About The Event
Gamechanger and Friends 2018 is the first annual, month-long community fundraiser hosted by Gamechanger Charity, featuring guest livestreamers and giveaways.
The Goal
Raise $75,000 during the month of August, leading up to one Grand Finale, multi-partner day of streaming on the 29th. This will allow us to fund at least 5 GameChanger scholarships and give 5,000+ copies of the game I, Hope to kids / teens in hospitals around the world.
Showcase Games
Developed by Kenny Roy, I, Hope is a beautiful coming of age adventure story about a young girl named Hope, whose town has been taken over by Cancer. The game is engaging for all, yet for survivors and children who are currently battling cancer, the game is empowering. This title is also the first independently developed gamed that was donated entirely to Gamechanger Charity’s nonprofit causes.
Developed by Laura Shigihara, Rakuen has received 1,067 positive reviews and carries a Metacritic score of 84. In this game, a hospitalized boy comes to terms with his own story by traveling with his mother to a beautiful fantasy world; ultimately helping his fellow patients find closure by walking a mile in their shoes.
Prize Giveaways
By donating via the official event Tiltify page, supporters can choose to enter different giveaways based on the chosen level of contribution:
- $10.00 – get a copy of Rakuen & I, Hope on PC and we will give an addition copy of I, Hope to a kid in a hospital.
- $15.00 – get entered to win a Minecraft Fun Pack ($200 value) – physical prize
- LEGO Minecraft #21117 “The Elder Dragon”
- Minecraft foam pickaxe
- Minecraft 5″ vinyl “Mining Steve”
- 3- Minecraft mini mystery box
- $50.00 – Enter to win an Autographed Minecraft collector’s pack by the Minecraft team – physical prize
- Xbox One
- Minecraft Poster
- Minecraft Adventure kits with Iron Sword
- Funko collectible toy
- “Minecraft: The Crash” book signed by the author
- $100.00 –GameChanger Founders Pack + 1 month (25 to 28 games) of Chrono.gg games (limited to 10 winners) + lower tier items
- $10.00 – get a copy of Rakuen & I, Hope on PC and we will give an addition copy of I, Hope to a kid in a hospital.
GameChanger Inaugural Most Valuable Partner
I, Hope is a very special game created by an equally special game developer.
At the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC18) in San Francisco, GameChanger revealed their Most Valuable Partner program in order to spotlight and celebrate the partners, contributors, and champions of the Charity.
It’s fitting that our inaugural MVP selection comes on the heels of GDC as it is the event in which we met this young, scrappy, and hungry game developer just two years prior. He came to us with an “idea” in regards to a new video game he was developing that would help raise the spirits and constitution of those fighting cancer and bring awareness of the healing power of video games. Our Founder was struck by the message of the game and passion of this developer and had agreed to incorporate this game into GameChanger’s hospital tours and events. Earlier this year, the developer completed this game entitled, I, Hope, and, keeping with his word, donated the game in its entirety to GameChanger Charity.
Kenny Roy’s I, Hope tells the moving story of a young girl called Hope, struggling to defeat “Cancer”; a mysterious evil creature that has ravaged and scorned her beautiful island home. In order to attain the weapons, knowledge and courage needed to defeat the monster, Hope travels through five different floating fantasy islands in which she’s confronted by various perils.
In February, this game was entered into Twitch Prime’s first ever Indie Amplifier program where it went up against eight other independent game titles. Several of these games were already known properties with established fanbases (across multiple consoles) and, even as a complete unknown, I, Hope managed to finish in a respectable 4th place out of all the competitors in the event.
As the game prepares to launch on Xbox One this month, we would like to honor this developer and champion of the charity, Kenny Roy. We want to recognize the efforts and talents of an incredible game developer that has donated his two years of dev, sweat, and tears to our charity which is why Kenny Roy is our GameChanger MVP of the Month.
I, Hope is a very special game created by an equally special game developer and we are proud to have been part of this developer’s journey over the past two years. We look forward to sharing Kenny’s message of motivation, encouragement, and strength to those children currently in the fight of their lives.
ZOTT: A New Web-based Content Platform
“As a young cancer patient, I was stunned by the lack of entertainment, education and social interaction available in hospitals, as well as by the devastating effects this absence of communal and intellectual stimulation can have on kids and young adults,” – Taylor Carol
Big news in our world today that will be impactful for millions of children in numerous hospitals!
ZOTT is a new Web-based Content Platform Revolutionizing Patients’ Freedom to Play, Learn and Socialize!
