It was a colder than usual week in Southern California but that wasn’t going to stop us and Child’s Play Charity from doing what we came to do; Helping our partners who are actually our neighbors.

The week started off at Miller children’s hospital in Long Beach. It was there that we walk the halls handing out many different toys and were able to talk with their team of child life staff members over delicious pizza from Buono’s, a favorite local Italian establishment.

The childcare staff at Miller had many different questions and we were able to answer all of them with confidence about how we could help maximize their potential in the gaming space.

One of the things we all appreciated about Miller was the emphasis on family and togetherness. Just as our values reflect caring for one another during difficult times, Miller Children’s Hospital also makes it possible for all family members to feel included while they go through a time that can be very tough for them and especially the patients.

Our next stop was at UCLA Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. Located right in the iconic heart of L.A. with palm trees, warm sunlight, and rolling hills, we arrived at the hospital and were immediately met by the graceful staff.

We unpacked the boxes of gifts and games in the teen room where the walls were adorned with pictures of stars and celebrities of all sorts. You can see that, even in the midst of Hollywood’s glitz and glamour, that people still want to be able to help children who are suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

We also gave the patients the opportunity to learn, laugh, and socialize even more so by bringing new games and, like all hospitals on the trip, were able to give the hospital one year game passes for all gift bags and to share with future patients who own Xbox one Consoles. Special thank you goes out to Microsoft once again for helping us supply these.

We are now able to bring XBox Game Passes to all families and supply the joy of gaming for all people who need to take their mind off of situations that are beyond their control.

On Thursday’s stop, we were truly in our own backyard, within a few miles actually, at CHOC in Mission Viejo where we handed out toys to patients up and down the halls.

One thing to note about these particular stops is that we weren’t quite able to meet and greet with the patients too much due to flu season and the safety precautions that are being taken by the staff at each of the hospitals. This is completely understandable this time of year and it truly displays the caring and genuine thought behind the practices involved with all the child life staff hospital staff.

2018 has been off to a wonderful start and we’re looking forward to making stops across the country. We were so happy we were able to spread some joy the local hospitals that are right by us in Southern California.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter for all news on the gamers give back tour.

The post Gamers Give Back in SoCal! first appeared on GameChanger Charity.

When you think of a classic game, what comes to mind? Maybe its a first person shooting duel or a versus game, or maybe its something more than that. Maybe it’s a game that has become iconic in more ways than one. If that’s the case, there may be a solid chance that what got you into gaming was an adventure game along the lines of Tomb Raider.

Whether you played it as a kid when it first came out on a console or saw the blockbuster movies before you played it on a PC, the Tomb Raider universe and all the characters that inhabit it are unique and stand the test of time while being known the world over.

We had three different game bundles, all under 25.00, and added a 50.00 bundle that included some awesome GameChanger swag. All of the limited edition bundles were made available on Tiltify. The bundles were composed of steam key game codes that were emailed directly to the donor and included Legacy of Kain games, Pandemonium, Project Snowblind, and Tomb Raider games.

We also hosted a giveaway to give a little GameChanger Charity heave-ho to the overall effort. The giveaway helped to spread the word for us, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix and helped in gaining new followers for all three entities along with ultimately setting more eyes on the campaign.

To say the least, the response from around the world was warm and heartfelt. Below are a couple kind notes from people who purchased the bundles –

“Greetings from Romania!
I am a huge fan of video games and those in need sometimes make my heart melt, i can`t afford to donate much more than than this amount but i am sure that together we can put a smile on their faces, every cent making a difference in their lives !” 

“I already have half of these games but giving to this charity is worth it! :)”

“This is an awesome charity and who knows when I’ll actually get around to playing these but I’m currently going to school to become a video game developer and would love to eventually be as good as the people who work at crystal dynamics, and keep up the awesome work you’re doing for this charity!!!”

Our Twitter page saw the effects of 250+ retweets and our reach on Facebook was seen by over 110,000 users! To name a few, online publications such as IGN, Videogamer, and Gamasutra, all helped out in a big way by picking up the press release and sharing the details about the anniversary sale with their base of readers.

When all was said and done, the campaign raised 30,202.00!

We would like thank each and every publication that picked up the press release and every person who donated and supported us in our efforts. It is truly through the kindness of others that we are able to achieve our vision for the children and staff at hospitals nationally and throughout the world.

We’re always gearing up for upcoming efforts to keep up with pushing our mission in the right direction. Stay up to date on all of our efforts, including fun gaming events and great deals on games, by following our Twitter or Facebook page!

The post Gamers Unite for The Crystal Dynamics 25th Anniversary first appeared on GameChanger Charity.