Gaming for Good: the best games to raise funds

Charities looking to run a successful Gaming for Good campaign need to ensure they are involving games that are popular or generating interest among the gaming community. Fundraising with gaming requires you to engage influencers and streamers, as well as encourage their followers to donate.

We have already looked at how charities can find gamers for fundraising, especially how to connect with influencers. We have also offered advice to gamers and influencers on how they can raise funds, including the best technology to use.

Here we offer a snapshot of the games, which are the most talked about within the gaming community and will help bring vital donations to charities during Gaming for Good initiatives.

Charities are advised to spend time researching the most the popular and viewed games via the key gameplay streaming platforms, such as Twitch and Youtube. The research can help develop Gaming for Good link ups with games developers, who can incorporate fundraising into promoting their game.

Minecraft

Minecraft is hugely popular among children and adults alike, as it allows gamers to create their own world from blocks, embark on adventures, and play with friends. The gameplay is highly engaging to watch.

It was fully released in November 2011 and is available across a range of consoles. It is currently the best-selling video game of all time, with more than 200 million copies sold and 126 million active monthly users, as of 2020.

We have listed Minecraft due to its longevity as a top game over several years. As of July 2021 it is the eighth most popular game of all time on Twitch, with 8.68 billion views.

Its popularity does not look like waning. Twitch viewing hour figures for August 2021 rank Minecraft as the sixth most viewed game on the platform, clocking in 76 million viewing hours alone that month.

Minecraft is even more popular on Youtube. It was the most popular game in 2020 on the platform and has been viewed more than 200bn times.

It is also long been used by gamers to raise money, particularly in the US, with Youtube Gaming for Good initiatives using Minecraft racking up millions of views each year, including in 2021.

League of Legends

Another long running game that continues to appeal to gamers and influencers is the multiplayer battle game League of Legends, which is available on Microsoft Windows and Macs. It was released in 2009 and it remains free to play, monetised through purchasing upgrades to characters.

As of July 2021 League of Legends was the most viewed game on Twitch of all time, attracting a total of 42.55 billion views. It is already a popular game for Gaming for Good initiatives as its team-based game play is often highly entertaining for viewers.