GameChanger Charity is proud to reveal ZOTT, a private, for-profit subsidiary of GameChanger Charity created to advance its mission to improve the lives of patients around the world through technology and innovation.
ZOTT is an over-the-top (OTT), multi-channel media distribution platform with a network of highly curated entertainment and educational content services for patients and administrators in hospitals. ZOTT has appointed Jonathan Shipman, a founding member and former executive vice president of broadcaster product development and video platform technologies at Twitch, as the company’s new president.
Click the logo below to learn more about ZOTT!
“Ever since I learned about GameChanger’s mission, I have been inspired by their work to join their calling, which proves the power that human connection and play can have for those facing the unthinkable,” said Lamia. “Today I’m honored to join the passionate people who have made this force for good possible, as we look forward to the next decade of gaming and giving.” – Mark Lamia
“I know from my own son’s experience the positive impact meaningful opportunities to play, learn and socialize can have for those fighting through a life-threatening illness and the ensuing recovery, especially at a young age,” said Shipman. “ZOTT is a new leap forward in patient engagement and support, with the power to scale GameChanger’s founding mission for socioeconomic good upward around the world. You’ll be hearing a lot more from us in the coming year.” – Jonathan Shipman
I, Hope – A Game with Purpose
GameChanger’s I, Hope invited to take part in Twitch Prime’s first-ever Indie Amplifier with a chance of winning up to $100,000!
I, Hope is a 3D platforming game that follows Hope, a young girl whose life is turned upside down when a mysterious monster named Cancer falls from sky and lands on her island home. The gameplay centers around discovering unique abilities entrenched within magical floating islands in order to solve puzzles and defeat enemies.I, Hope was developed by Kenny Roy who donated the game to GameChanger Charity’s mission of benefiting children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. “When we think of video games, our minds go to epic battles, fantasy worlds, crazy races and mind-boggling adventures,” says Kenny. “Creating a game is about hitting the perfect balance between pure-amusement and lifting player’s spirits.” Kenny’s mission for I, Hope was to make a game that kids can play while receiving cancer treatments; something to distract them, but at the same time, put them back in control of their battle.
I, Hope was discovered early by the ID@Xbox team who helped champion the development of the project for more than 18 months. Microsoft offered Kenny support throughout the development process and their ID@Xbox team worked tirelessly to test, certify, and make sure this game became an Xbox One console exclusive. Microsoft also awarded I, Hope with their ID@Xbox Gaming For Everyone Award at last year’s Game Development Conference in San Francisco saying, “I, Hope is the best of what a game can be because it is inspiring, challenging and fun.”
The team at ++Good Games (pronounced Double Plus Good Games) has worked alongside GameChanger Charity since 2013 and has joined GameChanger on hospital tours, trade shows, and at events like our Games and Music Festival. ++Good Games celebrates the greatest games, people, and experiences the games industry has to offer and have agreed to help GameChanger Charity bring this game to market with additional development and marketing support. Check them out over at their site and be sure to follow them on Twitter at @doubleplusgames.
Stay tuned to this page and to all of our social media profiles like Twitter and Facebook for ways to purchase I, Hope, support GameChanger Charity simply by getting this great game, and more awesome details as the release date approaches!
Moving forward while looking back on 2017
We feel blessed to have the support of the gaming community and to have a strong relationship with Child Life staff who work with children at hospitals everywhere. There is positive energy all around GameChanger Charity and that comes from people like you who believe in our mission.
From raising funds and working with amazing partners like NVIDIA and Crystal Dynamics on donation campaigns to visiting children’s hospitals across the country with video games and wonderful gifts, 2017 was truly a GameChanger.
In case you’re just starting to learn more about who we are and what we do, here’s a breakdown of our four pillars (Click the link on the title of each section to see a specific event from this year!)
Gamers Give Back Tour – from north to south, east to west, we made 40 stops across the Great Plains and the big cities and met amazing people at each and every location we visited. Each time we made a stop we brought with us toys to donate on the day of our visit, a catered lunch for the Child Life staff, and had discussions about game equipment and what may be needed at the specific location.
GameChanger Play Days – imagine a day specifically designed to take the stress and anxiety away from a child’s stay in the hospital. Where video games and VR stations are set up throughout a large playroom, special guests come along, toys from partners like Hasbro are handed out, and kids get to try out the newest advances in virtual reality and play some classic games as well. Patients and their siblings all get to have a blast and simply be kids and are able to have fun without any worry… all wrapped up in a day to remember.
