Last Updated on June 9, 2024 by Jhonni Jets

Gaming is a huge industry that brings people together from all over the world. While gaming can be an escape from reality, many in the community also use their platforms and influence to support important charitable causes. Over the years, some of the largest and most impactful gaming charity events have been organized to raise money for a variety of important issues. This article will explore 10 of the best gaming charity events that gamers can support to make a positive difference in the real world.

St. Jude PLAY LIVE

St. Jude PLAY LIVE is an annual gaming marathon hosted by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital that has raised over $24 million since 2014. The event features popular streamers playing games for extended periods of time to encourage donations towards St. Jude’s mission of finding cures and saving children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Donations from PLAY LIVE have contributed towards the construction of a new St. Jude campus to treat and cure more children worldwide. The next PLAY LIVE event is slated for June 2023, and anyone can tune in or donate online to support the innovative research and care happening at St. Jude.

Extra Life

Extra Life is a 24-hour gaming marathon organized annually by Penny Arcade to raise money for local children’s hospitals. Since 2008, Extra Life has raised over $95 million globally for sick and injured kids. Participants sign up as “players” and stream or play games for 24 straight hours, while viewers watch and donate to support their favorites. Local hospitals benefit directly from funds raised in their area. Extra Life makes it easy for anyone to get involved by gaming, crafting, exercising or any other fun activity for 24 hours. The scale and impact of Extra Life have grown exponentially each year, bringing together gaming communities all over the world for an amazing cause.

AGDQ and SGDQ

Speedrunning marathons Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) in January and Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) in June/July are highly anticipated annual events in the gaming calendar. Speedrunners showcase their skills by completing games as fast as possible to set new world records, while raising millions for charity each event. SGDQ 2022 raised a record-breaking $3.4 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Both events are streamed live for over a week straight on Twitch. Viewers donate to support the speedrunners and learn about optimized strategies. Beyond monetary donations, AGDQ and SGDQ expose new audiences to the fun of speedrunning and growing competitive gaming communities.

Festival of Games

The Festival of Games is a multi-day gaming festival organized by Games Done Quick to support charities beyond their normal speedrunning events. Held alongside Big Easy Convention Center in New Orleans, the Festival of Games in 2023 will take place from March 30th to April 2nd. In addition to AGDQ style speedruns, the festival features casual and competitive multiplayer tournaments, panels, meetups, and other activities for attendees of all gaming interests. Proceeds from the Festival of Games benefit local New Orleans charities like Second Harvest Food Bank. For just a weekend of gaming celebration and camaraderie, attendees can feel good knowing they are directly supporting important community causes through this unique event experience.

Shacknews Marathon

Shacknews is a leading gaming website that organizes an annual gaming marathon to support child advocacy charities. Similar to Extra Life, players sign up individually or form teams to game, craft or do other activities for 24 hours straight while encouraging donations. The 2023 Shacknews Marathon is scheduled for November 10-11 with a $100,000 fundraising goal to support Child’s Play and other important organizations. With a dedicated Discord server and Twitch streams from veteran Shacknews players, it’s an accessible gaming marathon perfect for newcomers looking to get involved. Donations as small as $5 can go a long way in helping children facing hardships.

GuardianCon

GuardianCon is a multi-day gaming and community convention held each fall to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Held in various cities across the US, GuardianCon 2023 will take place October 27-29 in Columbus, Ohio. Alongside panels, meet and greets, and tournaments, GuardianCon auctions exclusive gaming merchandise and experiences to raise money for St. Jude. Community creators, cosplayers, and companies come together for a fun weekend devoted to gaming for a great cause. The 2022 GuardianCon events managed to raise over $1.5 million collectively, showing how hands-on gaming expos can make a big charitable impact when combined with community spirit.

Games for Love

Hosted annually by GamesAid, the UK’s leading games charity, “Games for Love” brings together top game developers, publishers, esports organizations and more for a day dedicated to raising money and awareness for UK children’s charities through gaming. Highlights include developer panels, game reveals, giveaways and charity live streams. In 2022, “Games for Love” managed to raise over £250,000 for organizations supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. By promoting the event on multiple online platforms, anyone anywhere can participate in the fundraising efforts through simple donations to contribute towards an inspiring mission.

Charity Streamers

Beyond organized charity marathons, many top streamers on Twitch and YouTube dedicate regular streams to raising money for meaningful causes. Streamers like Pokimane, Jacksepticeye and Lirik often reserve the proceeds from subscriptions, donations and bits during a scheduled charity stream that can net hundreds of thousands for the designated partner organizations. Viewers get top-tier gaming entertainment while feeling good about positively impacting important issues like cancer research, mental health support and humanitarian aid. Even smaller streamers can choose to stream for charity – every dollar adds up when communities come together through the shared power of gaming.

G4 Saves The Children

G4 Saves The Children is a gaming marathon organized annually by the revived G4 TV network since 2022. Over the course of a weekend in late summer, G4 hosts stream different games non-stop while donations are processed via Gamers Outreach to support children’s hospitals across the country. Viewers can tune into the multi-stream charity marathon from anywhere online. In just its first year, G4 Saves The Children raised over $150,000 for pediatric care, thanks to strong community involvement and support. For families wanting to teach their children about giving back, this age-appropriate gaming charity event is a fantastic way to get involved.

Charity PUBGs and Items

Many popular multiplayer games hold in-game charity events to appeal to their playerbases. PUBG in particular has organized special “Charity PUBGs” over weekends where all purchase revenue from keys, crates and battle passes goes directly to select charities. Individual streamers and organizations also support causes by creating exclusive skins, sprays or gear only obtainable by donating – where that money again goes to charity. Through gaming-themed micro-donations, titles like Fortnite, Apex Legends and Valorant have collectively generated millions that make a real life impact. Even smaller contributions add up when entire communities participate together.

Conclusion

The gaming community continues to demonstrate immense power for good when they come together for great causes. Whether it’s speedrunning, streaming, gaming marathons or exclusive virtual items – the top charitable gaming events truly bring people from all over the world to support the most meaningful organizations out there. For anyone looking for approachable ways to contribute their gaming skills or simple donations, this list highlights some of the best annual and ongoing charity programs making real change. With so many options to choose from, hopefully more will be inspired to get involved however they can and collectively help these charitable gaming initiatives continue breaking fundraising records for years to come.