Gaming for Good: how to raise funds

Gaming is dominated by members of Generation Z, ranging from those who simply enjoy playing video games to influencers with thousands, even millions, of followers.

 

This demographic is tech savvy and socially conscious. And, thankfully, they are eager to use their passion for gaming to help raise money for good causes.

 

There are plenty of ways gamers can link up with charities to raise funds and generate publicity for the voluntary sector.

 

Here we focus on gamers and offer a step-by-step guide to how you can combine gaming and an interest in creating social change by helping charities raise much needed funds. This will focus on how livestreaming can generate charity funds and encourage donations

 

Firstly, gamers will need to set up their own stream if they haven’t already. These can then be linked with online giving platforms to gather donations.

 

Gamers will already have their key gaming platform of choice, such as those made by Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation. Many will play multiple platforms, often due to exclusive game launches on each.

 

 

The best streaming software

 

This streaming process can be achieved by using software such as OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) and Streamlabs. These are free to download and can capture the gameplay on screen and then stream it direct to social media.

 

On OBS, scenes can be created made up of multiple sources, which allows gamers to broadcast their image, the gameplay itself, as well as include text or images about a charity. They can also move between scenes, with one perhaps dedicated to their favourite charity.

 

Streamlabs is also open source, on GitHub, and offers the chance for gamers to personalise their streams with text and images.

 

Be aware that streaming needs a fast internet connection. A good upload speed is required. For example, with OBS an upload speed of 10mps can suffice but more is preferable, especially if guests are invited onto the stream to play along.

 

 

The most popular platforms 

 

Gameplay is then livestreamed to social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook Gaming, and in particular Twitch, which is most commonly used by gamers.

 

Twitch is the most popular by some margin, with more than nine million unique creators each month. Meanwhile, YouTube has a 22% market share of gaming content.

 

Facebook Gaming is the emerging force. This platform saw its audience double between 2020 and 2021.

 

 

The importance of looking and sounding good

 

A good USB microphone can go a long way to keeping an audience engaged and maximise the chance of them donating. Blue microphones cost between £50 and £200.

 

For a little more than £200, the Shure MV7 could be a shrewd investment, with a noticeably better quality sound.

 

Some gamers may want to use the gameplay for visuals with sound. Others may want to show their face. If the gamer wants to do this a camera of at least 1080p is advised.