Character-Based Scholarship Program – Many times, when a teenager is admitted to the hospital with a serious life-threatening illness, their entire lives are put on hold. All dreams, talents, schooling, and family life takes a back seat to ensure they are getting on the right path to health and proper recovery. But then what? Time goes by and these young people are left with needing to pick up where they left off to catch back up with their goals. This is where the GameChanger Charity Character Based Scholarships come into play. Either we meet future recipients during our Gamers Give Back Tour stops or we have nominees suggested to us by the Child Life and hospital staff who work closely with these patients. The scholarship recipients are selected based off unique, creative, and loving characteristics they portray during their stay in the hospital. They leave a lasting impression on everyone they meet and we are proud to help out to bring their lives back up to speed in any way we can.
VR Camps – VR has been becoming a core focus for GameChanger Charity which is why we’re placing special emphasis on the technology and making it one of our 4 pillars. Over the course of 2018, we will visit 14 different sites and equip them with the hardware and software to run VR for patients. We personally ship out the necessary equipment and one of our GameChanger team members will come to the hospital or camp to help with the set-up. Once set-up is complete, we give a rundown of how to set it up and keep it running as well as various games, functions, and techniques which we have found to be most helpful in the hospital setting
We are planning for a huge 2018 right now and are looking to make an impact on average of one hospital per month.
As always, thank you so much for staying up on all things GameChanger! Be sure to follow us on Twitter in 2018!
The ThanX-Giveaway Contest!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Never mind Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We’re saying THANKS to all of you who have been supporting us with this awesome Xbox Themed Giveaway!
For this particular giveaway, you have many chances, many of them being free, to win one of two Xboxes and a cornucopia of games!! Click the picture below to enter!
You have the chance to win one of the two following prize packages! Click here to enter!
1st Place
Xbox One Elite
Xbox One Controller
Thrustmaster Steering Wheel/Pedal
Thrustmaster Doom Headset
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare: Atlas Pro Edition
Call of Duty: Ghosts: Hardened Edition
Borderlands: Handsome Jack Edition
Halo 5
Evolve
Horizon 2
Dark Souls III
Might Number 9
Rabbids Invasion
RYSE
Killer Instinct
Zoo Tycoon
Angry Birds
Forza
Xbox Tee Shirt
2nd Place
Xbox One
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare: Atlas Limited Edition
Halo 5
Evolve
Rabbids Invasion
Killer Instinct
Zoo Tycoon
Angry Birds
Xbox Tee Shirt
The giveaway runs from 11/21 – 12/04. If you make a donation, please supply us with your email for proof of purchase. All proof of purchase emails can be sent to Info@gamechangercharity.org.
Please be aware that while many of these games are all ages some of these games are intended for mature audiences.
Enter today to win! And as always, your contribution goes towards bringing joy to kids in hospitals through therapeutic gaming, VR, and helping to make dreams a reality through out scholarship program.
The Ultimate PC for a Good Cause – Winner Announced!!
Congrats to Javier for winning the custom built PC from NVIDIA! We hope you enjoy many amazing days of gaming in the near future!
Together, along with the 4,000+ entries who donated to win, you have helped to bring the pure joy of gaming to children in hospitals around the world who are dealing with life-threatening illnesses. Each dollar truly makes a difference for the lives of the kids we meet and none of it would be possible without your help.
Donate to GameChanger Charity while getting the chance to win game codes and other great prizes while getting a chance to win this amazing NVIDIA custom built gaming PC valued at 15,000.00!!
“Months ago, the GeForce team decided the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti deserved a PC worthy of the power and design our top-tier GPU brings to gaming. So we went to our friends at PC case maker Parvum with one request: create the Ultimate GeForce PC, and make it glorious.
See it right here for yourself by checking out this video!
…This one-of-a-kind powerhouse is custom-built out of milled aluminum. It’s smaller than most ATX chassis, yet feels incredibly dense at 48 pounds. It’s the Ultimate GeForce PC of our dreams.”
· GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
· Case: Custom-milled, completely unique aluminum chassis
· Motherboard: Asus X99-E WS USB 3.1 Intel X99 (Socket 2011) DDR4 EATX Workstation
· CPU: Intel i7-6850K 3.60GHz (Broadwell-E) Socket LGA2011-V3
· Memory: Kingston HyperX Predator 16GB (8x4GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C15 3000MHz
· Storage: Samsung 960 PRO Polaris 2TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 3.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive
· Watercooling: EK Water Blocks EK-KIT S240 Performance Watercooling Kit
· PSU: Silverstone SST-SX700-LPT SFX-L 700W 80 Plus Platinum Modular Power Supply Custom Milled Aluminum Chassis
· Estimated total value – $15,000
The Grand Prize Winner will receive:
1 Ultimate GeForce PC from NVIDIA!
1 full suite of Razer Gunmetal accessories (BlackWidow X Chroma, Lancehead TE, Invicta and Kraken) for the person who wins the PC!!!
