Gaming2Give
will be hosting its first charity event this Saturday. Starting at 8 a.m., the
founder of Gaming2Give, Brandon Templeton, and his friends and co-workers will
begin a 24 hour gaming marathon hosted in Templeton’s game room in Wichita, Kansas.
They will game for 24 hours straight while uploading YouTube videos, tweets,
and Facebook status updates. The group will be accepting donations until the
end of the event on behalf of Child’s Play, a non-profit organization that buys
toys, books and games for children in hospitals. As of Thursday, Gaming2Give
had already raised $100 for the charity.
While
Templeton has participated in charity events before, this will be his first
time organizing one.
“A few
years ago I did a marathon for the Texas Children’s Hospital,” Templeton said.
“Since then I have looked for other events to join with little to no luck, so
about a month ago I decided, ‘why wait to find one when I could start hosting
them?’”
Templeton,
a self described hardcore gamer, is an outbound shipping supervisor for Hayes
Retail Services. When he approached his co-workers with the concept of
Gaming2Give and asked for their help, Alan McRoberts agreed to give it.
“He
told us about the YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter accounts and how we would be
doing stuff to help charities, plus getting to play games for 24 hours,”
McRoberts said. “How could I say no?”
The
participants in this month’s event will be playing a variety of the most recent
first-person shooter releases. Templeton will post polls about the games being
played to encourage the gaming community to join in the online games and
donate. Gaming2Give will be a monthly event, with the proceeds going to a
different charity every time. Templeton said the decision for the initial
donation to be made to Child’s Play was influenced by the prospect of becoming
a first time father. He said the decision just felt right.
“It
[Child’s Play] reflects what Gaming2Give is about,” Templeton said. “Taking
something that has become so mainstream, like gaming, and using it as a
platform to help build awareness for these charities that are working so hard
to help others.”
“I
think it is an amazing program,” McRoberts said. “It helps in such an
unconventional but truly important way.”
The
initial event is expected to have a turnout of 44 participants, though
Templeton said he hopes to see that number increase. In future events, he is
going to set up an auction — with all profits going to charity — and secure
sponsors that will match the donations made by the gaming community. He also
hopes to see enough support to move the event from his game room to a more
public location, where interaction with the community will be easier.
“By
reaching out to the community and making them a part of the experience we hope
to make a difference for everyone involved,” Templeton said. “We are here for
one reason; to earn money and raise awareness for charities and we will do so
through interactive entertainment.”
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