Gaming for Good Podcast Returns for a COVID-19 Edition

This article is sponsored by Salesforce.org - the dedicated social impact team of Salesforce that delivers technology to nonprofits, educational institutions, and philanthropic organisations so they can connect with others and do more good.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about gaming?

For many people, it will be tired stereotypes of reclusive basement dwellers and sullen teenagers. Video games have long been regarded as the preserve of the young and socially-awkward.

But those attitudes have been slowly changing over the last decade, and COVID-19 has led to many people getting involved with gaming for the first time. Whether it’s Help for Heroes using live-streaming to raise funds, The Kaleidoscope Trust building their own game to support LGBTQ+ activists around the world, or Superman himself building a gaming PC from scratch, gaming has a cool new image.

If you feel like you’re reading more about gaming than you used to then it’s probably because you are. Gaming is big business these days. Bigger, in fact, than Hollywood - with an enormous community worth around £137 Billion globally. Livestreaming is increasingly becoming a valuable fundraising tool for charities. Gaming is being used to promote positive mental health, whilst Humble Bundle allows gamers to get great discounts whilst raising money for charity (the site also offers incredible discounts on digital comics, and currently has an amazing offer on data science ebooks).