alternate universes, over 100 million people channeled their passion for video gaming to raise the necessary funds to save lives on this planet.
When was the last time your desk job let you do that?
