Game changers

Game for good with St Oswald's Hospice

#GameChangersSOH

Gaming for good

If you’re interested in playing video games to raise funds for St Oswald’s Hospice you’ve come to the right place. The online gaming industry is making millions for charities across the globe. Gamers ‘stream’ their games live to an online audience, who then can make charitable donations, and we’d love you to be part of it!

Are you ready? Your step-by-step guide to get you up and running

Step one: choose your challenge

Pick a date for your event and decide on your gaming challenge. Your challenge could be anything from a livestream marathon, holding a gaming tournament, or just simply playing a game while your friends and family watch. You can do it solo or gather your friends together for some multiplayer – it’s all up to you!

Step two: set up your fundraising page

Getting your fundraising page out there is the first step towards raising vital funds for local families.

Step three: Connect your streaming platform to JustGiving

You’ll need a Twitch account to start live streaming. You can then connect your account to JustGiving to collect donations while you stream.

Twitch works best with JustGiving, but you can use an alternative streaming service such as Youtube Live, Facebook Gaming or Mixer if you like. See the FAQ’s below for more info.

Step four: spread the word!

You’re all set! Now all that’s left to do is to tell all your friends and family about your challenge. Share the link to your fundraising page on social media so that they know what’s happening and when.

Could you BE A GAME CHANGER for young people like Dylan?

“What I like about gaming is that nobody can judge me, they can’t be nasty to me and they can’t look down at me. I’m just a normal person to them. I can just be myself and have fun. When I’m out, people stare at me, they talk to my parents and not to me and ask ‘what’s wrong with him?’ I can still hear and speak, but it’s like I’m not there. When I’m gaming, I’m just like everyone else.”

Dylan, aged 17 who comes to our Children's Service for short breaks every month.

Gaming for good

“This was my first experience of streaming my games while raising money for charity. Gaming is something I have always had a great passion for. As someone who suffers with my mental health, streaming is really helping me to build my own self confidence. For my fundraiser, I streamed for over 10 hours and raised £355!"

Ryan, aka Adie92, Streamer from North Shields

Frequently asked questions

No, not at all. As long as you have a PC or console and a game to play, you’re all set! If you don’t have a PC, the consoles we recommend are Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Please see ‘How do I stream my event?’ below for further advice.

Here’s a handy guide to setting up a stream. We recommend using Twitch to stream your gaming. If you’re planning to live-stream you can link your JustGiving page to your Twitch stream so anyone watching can donate to you seamlessly.

Whilst we recommend you stream your event because it’s super fun for you, and anyone watching, it is not expected. You can simply complete your challenge and send a link to your fundraising page to your friends and family.

You will need to connect your Twitch account to your fundraising page. To do this go to your store on Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo Switch and install the Twitch app and login. Once you’ve done this, you can connect your Twitch account to your fundraising page.

If you’d prefer to link to your Facebook, Youtube, Mixer or PlayStation Live, copy and paste the stream link to your story section on your page.

Any other questions? Get in touch