For more info about runner up prizes and exciting games like Star Wars Battlefront and Destiny 2 click here!
We can’t thank NVIDIA enough! For detailed information, official rules, prizes and donations awards, please visit our donor drive page.
We wouldn’t be able to accomplish what we do without the partnerships of businesses such as NVIDIA that want to help out and truly make a difference for the children we visit in hospitals around the country and the world. We are incredibly grateful for their contributions to our cause.
Gamers Give Back Goes to Canada!
“Your generosity and variety of items, for the wide range of ages as well as gifts for our play and teen lounge programs, were so well received. Staff were blown away by your true understanding and appreciation for the work we do and were humbled by your words.” – Chantal LeBlanc, IWK
September 2017 has been another busy one for the GameChanger Team! This month, while on our Gamers Give Back Tour, we visited our lovely friends to the north in Canada. Each healthcare facility we visited was innovative in their approach to healthcare, showed special attention in caring for their very special young patients, and were all ears when it came to pushing forward with new ideas.
One of the items we take along with us to our GGB tour stops is the “Therapeutic Video Game Recommendation Guide” that our partner Child’s Play Charity has created. We bring copies along with us as reference for games that can help with a variety of symptoms. Erick (@eribek on Twitter), one of our friends from Childs Play who is frequently with us on visits, is always more than happy to go over the guide with staff after gifts have been distributed on a visit.
Below are some highlights from the Gamers Give Back Tour stops including thank you notes and pictures from our visits.
“I just want to thank you so much for the visit! The team was awesome and the gifts were much appreciated by all the kids! Lunch was very good and we had a good chat! We will definitely speak again for future plans” – Jean Pascal, Shriners Hospital, Montreal
Following our visit to Shriners Hospital, Montreal, Don Johnson, CEO here at GameChanger, attached us to an email:
“I will tell you that Shriner’s of Montreal was a real inspiration and highlight…you and the team at Shriner’s are truly “GameChanger’s”!! We are humbled to have had the opportunity to get to know you and your entire team!” – DJ
Thank you for having us!
Next, we stopped at IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Not only was the hospital gorgeous, it’s also worth to note that the sights in Nova Scotia are breathtaking and worth a visit to see for yourself!
We were greeted kindly by Chantal LeBlanc and her team of Child Life professionals and handed out many gifts throughout the wings of the children’s hospital. Once we finished up and said our goodbyes we received this pleasant thank you note that warmed our hearts:
“I just wanted to send a quick note of appreciation for the motivating group lunch we just had. I don’t think that GameChanger realizes the impact their visit had. I truly feel their timing was perfect. It was so inspiring to have such passionate people meet with us and have a true understanding and appreciation for Child Life. Hearing them speak validated what we do and why. To know there are people like that out there advocating for us, our patients and our families is so refreshing. I feel recharged having a group get together and it was very thoughtful for them to treat us to lunch, that was a nice bonus.” – Chantal LeBlanc, IWK
Thanks Chantal! We love what you all do for the kids as well!!
Last but certainly not least, we made a stop at Janeway Children’s Hospital Foundation in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
“I just wanted to send a quick thank you to Terri and Jenine, for your assistance in the GameChanger & Child’s Play Charity event that took place today at the Janeway.
The event was amazing with Child Life staff along with Eric, Don and Darla from GameChanger & Child’s Play, able to visit and provide gifts to the Janeway patients, plus the opportunity for Child Life staff and the Give Back Tour representatives to meet and discuss the gaming ( both electronic and board games) needs of the hospital from both a diversional and therapeutic aspect.
We would like to thank both groups for including the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre in your Canadian east coast Gamers Give Back Tour. We look forward to continued collaboration with your group.
Also, thank you for the lunch it was a wonderful treat.” – Arlene Scott, JaneWay
As autumn the autumn temperatures start to cool down and set the stage for winter, we would like to give our sincere thanks to all of the hospitals we’ve visited for having us while on our Gamers Give Back Tour. We can only hope that the work we do brings happiness to these special kids who need it most. A million thanks to each and every Child Life team member out there helping kids through tough times!
