Video game dev and publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment America announced that over $20,000 was raised and donating to Gamers Outreach. The company’s aim is to support the foundation’s mission “to provide recreation and entertainment to children recovering from the treatment of long term illnesses in hospitals through the power of video games.”
According to Bandai Namco, funds are going directly to the creation of additional “GO Karts” or Gamers Outreach Karts – portable, medical-grade gaming kiosks which healthcare staff can use to transport gaming consoles and games to children who are not able to leave their rooms during their recovery. Word is that GO Karts can be already be found in 50 hospitals around the US.
“As a video game company, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America is excited to see the power of video games brighten the day of a child recovering from illness. Video games can transport children to distant lands for grand adventures, empower them with super powers, and most importantly, deliver a simple smile and some comfort,” said Denny Chiu, Director, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. “By lifting their spirits, we hope to help these brave young patients through their healing process and provide a semblance of fun and normalcy to their day. We also want to thank our generous fans who donated funds during our livestream. Our combined donations will surely add a boost to help Gamers Outreach in its mission of bringing joy, creating smiles, and making the day special for countless kids.”
“We’re incredibly grateful to the team from BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America for this generous gift of more than $20,000 in support of providing entertainment devices to hospitalized children,” said Zach Wigal, Founder of Gamers Outreach. “As an organization, our focus is to help normalize the hospital experience by ensuring games and recreation are available to patients, and easy for healthcare professionals to manage. GO Karts are a tool hospital staff rely on as a way to deliver content to patients who have limited accessibility during treatment. The GO Karts built by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America will be making a difference in the lives of children and their families for years to come!”
These aren’t the only charity efforts we’ve seen in the gaming industry. For example, recently Humble Bundle raised over $100 million for charity.
The cool thing is that funds donated by Bandai Namco are comprised of charitable donations raised during an eight hour “Let’s Play Anime” charity livestream, which garnered $5,484 from viewers and fans. This livestream showed gameplay segments from the publisher’s latest games.