Keep up with our Gamers Give Back Tour dates by following us on Twitter and signing up for our newsletter!
Omaze and GameChanger head to NYCC
Want to meet Luke Skywalker? How about a free flight to NYC while staying at a four star hotel AND being able to meet Luke Skywalker? By donating, you can make that happen for you and a friend!
Sometimes the stars align and things come together in a big way. This is the case when it comes to the Omazing (sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves) effort on behalf of the awesome folks at Omaze. Packages have been created on a donate to win basis on Omaze where you can win a once in a lifetime trip to New York Comic Con where all you need to do is donate to GameChanger for your chance to head to NYCC!
Warning: At the time of writing this there are only a few days left to enter!
Here are the highlights included in this package:
- 2 tickets NYCC, good for all four days
- Attend “NYCC Presents: Star Wars Film Concert Series Presented by the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center Plaza”
- Cut the line at both Mark Hamill’s and Felicity Jones’ autograph sessions
- Go to the exclusive event, New York Comic Con Presents: An Evening with Mark Hamill at the Hammerstein Ballroom
- Get flown out to NYC and put up in a 4-star hotel
As best told on the page itself:
You’ll score tickets to the convention (all four days!), you’ll watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens scored live by the New York Philharmonic (amazing), you’ll cut the lines at Mark Hamill’s and Felicity Jones’ autograph signings (no Jedi mind tricks required), and you’ll even attend an exclusive panel featuring the one and only Mark Hamill himself!
Need we say more? Donate for your chance to win today!
Stay tuned to this page for updates on winners and more about this awesome event. A MILLION THANKS TO OMAZE for selecting us to be the charity for this awesome campaign!
As always, be sure to follow us on Twitter and find out how you can help GameChanger! for real time action at NYCC as well as the many other great events we will be participating in to help us continue our mission to bring gifts and therapeutic gaming to kids suffering from life-threatening illnesses.
Awesome Kid Raises Big Bucks for GameChanger
People often ask how they can help out. The answer is simple, there are many ways! Here’s a story about one girl who decided to help GameChanger Charity using her own unique approach.
While our core base of donors is primarily made up of YouTube personalities, toy manufacturers, and gaming companies, we are also incredibly fortunate to receive donations from all types of people who feel compelled to help out. This is where Kat Stratton comes into the picture.
This particular young woman was inspired by a GameChanger Charity donation campaign hosted by star streamer Markiplier and, for a school project about being an active citizen, decided to raise money for GameChanger through her own donation drive.
Here’s a snippet from the campaign page she launched on generosity.com:
“For my whole life, very few things have ever made me more passionate than a good video game. What I want is to share with people the same passion I feel every time I boot up a video game console. I knew of a charity I wanted to support and I got to work. I first learned about Game Changer through live streams hosted by Markipler and I think it is a great cause. Please check out the charity, it would mean a lot to me.<3”
Kat, who goes by @nefariousbot on Twitter, is a 13 year old who lives in Northern California and has a passion for gaming and helping others out. Kat has spent her last two summers doing humanitarian work in the Amazon of Ecuador and recently Kenya, with Pledge to Humanity and MetoWe.
While in Kenya, Kat worked with her Pledge to Humanity group to build schoolrooms in a remote village called Irkat. She also was part of a production crew to film a documentary about the impact of the work being done there. Wow!
Kat and her mom Tawnia shared how Kat has dealt with many obstacles that relate to dyslexia and how she has been able to overcome some of the conditions that relate to this learning disability through gaming!
Kat partnered with her mom’s company 8Dio, a next-generation developer of software instruments, which helped to create discounted packages and bundles for donors of the campaign. Interesting to note, donors that contributed to Kat’s campaign via 8Dio were international composers and producers in the music industry with many of them bring video game composers!
“Children In the hospital do not have the same opportunities you or I might have. There is only so much you can do when confined to a hospital bed. Options are very limited; most physical activities are not option. Having access to digital entertainment can motivate children by providing a fun opportunity to engage with family and friends by their bedside.”
By the time the campaign was over, Kat had helped to raise $5,969.00 for GameChanger! For more details, click here to visit Kat’s campaign page.
Last we spoke, Kat and her mom were headed to NYC as Kat had earned a ticket to We Day due to her efforts with GameChanger Charity and her Pledge to Humanity humanitarian work.
We couldn’t do it alone! The help we receive from many people who love GameChanger Charity and what we stand for is always appreciated and we’re humbled by those who want to help us push forward in our mission. Click here to learn how you can help out!